134 Best Sights in Tokyo, Japan

Formerly part of Edo Castle's grounds, this garden was claimed for the imperial family after the 1868 Meiji Restoration. Though most of the old castle was torn down or lost to fire, the stone foundations hint at the scale of the former seat of power. In the East Gardens you'll find the National Police Agency dojo (martial arts hall) and the Ote Rest House; the Museum of the Imperial Collection (Sannomaru Shozokan) is next door and has rotating exhibits of household treasures. The Hundred-Man Guardhouse (Hyakunin Bansho) was once defended by four shifts of 100 soldiers each. Past it is the entrance to what was once the Ninomaru, the "second circle" of the fortress, now a grove and garden. At the far end is the Suwa-no-Chaya Tea Pavilion, an early-19th-century building moved here from elsewhere on the grounds.

This shrine honors the spirits of Emperor Meiji, who died in 1912, and Empress Shoken. It was established by a resolution of the Imperial Diet the year after the emperor's death to commemorate his role in ending the long isolation of Japan under the Tokugawa Shogunate and setting the country on the road to modernization. Virtually destroyed in an air raid in 1945, it was rebuilt in 1958.

A wonderful spot for photos, the mammoth entrance gates (torii), rising 40 feet high, are made from 1,700-year-old cypress trees from Mt. Ari in Taiwan; the crosspieces are 56 feet long. Torii are meant to symbolize the separation of the everyday secular world from the spiritual world of the Shinto shrine. The buildings in the shrine complex, with their curving, green, copper roofs, are also made of cypress wood. The surrounding forest is home to thousands of flowering shrubs and trees donated from around Japan.

An annual festival at the shrine takes place on November 3, Emperor Meiji's birthday. On New Year's Day, as many as a million people come to offer prayers and pay their respects. Several other festivals and ceremonial events are held here throughout the year. Even on a normal weekend the shrine draws thousands of visitors, but this seldom disturbs its air of serenity.

The peaceful Meiji Jingu Gardens (Meiji Jingu Gyoen), where the irises are in full bloom in the latter half of June, is on the left as you walk in from the main gates, before you reach the shrine. Designed by Kengo Kuma, the architect behind Tokyo's new Olympic stadium, the Meiji Jingu Museum displays personal effects and clothes of Emperor and Empress Meiji.

On view are traditional Japanese and Asian works of art owned by Meiji-period railroad magnate and politician Kaichiro Nezu. For the main building, architect Kengo Kuma designed an arched roof that rises two floors and extends roughly half a block through this upscale Minami Aoyama neighborhood. At any one time, the vast space houses a portion of the 7,400 works of calligraphy, paintings, sculptures, bronzes, and lacquerware that make up the museum's collection. The site is also home to one of Tokyo's quietest gardens, featuring ponds, rolling paths, waterfalls, and a restaurant.

Even for travelers with little interest in history or temples, this significant complex in the heart and soul of Asakusa is a must-see sight—as much for its five-story pagoda and 17th-century Shinto shrine as for its energy, which is particularly vibrant during the famous Sanja Matsuri festival in May. In addition, the surrounding area has interesting shops, winding backstreets, and an atmosphere unlike any other in Tokyo.

Established in 645, the bright red Main Hall has long been the center of Asakusa, though what you see today is a faithful replica of the original, which burned in the fire raids of 1945. It took 13 years to raise money for the restoration of the beloved Senso-ji, whose large lanterns were donated by the geisha associations of Asakusa and nearby Yanagi-bashi. Kabuki actors still come here to pay their respects before a new performance season, as do sumo wrestlers before a tournament. Indeed, most Japanese climb the stairs to offer prayers, after stopping at the huge bronze incense burner in front to ward off illnesses by bathing their hands and faces in the smoke.

