What to Do and Where to Stay for 1 Week in Tokyo | Guidable - Your Guide to a Sustainable, Wellbeing-centred Life in Japan

What to Do and Where to Stay for 1 Week in Tokyo

By Yae Dec 19, 2018

 

Yokoso Nihon he! (Welcome to Japan!)

If you have a chance to travel to Japan for  1 week, where do you want to look around for sightseeing? Do you have any ideas of where to stay? Many people think 1 week travel for Japan is very short and if you’re planning to visit Japan from far away countries, none of you want to waste any time or miss the best spots or moments in Japan, right?

This article will show you the best spots you must visit in Tokyo and the most convenient hotels to stay for a week while you’re visiting Tokyo. Let’s make your trip to Japan as an unforgettable experience!

 

1. How to make the most of a 1 week stay in Tokyo?

 

 

 

First I would like to recommend some simple but often overlooked tips that can be used for all short trips. In Japan, open people take short long-haul trips due to the time they are allowed to take off work or busy schedules. Here is some advice I’ve found to be useful when going on short trips.

 

1. Don’t make your schedule too tight

Many people research all the things they want to see and experience. It’s understandable that we want to do everything and not miss the best spots. However, using the Tokyo area as an example, it’s impossible to see everything in 1 week. If you make your schedule too tight, you’ll be too busy sightseeing all the time, and you’ll miss the real atmosphere of Japan. The best way is to choose some interesting spots of Tokyo and save the best for another time to visit Japan.

 

2. Schedule 2 days for recovery from jet lag and exhaustion from airplane travel

If you need to take a flight that is more than 6 hours from other countries coming all the way to Japan, it’s best not to take the exhaustion of traveling lightly. If you want to make the most of your 1 week stay in Tokyo, you need to make sure you are recharged and relaxed and get at least 2 days rest during your 1 week stay in Tokyo.

1 day for rest: after you arrive in Japan

1 day for rest : before you leaving Japan

These 2 days off makes you focus for enjoying and sightseeing the most without the unnecessary tiredness. Also, this helps in your recovery from the tiredness of your flight after you go back to your country as well. If you need to start work immediately the next day after your trip this recharge time is essential!

 

3. Bring comfortable shoes!

Even though Tokyo is very convenient and easy to get around by using its well-developed transportation such as bus, subway, train, monorail, etc. you still need to do a lot of walking. Comfortable shoes such as sneakers or any kinds of sports shoes help to protect your feet from any discomfort during sightseeing.

 

4. Try to stay in the same hotel for the full 1 week

It’s a common sight to see many tourists carry massive backpacks or suitcases everywhere while sightseeing in Japan. If you want to enjoy without worry of your bag or case, why not stay in the same hotel for your whole stay. When you go out to sample the sights carrying your valuables in small light bags or backpacks frees up both hands and makes the experience a lot easier. Even if you need to travel a little further from your hotel, transportation in Tokyo is very quick and easy.  This will save a lot of back pain! And also the time you would be using to search for coin lockers in the station big enough to hold all your luggage.

 

2. Places to visit in Tokyo

 

 

Where you want to go depends on what kind of sightseeing you like or what you are interested in but here are the major recommended popular and famous spots we recommend you visit in Tokyo such as:

 

1. Tokyo tower at Kamiyacho

Tokyo tower is the most famous symbol of Japan and you can enjoy the view of Tokyo tower at nighttime with a beautiful illumination. Tokyo Tower is a television broadcasting tower, 333 meters high, built in 1958. It is also the symbol of rebirth after the World War and it was registered as “Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan ” in 2013. You can enjoy the stunning view during night time.

 

2. Sensoji temple at Asakusa

Sensoji temple is one of the most famous and popular tourist attractions in Japan. It is the oldest temple in Tokyo completed in 645. Many Japanese people and tourists from overseas visit this temple throughout the year and people gather the most during the New Year’s holiday for paying homage at this temple. You can see the famous landmark of Asakusa called Kaminari-mon gate and this leads to the entrance to Sensoji Temple. Don’t miss the huge red lantern at the gate weighs about 700kg. It’s a great spot to take pictures.

 

3. Ameyoko at Ueno

Ameyoko is short for Ameya Yokocho which means “Candy Store Alley” since people used to sell lots of candy stores this place. Now is one of the liveliest shopping streets in Tokyo which you can find lots of cheap cosmetics, foods, fish, sweets, etc. Be careful if you go to this place on the weekend since it might be full of people squeezing everywhere on the street even you can’t walk straight.

 

4. Hamarikyu Gardens at Shimbashi

This is the popular and biggest famous park in Tokyo since 1654 during Edo Period. You can enjoy the view of collaboration between city buildings and traditional Japanese style garden here. There are flyers of English, Chinese, Korean and French at this garden entrance so you can enjoy reading about the history while walking around the garden.  English audio guides are also available to listen to.

