A Quick 4-Day Tokyo Trip (Yes, It’s Possible)

Everyone thought I was crazy when I decided to take a four-day trip to Tokyo (I was gone five days since it basically took a whole night to get there). I didn’t really bat an eye—this is not the first time I’ve flown 11-12 hours for a long weekend. Since I’ve shared so much of the trip, I should outline my days as well. Bear with me, it’s a lot! So here is the full (to my recollection, at least) version of my Tokyo itinerary.

I arrived at Haneda Airport around 4 AM and immediately caught the train into town. I headed to my hotel first to drop off my luggage, change, retrieve my backpack, and get ready to head out. I packed only carry-on bags (I hate checking bags).

A Long Weekend Getaway: My Tokyo Itinerary

Day 1: Asakusa, Ueno, Shibuya & Shinjuku

Morning: Senso-ji and Ueno Park

My first stop was Shinpachi Shokudo for breakfast. After this, I headed over to Senso-Ji. It was a bit later in the morning by then (if you can call 8 AM “later”), so it was crowded but not packed yet. The vendors around the temple weren’t open yet, so that helped.

After this, I headed over to Ueno Park, where I would actually spend more time than I expected to on this trip. There are temples and shrines there and a ton of museums that I didn’t budget time for—I’ll try and catch them next time! After a walk in the park, I made my way over to Yakiniku Like, which I had found on YouTube. I love yakiniku, and the idea of having my own private pod to cook alone was intriguing (and delicious).

Afternoon: Tokyo Station, Imperial Palace & Shibuya

It was early afternoon now, so I headed over to Tokyo Station, took some photos, wandered around the Imperial Palace grounds a bit, then made my way to Shibuya so I could see Hachiko (check out the story of Hachiko, it’s so sad but reminds you that dogs are so great).

I also made a trip to Nippori Fabric Town for some crafts to bring home—great spot if you like to sew! This was right about check-in time at my hotel, so I went back to get into my room and freshen up.

Evening: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building & Konbini Finds

My plan for the night was to catch sunset at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and then grab snacks from the konbini. I succeeded at both and also grabbed a meal at McDonald’s on the way back to my room. I got to try the Tsukimi Burger (not sure what it was, but it was good) and a melon soda, and my meal was super inexpensive compared to McDonald’s prices back home.

I ended my night with pain patches on my exhausted feet and shoulders and lots and lots of snacks.

Day 2: Shrines, Harajuku, Ueno & Tokyo Tower

Early Morning Shrines: Hanazono Shrine & Meiji Jingu

The next day, I woke up way earlier than I should have and was eternally grateful to my past self for the abundance of snacks in my room fridge. Thanks to the pain patches and my tens system, I felt pretty refreshed despite the fact that it was about 3 AM.

I headed out at about 5 AM to make my way to the Hanozono Shrine, then to the Meiji Jingu. Meiji Jingu was so peaceful and quiet, with a rather long walk through the gates to reach the actual buildings. It was still quite early, so there were no crowds, and you could hear wildlife in the trees. It felt magical.

I made a quick stop at Takeshita Street in Harajuku even though nothing was open, to scope it out for later since I was close by, and then went for a walk in Yoyogi Park. This is definitely more of a park for locals (lots of runners), so if you’re looking for a chill stroll and some sights, this might not be the best spot for you.

Midday: Imperial Palace & Kappabashi Street

After this, I ventured back towards the Imperial Palace to get some shots of the exterior. Unfortunately, there seemed to be some race or run going on, so it was quite busy, but I still managed to enjoy the exterior gardens surrounding the grounds. It was around here that I also headed over to Kappabashi Street to get some home goods, but I can’t remember, since I didn’t take any photos!

Afternoon & Evening: Ramen, Ueno & Tokyo Tower

By now, I was pretty hungry. I stopped in at ICHIRAN in Shinjuku for a piping hot bowl of ramen. It’s funny to me that this spot got so popular because of the individual eating booths, but there are plenty of spots in Tokyo like this. It’s so easy to eat alone in Tokyo! I’m sure there are plenty of way more amazing ramen spots in Tokyo, but this was still better than most spots back home, so I consider it a win!

I hit up another konbini (my goal was to try the tamago sando, chicken, and onigiri at FamilyMart, Lawson, and 7-Eleven).

I headed back to my hotel to take a quick break since I had started so early and grabbed some subway station sushi at Eato Lumine, along with one of my favorite finds of the trip—Coolish drinkable orange ice cream. The nigiri was amazing and fresh, and I actually ended up going back a second time because it was so good.

Once I had rested just enough, I made my way back to Ueno Park to explore a bit more through some of the spots I missed on my first visit. My favorite udon was right down the street, too, so I grabbed a bite at Marugame Seimen, and finished it off with a soufflé pancake at Hoshino Coffee (and some coffee because I was crashing pretty hard).

From here, I ventured to Nishikubo Hachiman-Jinja Shrine on my way to Zozoji and Tokyo Tower. I didn’t actually go into Tokyo Tower, and I just managed to catch Zozoji before the closing gongs began. If you walk around ZoZogi to Shiba Park, you can get some great views of both the temple and the tower—particularly at sunset!

Around now, I was dying, so after a quick stop at Shibuya to find that my sushi spot was PACKED, I cut my losses with some more konbini snacks and headed back to the hotel for the night.

Day 3: Hie Shrine & Tokyo Disneyland

It was another really early morning the next day, since I wanted to hit up Hie Shrine before I headed to Tokyo Disneyland. I got to the shrine at around 6 AM, and it was pretty empty, which was great for photos.

I then headed to Tokyo Station and made a quick stop at Sukiya for breakfast before catching the train to Disney. You can read all about that day here and find out if visiting is right for you!

I closed out the Disney day with a great dinner at Coco Ichibanya before retiring for the last night in Tokyo.

Day 4: Shinjuku Gyoen, Japanese Gardens & Harajuku

Early Morning Wandering

My last morning started similarly to the others. I headed out at around 5 AM, but this time, I started getting lost. The exhaustion was hitting pretty hard, so after a stroll past Japan National Stadium, a walk through Meiji Jingu Gaien (not Meiji Jingu, don’t let the map confuse you), and a walk past the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace, I grabbed breakfast at Matsuya and went back to the hotel for a nap to get me through to check-out time.

Late Morning: Shinjuku Gyoen & Rakugien

Around 10 AM, I stored my luggage at the front desk and headed over to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (I opted to stay within a few train stations of my hotel so I could easily retrieve my bags later). This is where I found the most stunning Starbucks ever (it was delicious, too).

I also wandered over to Rikugien to enjoy the serene beauty of an authentic Japanese garden (it’s a bit out of the way but well worth the visit).

Final Stop: Kura Sushi in Harajuku

My last stop for the trip was Kura Sushi’s big flagship store in Harajuku. I love Kura Sushi at home and knew it just had to be better here (spoiler alert—it was). Maybe filling up on raw fish before a long flight isn’t the best idea, but it felt like the right way to end the trip.

I picked up my luggage, headed to the train station, and got back on the train to Haneda. I didn’t think I’d feel sad leaving, but I was already planning my next trip with Tokyo Tower zipping by in the distance as I headed out of the city.

Check out every other Tokyo post I hade (there are a lot) here!