Unlike in many other temples, however, part of the inside has a concrete floor, so you can enter without removing your shoes. In this area hang Senso-ji's chief claims to artistic importance: a collection of 18th- and 19th-century votive paintings on wood. Smaller, simpler versions of such plaques, called ema, are still offered to the gods at shrines and temples. The worshipper buys a little tablet of wood with the picture painted on one side and then inscribes a prayer on the other. The temple owns more than 50 of the larger works, which were removed in 1945 to keep them safe during the air raids. Only eight, depicting scenes from Japanese history and mythology, are on display.

Lighting is poor in the Main Hall, and the actual works are difficult to see. One thing that no one can see at all is the holy image of Kannon itself, which is supposedly buried somewhere deep under the temple. Not even the priests of Senso-ji have seen it, and there is, in fact, no conclusive evidence that it actually exists.

Hozo-mon, the temple courtyard gate, also serves as a repository for sutras (Buddhist texts) and other Senso-ji treasures. Should either of this gate's guardian gods decide to leave its post for a stroll, it can use the enormous pair of sandals hanging on the back wall—the gift of a Yamagata Prefecture village famous for its straw weaving.

This four-building complex is one of the world's great repositories of East Asian art and archaeology, with some 87,000 objects in its permanent collection and several thousand more on loan from shrines, temples, and private owners. The Hyokeikan, a Western-style building with bronze cupolas that was built in 1909, was once devoted to archaeological finds but is now open to the public only for special exhibitions. The larger Heiseikan, behind the Hyokeikan, was built to commemorate the wedding of crown prince Naruhito in 1993 and now houses Japanese archaeological exhibits. The second floor is used for special exhibitions.

In 1878 the 7th-century Horyu-ji (Horyu Temple) in Nara presented 319 works of art in its possession—sculpture, scrolls, masks, and other objects—to the imperial household. These were transferred to the National Museum in 2000 and now reside in the Horyu-ji Homotsukan (Gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures), which was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi. There's a useful guide to the collection in English, and the exhibits are well explained. Don't miss the hall of carved wooden gigaku (Buddhist processional) masks.

The central building in the complex, the 1937 Honkan, houses Japanese art exclusively: paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, swords, and armor. Also here are 84 objects designated by the government as National Treasures. The more attractive Toyokan, to the right of the Honkan, was completed in 1968 and recently renovated; it is devoted to the art and antiquities of China, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and Egypt.

Enjoying a sushi breakfast at this famous fish market is an integral part of any trip to Tokyo, even now that its famed inner market has been relocated to nearby Toyosu. If you have time for only one market, this is the one to see, as the shopkeepers maintain the feeling of the original Tsukiji area. The three square blocks between the former site of Tokyo Central Wholesale Market and Harumi-dori have scores of fishmongers, plus shops and restaurants. Stores sell pickles, tea, crackers and snacks, cutlery (what better place to pick up a professional sushi knife?), baskets, and kitchenware. Many of the sushi bars here have set menus ranging from ¥1,000 to ¥2,500; look for the plastic models of food in glass cases out front. The area includes a row of little counter restaurants, barely more than street stalls, under the arcade along the east side of Shin-Ohashi-dori, each with its specialty. Come hungry, and be sure to stop for maguro donburi—a bowl of fresh raw tuna slices served over rice and garnished with bits of dried seaweed.

The strength of the collection in these four spacious, well-designed rooms lies in the Tang- and Song-dynasty Chinese porcelain and in the Japanese ceramics—including works by Nonomura Ninsei and Ogata Kenzan. On display are masterpieces of Old Seto, Oribe, Old Kutani, Karatsu, and Kakiemon ware. The museum also houses outstanding examples of Zen painting and calligraphy, wood-block prints, and genre paintings of the Edo period. Of special interest to scholars is the resource collection of shards from virtually every pottery-making culture of the ancient world. The museum is on the ninth floor of the Teikoku Gekijo building, which looks down upon the lavish Imperial Garden. Check ahead on the website to see if reservations are required when you plan to visit.

