Four days in Tokyo: Itinerary for a family trip
On our trip to Tokyo, we only managed to book 5
nights to enjoy the best the city has to offer. Of course, discounting the
day of arrival and departure, this left us only whit 4 days to explore the city. And
knowing Tokyo in 4 days, especially on a family trip with one children is not an
easy task, so we had to study our destination well, choose the priorities to
visit, the ones we really wanted to see and, of course, the ones we wanted to see but we probably would not have time to visit.
Something that makes it difficult to get to know Tokyo
in a few days is its immensity. Tokyo is really huge and, for those
who want to visit it with little time and do not organize their trip, it will
be easy to feel lost, and will waste a lot of their precious time, so we really
advise to, like we did, plan what you want to visit, how to do it, and organize your
itinerary very well.
On recent posts, we described each one of the different days of
our stay in this wonderful city. Now, what we propose in this post is to
conduct a joint itinerary of the four days we spent in the city, hoping to
share our experience of traveling in the family but, mainly, to give some help to people that want to organize
their stay in this city. We can guarantee that, of all the cities we visited around the world, this is perhaps
the one that required more planning and organization, but at the end of the trip we felt that these 4 days allowed us to enjoy much of what Tokyo has to
offer, and were a huge success.
So, let's start by saying that the solution to make the most of your stay is to divide well and organize your days, that is, within the attractions you want to see in the city, try to see which ones are closest to each other and try to join your visit, so that it allows you to avoid going from one side of the city to the other and having to return to the same side of town on another day that you had already been there.
So, let's start by saying that the solution to make the most of your stay is to divide well and organize your days, that is, within the attractions you want to see in the city, try to see which ones are closest to each other and try to join your visit, so that it allows you to avoid going from one side of the city to the other and having to return to the same side of town on another day that you had already been there.
Unlike other cities, it can't be said that Tokyo has
a center. What we can say is that it has several centers and each one with its
attractions. It is also necessary to mention here that what each of us looks
for in each destination can be completely the opposite of another person, so we
always advise people to study as much as possible your destination (which in itself
is always a pleasure for us, before the trip is like starting the trip), and choose what you want to see.
We also always advise you to choose what is really indispensable for you and
you can't lose, always leaving these priorities for the first few days,
because imponderables can always happen, especially for those who travel with
children.
Well, let's talk about the description of our
itinerary and our organization day by day.
Where to stay?
An important question about where to stay in Tokyo
will be tied to the location of your stay. Contrary to what we had read in many
places, we did not consider Tokyo the most expensive place we have been.
After our trip to Iceland, that is a really expensive destination
(you can see our trip to Iceland here), all destinations seem to not be so expensive.
During our stay in Tokyo, we can say
that you can make a life with values not very different from what is
practiced in other European cities, even cheaper than many in northern Europe.
However, on a hotel level, you will easily check
through an internet search that this is not a cheap destination. And, as we
said earlier, it is not too easy to know what the center of the city is. So
what we tried was to take into account a hotel that was close to the main metro
line, JR Yamanote Line.
Given the conditions we intended, we ended up staying at The B Ochanomizu hotel (you can see here his official website) near the Kanda area. This 3 star hotel has provided us with a location which, in our opinion, was optimal. First of all, we had several metro stations within easy reach and, even on foot, we could reach the Akihabara area, as well as the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station, for those of us who like to walk.
Given the conditions we intended, we ended up staying at The B Ochanomizu hotel (you can see here his official website) near the Kanda area. This 3 star hotel has provided us with a location which, in our opinion, was optimal. First of all, we had several metro stations within easy reach and, even on foot, we could reach the Akihabara area, as well as the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station, for those of us who like to walk.
How to move
Throughout our itinerary, we tried to walk the most,
but this is an impossible task to do all over the city, which is really huge, so we recommend
the Metro, which is a cool adventure, but an experience that you will have to do on your trip
to Tokyo.
Of course, our itinerary was connected to our base, but
in the morning we went to the Marunouchi district, perhaps the center of Tokyo,
where we strongly advised visiting the Imperial Palace Gardens, a great way to
start your day and your trip through Tokyo.
After the visit, we walked to Tokyo Station, still in
the Marunouchi district, where, in addition to meeting one of the busiest
stations in the world, we had the opportunity to experience a delicious meal,
namely at Tokyo Ramen Street.
Continuing at the station, we took the subway to
Hamamatsuchō Station, where we aimed to visit one of the temples we loved most
in the city, namely the Zojo-Ji Temple, one of the best surprises in the city.
4- Tokyo Tower
Very close to the Zojo-Ji Temple is the Tokyo Tower.
This red and white Japanese version of the Eiffel Tower is impressive but we
only visited its exterior because we had planned for another day to see the
city high up in another iconic building.
5- Akihabara
After the visit to the Tokyo Tower, we made our way to
Hamamatsuchō Station, where we took the subway to Akihabara Station, to see the
end of the day/beginning of the night in the Akihabara neighborhood, the
"electronic city" of Tokyo.
