teatimeabroadPlanning a trip to Tokyo? If you love to linger in your travels, then this slow travel guide for Tokyo is designed for you! I’ve put together tips and activities with the intentional and introverted traveler in mind.
Where to Stay
Choosing where you sleep can set the tone for your entire trip. Set yourself up for quality sleep to maximize your energy. Determine if you prefer silence or background noise before booking your hostel, hotel, or ryokan.
Next, consider the importance of your location to public transport. Do you prefer to be in central Tokyo, or are you willing to commute in and out of the city each day to have a more remote stay?
I stayed in Asakusa (pronounced Ah-sah-ksa), a quiet and historic, inner city neighborhood. Asakusa is a great place to learn about history and also has excellent access to two major train lines, the Ginza and Asakusa lines. Regional subway access is easily accessible from Asakusa with little time needed in transit to reach all parts of the city. It is also a great base to catch the bullet train for long distance travel.
Learning and Art
Traveling to a big city doesn’t mean you have to spend all of your time in crowds. It is possible to experience a quieter side while still seeing the places Tokyo is known for. Avoid visiting popular places at peak times. An early morning, late afternoon, or mealtime visit is usually the quietest timeframe. You may even forget that you’re in a capital city.
Think outside the box. Instead of using high-traffic blogs or google recommendations to make plans, use a guide book to dig into lesser known things to do. I used the Lonely Planet Japan book for my trip, but there are Tokyo-specific options as well.
See the City on foot
Tokyo offers an assortment of city tours. Ask yourself these questions:
1—Do I want a specific experience, like a history lesson?
2—Do I want to take a themed tour, i.e. food, manga, anime, music, art?
3—Do I want to visit a particular region of the city?
Based on your answers, check different websites to see what options speak to you. Tokyo Localized and the Backstreet Guides are tried and true companies. I chose GuruWalk, a great budget option I’ve used in cities around the world.
GuruWalk offers entirely donation-based tours. These guides tend to provide more personal, less mainstream knowledge. Keep in mind that free does not mean free. Tip fairly. Read the description of the tour closely. They often suggest a fair base tip. Cash is safest to have on hand, but some guides have a QR code where you can pay with credit card as well.
You can reserve your tour space at the official GuruWalk website here. I toured the Shibuya district. This part of the city interested me the least, but I wanted to see the highlights. It was a great way to maximize my time.
Museums
There are museum options for every interest in Tokyo. Go Tokyo provides up-to-date information on various museums and current exhibitions here.
Some of the most popular are:
Tokyo National Museum (history and heritage)
Ghibli Museum (Anime & Pop Culture)
Looking for something unconventional? My personal favorite is the fully immersive and interactive digital art museum, teamLab Planets. Tickets have to be purchased online in advance. If you are traveling during a busy season, you may need to reserve days or weeks in advance.
I visited in early November and could reserve a slot two hours before arriving in the evening. You can check out what this museum is like on their official instagram page.
Temples and Shrines
Visiting a few of Tokyo’s temples and shrines is an important part of experiencing the culture. These sites are both heavily historic and religious, and can feel overcrowded. They are still worth visiting. Arrive in the early morning before the tours arrive or right before closing to avoid the crowds. Opening hours can always be found online.
Guided tours are available, but keep in mind these will be during the busiest times of day. If you choose a self-guided visit, open up the links for each location below to read while touring.
My recommendations:
- Senso-ji Temple
- Location: Taito City (Asakusa)
- Founded in 645 AD, it is Tokyo’s oldest temple. The Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) and its five-story pagoda are iconic landmarks.
- Admission: Free
- Meiji Jingu Shrine
- Location: Shibuya City (Harajuku)
- The shrine opened in 1920 to honor Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The forest surrounding it spans roughly 70 hectares and was created using 100,000 donated trees.
- Admission: General entry free, garden asks for a ¥500 ($3) maintenance fee
- Zojo-ji Temple
- Location: Minato City
- Founded in 1393, this Buddhist temple is the main family temple of the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan for centuries. It provides a dramatic view with the modern Tokyo Tower rising directly behind its traditional roofs.
- Admission: The grounds are free; entry to the special Tokugawa Shogunate Graveyard and the Treasures Gallery costs up to ¥700 (or ¥1,000 for a combined ticket).
- Gotoku-ji Temple
- Location: Setagaya City
- Known widely as the birthplace of the lucky “beckoning cat” (maneki-neko). The temple grounds feature thousands of white cat statues left behind by visitors giving thanks for good fortune.
- Admission: free
Tokyo has more than 4,000 combined temples and shrines. I only list a few of the largest, but the smaller ones can be even more special to see. If visiting as a tourist, be respectful. Keep your voice low if you must speak. Do not take pictures of people praying, and do not take pictures of the places of prayer while they are in use. It is better to avoid photography in prayer spaces entirely unless given permission. Respect the posted signs.
Food and Drink
Eating
Tokyo has one of the best food scenes in the world. I don’t think you need to visit the instagram hotspots, wait in long lines, or spend a lot of money to have an incredible culinary experience, although there is no shortage of Michelin star options if that interests you. Make sure to try the regional dish: Monjayaki (also known as monja).
Part of Japanese culture is taking pride in what you do, and what you create. Food is a big part of this. I did not seek out any specific place to eat, yet every meal was incredible. I enjoyed wandering into smaller stalls full of locals going about their everyday life.
