Five Areas You Must Visit In Tokyo

Tokyo is the most populous city in the world and one of the most popular tourist destinations too. You will probably never meet anyone who has been there and then tell you not to go. It's just one of those cities that everyone loves!

But when you think about sights in Tokyo it usually takes some thinking to name them as the sights in Tokyo are not really specific landmarks, with maybe the exception of Tokyo Tower. The sights in Tokyo are rather in the form of areas, all with a different vibe and feeling.

These are five of the areas in Tokyo that you must visit on your trip!

Shibuya

The most famous area of Tokyo. When you see pictures of Tokyo they are often taken from Shibuya. The famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing is located just outside Shibuya Station and is the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. Similarly to Times Square in New York City and Piccadilly Circus in London, the buildings surrounding the crossing are covered in LED/Neon lights and advertising.

Shibuya is also known for being the center of Japanese youth culture and is one of Tokyo's most popular nightlife areas, especially for the younger crowd. The area around Shibuya Station has a lot of restaurants of all types, as well as shopping opportunities. Nearby is also Harajuku, another popular nightlife area for youth. Take a stroll along, the very touristy, Takeshita Street and people-watch!

Shinjuku

Shinjuku is officially very large and covers large parts of central Tokyo. The area that is often referred to when talking about Shinjuku is the area around Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku is more the commercial and business center in Tokyo. There are many skyscrapers and business centers in Shinjuku, especially in the Nishi-Shinjuku area. But there are also a lot of shopping and restaurants. When I was in Tokyo, I stayed in a hotel in Nishi-Shinjuku and it was a very convenient location for exploring the city.

Kabukichō, just northwest of the Shinjuku Station, is one of the most famous areas for restaurants, bars, and shopping in Tokyo. It is also the most well-known red-light district in Japan. The Golden Gai within that area is a part with very narrow alleyways where you find tiny bars, often only having space for a handful of visitors at a time.

Shinjuku Gyo-en is another must-see attraction in Shinjuku. It's a huge urban park (technically a public garden). The garden has a large quantity of cherry trees. If you want to visit Tokyo to see the famous cherry blossom you should book your trip around late-March until late-April. But there's never a guarantee to see it, as they blossom at different times every year and only for a couple of days until it's over.

Asakusa

Most of Tokyo was destroyed during the firebombing in 1945. Almost nothing survived of the city and the Tokyo we see today is built up after the war. Asakusa was the Old Town of Tokyo, and unfortunately, it was no exception to the destruction. It is, however, one of the few areas that was reconstructed rather than rebuilt. Here is where you can find temples and traditional architecture, in stark contrast to the hyper-modern vibe of the rest of the city.

Sensō-ji is the most famous temple in the area. Other landmarks include Hōzōmon (The Inner Gate), Kaminarimon (The Outer Gate), and the traditional shopping street Nakamise-dōri. Visiting Asakusa is a completely different experience than any of the other areas of Tokyo.

Akihabara

Akihabara is a unique area of Tokyo. It goes by the nickname Akihabara Electric Town and is a major district for everything related to video games, anime, manga, and electronics. Everywhere you go in Akihabara you will see references to video games, anime, and manga. You will see a lot of cosplayers on the streets performing. There's also a large Sega World in the area worth a visit.

Another unique thing to try, which is unique for Japan and originating from this area is Maid cafés. A type of café where the waitresses are dressed in maid costumes and treat customers as masters (and mistresses).

Roppongi

Roppongi is the place to be as a foreigner in Tokyo. It's where the highest concentration of expats can be found, and it's also where Japanese people who want to hang out with foreigners or those who want to practice their English go. It's also known for the nightlife, if you're looking for clubbing this is a good area to start in.

The center of Roppongi is the Roppongi Hills development, and especially the Mori Tower, one of the largest buildings in the world by measure of floor space. It's a skyscraper but the lower floors contain stores and restaurants. Roppongi is also close to Tokyo Tower, which can be reached on foot from the Mori Tower.

I personally didn't like Roppongi so much. It had much less character than many of the other areas of Tokyo. It felt quite sterile. I was only there quickly during the day though and did not go back during the evening to experience the nightlife.