Tokyo

Tokyo has two airports, and which one you land at matters. Haneda (HND) is the closer, newer-feeling option — about 15km from the center, with the Tokyo Monorail or Keikyu Line getting you into central Tokyo in 15–30 minutes for a few hundred yen — and it now handles a growing share of international long-haul flights, including the only nonstop route from Scandinavia: ANA has flown Stockholm Arlanda–Haneda directly since early 2025, typically a few times a week on a Boeing 787 (around 13.5 hours). Narita (NRT) is further out, about 60km east of the city, and takes 36–75 minutes to reach depending on your train: the Keisei Skyliner is the fastest at around 36–41 minutes into Nippori or Ueno for roughly ¥2,300–2,600, while the JR Narita Express (N'EX) runs 53–75 minutes to Tokyo Station, Shinjuku, and other major hubs and is covered by the Japan Rail Pass if you're using one. Narita still handles the bulk of budget and low-cost carriers (Jetstar, Peach, Zipair) out of its dedicated Terminal 3, so it's often the cheaper landing point even if less convenient. From Sweden specifically, most travelers will still connect rather than fly the ANA nonstop — Finnair via Helsinki, or one-stop options via a Gulf or Turkish hub, are common and often cheaper, and Japan Airlines offers connecting itineraries out of Stockholm too. If you're combining Tokyo with other parts of Japan, note that Narita and Haneda sit on opposite sides of the city, so a multi-airport itinerary (fly into one, out of the other) needs a couple of hours of buffer to cross town. Within Japan, Tokyo is also the natural start or end point for the Shinkansen network — Tokyo Station puts you roughly two to two-and-a-half hours from Kyoto or Osaka, making a fly-into-Tokyo, train-onward itinerary the standard way to see more of the country.

The subway and JR train network is the backbone of getting around, and it's genuinely excellent — clean, frequent, and almost always exactly on time. Get an IC card the moment you land (Welcome Suica or the newer Tourist PASMO both work interchangeably on trains, subways, buses, and at convenience stores nationwide) and just tap in and out; it's far less hassle than buying individual tickets for every ride, and you can load it straight into Apple or Google Wallet if your phone supports it. The JR Yamanote Line is worth learning early — it's the loop line that rings the city center and connects almost every neighborhood you'll want to visit (Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ebisu, Tokyo Station, Ueno), so when in doubt, get yourself back onto it. One quirk worth knowing: Tokyo's rail network is actually run by several competing operators — JR East, Tokyo Metro, and Toei Subway chief among them — and while your IC card works seamlessly across all of them, transferring between a Metro line and a Toei line sometimes charges a small extra fare that transferring within the same operator wouldn't. Trains stop running around midnight to 12:30am and there's no all-night service, so if you're out late in Shinjuku or Roppongi, budget for a taxi home or just lean into it and find an izakaya that stays open until the first train around 5am. Taxis are metered, spotless, and drivers won't expect a tip, but they're pricier than trains and genuinely hard to flag down on a busy street — use the GO app or a designated taxi stand instead. Coin lockers at every major station (Shinjuku and Tokyo Station have hundreds) are a lifesaver for stashing luggage on a travel day. One etiquette note that trips people up: stand on the left side of escalators in Tokyo (it flips to the right in Osaka), and keep phone calls and loud conversation off the trains — carriages are noticeably, almost eerily quiet.

Google Maps is genuinely the best transit app here — it nails train times, platform numbers, and even which train car to stand in for your transfer, beating out most dedicated Japanese apps. NAVITIME for Japan is worth adding if you're doing day trips or holding a Japan Rail Pass — it has a dedicated pass mode that shows routes optimized for what's actually covered. For taxis, GO is the one locals actually use (it dominates the market and lets you book a fixed-fare airport transfer in advance); Uber also operates in Tokyo but it's really just hailing the same licensed taxis through a different app, and DiDi is a solid backup. Load your IC card (Welcome Suica or Tourist PASMO) into Apple or Google Wallet if your phone supports it — it turns your phone into both a train ticket and a konbini payment method. PayPay has become the default QR-code payment app for locals and is worth setting up if you're staying more than a few days — plenty of smaller izakayas and shops that don't take foreign credit cards will happily take PayPay. If you're continuing on to Kyoto, Osaka, or elsewhere by bullet train, Smart EX lets you book and pay for Shinkansen seats from your phone instead of queuing at a ticket machine. For food, Uber Eats and Demae-can both deliver widely across the city, and Grab runs rides plus delivery in central Tokyo if you'd rather keep it to one app. And it's worth having Yurekuru Call or the NHK World app running in the background — Japan gets frequent minor earthquakes, and an early-warning alert on your phone, even if you never need to act on it, is genuinely reassuring.

