Tokyo overwhelms on paper and calms down fast in person. The trains are punctual, the streets are safe, and people are kind to lost visitors. Here's how to start.
Where to stay
For a first trip, base in Shinjuku or Shibuya — major rail hubs, endless food, easy late-night returns. Asakusa is cheaper and more traditional but further from the nightlife. Business hotels (think APA, Sotetsu Fresa) are small but spotless, from around $90–$130 a night.
Where to stay: Find hotels in TYO
The three train rules
- Get a Suica or Pasmo IC card (or the mobile version) and tap in/out. Don't fight the ticket machines.
- Google Maps is shockingly accurate for Tokyo transit — trust the platform numbers it gives you.
- Avoid the 7:30–9:00am crush on the Yamanote and Chuo lines unless you enjoy being a sardine.
Neighborhoods worth your time
- Shibuya — the scramble crossing, yes, but also great record shops and izakaya alleys.
- Shinjuku — Omoide Yokocho's tiny yakitori bars, and the free observation decks at the Metropolitan Government Building.
- Yanaka — old, low, and quiet; the Tokyo that survived the 20th century.
- Shimokitazawa — vintage shops and third-wave coffee, 10 minutes from Shibuya.
What to eat
Don't over-plan. Tokyo's best meals are often a $9 bowl of ramen at a counter or a conveyor-sushi spot. Do book one special dinner in advance if you want a tasting-menu sushi experience — those sell out weeks ahead.
Convenience stores (konbini) are not a punchline here — a 7-Eleven egg sandwich is genuinely good and a fine breakfast.
Getting there and in
Two airports serve Tokyo: Narita (far, ~60–90 min in) and Haneda (close, ~30 min in). If you can choose, Haneda saves you real time. From the US, fares are lowest in the shoulder seasons — late spring and autumn — and spike around cherry blossom and Golden Week.
Search this route: Compare flights NYC → TYO
Airport transfer: Book a transfer from NRT
Practical tips
- Carry a little cash; small places are still cash-only.
- Trains stop around midnight — know your last train or budget for a taxi.
- Tipping is not a thing. Don't.
- Pocket Wi-Fi or an eSIM makes navigation painless.