Tokyo attractions

Nissan Crossing is the main showroom for Nissan Intelligent Mobility, where you can see interactive exhibits that feature notable vehicles, as well as advanced technology and even a 4D racing simulator. For fun, the on-site Crossing Cafe has coffee with custom latte art, which can be your favorite Nissan car or even something personalized.

Although feline fanatics might be disappointed by Cat Street Tokyo, fashion aficionados won’t be. The mostly pedestrianized street running between Harajuku and Shibuya in central Tokyo, is where the “cool cats” of fashion walk. It’s not as youth-centric as other parts of Harajuku, so travelers with different tastes can enjoy shopping here.

Established in the late 19th century, Shiba Park (Shiba Koen) is one of Japan’s oldest public parks. It’s best known for the distinctive red-and-white Tokyo Tower looming over it. The park is a refreshing green space in the central city, and it’s a great place to take a walk while in this part of Tokyo. As you stroll, you’ll see trees like zelkova and gingko, seasonal flowers and blossoms, and a temple.

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center is an indoor amusement park in Tokyo’s waterfront Odaiba district. The center houses more than three million LEGO® bricks, as well as attractions including a Miniland Tokyo—a dioramic cityscape filled with mini reconstructions of some of Tokyo’s most famous landmarks—a 4D movie theater, and themed rides. It’s an ideal family-friendly attraction that’s usually restricted to families with kids, though it sometimes hosts adults-only nights.

DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is a large shopping mall on Odaiba, an island on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. It contains many clothing stores selling Japanese and international brands, a huge food court, and entertainment options. It’s a good place to have a meal or shop while exploring Odaiba’s futuristic, high-tech attractions, or if you’re seeking shelter from the weather.

Sunshine 60 is a skyscraper in central Tokyo with a 60th-floor observatory deck. The views of the surrounding city from 823 feet (251 meters) above are spectacular, and its central-city location in Ikebukuro makes it a good place to fit into your itinerary between shopping and dining. Visit during the day or at night with kids or friends for sweeping views, especially when the weather’s clear.

At Ginza Mitsukoshi in Tokyo’s Ginza district, experience one of Japan’s oldest surviving department store chains, founded in 1673. This upscale shopper’s heaven features 12 floors of luxury fashion, accessories, toys, childrenswear, cosmetics, and household goods. Don’t miss the large food hall with gourmet items, offering both a visual and culinary feast.

The Jindai Botanical Gardens are the city’s oldest botanical garden, though a garden existed on the site much earlier. This especially well-designed park is divided into 30 areas, each of which is home to different varieties of the same kind of plant.

Yebisu Garden Place is a multibuilding commercial complex in central Tokyo’s Ebisu neighborhood, where you’ll find restaurants, shops, hotels, and museums, including the Museum of Yebisu Beer and the small Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. Like other cities-within-the-city, it offers a convenient way to enjoy several kinds of experiences in one location.

Ginza Wako is a prestigious department store offering high-end goods, including luxury watches, handbags, jewelry, and fashion items. As well as coming to shop, visitors flock here to capture photos of the iconic Hattori Clock Tower—which dates back to 1932 and has even appeared in the Godzilla movies. You’ll also find an art gallery and gourmet chocolate and tea shops.

While you may assume that the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery features works related to the musical genre, it gets its name from the cultural complex in which it’s located: Tokyo Opera City. The gallery features an array of modern art from Japanese and international artists, spanning a range of themes and genres, from painting and sculpture to photography and fashion.

Located in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district, Kabukiza Tower is best known for being home to the renowned Kabukiza Theater, where you can watch live performances of kabuki–a traditional form of Japanese theater. The tower also has plenty of amenities, including souvenir shops, an information desk, and restaurants.

Located in Tokyo's bustling Ebisu district, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum is a 4-floor celebration of photography. Rather than having permanent exhibitions, It rotates its vast collection to create themed exhibitions that typically last a few months. With its ever-evolving displays and captivating themes, it's the go-to spot for anyone into photography—or if you're just looking for artistic inspiration in Tokyo.

In Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood—a traveler favorite for its old temples and traditional charm—you’ll find this pedestrianized street that runs east–west, intersecting with the busier north–south Nakamise Shopping Street. Although this area was badly damaged during World War II, it’s been reconstructed in the loose style of Edo-era Tokyo (spanning the 17th-19th centuries).

Get a peek at the Japanese Imperial family’s art collection, including paintings, calligraphy scrolls, ceramics, and lacquerware, at this Tokyo museum. The nearly 10,000-strong collection spans artwork from around the world, but is primarily focused on Japan, with masterpieces from every era of the nation’s history.

