Tokyo in 3 Days

TOKYO — HOW TO MAKE THE BEST OF 3 DAYS

Tokyo is one of the busiest metropolises in the world and there are many great things to see and do here. It offers unlimited shopping choices, entertainment, culture and dining options. For some, it can be overwhelming and a little intimidating just to see the sheer maddening crowd that occupy the space and the speed at which each one goes about their business.

However, I was not intimidated or frustrated as I was pretty excited to see the things I don’t usually see in the Western world. Moreover, Tokyo was my last destination after being in Japan for almost six-months, which meant that I was going to make each moment matter, meaningful and memorable. 

In this article, you will find my 3–day Tokyo itinerary. I consider this to be a perfect Tokyo travel guide because I packed in most of the City, including a day trip to the outskirts of Tokyo — all in 72 hours!

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A LITTLE ABOUT TOKYO

Tokyo — officially known as Tokyo Metropolis, is one of 47 Prefectures in Japan. Tokyo is Japan’s capital and is the world’s most populous metropolis. Located in the southern Kanto region. Tokyo is 44 metres above sea level, geographically located at 35.6762° N, 139.6503° E :

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3 DAYS IN TOKYO ITINERARY

Besides skyscrapers, busy streets and the dizzying chaos, Tokyo offers a number of green spaces and parks within the city centre and also in the outskirts of the City. Whilst it will take over a week or two to cover the vast number of sights, I narrowed it down to experiencing the following as I only had 3 days in Tokyo.

Here is an overview of Tokyo in 3 days covered in this article.

1 | Western Tokyo — Shibuya and the Meiji Shrine;

2 | Southern Tokyo — Odaiba, Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Bay;

3 | A day trip to the outskirts of Tokyo which included a trip to Mount Fuji;

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HOW TO MAKE THE BEST OF 3 DAYS IN TOKYO

1 | Day 1 of Tokyo in 3 days — Arrival, Odaiba and Shibuya

If you are flying in, land in Narita Airport, Tokyo. Check-into hotel. If you are going to spend 3 days here, best to schedule your arrival to the morning of Day 1 so that you will have at least the whole of the afternoon and the evening.

I travelled from Hiroshima arriving in Tokyo, for 11:00 A.M. It is convenient to get a local taxi here, which I did and made it to the hotel by midday. Luckily, my room was ready, and I had time to freshen up and quickly head out. I had lunch began my adventures for the day 😊 which was Shibuya and Odaiba.

1.1 | Shibuya

Shibuya is the heart of the shopping and entertainment district in Tokyo and is the busiest part of Tokyo.

WHAT TO EXPERIENCE IN SHIBUYA:

1 | Center Gai

Center Gai is the centre for youth fashion and is the birthplace to many of Japan’s fashion brands. It is a busy pedestrian zone lined with boutiques and game centres. In the evenings, it is busy and alive with young people heading to nightclubs and bars or just hanging-about in groups.

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2 | Hachiko Station

Hachiko Station Exit is another popular spot in Shibuya which should not be missed for two reasons: 

Firstly, it is a large intersection! It has a large pedestrian crossing which is an attraction itself.

This intersection is super busy and heavily illuminated with neon advertisements and giant video screens. When the light turns green, the crossing gets flooded with pedestrians and it is truly an experience to watch the flood of pedestrians this way. It can be overwhelming but just stand back and watch — personally, I had not seen anything like it;

Secondly, this is where the legend of Hachiko, began. Hachiko is the most loyal dog that faithfully came to the station each day to meet his owner. After about a year, the owner, Ueno, died suddenly because of cerebal haemorrhage. Hachiko did not know of Ueno’s death, so, for 9 years thereafter until his own passing, Hachiko would find his way to the station at the exact time to fetch his owner. To honour Hachiko, a statue is erected here. The statue is also a popular meeting point for both the young and old of Tokyo, and always a busy spot. 

