28 Best Sights in Tokyo, Japan

Become a taiko (drum) master for a day as you pound away on the exhibits at this fourth-floor museum dedicated to traditional Japanese and foreign drums. More than 200 instruments can be played, making it a great place for kids. Just make sure their hands remain off the antique instruments, which are carefully marked. Should you feel inspired, there is a shop on the ground floor of the same building that sells various Japanese drums and festival accessories, which make great souvenirs.

Architecture buffs should make time for Odaiba if only to contemplate this futuristic building, designed by Kenzo Tange and completed in 1996. The observation deck on the 25th floor affords a spectacular view of the bay and the graceful curve of the Rainbow Bridge.

With classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, Studio Ghibli has created many of the most loved animated movies in history: Japanese or other. At this museum-slash-theme park in suburban Mitaka—inside Inokashira Park—you can see exhibits that the trace the creative processes that take concepts to screen, while being surrounded by interiors inspired by Ghibli films. A real bonus for Studio Ghibli fans is the on-site cinema that shows short animations exclusive to the museum. It's open until 7 on weekends and holidays (otherwise until 5); admission is by reservation only (booked online).

For some traditional Japanese relaxation, head to this smart hot-spring facility a couple of minutes south of Sanrio Puroland. Gokuraku Yu combines nine indoor and outdoor baths (gender-separated), as well as a sauna and a salon that offers body massages and facial treatments. There’s also a restaurant on-site serving soba noodles, simple teishoku sets, and sweet treats.

Established in 1853, Tokyo's oldest amusement park has modernized but leans in to its retro atmosphere. Think Coney Island: a haunted house, Ferris wheel, and merry-go-round await the kids who will likely be a little tired of Asakusa's historic areas.

South of Kichijoji Station, with one foot in Mitaka and another in Musashino, this park is a large and laidback green space with all sorts to keep you busy for a day. Not only is the Ghibli Museum in the southernmost part of the almost 400,000-square meter (95-acre) park, there’s a small zoo with a guinea pig petting area and a boating pond with swan-shaped paddle boats and row boats. On weekends, expect to see buskers and other street performers, while in spring, when the park is repainted by pink cherry blossoms, you’ll find crowds of picnickers. It’s a lovely spot to take a bento, but there are also small cafés and restaurants scattered around the park. If you are traveling with small kids who need to burn off some energy, the playground equipment here can help with that.

The star attraction here is the Diamonds and Flowers Ferris wheel (Daia to Hana no Dai-kanransha), which takes passengers on a 17-minute ride to the apex, 384 feet above the ground, for a spectacular view of the bay area. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mt. Fuji; at night, if you're lucky, you reach the top just in time for a bird's-eye view of the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom, across the river. The park also has an observatory looking out over Tokyo Bay as well as the Tokyo Sea Life Park aquarium. There's also a bird-watching center.

Another of Kawagoe’s historic enclaves, this cobblestone side street translates as “candy store alley.” It’s a great stop for anyone with a sweet tooth, thanks to its roughly 30 confectionery shops that sell colorful hard candies, honeycomb toffee, and more traditional Japanese treats such as dango (rice dumplings) and senbei (savory rice crackers).

If you take the train between Tokyo and Narita, you’ll notice that before reaching the capital there are rice paddies and farmland on view. At Narita Dream Farm (aka Yume Bokujo), you can experience that rural side of Greater Tokyo firsthand, with an emphasis on family fun. You can feed and milk cows, as well pet guinea pigs and goats, or have a tractor ride. There are also workshops to make jam, butter, and bread; on a less rural note, you could try some archery, too. It's a very different kind of Tokyo experience that's very well suited to small kids.

Make sure to stop by the third floor of the museum known locally as Miraikan, where you will get to meet and control a humanoid robot. This hands-on museum has three different areas focusing on humans' relationship to the planet, the frontiers of outer space and the deep sea, and our life in the near future. There is also a special theater with planetarium and 3-D shows (reservations required).

