Tokyo: Cheap Flights & Best Hotels

Tokyo Travel Guide

Tokyo is enormous, yet it rarely feels chaotic. Trains run to the minute, streets are spotless, and within a few stops you can move from the neon canyons of Shinjuku to a hushed shrine forest or a backstreet of wooden houses. The city is best understood as a cluster of distinct centres, each with its own personality: Shibuya for youth culture, Asakusa for old Edo, Ginza for luxury, Akihabara for anime and electronics. Food is a highlight at every price point, from vending-machine coffee to some of the most celebrated restaurants in the world.

Choosing Your Season

Spring (March–May) is famous for cherry blossoms, usually peaking in late March or early April. Parks fill with hanami picnics, and hotels book out early. Golden Week, in late April and early May, is a major Japanese holiday period with crowded trains and higher prices.

Summer (June–August) starts with the rainy season in June, followed by hot, humid weather. Fireworks festivals and summer matsuri are the reward.

Autumn (September–November) can begin with typhoons in September, but October and November are crisp and clear, with spectacular autumn leaves in gardens and parks.

Winter (December–February) is cold but usually dry and sunny, with clear views of Mount Fuji from observation decks and seasonal illuminations. Outside the New Year holiday it can be good value.

Places You Shouldn't Miss

• Shibuya Crossing – The world-famous scramble crossing, best viewed from above at Shibuya Sky or a nearby café, then experienced at street level.
• Senso-ji, Asakusa – Tokyo's oldest temple, approached through the Kaminarimon gate and the snack stalls of Nakamise-dori.
• Meiji Jingu – A Shinto shrine set in a tranquil forest next to Harajuku, a striking contrast to the fashion streets of Takeshita-dori.
• Shinjuku Gyoen – A spacious garden mixing Japanese, French and English styles, superb in blossom and leaf season.
• Tsukiji Outer Market – Seafood breakfasts, knives and street snacks; the wholesale tuna auction now takes place at Toyosu Market.
• teamLab digital art museums – Immersive light installations; timed tickets usually sell out, so book ahead.
• Akihabara – Electronics, anime, manga and retro gaming arcades.
• Day trips – Hakone for hot springs and Fuji views, Nikko for ornate shrines, and Kamakura for its Great Buddha and coastal temples.

Food and Drink

Try sushi from a conveyor-belt restaurant or a counter bar, ramen in endless styles, tempura, tonkatsu and yakitori from smoky izakaya under railway tracks. Okonomiyaki and monjayaki (a Tokyo speciality, found around Tsukishima) are fun to cook at your table. Department-store food halls (depachika) and convenience stores sell surprisingly good, affordable meals. Vegetarians will find it harder, as dashi fish stock is common, but Buddhist shojin ryori restaurants and a growing number of vegan cafés help. Indian restaurants are common across the city, especially around Nishi-Kasai, home to a large Indian community.

Arriving and Getting Around

Tokyo has two airports. Haneda (HND) is closer to the centre, with monorail and Keikyu train links. Narita (NRT) is further out, served by the Narita Express, the Keisei Skyliner and limousine buses. Shinkansen bullet trains connect Tokyo Station and Shinagawa with Kyoto, Osaka and beyond.

Within the city, JR lines (including the circular Yamanote Line), Tokyo Metro and Toei subways cover everything. A rechargeable Suica or PASMO card, or the mobile versions on your phone, works on almost all trains, buses and many shops. Stations can be vast, so allow extra time for transfers. Taxis are clean but expensive, and trains stop around midnight.

Neighbourhoods for Your Stay

• Shinjuku: A major transport hub with endless dining and nightlife; good for first-timers.
• Shibuya: Trendy, central and lively, close to Harajuku.
• Ginza and Tokyo Station area: Upscale, convenient for the Shinkansen.
• Asakusa and Ueno: More traditional atmosphere and often better value, with museums in Ueno Park.
• Ikebukuro: Busy but often cheaper, with good rail links.

Saving Money

• Lunch sets (teishoku) are far cheaper than dinner menus.
• Convenience-store and depachika meals are cheap and good; supermarkets discount bento in the evening.
• Many shrines, temples, gardens and observation floors (such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) are free or inexpensive.
• Consider whether a Japan Rail Pass actually saves money for your itinerary; for Tokyo alone, an IC card is usually enough.
• Business hotels and capsule hotels offer compact, clean, budget rooms.
• Spend tax-free: many shops offer tax exemption for tourists with a passport.

Practical Information

• Visa: Many nationalities can visit Japan visa-free for short stays; Indian passport holders need a visa, often available as an e-visa. Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website.
• Currency: Japanese yen (JPY). Cards are more common than before, but carry some cash; 7-Eleven and post office ATMs accept foreign cards.
• Language: Japanese. Signs in stations are in English, and translation apps help elsewhere.
• Safety: Tokyo is one of the safest big cities in the world. Normal care in nightlife areas like Kabukicho is sensible.
• Etiquette: Do not tip, keep phone calls off trains, queue in lines and remove shoes where indicated.

When you are lining up flights into Haneda or Narita and hotels across the city, voyagiro.com compares 27+ booking sites for free.