Don't tip — it isn't customary anywhere in Japan and can genuinely confuse or embarrass staff; pride in service is built into the price, not added on top of it. Eating while walking is generally frowned on outside of festival food stalls, so if you grab something from a market stand, step to the side and finish it there before moving on. Street trash cans are almost nonexistent, so carry a small bag for your own rubbish until you pass a konbini or station bin — and note that bins next to vending machines are usually only for bottles and cans, not general trash. Keep some cash on hand — Tokyo has gotten far more card- and QR-friendly in recent years, but plenty of small izakayas, temples, and older shops are still cash-only; 7-Eleven ATMs (branded Seven Bank) are the most reliable for foreign cards when your hotel or a regular bank ATM won't cooperate. If you've got a tattoo and want to visit an onsen or sento, check ahead — many traditional bathhouses still bar visible tattoos due to their old association with the yakuza, though a growing number of tattoo-friendly spots exist and small tattoos can often be covered with a waterproof patch. Take your shoes off wherever you see a step up and a shoe rack — most ryokan, some restaurants, and any temple interior will expect it, so it's worth wearing shoes you can slip on and off easily. Tokyo's addresses don't work like Western street-and-number systems — they're organized by ward, district, block, and building number, which means even taxi drivers sometimes need a landmark or a pinned map location rather than the written address, so save your accommodation's location on Google Maps before you land. Grab a data eSIM before you arrive (or a physical SIM at the airport) — you'll lean on your phone constantly for trains and maps, and Japan's free public wifi coverage is patchy at best. And if your trip falls in September, keep an eye on typhoon season — it rarely derails a whole trip but can cancel a day of trains or flights with little notice.

Shinjuku is the classic first-timer base: loud, glittering, endlessly convenient, with easy access to everything from the Golden Gai bars to day trips out to Mt. Fuji and Hakone, and it sits on the Yamanote Line so you're never more than a few stops from anywhere else. Shibuya gives you younger, nightlife-heavy energy with the famous Crossing right outside your door and quick trains to Ginza, Roppongi, and Asakusa. Asakusa is the pick for a slower, more traditional feel — narrow lanes, temples, and ryokan-style stays — and tends to be kinder on the budget; it's also the natural base if you're arriving via Narita, since the Skyliner drops you nearby at Nippori or Ueno. Ginza suits travelers who want polish: quieter streets, department stores, serious sushi counters, and easy access to the Shinkansen if you're heading onward to Kyoto or Osaka. Ueno is an underrated middle ground — walkable to its namesake park and museum cluster, well connected for day trips, and generally cheaper than Shinjuku or Ginza for a similar level of convenience. And if it's a repeat trip and you want to stay somewhere that feels more like a neighborhood than a tourist zone, Kagurazaka — Tokyo's old geisha district turned quiet enclave of cobblestone lanes, ryotei, and French bakeries — is a lovely, low-key alternative most first-timers never consider.

Ginza is where Tokyo's sushi culture shows off — conveyor-belt spots like Kaitenzushi Nemuro Hanamaru and Conveyor Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera prove that even the "casual" version here is serious business, while Ginza Tenryu and the little café Age.3 GINZA are good lower-key options between shopping stops, and the basement food hall (depachika) at Mitsukoshi Ginza is worth a browse even if you're not buying — beautifully packaged bento, wagashi, and tsukemono (pickled vegetables) that make for a great grazing lunch. Nihonbashi, just north of Ginza, is the place for kaisendon (seafood rice bowls piled with sashimi) — Nihonbashi Kaisen Don Tsujihan regularly has a queue worth joining. Ebisu and Naka-Meguro are the city's yakiniku and shabu-shabu corner — Yoroniku Ebisu is the kind of place people plan a whole evening around, and Shabu Shabu Let Us Naka-Meguro is a reliable, less-touristy alternative nearby. Harajuku and Omotesando are stacked with ramen worth the queue — Afuri Karakurenai Harajuku's yuzu shio ramen genuinely earns the hype, and Oreryū Shio Ramen Omotesandō is right up there with it, while Harajuku Gyozarou and bills Omotesando cover dumplings and brunch. For udon, Udon Shin and Menchirashi are both solid, unfussy options when you want a break from ramen and rice bowls. Serious ramen obsessives should make time for Sōsakumen Kōbō Nakiryū, a Michelin-starred bowl that still somehow doesn't feel like a tourist trap, and Menya Hiro. For proper izakaya energy, head to Shimokitazawa (Shirube Shimokitazawa) or Koenji (Izakaya Koenji Tokimeki) — both neighborhoods that feel like the Tokyo locals actually go home to, not the postcard version. And for a genuinely local specialty most visitors skip entirely, Tsukishima — one stop from Ginza — is Tokyo's monjayaki neighborhood, with around 60 shops along "Monja Street" serving the loose, DIY-cooked batter dish that's more fun than it sounds.