South of Kichijoji Station, with one foot in Mitaka and another in Musashino, this large, laidback, leafy park, founded in 1917, has activities and attractions for all ages. In addition to the Ghibli Museum in its southernmost reaches, there's a small zoo with a guinea pig petting area, playground equipment, and a pond with row boats and swan-shaped paddle boats. On weekends, buskers perform in the park, which is repainted pink during spring's cherry-blossom season. It’s a lovely place to picnic, though the surrounding area also has small cafés and restaurants.

Established in 733 BC, Jindai-ji is Tokyo's second-oldest temple site after Senso-ji in Asakusa. Much like Senso-ji, multiple fires have caused it to undergo several different eras of reconstruction, mostly recently in the early 1900s, but its large, wooden sanmon (main gate) dates from 1695. However, where Senso-ji sits amid urban sprawl and the frenzied Nakamise-dori street, Jindai-ji is more tranquil, surrounded by trees and shrubs in an area with monzen-machi (traditional temple town) streets lined with old wooden buildings selling soba noodles and other Japanese treats.

The site also feels more spiritual, particularly during the main hall's daily Goma fire ceremonies, where monks set alight sticks representing human desires to burn away the root of suffering. Arguably the highlight, however, is the bronze gilded statue of the Hakuhoh Buddha dating from the late Asuka Period (AD 592–710), which was thought to have been lost until 1909, when a monk found it buried beneath one of the temple's floorboards. Although it's only 84 cm (33 inches) in height, it’s nevertheless priceless.

Goma ceremonies last 30 minutes and are held at 11 and 2 on weekdays, 11, 1, and 2 on weekends. To have an ofuda (talisman) burned on your behalf, inquire at the main hall (¥3,000).

Occupying the 52nd and 53rd floors of Mori Tower, this museum is one of the leading contemporary art showcases in Tokyo. The space is well designed (by American architect Richard Gluckman), intelligently curated, diverse in its media, and hospitable to big crowds. The nine galleries host exhibits that rotate every few months and tend to focus on leading contemporary art, architecture, fashion, design, and photography.

Visiting Nakano Broadway is like visiting Akihabara, but with everything under one roof. When it opened in 1966, it was presented as luxury complex, but it has since has morphed into a center for all things otaku, with five floors of roughly 300 stores largely focused on manga, anime, gaming, and related collectibles—everything from figurines to cosplay outfits. Mandarake, Japan’s largest manga- and anime-related retailer, alone has close to 30 stores here, all divided by specialty. Down in the basement are plenty of places for lunch or a quick snack, including the stomach-busting Daily Chiko, which offers an eight-scoop soft-serve, as well as udon.

In 1701, a young provincial baron named Asano Takumi-no-Kami attacked and seriously wounded a royal attendant named Yoshinaka Kira. Asano, for daring to draw his sword in the confines of Edo Castle, was ordered to commit suicide, resulting in his family line being abolished and his estate being confiscated. Forty-seven of Asano's loyal retainers vowed revenge; the death of their leader made them ronin—masterless samurai. On the night of December 14, 1702, Asano's ronin stormed Kira's villa in Edo, cut off his head, and brought it in triumph to Asano's tomb at Sengaku-ji, the family temple, which dates to 1642. The ronin were sentenced to commit suicide—which they accepted as the reward, not the price, of their honorable vendetta—and were buried in the temple graveyard with their lord.

Through the centuries, this story—known in Japanese as Chushingura—has become the last word on the subject of loyalty and sacrifice, celebrated in every medium from kabuki to film. The temple still stands, and the graveyard is wreathed in smoke from the bundles of incense that visitors reverently lay on the tombstones. There is a collection of weapons and other memorabilia from the event in the temple's small museum. One of the items derives from Kira's family's desire to give him a proper burial. The law insisted this could not be done without his head, so they asked for it back. It was entrusted to the temple, and the priests wrote a receipt, which survives even now in the corner of a dusty glass case. "Item," it begins, "One head." 

Opened in 2024 in the Azabudai Hills complex, Borderless is the latest permanent outpost of pioneering digital-art collective teamLab. The sprawling installations are like a psychedelic fantasy—all rendered in real-time, as the art reacts to the movements of visitors. This concept even extends to the on-site teahouse, where digital branches grow wherever you place your teacup.