Still, in this neighborhood, we used to eat deliciously
sushi at Uogashi Nihon Ichi Atre Akihabara, which we highly recommend.
Itinerary for a Family Trip in Tokyo - Day 2 (Sunday)
We purposely left this itinerary for Sunday for two
reasons and one is because it is this day of the week that multiple weddings
are held in the Meiji Jingu Shrine and we wanted to see the brides in their
kimonos, so that's where we headed later of breakfast.
2- Yoyogi Park
After the visit, we came to know the Yoyogi Park, which is located the Meiji Jingu Shrine but, whose entrance will have to realize by another place (Learn how to get here).
Even near Yoyogi Park we already knew where to eat, so after a short walk, we arrived at the Afuri Restaurant, for another perfect dinner experience in Tokyo.
4. Takeshita Street
After lunch, we took another short walk to Takeshita
Street, which is in the Harajuku Quarter. And this was another reason why we
booked this itinerary for Sunday, because it is on this day that usually many
young people of Tokyo take the opportunity to walk these streets in the most
peculiar forms, being the zone of excellence for cosplay of the city, in which
creativity, daring the conventional rule.
After walking along Takeshita Street, we took a
1.5-kilometer hike (you can go by subway, but as you know, we like to walk) to
the Shibuya district, one of the youngest districts of Tokyo and full of
electrifying energy. We took the opportunity to take a stroll along with the famous
Shibuya Crossing, one of the busiest pedestrian walkways in the world, as well
as to visit the Hachiko Statue, before we purposely let ourselves be lost in
what is considered, for many, Tokyo Times Square until it was time to search our dinner.
6- Genki Sushi
For dinner, we stopped by the Shibuya neighborhood, where we went to experience the futuristic version of eating Sushi at Genki Sushi.
For the return, we took the subway at Shibuya Station,
having the pleasure of exploring one of the other major stations in the world,
impressive.
Itinerary for a family trip in Tokyo - Day 3
We started our day early because we wanted to go to
the Tsukiji port area, where one of the biggest fish markets is held every day
and, believe me, it is worth doing this unique experience in Tokyo.
Right next to the Tsukiji Market is the Tsukiji
Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, which is one of the most unique and unique temples
in Tokyo, which most reminds us of a Thai temple but which gives it a unique
serenity in a place as busy as Tsukiji.
It is said that it is at the Tsukiji Market that one
can eat the best sushi in Tokyo and, we can say that, the best sushi of our
life was, really there, in Sushi Katsura, which we highly recommend.
After our delicious lunch, we made a beautiful walk
towards the Ginza district, where we took the opportunity to see the exterior
of the Kabuki-za Theater, a majestic building with a significant weight in
traditional Japanese culture.
5- Ginza
Although we did not take much time in this neighborhood,
it is a great place to walk and, for those who wish, to buy but, as that was
not our purpose, we took the metro in Ginza to go to the neighborhood of
Shinjuku.
6- Shinjuku
We ended up leaving at Shinjuku station and, had we
already seen such impressive metro stations, this is probably the biggest and
busiest of all, in our opinion. In fact, the whole neighborhood of Shinjuku is
hectic and full of life, surrounded by skyscrapers and bustle but, an always
organized and not noisy bustle, which is impressive.
This is a park that we tried to get into, but by
chance it is closed on Mondays so we could know it from the inside.
Also in the Shinjuku neighborhood is the Park Hyatt
Hotel. This is a hotel that, for those who are fans of the movie Lost in
Translation is a must visit. Of course, our dream would be to stay at this hotel
but such would be at all unbearable for our budget.
Right next to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Central Park
Shinjuku, which turned out to be the ideal spot for a break in the middle of
the action and for those traveling as a family, as is our case, for the kids
this is a perfect place to stay, to play and explore.
From the free entrance, this is the perfect place for you
to have a 360º view of the entire city and hopefully see up to Mount Fuji.
Piss Alley does not appear to be an attractive name
for a meal but, we can assure you, it is in this area, which is right next to
the Shinjuku station that we had one of the best meals in Tokyo.
Itinerary for a family trip in Tokyo - Day 4
In our last day in Tokyo, we made a change, namely in the place where we would spend the night because, as on the next day we would have
to catch the plane early and, as it would at Narita airport which is still far
from the center of Tokyo, from Haneda Airport, we opted for the last night's
sleep at a hotel in Narita that had a transfer to the airport. This option
ended up working beautifully, had only the annoyance of, during that day we had
to carry our bags but, as we always try to travel as light as possible, this
was not a great inconvenience.
For our day, we had planned to visit one of the most
famous attractions of Tokyo, the Senso-Ji Temple, which is in the Asakusa
neighborhood. This is undoubtedly one of the most impressive temples in Tokyo.
It is really beautiful, immense, but something we loved in Tokyo was the fact
that we never feel in a tourist place, but in a city where we live. However,
when arriving at the Senso-Ji Temple it was not what we felt, this being the place where we most feel tourists and, unfortunately, tourists like us end up
taking beauty to a fabulous place.
