Tokyo Vacation Travel Guide
Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is situated in the Kanto region on the main island of Honshu. Tokyo’s greater metropolitan area has a population of over 35 million, making it one of the largest and most exciting megacities on the planet.
Rocked by earthquakes and scorched by war, this centuries-old city has refused to kneel. Like the sun, Tokyo continues to rise, blending the old with the new and the new with tomorrow.
Tokyo is a spectacular matrix of villages, towns, and cities, all strung together by a subway and train system that never rests. Just like the Japanese pop culture monster Godzilla, Tokyo’s size and energy can intimidate first-time visitors.
Yet, despite the neon, noise, and sheer volume of people, Tokyo’s soul beats with a heart of Zen. Tradition, ritual, and respect are the hallmarks of Japanese society. This is a place that cherishes its children, reveres its elderly, and treats visitors like honored guests.
Tokyo is a city of multiple personalities. Each time you emerge from the subway, it can feel as if you’ve arrived in an entirely different city. Yet, Tokyo is an incredibly well-ordered society—everything has its place and purpose, especially in its neighborhoods.
Begin your Tokyo journey gently in the ancient temple town of Asakusa, home to the city’s oldest temple, Sensoji. Pay your respects to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy.
The temple was built to house a golden statue of the goddess, pulled from the nearby river by two fishermen in the 7th century.
Make an offering at the neighboring shrine, built to honor the brothers who found the statue, and you too might receive some heavenly good fortune.
When you’re ready to brave the streets of Tokyo, head to Asakusa’s Thunder Gate and explore Nakamise Dori, a market street where worshippers have been buying religious charms and snacks for centuries.
After the crowds, recenter yourself in Ueno Park before delving into the cultural treasures of the Tokyo National Museum.
While conformity and tradition are two of the glues that bind Japanese society, Tokyo’s youth love to express themselves too.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the suburb of Harajuku, renowned throughout the world as a center of youth culture and fashion. Harajuku is also home to one of Tokyo’s largest green spaces, Yoyogi Park.
On Sundays, locals gather to relax, rehearse, and just hang out, making it the happiest 134 acres in Tokyo.
Just to the north of Yoyogi Park, pass beneath a towering torii gate and into a forest of 100,000 trees, originally sent here as saplings from all over Japan.
Finally, pass through the main gates to Meiji Shrine. Here, millions come each year to pay their respects to Emperor Meiji, the beloved 19th-century ruler who helped Japan throw off its feudal cloak and grow into the dynamic country it is today.
Just south of Yoyogi Park is Shibuya, home to one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world. Every area of Tokyo dances to its own distinctive beat—in Shibuya, the beat is shopping.