Tokyo's native cuisine is built on what locals call the "Four Heavenly Kings of Edo" — sushi, tempura, soba, and unagi (grilled eel) — all of which took their modern form here roughly 200–300 years ago, when the city was still called Edo and street stalls fed workers rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1657. Edomae sushi specifically means sushi made in the traditional style with fish from Tokyo Bay — often lightly cured or aged rather than simply raw, and not always dunked in soy sauce the way it's served abroad — and the conveyor-belt versions in Ginza (Kaitenzushi Nemuro Hanamaru, Conveyor Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera) are a genuinely serious, affordable way into it. Kaisendon — a rice bowl piled high with assorted sashimi — is the more casual seafood option, and Nihonbashi Kaisen Don Tsujihan is one of the best-known spots for it. Ramen isn't originally a Tokyo dish, but the city has become its modern capital: Tokyo-style shoyu (soy-based) ramen is the classic, while the newer craft scene — Afuri's yuzu shio ramen in Harajuku, the Michelin-starred bowls at Sōsakumen Kōbō Nakiryū — pushes the format in more chef-driven directions. Monjayaki, a loose, DIY-cooked batter dish related to Osaka's okonomiyaki, is Tokyo's own regional specialty and is concentrated almost entirely in Tsukishima, where you cook it yourself tableside on an iron griddle. Sukiyaki (thin-sliced beef simmered in a sweet soy broth) and shabu-shabu (beef swished through hot broth) are the cold-weather classics worth seeking out, especially somewhere like Yoroniku Ebisu or Shabu Shabu Let Us Naka-Meguro. Yakitori — skewered, charcoal-grilled chicken, often every part of the bird, not just the breast — is best eaten standing up in a smoky alley like Omoide Yokocho. For something sweet, wagashi (traditional Japanese confections) come in forms like dorayaki (a red-bean-filled pancake sandwich) and ningyoyaki (small cakes shaped like dolls or landmarks), both easy to find in Asakusa's tea houses. And don't discount the convenience store: Tokyo's konbini (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) sell genuinely good, cheap food — onigiri, egg salad sandwiches, and karaage fried chicken — that regularly gets ranked by locals among the city's best fast food.

Ginza is the department-store and flagship-boutique district — Mitsukoshi, Ginza Six, and a wall of luxury names, best suited to a polished afternoon rather than bargain hunting. Harajuku's Takeshita-dori is the total opposite — pure sensory overload of kawaii fashion, crepes, and secondhand finds — while the calmer, more upscale Omotesando runs parallel for designer shopping. Shimokitazawa is the vintage and record-store neighborhood, all narrow alleys and independent shops, better for digging than for a shopping list. Nakameguro, along the cherry-tree-lined Meguro River, is where Tokyo's design-conscious crowd shops — small-batch coffee roasters like ONIBUS COFFEE sit alongside independent fashion and homeware boutiques, and it's a genuinely pleasant place to just wander with no list at all. For electronics, anime merchandise, and multi-story arcades, Akihabara is the obvious, if slightly overwhelming, destination — go for the retro game floors as much as the gadgets. And for something different, Kappabashi-dori (Tokyo's kitchenware street) is where working chefs buy their knives and where you can pick up absurdly realistic plastic food replicas, while Ameyoko market near Ueno is the spot for cheap souvenirs, street snacks, and the closest thing Tokyo has to open-air haggling.

Start with the icons: Senso-ji in Asakusa, the Shibuya Crossing (best seen from above at Shibuya Sky), and Meiji Jingu's forest paths right in the middle of the city. TeamLab's digital art museums (Borderless at Azabudai Hills and Planets in Toyosu) are worth both the hype and booking ahead for. For a proper night out, Omoide Yokocho ("Memory Lane") near Shinjuku Station is a tiny alley of smoke-filled yakitori stalls that feels like a time capsule, and Shinjuku's Kabuki Yokocho is good for a louder, more theatrical evening. If you've got a soft spot for cats, the real Gōtoku-ji temple in Setagaya — said to be the birthplace of the beckoning maneki-neko figurine — is a quiet, slightly surreal detour lined with hundreds of them. For a break from the crowds, Todoroki Ravine Park is a genuinely peaceful, jungle-like walking path most tourists never find, and Yanaka — one of the few districts to survive both the 1923 earthquake and WWII bombing largely intact — has that same slow, old-Tokyo texture on a bigger scale, with the retro Yanaka Ginza shopping street and a well-earned nickname as the city's "cat town." Kichijoji, out west, consistently tops locals' polls for best place to live in Tokyo — Inokashira Park's pond is the centerpiece (there's a local superstition that couples who rent one of the rowboats together are doomed to break up, for what it's worth), and the surrounding streets are full of small, unpretentious bars and shops. If you're planning a food afternoon, the Tsukiji Outer Market is still the move — go hungry and graze your way through the stalls. For a taste of traditional performance, Kabukiza Theatre in Ginza sells single-act tickets so you can dip into a kabuki show without committing to the full multi-hour program, and if you're around during one of Tokyo's three annual sumo tournaments (January, May, or September), a day at the Ryogoku Kokugikan is unforgettable. Once you've covered the city itself, Tokyo is also the easiest launch point in Japan for a day trip — Kamakura for temples and a beach-town pace, Nikko for mountain shrines, or Hakone for onsen towns and Mt. Fuji views, all reachable in under two hours by train.