Having witnessed Shibuya, and despite the constant flow of people, I can confidently say that it is one of the most colourful and busy districts that I have seen and I would highly recommend that you spend a few hours in an afternoon just to absorb the metropolis vibe. You can return in the evening for a meal and experience the night atmosphere.

However, I wanted to experience a different kind of evening atmosphere whilst here, so headed to Odaiba for a sunset across Tokyo Bay.

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1.2 | Odaiba

Odaiba is located in Southern Tokyo and it was easier to get to from Shibuya which was in Western Tokyo. Odaiba is a popular tourist attraction. There are many things to do in Odaiba along with highly rated quality accommodations, shopping, dining and leisure entertainment.

The popular island of Odaiba is connected to the rest of Tokyo by the famous Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge is a two-storey structure and supports an expressway, a regular road, the Yurikamome train line plus pedestrian walkways on both sides.

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WHAT TO EXPERIENCE AT ODAIBA

1 | Rainbow Bridge

The Rainbow Bridge is an iconic symbol of Tokyo Bay. It is an attraction in itself. The Bridge offers visitors spectacular views of Tokyo Harbour and the waterfront area from the Yurikamome elevated train. You enjoy fabulous views of the harbour as well when you walk across the Bridge using the pedestrian walkways. Furthermore, it is especially beautiful when it is illuminated at night.

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2 | Waterfront

I arrived here from Shibuya at about 6:30 pm and found a bench to sit. I was pleasantly surprised that there were not a lot of people around, perhaps because everyone had been here earlier in the day and are now having their dinner. For the most part, I felt that I had the space to myself and it was quite pleasant to sit on a bench and just feel the breeze against my skin, lost in my thoughts. It had been a very busy couple of days, being in Hiroshima and the journey from Hiroshima to Tokyo. I guess, sitting down was what I needed.

I saw the sun set across Tokyo Bay — it was beautiful! I did not take pictures of the sunset…I just wanted to be lost in the moment, reflect, just briefly, on all the beautiful experiences I have had in Japan. I was very fortunate and grateful to have had the opportunity.

Afterwards, I took many pictures of the Rainbow Bridge, and the twinkling lights of the skyscrapers across Tokyo Bay. I share one with you here. You need to be at Tokyo Bay to experience it — you will come away with many personal memories.

From the Waterfront, I went to Palette Town, which is within walking distance. You cannot miss it as you can see the Ferries Wheel from a distance.

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3 | Palette Town

Palette Town is a huge complex of shopping and entertainment choices. Here are some of the highlights:

3.1 | The Venus Fort Shopping Mall

The Venus Fort Shopping Mall is designed after a 18th century South European town. It has more than 100 shops of fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants located over three-floors.

The Ferris Wheel

The Ferries Wheel in Palette Town is one of the world’s largest and stands at 115 metres high. It changes colours and it is truly a spectacular sight. Each of the cabin seats 6 people and it takes 15-minutes to do a full circle. This is another opportunity to enjoy spectacular views of Tokyo Bay and Odaiba.

There are other attractions here which may be of interest to you:

• The Toyota Mega Web;
• Tokyo Leisureland

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1.3 | Useful information on Odaiba, Tokyo

How to get to Odaiba

The Yurikamome:

• The Yurikamome is an elevated train that is fully automated. It connects Shimbashi Station (Yamanote Line) with Odaiba and the Yurakucho Subway Line.
• Trains depart every few minutes. A ride between Shimbashi and Daiba Station takes 15 minutes.
• It costs 320 yen. If you ride the Yurikamome more than twice, a 1-day pass for 820 yen will be better value.
• The Yurikamome is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass.
• Yurikamome crosses the Rainbow Bridge to get to Odaiba. Sit or stand at the front of the train for impressive views of the harbour and Tokyo Bay.

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The Rinkai Line:

• The Rinkai Line connects Osaki Station which is on the JR Yamanote Line with Shin-Kiba Station on the JR Keiyo Line. It stops at Tokyo Teleport and Kokusai Tenjijo underground stations at Odaiba.
• There are some trains on the JR Saikyo Line which will continue on the Rinkai Line, providing direct connections between Shinjuku, Shibuya and Odaiba.
• The journey from Shinjuku to Tokyo Teleport Station in Odaiba takes 25 minutes. It costs 500 yen.
• Japan Rail Pass is not valid on the Rinkai Line.

