Triplan — Plan trips by neighborhood, not by pin

Tokyo · 3 days · 14 stops · 10% local · ~14.9 km walked (~19,900 steps) · dense pace

Temple smoke to scramble crossing to digital art — the first-timer's Tokyo in three days, one rail line's worth of zigzag saved per day.

Day 1

~4.8 km · ~6,400 steps

Sensō-ji before 8h beats the crowds and catches the incense light. Walk or one-stop the Ginza line to Ueno for the National Museum afternoon.

~4h

Old Tokyo — temple, snack street, river

Sensō-ji
Tokyo's oldest temple — thunder gate, incense smoke, and the giant red lantern.
Nakamise-dōri
Snack-stall approach to Sensō-ji — ningyo-yaki and rice crackers since the 1600s.
Sumida River Terrace
Riverside walk with the Skytree looming across the water.

~4h

Museum afternoon in the park

Ueno Park
Museum quarter, shrine lanterns, and Tokyo's cherry-blossom headquarters.
Tokyo National Museum
Japan's oldest and largest museum — samurai swords to Buddhist statuary.

Day 2

~3.9 km · ~5,200 steps

Meiji Jingū early, Takeshita before noon, architecture-spot down Omotesandō, then walk to Shibuya. Book Shibuya Sky's sunset slot weeks ahead.

~5h

Forest shrine to fashion gauntlet

Meiji Jingū
Forest shrine of 100,000 donated trees — silence in the middle of the city.
Takeshita Street
Harajuku's teen-fashion gauntlet — crêpes, idols, and sensory overload.
Omotesandō
Zelkova-lined architecture runway — flagship buildings by Itō, Ando, SANAA.

~3h

The scramble, then above it

Shibuya Crossing
The scramble — 3,000 people per green light, best absorbed at street level once.
Shibuya Sky
Open-air rooftop 229m up — book the sunset slot weeks ahead.

Day 3

~6.2 km · ~8,300 steps

Tsukiji for breakfast (best stalls close by 13h), Hamarikyū's teahouse island, Ginza stroll, then a timed-entry evening slot at teamLab Borderless.

~5h

Market breakfast, garden calm, polished boulevards

Tsukiji Outer Market
The fish market's street-food half stayed — tamagoyaki, uni bowls, knife shops.
Hamarikyū Gardens
Edo-era tidal garden with a teahouse island, skyscrapers ringing the pines.
Ginza Chūō-dōri
Polished flagship boulevard — pedestrianized and strollable on weekends.

~3h

Art to end on

teamLab Borderless
Mapless digital art labyrinth at Azabudai Hills — book timed entry early.

⛩️ Tokyo Essentials