On the outskirts of Senso-Ji Temple is famous Nakamise
Dori Street, a street that accesses the temple and where commerce and
restoration reigns. Of course, each person has his or her opinion and we are
not all obliged to like it, but we were disappointed with this street, which is
also very tourist-oriented, and neither the articles sold nor the restoration
have captivated us minimally and, in all different from what we felt the other
days in Tokyo, the reason why our desire was to quickly to leave there.
Leaving Nakamise Dori Street, we took a short walk to
see the Asahi Beer Hall building, one of the headquarters of the Asahi Breweries,
which is on the other side of the Sumida River. This building was designed by
French designer Philippe Starck and really makes you think of a glass of beer,
so it deserves the fast ride, for being one of the most recognizable modern
buildings in Tokyo.
Another of the most striking modern buildings in the city is the Tokyo Sky Tree which is 634 meters high is the tallest structure in
Japan. It is possible to climb to this tower and we believe that the view must
be impressive from its top, however, we were limited to seeing from outside its
impressive structure and height.
5- Ueno Park
The day was not to be the most wonderful of our stay,
we can assure you that the visit to Ueno Park has come to change. This is a
huge park and it made us feel again in communion with this wonderful city. Of
course, the highlight of our visit to Ueno Park is the height of cherry
blossoms during Hanami parties, but we were not lucky enough to travel at that
time.
6- Narita
Even at Ueno Park, we took the train that took us to
Narita, where our hotel was, and still allowed us to explore the city of Narita
a bit.
In Narita, we had already planned to visit the
Narita-San Shinsho-Ji Temple, which we loved and it was a huge surprise. It is
huge, full of beauty and history and very empty, quiet and silent, which allows
appreciating the calm of the place. A big surprise for the farewell to Tokyo,
because the next day we would take the plane back, putting an end to our family
trip to the beautiful city of Tokyo.
We hope our itinerary helps you plan your family trip
to Tokyo. We would like to invite you to follow our experience with us for the
4 days of the trip, in which we describe in detail our entire trip and we
believe that it will help you to plan your trip to Tokyo.
Don't forget that hotels can be very expensive in Tokyo and, you should start searching for accommodations early before the prices get really hight. We always do our reservations with booking, they are our partners and its with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals by clicking here, it won't cost you any money and, it helps us to support our blog.
Booking.com
We also invite you to comment and give your opinion, and we thank you very much for your visit to our Non Stop Family travel blog, which we hope you have liked and continue to visit us.
Pin it for Later
Don't forget that hotels can be very expensive in Tokyo and, you should start searching for accommodations early before the prices get really hight. We always do our reservations with booking, they are our partners and its with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals by clicking here, it won't cost you any money and, it helps us to support our blog.
Booking.com
We also invite you to comment and give your opinion, and we thank you very much for your visit to our Non Stop Family travel blog, which we hope you have liked and continue to visit us.
Pin it for Later
21 comentários
Wow, you have managed to see so many things in just 4 days! I would love to go to Tokyo one day and I have to admit that I would be lost initially with where to start creating my itinerary. It's good to know that the city doesn't really has a centre and that each neighborhood has something to see in it.
ResponderEliminarI can't wait to do a trip to Tokyo one day! My parents took me once when I was a baby, but it would be great to experience it as an adult. I bet you could stay for a month and still have places to discover!
ResponderEliminarThank you! This is very helpful for family travelers!
ResponderEliminarOh wow, Tokyo is such a great place ti visit. I always wanted to go here. Truly a bucket list material.
ResponderEliminarI never travel much but this has got me inspired, thanks for sharing really informative and well written.
ResponderEliminarThis is such a great post and very detail itinerary to used. Such a great timing, we're planning to go there early next year. We will use this as our guide. Thank you for sharing this.
ResponderEliminarLooks amazing! My wife and I really want to visit Japan and Tokyo will be one of the spots for sure on that list. It looks like this is so much to do and see!
ResponderEliminarThis is a MAJOR item on my bucket list, though it may take me a few years to get there. Definitely bookmarking!
ResponderEliminarThanks for sharing these tips. Tokyo seems to be a very nice place to wander. The places you mentioned above are very interesting. Nice blog.
ResponderEliminarThis is such a thorough and informative post! I can’t wait to visit Japan. It’s been on my wishlist for years.
ResponderEliminarThis looks amazing. Your pictures are awesome!
ResponderEliminarI've always wanted to visit Tokyo! Love the pictures and information
ResponderEliminarThis sounds like you had a great 4 days there. It looks amazing. I always wanted to go here.
ResponderEliminarThank you for the info, I always wish one day I will visit a place like Tokyo and New York city.
ResponderEliminarWonderful pics. Totally agree with you on pre-planning. You planned really well and hence such a wonderful itinerary.
ResponderEliminarWent to Tokyo 4 years ago and can't wait to go back. It is like visiting the future compared to where I live
ResponderEliminargreat post!! I would love to go to Tokyo some day soon!
ResponderEliminar11 Beautiful Places In Japan That Are Hard To Believe Really Exist!
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