There are also a few famous markets to visit in Tokyo. Take a walk through one of the oldest fish markets, Tsukiji Fish Market. This is considered one of the best places for street food and breakfast sushi. Or check out Toyosu Market in Tokyo Bay, new since 2018. It is the largest wholesale seafood market in the world.
Drinking
Tea
Tea is practically synonymous with Japan. The most popular options are green tea, matcha, and roasted hojicha. Matcha seems to be having a worldwide renaissance revival and can be found pretty much anywhere in Tokyo.
There are different settings to enjoy an intentional cup of tea. For a more formal and historic setting, tea ceremonies can be booked online. There are also historic garden teahouses where you can spend time with a book and a warm beverage in nature. You can also casually order tea from any cafe.
In most settings, you don’t have to spend much to enjoy a wonderfully brewed warm cup of tea. To-go options are available from cafes and restaurants so you can carry the coziness with you strolling through parks and sightseeing.
*Cultural tip—while it is acceptable to carry around a to-go cup in Japan, it is NOT acceptable to eat on the streets. Even if you purchase street food, you are expected to consume it right at the truck or stand before continuing on your way.
If you are walking around with a drink, do not carry it into shops or businesses. Even drinking it on the city train is frowned upon. I did bring a cup onboard occasionally, but made sure to keep the lid on and not drink until I left. It’s best to try and finish your drink before you go inside anything with a ceiling.
(This rule does not apply on long-distance bullet trains where you can bring your own food and drink and consume as desired, which I recommend)
Coffee
The coffee scene in Tokyo has become very popular. The intentionality behind preparing and brewing coffee is treated as an artful form of hospitality.
For the slow traveler or the introvert, visiting a Kissaten should take up some time on your Tokyo tour. The word Kissaten means “tea-drinking shop” but they primarily focus on coffee. They came about in 1920s Tokyo as a sacred space for slow-paced relaxation. Kissatens value the process of slow, manual brewing. You will not find laptops or to-go cups here. Expect dim warm lighting, wooden features, velvet furnishings in deep colors, and someone’s jazz vinyl collection spinning in the background.
Learn more about this history at The Japanese Kissaten Cafe Tradition: Past, Present and Future.
For recommendations for authentic Kissatens in Tokyo check out this Forbes Guide.
Activities
Tokyo is a capital city and one of the largest in the world. There is more to see, do, and experience than can fit into one person’s entire lifespan. I’m often asked how many days are needed to visit the city. This is a difficult question. If you have time, I would suggest no less than five days to get a taste of what it has to offer. Longer is always better.
Slow Travel Pleasures
Tokyo Skytree
This is something you will find on any blog or must-visit list, but what people fail to consider is the time of day you visit. The Skytree offers 360° of the entire city. It is also one of the more affordable options for panoramic views. On a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji in the distance. Book your tickets online in advance to save a bit of money and skip the lines on arrival. You will need to choose a time slot to visit. I suggest arriving one hour before sunset. If the sky is clear, you can watch the sun set behind Mt Fuji and enjoy the street lights of Tokyo slowly blinking on for the evening. This ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip.
Looking to spend a little extra for a special celebration? The Tokyo Skytree has both a casual cafe that anyone can wait in line for, as well as a formal restaurant on the observatory level. Sky Restaurant 634 requires advance reservations and a dress code of smart casual.
Parks and Gardens
One of my favorite parts of Tokyo are all the green spaces spread throughout the city. No matter which part you visit, there is always nature nearby. The urban layout makes it easy to escape the crowds and street sounds.
A few recommendations:
- Imperial Palace East Gardens
- Free—The inner gardens are closed to the public but the east gardens are free. Make sure to walk through Ninomaru Japanese garden, especially for Fall foliage.
- Sumida Park
- Free—A great place to see the cherry blossoms in spring, but also beautiful for fall colors. This park is big, so give yourself plenty of time to wander.
- Meiji Jingu Gaien (outer garden)
- Free—This is a beautiful spot to enjoy gingko trees. Pick up a warm beverage on the way here, and bring a book or a journal to relax on one of the benches that line the path.
- Hama-rikyu Gardens
- Small charge—It is well worth it. I visited about two hours before closing and it was nearly empty. The gardens are beautifully maintained and there is a nice view of the rainbow bridge (it is actually painted white, but occasionally lit in rainbow colors at night) and Tokyo Tower.
Inside
For hot or rainy days, settle down in one of the many ramen restaurants or cafes in the city. As someone who rarely goes anywhere without a book to read, I can always suggest stopping in at a book store. Tokyo has a thriving book scene.
Jimbōchō Book Town has over 150 independent and specialized book shops, including vintage manga.
Daikanyama Tsutaya Books has a highly curated selection of English-language art, design, and architecture books. It also offers global fashion magazines and contemporary fiction.
Books Kinokuniya Tokyo (on the 6th floor of Takashimaya Times Square) is Tokyo’s largest dedicated foreign-language bookstore. Here you will find fiction, non-fiction, manga sections translated to English, and children’s literature.
Looking for more quiet activities to do on your trip to Tokyo? Check out this article, 9 Things to Do in Tokyo for Introverts.
Enjoy your time in Tokyo!
If you have any other slow travel Tokyo recommendations or questions for me, feel free to send me a message below. Planning to visit other parts of Japan on your trip? Check out my free Japan 3-Week Itinerary: The Ultimate Route for First-Time Visitors.
If you would like to receive travel itineraries, tips, and stories as soon as they’re released, subscribe for free below!
