The back story
Old Edo and the new city: Tokyo’s great sights
Sensō-ji and the Kaminarimon, Meiji Jingū in its forest, the palace gardens, Skytree and Tokyo Tower, the Shibuya crossing from above and the teamLab worlds of light: how to see Tokyo without wearing yourself out.
Tokyo is a city of centres. Old Edo survives in Asakusa, around Sensō-ji, and in the gardens of the Imperial Palace; the Meiji era built Meiji Jingū in its planted forest; the post-war city rose in Tokyo Tower and the towers of Shinjuku; and the new century added Tokyo Skytree, SHIBUYA SKY and the hills developments of Roppongi, Toranomon and Azabudai.
Old Edo
Sensō-ji, in Asakusa, is the city’s great temple: you enter by the Kaminarimon gate with its huge red lantern and walk the Nakamise shopping street to the main hall. Across the river stands Tokyo Skytree, at 634 metres the tallest tower in Japan.
Shrines and gardens
Meiji Jingū, in Shibuya, stands in a forest planted by hand when the shrine was built (meijijingu.or.jp). The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace are open to visitors on most days (Imperial Household Agency), and Zōjō-ji frames Tokyo Tower behind its gate.
Group your days by area: the Yamanote Line makes a loop, so plan a day east and a day west.
The towers
Tokyo Tower, painted white and orange, has two observation decks; Tokyo Skytree has two, at 350 and 450 metres; SHIBUYA SKY is an open-air rooftop above the Shibuya crossing.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Alexkom000 · CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe new Tokyo
teamLab Borderless moved to Azabudai Hills in 2024, and teamLab Planets is in Toyosu, near the wholesale market. The Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryōgoku reopened on 31 March 2026 after four years of renovation.
Our advice: visit Sensō-ji early in the morning or after dark, when the gate is lit and the crowds have gone, and book SHIBUYA SKY for sunset well ahead.
Why it's on our list
- Old Edo
- Shrines and gardens
- The towers
- The new Tokyo
Location
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More in depth
History & heritageTokyo: history and heritageEdo Castle and the shogun’s city, the merchants of Nihonbashi, the eastern capital of 1868, the earthquake of 1923, rebuilding after the war and the city of many centres: Tokyo’s heritage.
The back storyScreens, stages and white cubes: Tokyo’s artsThe national treasures of Ueno, the museums of the Roppongi Art Triangle, Nezu’s garden and Kōrin’s irises, kabuki in Ginza, opera at the New National Theatre and the concert halls: how to spend your cultural days.
The back storyWild Tokyo: Forest Shrines, Garden Ponds and the Mountains BeyondA forest planted by hand around Meiji Jingū, the lawns and ponds of the great gardens, white-eyes in the plum blossom and crows in the treetops, and the lakes and cedar forests of Hakone and Nikkō: the wild side of Tokyo.