Tokyo Holidays
Tokyo
Holidays
The world's greatest city — 37 million people, more Michelin stars than Paris and New York combined, ancient temples beside neon skyscrapers, and a culture unlike anywhere else on earth
Search Tokyo Holidays
Flight Time
12–13h direct from London Heathrow
Best Time
March to May (cherry blossom); October to November (autumn colours); December to February (crisp and clear)
Country
Japan
Suppliers
our travel partners ·
Tokyo Holiday Guide
Tokyo is the world's largest city and most extraordinary urban destination — a place where ancient Japan and hyper-modern Japan coexist in a way that is unlike anywhere else on earth. First-time visitors are often overwhelmed by the scale, the efficiency and the sheer variety of experiences on offer.
Getting there: Multiple airlines fly direct from London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita (12-13 hours) and Tokyo Haneda (12-13 hours). Japan Airlines, British Airways and ANA operate direct services. Haneda is closer to central Tokyo (30 minutes by train) than Narita (60-90 minutes). Book well in advance for cherry blossom season (late March to early April) and Golden Week (late April to early May).
Getting around: Tokyo's metro system is the most efficient in the world — clean, punctual, comprehensive and very easy to navigate with English signage throughout. Buy a Suica or Pasmo IC card (rechargeable contactless card) at any station — it works on all metro, JR and bus lines across Japan. The JR Yamanote Line (circular line connecting all major neighbourhoods) is the most useful for tourists. Taxis are expensive but readily available.
Neighbourhoods: Tokyo is a city of distinct neighbourhoods — each with its own character. Shinjuku (entertainment, nightlife, the famous Golden Gai bar district), Shibuya (youth culture, fashion, the famous crossing), Asakusa (traditional Tokyo, Senso-ji temple, rickshaws), Harajuku (street fashion, Omotesando luxury), Ginza (upmarket shopping, galleries), Akihabara (electronics, anime), Roppongi (nightlife, art museums), Odaiba (futuristic waterfront, teamLab Planets).
We search Travelpack, Emirates Holidays and JTA Holidays for the best Tokyo holiday deals.
Popular Areas in Tokyo
Average Temperatures
Jan
6°C
Feb
7°C
Mar
11°C
Apr
17°C
May
22°C
Jun
25°C
Jul
29°C
Aug
31°C
Sep
27°C
Oct
21°C
Nov
15°C
Dec
9°C
Ready to Book?
Call us or send an enquiry and we'll find you the best deal across Travelpack and JTA Holidays.
Call 01282 960 460Top 8 Things To Do in Tokyo
The crossings, temples, food markets, neon districts and digital art that make Tokyo the most extraordinary city on earth — and the world's greatest destination for first-time visitors to Japan.
Shibuya Crossing — The World's Most Famous Intersection
Shibuya Crossing is the most photographed intersection in the world — when the lights turn red in all directions, up to 3,000 pedestrians surge across simultaneously from every angle in a perfectly choreographed human flood. Watch from the Starbucks on the corner, the Mag's Park rooftop or the Shibuya Sky observation deck for the full aerial view. The crossing is most dramatic at night when the surrounding neon signs reflect off the wet pavement in the rain. Shibuya itself is one of Tokyo's most vibrant neighbourhoods — packed with department stores, restaurants, bars and the famous Hachiko dog statue.
Senso-ji Temple — Tokyo's Ancient Heart
Senso-ji is Tokyo's oldest and most visited temple — founded in 628 AD in the Asakusa district, it receives over 30 million visitors a year. The approach along Nakamise-dori (a 250m shopping street lined with traditional craft stalls and snack vendors) leads to the magnificent Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) with its enormous red lantern, then through the Hozomon gate to the main hall. Visit at dawn before the crowds arrive — the incense smoke, the sound of prayers and the sight of the five-storey pagoda in the morning mist is one of the most atmospheric experiences in Japan.
Tokyo Food — The World's Greatest Eating City
Tokyo has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city on earth — 230 stars across 200+ restaurants, more than Paris and New York combined. But the real Tokyo food experience is at street level: the extraordinary Tsukiji Outer Market (fresh sushi and sashimi at 6am, the best tamagoyaki egg omelette in Japan), the ramen shops of Shinjuku (open until 4am, queues out the door), the yakitori stalls under the Yurakucho railway arches, the conveyor-belt sushi (kaiten-zushi) chains, the depachika (department store basement food halls) and the extraordinary variety of regional Japanese cuisine available in one city.
teamLab Borderless — Immersive Digital Art
teamLab Borderless is one of the most extraordinary art experiences in the world — a 10,000 square metre maze of immersive digital art installations where the boundaries between artworks dissolve and visitors move through a constantly changing world of light, colour and sound. The new Azabudai Hills location (opened 2024) is even more spectacular than the original. teamLab Planets in Toyosu is a different experience — four enormous rooms of water, light and flowers that you walk through barefoot. Both sell out weeks in advance — book online before you travel.
Harajuku, Takeshita Street & Omotesando
Harajuku is Tokyo's fashion epicentre — Takeshita Street is a narrow pedestrian lane packed with youth fashion boutiques, crepe stands and the most extraordinary street fashion in the world (Harajuku's famous 'Harajuku girls' in elaborate Lolita, Decora and Visual Kei styles). A five-minute walk away, Omotesando is Tokyo's answer to the Champs-Élysées — a tree-lined boulevard of flagship luxury stores (Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dior) in architecturally stunning buildings. The Omotesando Hills complex (designed by Tadao Ando) is worth visiting for the architecture alone.
Tokyo Skytree & City Views
Tokyo Skytree is the world's second-tallest structure at 634 metres — the observation decks at 350m (Tembo Deck) and 450m (Tembo Galleria) offer extraordinary 360-degree views of the city on clear days, with Mount Fuji visible 100km to the southwest. The older Tokyo Tower (333m, modelled on the Eiffel Tower) offers a more intimate and atmospheric viewing experience. For free views, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku has free observation decks on the 45th floor (open until 11pm) with spectacular night views over the city.
Cherry Blossom — Hanami Season
Tokyo's cherry blossom season (late March to early April) is one of the most beautiful natural spectacles in the world — the city's 600,000 cherry trees burst into bloom simultaneously, transforming parks, riverbanks and temple grounds into clouds of pale pink. The best spots: Shinjuku Gyoen (the most famous park, 1,500 trees), the Meguro River (a 4km canal lined with 800 trees, spectacular at night when the blossoms are lit up), Ueno Park (the most traditional hanami picnic spot), Chidorigafuchi moat (rowing boats under the blossom) and Yoyogi Park. Book accommodation months in advance — cherry blossom season is Tokyo's busiest tourist period.
Akihabara — Electric Town & Anime Culture
Akihabara (Electric Town) is Tokyo's electronics and anime district — a sensory overload of multi-storey electronics shops, manga and anime stores, maid cafes, retro game arcades and the extraordinary Yodobashi Camera (the world's largest electronics store, 9 floors). Whether you're a tech enthusiast, anime fan or simply curious, Akihabara is one of Tokyo's most unique and entertaining neighbourhoods. The retro game shops (Super Potato is the most famous) stock every Japanese console and game from the 1970s to the present day. The maid cafes (where waitresses in French maid costumes serve food and play games with customers) are a quintessentially Tokyo experience.
Explore Tokyo on the Map
Key areas, beaches and attractions across the island.
Google Maps embed — add your API key to activate
Set mapEmbedUrl in the destination data to display an interactive map here