This museum houses everything from fossils to moon rocks—the 30-meter (98-foot) model of a blue whale perched at the entrance is a huge hit with kids. And what self-respecting science museum wouldn't have dinosaurs? Check out exhibits on life's evolution on earth in the Global Gallery. Although the museum occasionally outdoes itself with special exhibits, it's pretty conventional and provides few hands-on learning experiences. Kids seem to like it, but this is not likely a place to linger if you don't have a lot of time. At this writing, the museum was still requiring visitors to make advance reservations online.

As a theme park dedicated to the world's most famous white feline—Hello Kitty, of course—Sanrio Puroland is effectively a shrine to the concept of cuteness. An all-day passport allows for unlimited use of multiple attractions, including three theaters, a boat ride, and the Lady Kitty House—one of many attractions seemingly designed for taking selfies. Pens, packaged snacks, and plush toys are readily available so guests don't leave empty-handed.

The most fun part of this aquarium in southwestern Tokyo is walking through an underwater glass tunnel while some 450 species of fish swim around and above you. There are no pamphlets or explanation panels in English, however, and do your best to avoid weekends, when the dolphin and sea lion shows draw crowds in impossible numbers. Take the local Kyuko Main Line from Shinagawa to Omori Kaigan Station. Turn left as you exit the station and follow the ceramic fish on the sidewalk to the first traffic light; then turn right.

When an inlet of Tokyo Bay receded around the 17th century, Shinobazu became a freshwater pond. Abbot Tenkai, founder of Kanei-ji on the hill above the pond, had an island made for Benzaiten, the goddess of the arts. Later improvements included a causeway to the island, embankments, and even a racecourse (1884–93). Today the pond is in three sections. The first, a wildlife sanctuary, is home to the city's lotus flowers; this is the only place in Tokyo you can see them bloom from mid-June through August. Some 5,000 wild ducks migrate here from as far away as Siberia, sticking around from September to April. The second section, to the north, belongs to Ueno Zoo; the third, to the west, is a small lake for boating. In July, the Ueno matsuri (festival) features food stalls and music events at the pond's edge. At the pond's southwestern corner, there is also a bandshell with various music events throughout the year.

Japanese society in the days of the Tokugawa shoguns was rigidly stratified. Some 80% of the city's land was allotted to the warrior class, temples, and shrines. The remaining 20%—between Ieyasu's fortifications on the west, and the Sumida-gawa on the east—was known as Shitamachi, or "downtown" or the "lower town" (as it expanded, it came to include what today constitutes the Chuo, Taito, Sumida, and Koto wards). It was here that the common, hardworking, free-spending folk, who made up more than half the population, lived. The Shitamachi Museum preserves and exhibits what remained of that way of life as late as 1940.

The two main displays on the first floor are a merchant house and a tenement, intact with all their furnishings. This is a hands-on museum: you can take your shoes off and step up into the rooms. On the second floor are displays of toys, tools, and utensils donated, in most cases, by people who had grown up with them and used them all their lives. There are also photographs and video documentaries of craftspeople at work. Occasionally various traditional skills are demonstrated, and you're welcome to take part. This small but engaging museum makes great use of its space, and there are volunteer English-speaking guides.

Imagine what it's like to be a giant in this novel indoor theme park dedicated to miniatures. Surprisingly spacious, Small Worlds takes you on a journey through different fantasy lands, times, and countries. Watch a small rocket launch, look out for hidden characters, or create a mini-me and become a permanent resident of Small Worlds.

Suginami is home to more than 100 animation studios, making it by far the animation creation center of Tokyo. Although you can’t visit those studios, you can learn about animation at this compact, free museum, which has exhibits on anime history and how anime is made, plus interactive exhibits that include digital screens on which you can try drawing (or trace using templates) your own anime.

This aquarium has some 750 kinds of sea creatures on display, plus daily behind-the-scenes tours and animal feeding sessions with staff. An English-language pamphlet is available, and most of the exhibits have some English explanation. If you get tired of the sea life, head to the Manten planetarium, where you can see 400,000 stars. And if that still isn't enough to keep you occupied, try the 60th-floor Sky Circus observatory for great views of the city and virtual reality rides.

Kite flying is an old tradition in Japan. The collection here includes examples of every shape and variety from all over the country, hand-painted in brilliant colors with figures of birds, geometric patterns, and motifs from Chinese and Japanese mythology. You can call ahead to arrange a kite-making workshop (in Japanese) for groups of children.