Located within the Maison Hermès fashion boutique in Ginza, Maison Hermès Le Forum is a contemporary exhibition space designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. This stylish glass-brick building is flooded with light and hosts rotating art exhibitions that showcase work by both Japanese and international artists. It’s a fascinating place for architecture and art fans alike.

Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood is beloved for its traditional charm and historic temples and shrines. Adding another element of tradition is the Asakusa Engei Hall, one of only four theaters in Tokyo where rakugo comedy is performed. While the art form was especially popular during the Edo period (17th–19th centuries), rakugo has only been staged at Engei Hall since the 1960s.

The centrally located Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo feels like a step away from the hustle and bustle of city life, primarily because of its traditional Japanese garden. Striking in every season, the garden reveals cherry blossoms in the spring, hydrangeas and fireflies in the summer, migrating birds and colorful foliage in the fall, and camellias in the winter. You need to be staying, dining, or otherwise using the facilities at the hotel to visit the garden.

Shiseido Gallery—run by the cosmetics company Shiseido—is known for being one of the oldest operating art galleries in Japan, dating back to 1919. It features exhibitions that showcase the work of contemporary Japanese artists and is a fantastic place to discover emerging talent. With its constantly changing displays, it's an essential stop for anyone interested in exploring Japan's evolving art scene.

Here’s one for the cat lovers: Tokyo’s Imado Shrine (Imado Jinja) is dedicated to maneki neko, the waving feline figurines that welcome you into almost every shop and restaurant in Japan. The shrine actually dates back to the 11th century and was originally dedicated to the Shinto god of war, but over time has become associated with the beckoning cats.

Eastern Tokyo’s Shibamata neighborhood retains an old-fashioned, traditional charm, in a city dominated by sleek skyscrapers and flashing neon. At its heart is the Shibamata Taishakuten Temple, famous for its wooden carvings similar to those at Nikko’s UNESCO–listed Toshogu Shrine. The neighborhood is also home to a handful of other attractions, so it’s worth making the trip from central Tokyo.

While the name doesn’t give this away, Tokyo’s Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art focuses on French artist Georges-Henri Rouault, known for his early 20th-century works. His pieces are displayed in the permanent Rouault Gallery, and the museum also hosts special exhibitions directly or indirectly related to Rouault, who was associated with the expressionist and fauvist art movements.

Omoide no Nukemichi is a backstreet alleyway in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district, which is home to a collection of small but popular izayakas—local bars that also serve food. Often considered a quieter alternative to the ultra busy Golden Gai, it's a great place to come for beers and yakitori (grilled skewers), while people-watching and enjoying the buzz.

The Hozomon Gate is one of two large gates that lead to the 7th-century Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood. But the English word “gate” doesn’t really do justice to the two-story wooden structure, painted red and white, with curved roofs, wooden statues and giant sandals on either side (protective symbols), and a huge red lantern suspended from the middle.

Japan is famous for both its warrior history and its finely made crafts, and the two things can be seen side by side at the Japanese Sword Museum (Token Hakubutsukan), in Tokyo’s Ryogoku area. Displaying swords, mountings, armor, samurai costumes, and other metalwork, and focusing on these as art objects, this specialist museum is fascinating for visitors who are interested in Japanese culture and history.

Founded in 1924, Toyo Bunko is one of the five largest Asian studies research libraries in the world, and it's the oldest and the largest institution in Japan. The museum was opened to spark interest in the region's history and culture and has contributed to Asian studies through the acquisition of books and other materials.

Visitors to Tokyo are spoiled for choice when it comes to fine art museums, but the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum is the place to come to learn about the ordinary crafts that have been interwoven with Japanese daily life for centuries. The museum holds around 17,000 craft artifacts from all around Japan, as well as the Korean Peninsula, China, and Taiwan.

Established in 1960 to house the art collection of Japanese businessman Keita Gotoh, the Gotoh Museum is known for its traditional Japanese and East Asian art. Gotoh was especially interested in the culture and history of ancient Nara, and some of the museum’s treasures include ancient sutras, Zen calligraphy, and scrolls of the Japanese literary classic The Tale of Genji.

Namjatown is an indoor theme park on the second floor of the Sunshine City shopping complex in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The park is operated by Namco, the creator of Pac-Man and many other arcade games. Stop by to experience themed dining, carnival-style games, a haunted house, and a line of character mascots exclusive to the park.

Yebisu Beer is a popular Japanese lager that’s been brewed since the late 19th century, and you can take a behind-the-scenes tour at this museum, which includes a brewery area, a taproom, and a gift shop. While the more extensive tours are only conducted in Japanese, there are short options for English speakers.