 

3. Hotels and hostels you can stay in Tokyo

 

 

 

Deciding which hotel or hostel to stay is a difficult decision to make while staying in Tokyo. Everyone wants to stay somewhere comfortable and convenient but not so expensive, right?

Here are some recommended and reasonable hotels while you’re staying in Tokyo.

 

1. Japanese Inn, Ryokan Sawanoya

This is a very popular Japanese inn where many tourists stay throughout the year. About 90% of people who stay here are tourists. The closest station is Nezu station and it is easy to access everywhere in Tokyo.

Average Price for Stay 1 night: 5,616 yen-16,848 yen

There is also an English translated website for this Inn, so if you’re interested in, please check the website here: http://www.sawanoya.com/eigo.html

 

2. Andon Ryokan

This is a famous and popular stylish Japanese Ryokan in Tokyo that many tourists stay throughout the year. You can experience real Japanese tatami (Japanese traditional straw mats) for the room and also enjoy the full of Japanese atmosphere while staying at this Ryokan. The closest station is Nippori station and easy to access everywhere in Tokyo.

Average Price for Stay 1 night: 6,020 yen-12,040 yen

There is also an English translated website for this Ryokan, so if you’re interested in, please check the website: https://www.andon.co.jp/

 

3. SAKURA HOTEL&HOSTEL

This is a very famous and popular Japanese hotel&hostel for all the foreign tourists. There are many branch everywhere in Tokyo such as Nippori, Ikebukuro, Hatagaya, Jimbocho and Asakusa in Tokyo so you can choose the best place you feel convenient for sightseeing while staying in Tokyo.

Average Price for Stay 1 night: 3,000yen-13,000 yen

There are also English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Korean translated website for this hotel&hostel. Here is the link to the English page: https://www.sakura-hotel.co.jp/

 

4. Recommended 1 week plan in Tokyo

 

 

Do we have any recommended ideas to look around Tokyo efficiently for sightseeing? Here is a 1 week recommended plan in Tokyo. You can arrange the date whenever you feel convenient:

 

Day 1:

Arrive in Tokyo, rest at the hotel after check-in or walk around near the hotel area to acclimatize yourself. Taking naps for jet lag may also help you recharge your energy for the next day.

Day2:

Go out sightseeing to Sensoji and Ameyoko.

Sensoji and Ameyoko are close together so you can take your time sightseeing both spots without worrying about long travel times.

Day3:

Go sightseeing to Hamarikyu Garden.

If you feel tired of walking around in the garden, you can also enjoy drinking Japanese matcha at the beautiful tea room in the middle of Hamarikyu Garden after you walked down Otetsudai Bridge.

Day4:

Sightsee at Shibuya, Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Tower.

If you stay in Tokyo, the crowded Shibuya crossing is something you should see at least once. You may be surprised at the number of people walking the Shibuya crossing, it’s easy to get overwhelmed! After looking around Shibuya, move to Roppongi Hills, a commercial complex create for customers to enjoy luxury shopping time. You can also see Tokyo Tower from Roppongi Hills as well.

Day 5:

Travel to Kamakura for a 1 day sightseeing trip.

If you want to enjoy Japanese atmosphere at it’s best, we recommend a sightseeing trip at Kamakura. The close station is Kamakura station which takes about 1 hour from Tokyo station. You can either enjoy shrine-hopping, sightseeing by bicycle or travel by bus to famous spots in Kamakura.

Day6:

Sightseeing at Odaiba and enjoying onsen in Odaiba Tokyo Ooedo Onsen.

You can enjoy shopping and ocean view at Odaiba. After sightseeing at Odaiba, let’s take a long hot onsen at Odaiba Tokyo Ooedo Onsen so that you can have a good night sleep ready for going home the next day. You can recharge your batteries from tiredness of sightseeing everywhere by soaking in this hot onsen. You can also wear Japanese traditional yukata at Ooedo Onsen so you can have a local experience. There are massage chairs, restaurants, relaxation rooms, games, fish therapy, hot stone bath, a nap room, fortune-telling and more at this facility! If you have small kids, they can enjoy it as well.

Day7:

Have a safe flight home.

How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? We hope you the hot spring from last night has helped you recover from fatigue. If you need to buy some more souvenirs, you can also get them at either Tokyo International Airport or Narita International Airport, so don’t worry sbout last-minute purchases!

 

5. Enjoy your 1 week stay in Tokyo!

 

 

Hope you can now see if you have a 1 week, you can enjoy lots of wonderful places in Tokyo. Don’t try to rush seeing all the spots with a tight schedule, instead keep some extra time available to enjoy the real Japanese atmosphere in Japan.

If you try to observe locals’ behavior on the streets, restaurants or anywhere outside while sightseeing, you’ll see some interesting points of their unique habits. If you find yourself asking some questions about the habits of Japanese people which you’ve never seen before, ask “Guidable” for help to get those answers!

Mata Nihon ni kitene! (Come back to Japan soon!)

YAE

Japan