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By boat:

• Boat rides are operated between Odaiba Seaside Park and Hinode Pier by Tokyo Water Bus where there are connections to Asakusa
  – Journey time is 20 minutes.
  – Costs 480 Yen.
• There are about 1to 2 boats per hour.
  – There are direct boats connecting Asakusa and Odaiba less frequently; Journey time for this is 50 minutes, and costs 1560 Yen.
• There are boats from Hinode Pier to Palette Town and Tokyo Big Sight – one boat per hour daily except on Mondays and Tuesdays. The journey time is 25 to 35 minutes, and costs 410 Yen.

2 | Day 2 of Tokyo in 3 days itinerary — Lake Kawaguchi and Mount Fuji

To make the best of 3 days in Tokyo, I decided to experience the outskirts of the City. I contemplated if I should visit Kamakura on a day trip or visit Japan’s tallest mountain and the most iconic landmark, Mount Fuji. Well, I thought.. you can’t come to Tokyo and not visit Mount Fuji, even if you don’t get to climb it! Correct? So, my itinerary for a day-trip included the following:

An overview of Day 2 itinerary, a trip to the outskirts of Tokyo:

• Lake Kawaguchi;
• Ride the KachiKachi Ropeway  for the best views of Mount Fuji;
• Mount Fuji 5^th Station 
• Places to eat near Lake Kawaguchi

2.1 | Lake Kawaguchi

The destination point for Lake Kawaguchi is the Kawaguchi Station. All trains and buses stop at Kawaguchi Station. Whilst there are many places to enjoy the incredible views of Mount Fuji, the views from Lake Kawaguchi, the gateway to Mount Fuji, is said to be one of the best.

Lake Kawaguchi itself is remarkably beautiful and picturesque and offers many activities such as fishing, hiking or cycling. The journey from Tokyo to Kawaguchi Station takes about 2 hours by road and this journey time is shortened when you ride the Shinkansen.

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WHAT TO DO AT LAKE KAWAGUCHI

1 | Kawaguchi Station

At Kawaguchi Station, ensure that you:

• Pick-up a bus pass which you can buy for 1600 Yen which is a two-day pass, but it will still be worth your money even if you are here for a day. This bus pass gives you unlimited rides and is valid across all lines – red, green and blue;
• Pick-up a tourist booklet from the Tourist Information Centre. It gives information to the surrounding sights and places to eat.

All the buses stop at Kawaguchi Station. Kawaguchi Station is conveniently located in front of the Tourist Information Centre. With the bus pass which gives you unlimited rides, you can follow the guide and make your own itinerary that suits you, so you can get to places around Lake Kawaguchi.

As for me, I wanted to ride the Kachi Kachi Ropeway up to Tenjoyama Park to get the unobstructed view of Mount Fuji.

2 | Kachi Kachi Ropeway

Kachi Kachi Ropeway – also known as Kawaguchiko Mt Tenjo Ropeway; also known as Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway.

The Kachi Kachi Ropeway Station is about 15 minutes from Kawaguchiko Station, either by a bus ride or by walking. If you are taking the bus, you will need to get off at Stop 11. I walked because I wanted to see a little of this quiet town.

Lake Kawaguchi is a popular destination amongst tourists and locals, so expect to find a queue at the station. You can purchase your tickets for the Ropeway at the machines and it is 800 Yen for a return journey. The ride up to Mount Tenjo is brief, just 3 minutes and runs every 10 minutes.

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3 | Mount Tenjo

Kachi Kachi Ropeway is an aerial lift located at 400 meters on the eastern edge of Lake Kawaguchiko and it climbs to Tenjo-Yama Park on Mount Kachi Kachi. There is an observation deck here which sits more than 1000 meters above sea level. It is from here that you have unobstructed panoramic view of Mount Fuji and of Lake Kawaguchiko below. Needless to say, that this is a great photo opportunity which should not be missed.