This shrine, built in 1627, is dedicated to Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun. It miraculously survived all major disasters that destroyed most of Tokyo's historical structures—the fires, the 1868 revolt, the 1923 earthquake, the 1945 bombings—making it one of the city's few remaining early-Edo-period buildings. The shrine and most of its art are designated National Treasures.

Two hundred ishidoro (stone lanterns) line the path from the stone entry arch to the shrine itself. One of them, just outside the arch to the left and more than 18 feet high, is called obaketoro (ghost lantern). Legend has it that one night a samurai on guard duty slashed at a ghost (obake) that was believed to haunt the lantern. His sword was so strong, it left a nick in the stone, which can be seen today.

The first room inside the shrine is the Hall of Worship. The four paintings in gold on wooden panels are by Tan'yu, a member of the famous Kano family of artists, and date from the 15th century. Behind the Hall of Worship, connected by a passage called the haiden, is the sanctuary where the spirit of Ieyasu is said to be enshrined.

The real glory of Tosho-gu is its so-called Chinese Gate, at the end of the building, and the fence on either side that has intricate carvings of birds, animals, fish, and shells of every description. The two long panels of the gate, with their dragons carved in relief, are attributed to Hidari Jingoro, a brilliant sculptor of the early Edo period whose real name is unknown (hidari means "left"; Jingoro was reportedly left-handed).

This 2,000-plus-foot-tall broadcast tower and amusement complex is eastern Tokyo's defining landmark. When it opened in 2011, tickets to the observation decks were booked for months in advance. Today, the tower and the adjacent Solamachi shopping complex continue to be big draws. On a clear day, the views from the 1,155-foot-high Tembo Deck observation area are impressive. For an extra fee, you can go to the Tembo Galleria, another 330 feet up.

This low-slung building in the garden at Tokyo Midtown hosts rotating exhibitions focused on cutting-edge art and design. Designed by architect Tadao Ando, the subdued exterior belies the expansive and bright gallery space, where exhibits focus on presenting the world of design in an exciting and accessible light.

The distinctive Japanese sensibility in graphic and commercial design comes into historical perspective in these exhibits featuring everything from 18th-century wood-block prints to contemporary fashion photographs and videos. The museum is maintained by a foundation established in honor of Hideo Yoshida, fourth president of the mammoth Dentsu Advertising Company, and includes a digital library of some 130,000 entries and articles on everything you ever wanted to know about hype.

In busy seasons, up to a half-million people crowd into the narrow alleys under the railroad tracks to stock up on goods of all kinds. The market dates to World War II, when not much besides Ueno Station survived the bombings. People would travel from the countryside to sell rice at black-market prices. Before long, there were hundreds of stalls selling various kinds of ame (confections), most made from sweet potatoes, earning the market its name, Ame-ya Yoko-cho (Ameyoko, locally), meaning Confectioners' Alley. Shortly before the Korean War, the market was legalized, and soon the stalls were carrying watches, chocolate, ballpoint pens, blue jeans, and T-shirts that had somehow been liberated, as it were, from American soldiers and the ame came to be associated with American. These days you can find anything from beans to shoes in this constantly changing cluster of commerce.

Aquarium meets futuristic art gallery on the eighth floor of Mitsukoshi department store in Ginza. Overseen by innovative artist Hidetomo Kimura, the aquarium features thousands of ornamental fish on display in artistically arranged glass tanks, accompanied by digital art and vivid projections. Among the installations is the Bamboo Grove Seven Sages, comprised of cylindrical tanks illuminated green to mimic the gentle light of a bamboo grove.

Formerly the Bridgestone Museum of Art, the Artizon Museum is one of Japan's best private collections of French impressionist art and sculpture and of post-Meiji Japanese painting in Western styles by such artists as Shigeru Aoki and Tsuguharu Foujita. The collection, assembled by Bridgestone Tire Company founder Shojiro Ishibashi, also includes works by Picasso, Utrillo, and Van Gogh. In addition, the museum mounts exhibits featuring works from other private collections and museums abroad.