More a wildlife park than a zoo, this facility in Hino City (just north of Tama) gives animals room to roam; moats typically separate them from you, although for an additional fee you can take a bus ride through the lion enclosure for an up-close experience. To get here from Tama's main sights, take the Tama Monorail four stops from Tama Center Station to Tamadobutsu-koen Station.

Mickey-san and his coterie of Disney characters entertain here at Tokyo Disneyland the same way they do in the California and Florida Disney parks. When the park was built in 1983, it was much smaller than its counterparts in the United States, but the construction in 2001 of the adjacent DisneySea and its seven "Ports of Call," all with different nautical themes and rides, added more than 100 acres to this multifaceted Magic Kingdom. Most people buy the One-Day Passport, which gives you unlimited access to the attractions and shows at one or the other of the two parks. See the park website for other ticketing options.

Billing itself as an "urban entertainment zone" the Tokyo Dome City complex hosts a small amusement park, restaurants, shops, a hot spring and spa, as well as Tokyo Dome itself. The outside amusement park has a selection of rides for children, though the Thunder Dolphin roller coaster is a thrill at any age. The Spa LaQua hot spring makes for a relaxing end to a day of sightseeing, offering a selection of baths and saunas. Tokyo Dome itself is home to the Tokyo Giants baseball team and frequently holds concerts and other events.

The three-story cylindrical complex of this aquarium houses roughly 600 species of fish and other sea creatures within a dozen areas, including Voyagers of the Sea (Maguro no Kaiyu), with migratory species; Seas of the World (Sekai no Umi), with species from foreign waters; and the Sea of Tokyo (Tokyo no Umi), devoted to the creatures of the bay and nearby waters. To get here, take the JR Keiyo Line local train from Tokyo Station to Kasai Rinkai Koen Station; the aquarium is a 10-minute walk from the South Exit.

In 1958 Tokyo's fledgling TV networks needed a tall antenna array to transmit signals. Trying to emerge from the devastation of World War II, the nation's capital was also hungry for a landmark—a symbol for the aspirations of a city still without a skyline. The result was the 1,093-foot-high Tokyo Tower, an unabashed knockoff of Paris's Eiffel Tower, complete with great views of the city. The Main Observatory, set at 492 feet above ground, and the Top Deck, up an additional 330 feet, quickly became major tourist attractions. Both observation decks were renovated in 2018 and still draw many visitors a year. On weekends and holidays, ambitious visitors can make the 600-stair climb up to the Main Observatory on foot.

This large, well-equipped amusement park in the northwestern part of Tokyo has four thrill rides, a haunted house, and six swimming pools. What makes it special is the authentic Coney Island carousel—left to rot in a New York warehouse, discovered and rescued by a Japanese entrepreneur, and lovingly restored down to the last gilded curlicue on the last prancing unicorn. Just be aware that the park has an outdated yakuza-related policy that means nobody with tattoos will be allowed in.

On the other side of Tokyo Bay, you can find an alternative view of the Rainbow Bridge. Here you'll find families playing football, having picnics, and setting up the perfect BBQ spot. If you don't have your own utensils, The BBQ Beach in Toyosu can supply meat to grill and seats to unwind.

The two main sections of Japan's first zoo, built in 1882, host an exotic mix of more than 900 species of animals. The giant panda is the biggest draw, but the tigers from Sumatra, gorillas from the lowland swamp areas of western Africa, and numerous monkeys, some from Japan, make a visit to the East Garden worthwhile. The West Garden is highlighted by rhinos, zebras, and hippopotamuses, and a children's area. The process of the zoo's expansion somehow left within its confines the 120-foot, five-story Kanei-ji Pagoda. Built in 1631 and rebuilt after a fire in 1639, the building offers traditional Japanese tea ceremony services.

This park is the perfect spot to have a picnic on a sunny day. On Sunday people come to play music, practice martial arts, and ride bicycles on the bike path (rentals are available). From spring through fall there are events, concerts, and festivals most weekends. Although the front half of the park makes for great people-watching, farther along the paths it is easy to find a quiet spot to slip away from the crowds of Harajuku.