Try and get here for about 11:00 so you can get the best of the peak of Mount Fuji. I was here in early June and the clouds were overhanging on the peak but I was not disappointed.  It was still a perfect view for me. 

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4 | About Kachi Kachi Yama – a Japanese folklore

The environment around Mount Tenjo Park is kid-friendly and decorated with cartoon characters of animals. This is because this particular mountain is popular for an  ancient folklore called “Kachi Kachi Yama” — it is a story about a rabbit who seeks revenge on a Japanese racoon by setting him on fire and then later drowning him in a river. Hard to understand the link to the relative kid-friendly environment to the gruesome nature of the folklore, but there you go, one cannot always understand “folklore”! 

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5 | Heading back down to Kachi Kachi Ropeway Station

To head back down from Mount Tenjo, you could either take the cable car back down or you may want to take the hiking trail down. If you choose to hike down, it will take about 40 minutes. Whichever way you choose to descend, it is time to think about lunch or a break for coffee and cookies.

I took the Ropeway back down.

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6 | A Walk by Lake Kawaguchi

I took a quick break, visited the popular pastry shop, Fujiyama Cookies.

I walked along the Lake shore and spent some time enjoying the waters and the fabulous views, before my next destination on my itinerary, Mount Fuji

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*My next itinerary was Mount Fuji, 5th Station. To get the bus to the 5^th Station, I needed to return to Kawaguchiko Station, Bus Stop 7. If you are planning on doing this as well, ensure you return to Kawaguchiko Station from the 5^th Station by 5:30 p.m. so that you will not miss the last buses or trains to Tokyo.  

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2.2 | Mount Fuji 5th Station

I boarded the bus from bus stop 7, which took me straight to 5^th Station. The journey time is 50 minutes and costs 2100 Yen.

The 5^th Station is situated half-way up Mount Fuji, a mid-point of the Yoshida Trail to Mount Fuji’s summit. For most climbers, this is their starting point. It was interesting to note the differing forests as you plod along uphill. One of my favourite is the one you see below, trees nicely lined up against the clouds, and there were moments when I felt that we were driving into the clouds.

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1 | The 5th Station

The 5^th Station sits at 2300 meters (7546 feet) and offers stunning views, on a clear day, of Fuji 5 Lakes and Hakone National Park. However, you don’t really get a picture-perfect view of the peak of Mount Fuji because it is obstructed with low-hanging clouds or poor visibility. Mount Fuji certainly looks better from afar than close-up.

THINGS TO DO AT THE 5TH STATION

i | Komitake Shrine

In Japan, culture and tradition dictates that mountains are a spiritual spot. Legend has it that Mount Komitake was a mountain which existed before Mount Fuji, therefore a Shrine was erected here and has existed for over a thousand years.

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ii | Observation Deck

Round the back of the Shrine, there is an observation deck, which on a clear day, offers spectacular views of Lake Yamanaka and Fujiyoshida City.

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iii | Shopping, souvenirs and restaurants

There are plenty of opportunities to shop for souvenirs. You can buy a postcard, write it out, buy stamps and post it immediately in a dedicated post-box. This was a popular activity amongst tourists here. There are some restaurants available if you feel like warming up, otherwise, there is a good selection of food-to-go. 

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iv | Photo opportunities

There are several spots for perfect photo shoots which should not be missed. These are around the observation deck, the Shrine and front of the heritage centre for example the infamous post box. 

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v | Friendship

I was blessed to have met a group of Chinese tourists who quite simply made my day 😊. Friendly, fun and spirited. They did not know much English and I did not know much Chinese, but we conversed with plenty of hugs and laughter. Totally uplifting.

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I returned to Kawaguchiko Station from the 5^th Station by 5:30 p.m. I had time for a meal and ensured I did not miss my return journey to Tokyo city.  