Japan's foremost artist of modern sculpture, Fumio Asakura's former house and studio are now home to a selection of the late artist's works, and the building and garden are a lovely stop when wandering through the Yanaka area. Since the museum is housed in an old residence, you'll have to remove your shoes to enter. Note, too, that the museum isn't wheelchair accessible. 

Several structures in the famous Senso-ji temple complex survived the bombings of 1945. The largest, to the right of the Main Hall, is this Shinto shrine to the Hikonuma brothers and their master, Hajino Nakamoto—the putative founders of Senso-ji. In Japan, Buddhism and Shintoism have enjoyed a comfortable coexistence since the former arrived from China in the 6th century. The shrine, built in 1649, is also known as Sanja Sama (Shrine of the Three Guardians). Near the entrance to Asakusa Shrine is another survivor of World War II: the original east gate to the temple grounds, Niten-mon, built in 1618 for a shrine to Ieyasu Tokugawa and designated by the government as an Important Cultural Property.

The older part of the Bank of Japan complex is the work of Tatsuno Kingo, who also designed Tokyo Station. Completed in 1896, on the site of what had been the Edo-period gold mint, the bank is one of the city's few surviving Meiji-era Western-style buildings. An annex houses the Currency Museum, a historical collection of rare gold and silver coins from Japan and other East Asian countries. There's little English-language information on the exhibits, but you can download an audio guide for your phone or pick up a explanatory printout on the second floor—after passing through the airport-like security check at the entrance.

High on the northwestern edge of the Imperial Palace moat, this cemetery holds the remains of thousands of unknown soldiers and is famous for its springtime cherry blossoms. The adjacent Chidorigafuchi Boathouse rents out rowboats and pedal boats. Only a small part of the palace's outer moat is accessible, but a walk here from the East Gardens makes for a refreshing 30 minutes. The entrance to the garden is near Yasukuni Shrine.

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 100 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. A shop on the ground floor of the same building that sells various Japanese drums and festival accessories, which make great souvenirs.

Located in Koganei, just west of Mitaka, this outdoor museum has brought together 30 historic buildings, mostly from Tokyo but also from other parts of Japan. Across West, Center, and East zones are structures such as thatched farmhouses from the late Edo period, one-time residences of politicians and magnates, and central Tokyo grocery and cosmetics stores, as well as a traditional bathhouse, an old-fashioned bar, and a soy sauce shop. It's best to wear slip-on footwear as some buildings require you to remove your shoes before entering. Also, the visitor center has free lockers in case you want to stash your stuff while exploring.

Make time for a visit to Odaiba if only to contemplate this futuristic building, designed by Kenzo Tange and completed in 1996. In addition, the 25th-floor observation deck affords a spectacular view of the bay and the graceful curve of the Rainbow Bridge.

Located within Tokyo Midtown, the Fujifilm Photo Salon hosts rotating photography exhibits across multiple genres, albeit with a strong emphasis on landscapes, while the Photo History Museum is a showcase of cameras and prints dating back to the mid-19th century. Although the salon and history museum are on the small side, it is a good stop while visiting Roppongi's larger galleries, especially as its free.

Located upstairs from cosplay mecca, Cospatio, this store houses more than 450 mini vending or "gachapon" machines. Insert a coin and a figurine pops out. The thousands of prizes include everything from underpants for your phone to sexy Statue of Liberty figurines. Quirky, cheap, and addictively fun.

With classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, Miyazaki Hayao's Studio Ghibli has created some of the most beloved animated movies in history, Japanese or otherwise. At this museum/theme park in suburban Mitaka—located within the sprawling Inokashira Park—exhibits trace the creative process taking initial concepts to screen, all amid designs inspired by Ghibli films. A real bonus is the on-site cinema that shows museum-exclusive animated shorts. As the museum is extremely popular, advance reservations for visits are required; book well ahead on the website.