Three days in Tokyo is enough to hit the highlights and get a real feel for the city. Here’s a well-paced 3-day Tokyo itinerary that balances old and new, plus food and downtime.
Day 1: Old Tokyo & the east
- Asakusa — Senso-ji temple and Nakamise street; see our Asakusa guide.
- Tokyo Skytree or a Sumida River cruise.
- Evening in Akihabara for neon and geek culture — see our Akihabara guide.
Day 2: West-side energy
- Meiji Shrine & Harajuku — calm forest then youth fashion (Harajuku guide).
- Shibuya — the scramble crossing and Shibuya Sky (Shibuya guide).
- Evening in Shinjuku — Omoide Yokocho and city views (Shinjuku guide).
Day 3: Your pick
- teamLab digital art (teamLab guide), Ghibli Museum (book ahead), or Tokyo Disney (Disney guide).
- Or a day trip to Kamakura, Yokohama, or Nikko.
- Morning at Tsukiji for a sushi breakfast.
Practical tips
- Get a Suica/Pasmo and an eSIM on arrival.
- Base near a Yamanote line station — see where to stay in Tokyo.
- More time in Japan? See our 7-day itinerary.
Budgeting for three days in Tokyo
- Entry fees for the optional attractions vary widely — Tokyo Skytree runs JPY 2,100-3,500 depending on the deck, teamLab is JPY 3,800-4,800, and the Ghibli Museum is a flat JPY 1,000 but needs advance booking.
- Food across three days for a mid-range traveler runs roughly JPY 3,000-5,000/day if you mix konbini breakfasts, ramen or teishoku lunches, and one nicer dinner.
- Local transport across three days on an IC card typically totals JPY 2,500-3,500 per person, assuming a few train hops each day rather than a day pass.
Common mistakes on a 3-day Tokyo trip
- Booking Ghibli Museum or teamLab tickets too late — both release timed tickets in advance and sell out, especially around weekends and holidays; lock these in before finalizing the rest of the itinerary.
- Spreading day trips too thin — Kamakura, Nikko, and Yokohama are each worth a dedicated half-to-full day; squeezing more than one into Day 3 usually means rushing all of them.
- Not grouping Asakusa and Akihabara together despite being on the same day — they’re a short ride apart and pair naturally into one east-Tokyo day.
Where to eat on each day
Day 1 in Asakusa has excellent tempura and unagi (eel) restaurants near Nakamise; Day 2 in Harajuku and Shibuya is best for casual crepe stands and trendy cafes between sights; Day 3, if you choose the Tsukiji morning option, is the day to have a proper sushi breakfast before your afternoon activity.
If it rains
Tokyo has enough indoor backup options that rain rarely derails a day: teamLab’s digital art is arguably better experienced on a rainy afternoon, and the underground shopping arcades beneath Tokyo, Shinjuku, and Ginza stations let you cover real ground between sights without stepping outside.