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2.3 | Places to eat near Lake Kawaguchi

Whether it was lunch you wanted to have or early dinner before returning to Tokyo, explore the area around Lake Kawaguchi for some authentic Japanese cuisines. Just be mindful of the time if you are catching the bus or the Shinkansen back to Tokyo.

1 | Hoto Fudo

This was my first choice because I wanted to try the highly recommended Hoto noodles which is a local Yamanashi speciality – thick, chewy wheat noodles, simmered in rich miso broth with vegetables. You can opt to dine either on tatami mats or table seating.

Unfortunately, it was too busy on the evening of my visit. I opted for  my 2^nd choice, and I was not disappointed.

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2 | Fuji Tempura Idaten

It was Tempura at its best!

Idaten offered:

• Great choice and good value for money.
• Vegan options available.
• Convenience – just 10 minutes away from Lake Kawaguchi Visitor Centre.

Useful information about a trip to Lake Kawaguchi and Mount Fuji

There are several day-trips available which you can book prior, either an organised bus tour, highway bus or you can take the Shinkansen. 

Returning to Tokyo – If you are on a bus tour or on the highway bus option, ensure that you are back at Kawaguchiko Station at least half an hour before your departure time. Japan’s transportation is punctual, and they do not wait for late comers. Also. returning to Tokyo in the evening may coincide with rush hour and the journey can be longer depending on traffic conditions on the highway – a typical 2 hour journey can take up to 3 hours.  

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3 | Day 3 of Tokyo in 3 days itinerary

Tokyo is so vast and there is so much to see, do and experience but I had to make some choices. On my 3rd day in Tokyo, I chose to visit the Meiji Shrine.

3.1 | Meiji Shrine (明治神宮, Meiji Jingū)

The Meiji Shrine in Tokyo is one of the famous shrines in Tokyo. Meiji Shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Sadly, the shrine was completed in 1920, about 8 years after the Emperor passed and 6 years after the passing of the Empress.

The original Meiji shrine was destroyed during WWII, but it was rebuilt shortly afterwards. Emperor Meiji was the first emperor of modern Japan, who opened Japan to the West to join the world’s major powers.

3.2 | The Meiji Shrine, Tokyo

The impressive 12-metre high (40 feet) torii gate welcomes visitors to its beautiful grounds. The torii gate is a symbol to keep the outside world from the holy ground of the gods. When visiting, walk along the footpaths on the right and left.

Read >> Etiquette to observe at a Shinto shrine

The Meiji Shrine is located amidst a tranquil forest of 120,000 trees. There are 365 different species planted here from different parts of Japan. I became immersed in the serenity of my surroundings.

You could buy charms and write out your wishes and hang it on a tree or Ema.

I visited the Meiji Shrine on a Sunday morning before my journey to Narita Airport later that day. I chose a Sunday visit because typically, on Sundays, Shinto weddings are known to take place. I was fortunate to witness one during my visit.

The Inner Garden covers a large section of the grounds. It is situated in the southern section, between the main shrine buildings and Yoyogi Park. There is an entrance fee of 500 Yen.

A visit to the power spot of Kiyomasa’s Well is highly popular — people come here to experience the energy within the tranquillity of the forest.

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Travel tips and practical information on Meiji Shrine, Tokyo

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finally…3 days in Tokyo

Although my time in Tokyo was very short, it was indeed the best of 3 days in Tokyo. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It was at times tough because I tried to pack in too many things but in retrospect, I am glad that I did.

I remember the sheer crowd at Shibuya and the wonderful, delicious choices of ramen where the fragrance just oozes along the streets, and of course the best light and crispy tempura that I had ever tasty at Lake Kawaguchi. The day trip to Mount Fuji — achieving my childhood dream and finally seeing the Meiji Shrine that speaks volume of the Japanese history, tradition and culture.

It was truly a timeless and awesome experience that concluded almost 6 months of my stay in Japan.

Happy adventures in Tokyo, however you choose to explore this grand city!

Georgina xx

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