Tokyo
Six districts worth basing yourself in, and a day from ¥8,000.
- JPY
- 6 districts
- Budget day, from
- ¥8,000
- Districts compared
- 6
- Airports
- HND · NRT
- Best time to go
- Mar–Apr · Oct–Nov
Start with the map
Tokyo isn’t really one city. It’s a few dozen dense ones joined by a rail loop, which is why the biggest decision you make is which station you sleep near. A hotel that looks central on a map can still leave you 35 minutes and two changes from everything on your list.
The good news is the transport is so good that you don’t need to be anywhere in particular — you need to be near the right line. Everything below is built around that: which districts suit which kind of trip, what a day actually costs at three levels of spending, and how to handle the parts that catch people out.
Which district, and who each one suits
The decision that shapes the whole trip. Every area below is well connected — they differ in what is outside the door at 9pm.
Shinjuku
The busiest transport hub in the world, wrapped in department stores, izakaya alleys and the nightlife of Kabukichō. Loud, convenient, and never shut.
Stay here if you want everything on your doorstep and don’t mind noise, or you’re making day trips and need the rail connections.
Shibuya
Younger and more fashion-driven than Shinjuku, built around the famous crossing and spreading into the quieter backstreets of Tomigaya and Shōtō.
Stay here if you want nightlife and shopping, and you’d rather walk home than catch a last train.
Marunouchi and Tokyo Station
The business district beside the Imperial Palace gardens. Polished, calm in the evenings, and the best-connected point in the country for going anywhere else.
Stay here if you’re taking Shinkansen day trips, or you value a quiet street over being near a bar.
Asakusa
Old Tokyo around Sensō-ji temple, with low buildings, craft shops and a river. The cheapest of the areas worth staying in, and the best of them early in the morning.
Stay here if you’re on a budget, it’s your first visit, or you want somewhere that feels like a neighbourhood rather than a terminal.
Ueno
Museums, a big park and a sprawling street market, with good-value rooms and a direct Skyliner from Narita.
Stay here if you’re arriving at Narita, travelling with family, or watching what you spend.
Ginza
Tokyo at its most expensive and most composed. Flagship stores, serious restaurants and galleries, and largely quiet once the shops shut.
Stay here if you’re here to eat and shop properly and the budget isn’t the constraint.
Named hotels for Tokyo, with ratings and the district each one sits in, land once the prices can be traced to a source. The district pages above carry the nightly ranges in the meantime.
What a day actually costs
Planning baselines, not quotes. They exclude flights, and they move with the exchange rate and the season.
- Budget
¥8,000–13,000
about $55–90 a day
A hostel dorm or capsule, convenience store breakfasts, set lunches and standing noodle bars, all your local transport, and one paid sight a day.
- Mid-range
¥18,000–30,000
about $120–200 a day
A business hotel room to yourself, restaurant meals twice a day, taxis when it rains, and getting into whatever you feel like seeing.
- Higher end
¥50,000 and up
about $340 and up a day
An international-brand or ryokan-style room, serious restaurant bookings, and not thinking about what transport costs.
Transport, briefly
The Yamanote Line
A JR loop connecting Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Tokyo Station, Ueno and Ikebukuro. Get a hotel near a Yamanote station and you’ve solved transport for the whole trip.
Subway
Two separate operators, Tokyo Metro and Toei, sharing stations but not always fares. Between them they reach everywhere the loop doesn’t.
Suica or Pasmo
Tap cards you top up with cash and use on every line whoever runs it, plus convenience stores and vending machines. Both work on an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Last trains
Most lines stop somewhere between midnight and 1am and don’t run overnight. Miss the last one and it’s a taxi at a price that will surprise you, or waiting until about 5am.
The Japan Rail Pass
Don’t buy one for a Tokyo-only trip. It covers JR lines nationwide and is priced for long-distance travel, which isn’t what you’ll be doing here.
Arriving by air
- HNDHaneda
Closest to the centre. About 30 minutes to Shinagawa or Hamamatsuchō on the Keikyū line or the Tokyo Monorail. Pick this one if you get the choice.
- NRTNarita
About 60 minutes to Tokyo Station on the Narita Express, or 40 minutes to Ueno on the Keisei Skyliner. Cheaper access buses take 80 to 100 minutes.
The year in Tokyo
Best months: Late March to early April, and October to November.
- Spring, March to May. The cherry blossom peaks in late March or early April and lasts barely a week. It’s the most beautiful and most expensive time to come, and hotels go months ahead.
- Summer, June to August. June is the rainy season, and July and August are hot and humid enough to cut short how far you’ll walk. Mid-August is Obon, when the whole country travels.
- Autumn, September to November. The best all-round window: clear, mild, and the autumn colour in the city parks runs into late November. Typhoon risk hangs on into September.
- Winter, December to February. Cold but dry and bright, with the lowest prices of the year outside the New Year holiday. Fewer people at everything worth seeing.
Eating halal in Tokyo
Tokyo is the easiest place in Japan to eat halal, which is a lower bar than it sounds. There are certified restaurants, halal groceries and a growing number of halal ramen and curry places, but they’re destinations you travel to rather than options on every corner. Plan one certified meal a day and fill the gaps with seafood and vegetarian food, and it works.
- Tokyo Camii in Yoyogi-Uehara is the largest mosque in Japan. It’s open to visitors, holds daily prayers, and has a halal shop attached.
- Shin-Ōkubo, one stop from Shinjuku, has the densest run of halal groceries and Middle Eastern and South Asian restaurants in the city.
- Haneda and Narita both have prayer rooms, as do several big department stores and Tokyo Station.
- Ordinary ramen is almost always pork-based. Go to the shops that are specifically halal rather than asking for a substitution.
- Seafood, tempura and vegetable dishes are easy to find, but check whether mirin or cooking sake went into them.
Asked about Tokyo
Which area of Tokyo should I stay in?
For a first visit, Shinjuku or Asakusa. Shinjuku puts you on top of the transport network with endless food and nightlife, at the cost of constant noise. Asakusa is cheaper, quieter and feels like an actual neighbourhood, but you’ll spend more time on trains. The general rule matters more than the specific area: stay a few minutes’ walk from a Yamanote line station and the rest of the city opens up.
How many days do you need in Tokyo?
Four full days is where the city stops feeling rushed. That’s enough for the major districts, two or three museums or temples, and a day trip to Nikkō, Kamakura or Hakone. Three works if you’re disciplined. Two means picking a couple of neighbourhoods and accepting you’re coming back.
How much does a day in Tokyo cost?
Excluding accommodation extremes, roughly ¥8,000–13,000 a day on a budget, ¥18,000–30,000 at a comfortable mid-range, and upwards of ¥50,000 if you’re eating and sleeping at the top end. Treat these as planning baselines rather than quotes — they move with the exchange rate and the season.
Do I need a Japan Rail Pass for Tokyo?
No. The rail pass is priced for long-distance Shinkansen travel and covers JR lines only, which is a fraction of what you’ll use inside the city. Get a Suica or Pasmo at the airport instead and top it up as you go.
Is it easy to find halal food in Tokyo?
Easier than anywhere else in Japan, but it still takes planning. There are certified restaurants and halal groceries around Shin-Ōkubo and near Tokyo Camii in Yoyogi-Uehara, plus a handful of halal ramen and curry shops. What you can’t do is walk into an ordinary restaurant and expect an option — most ramen is pork-based and mirin and cooking sake get used routinely.