Tokyo First-Timer's Greatest Hits — five days, one hotel

Land softly — a quiet morning if you're early, Ginza at dusk, and an izakaya dinner under the tracks

• MorningNihonbashi BridgeThe 1911 stone bridge where Japan's historic highways began, the kilometre-zero marker set into the road — twenty minutes, in passing, five minutes from Tokyo Station. Worth it only on an early landing; land in the afternoon and you'd skip this and the lunch stop below, picking up at Ginza for dusk and dinner.
• LunchANNAM Indian Restaurant GinzaHalal-friendly Indian two minutes from the hotel — thali, biryani and vegetarian options, open from 11:00 straight through to dinner, so it fits whenever the morning lands you back near Ginza.
• AfternoonGINZA SIXEase in at Ginza's flagship mall, a short walk from the hotel. The shops close at 20:30, but the rooftop garden over the main street stays open until 23:00 (it can close without notice in bad weather) — go up for a first look at the city at dusk (sunset is 17:00 on this date).
• DinnerShin Hinomoto (Andy's)A Brit-run izakaya (Japanese pub) under the Yurakucho rail tracks, known for its fish. It opens at 17:00 and booking is advised.

Old Tokyo, east — Senso-ji first thing, Ueno in the afternoon, Skytree after dark

• MorningSenso-ji Temple & NakamiseOne of the busiest sights in the city, so be at the gate by 08:30 — the Main Hall opens at 06:30 from October to March, and the row's popularity data puts the peak at 12:00-14:00. The Nakamise shops (the shopping street up to the hall) close around 17:00, though the hall and pagoda are lit after sunset.
• MorningTea Ceremony with Kimono (Maikoya, Asakusa)Klook: a 90-minute tea ceremony with kimono at Maikoya, near Kaminarimon (Senso-ji's outer 'Thunder Gate'). Sessions run 09:00-18:00 and book days ahead.
• LunchAsakusa GyukatsuBeef cutlet seared on a stone plate at your table, a short walk from Kaminarimon; English menu.
• AfternoonKappabashi Kitchen StreetKappabashi, the kitchen-supply street between Asakusa and Ueno: knives, and the plastic food replicas. Shops shut around 17:00.
• AfternoonUeno Park & MuseumsA park stroll plus one museum rather than all four: the Tokyo National Museum is the classic (closed Mondays; 09:30-17:00 with last admission 30 minutes before closing, and until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays). You arrive as the park's midday peak (12:00-15:00 in the row's data) thins.
• AfternoonAmeyoko Market StreetAmeyoko, the market street under the rail tracks: dried fish, sneakers and shouted prices. A short browse before dinner.
• DinnerSometaroCook-your-own okonomiyaki (savoury pancake) in a wonderfully rickety Asakusa house; English menu and vegetarian-friendly.
• EveningTokyo Skytree Tembo DeckKlook: the Tembo Deck after dark — the official calendar has the tower open 10:00-22:00 on this date with last admission an hour before closing, so 19:30 is comfortable. Wednesday is the row's quietest day, and on clear days Fuji sits on the horizon.

West Tokyo — the forest shrine in the morning, Shibuya Sky at sunset, yakitori in Shinjuku

• MorningMeiji Jingu ShrineOne of the busiest sights in the city, so be there by 08:30: the shrine opens with the sunrise (05:40 in October, per its own hours) and closes with the sunset (16:40), which makes it a morning stop. A forest of 100,000 donated trees hiding a shrine, five minutes from Harajuku's chaos.
• MorningTakeshita Street, HarajukuTakeshita Street: 400 m of crepes, thrift shops and teenage fashion at full volume. A stroll, not a plan — an hour is plenty.
• LunchTonkatsu Maisen Aoyama HontenFamous pork cutlet (tonkatsu) served in a former bathhouse off Omotesando.
• AfternoonShinjuku Gyoen National GardenThree gardens in one — French, English and Japanese. Open 09:00-16:30 in October (last entry 16:00); closed Mondays, so today (Thursday) works.
• AfternoonSHIBUYA SKY Observation DeckKlook: book the 20-minute slot that puts you on the roof about 30 minutes before sunset (16:57 on this date; the deck's own page shows each day's sunset). Sunset is the busiest window and a sold-out slot cannot be bought on the day, so book early — or take a 21:00 slot for the same view in lights; the open-air roof closes in strong wind or rain.
• AfternoonShibuya Scramble CrossingYou watched it from above; now stand in it with the lights on — up to 3,000 people cross at once.
• DinnerOmoide Yokocho YakitoriSmoke-blackened yakitori (grilled skewer) alleys behind Shinjuku station, six seats to a counter — go as a pair.

Central Tokyo — a guided Tsukiji tasting morning, then the gardens and Ginza

• MorningTsukiji Fish Market Food & Drink TourKlook: a guided tasting walk through the Tsukiji Outer Market, about three hours. Public hours start at 09:00 (professional buyers have priority before) and closing days follow the wholesale-market calendar — Sundays and most Wednesdays — check your date against those; to graze alone instead, swap in the free walk.
• LunchKissa YouKeep lunch light after a tasting tour: a retro kissaten (old-style coffee house) known for its impossibly wobbly omurice. It closes at 16:30.
• AfternoonHamarikyu GardensA shogun's duck-hunting grounds with a teahouse on an island, skyscrapers behind. Open 09:00-17:00, last entry 16:30. Demoted from priority 1 22 Sep 2026 (web-dev's engine-rules review, F-1) - see priority_note.
• AfternoonItoya Ginza (stationery flagship)The 1904 stationery flagship — twelve floors, open to 20:00.
• AfternoonTokyo Station Marunouchi BuildingThe 1914 red-brick station facade at dusk (sunset is 16:56 on this date), best photographed from KITTE's terrace.
• DinnerManten SushiCounter omakase (chef's-choice sushi) in Marunouchi with an English menu; book ahead.

One calm morning — the Imperial Palace East Gardens, Kagurazaka's old lanes, and a last soba lunch before the airport

• MorningImperial Palace East GardensFree gardens inside the old Edo Castle walls; climb the keep foundations for the view. Open 09:00-16:30 in October (last entry 16:00); closed Mondays and Fridays, so Saturday works.
• MorningKagurazakaA short ride from the Palace: stone-paved geisha lanes turned French quarter, crêperies beside old-guard ryotei restaurants. Free, no fixed hours, an easy add if the flight is late enough to allow it — the first thing that trims away otherwise.
• LunchKanda MatsuyaHand-cut soba in an 1884 registered heritage building, a few minutes from Kagurazaka — a proper last Tokyo lunch before the airport. Open 11:00-20:30, so it fits a late lunch too.