Tokyo Travel Guide: Where to Stay, Eat, and What's New for 2026

Three Michelin stars (held until 2020, removed for being too exclusive — but still considered Tokyo's most coveted sushi counter). Bookings nearly impossible without introduction from existing customer or top hotel concierge.

Three Michelin stars in 2024 (first by a foreign chef in Japan in many years). Daniel Calvert's modern French-Japanese on the 7th floor of the Four Seasons Marunouchi. Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 #16.

The hardest table in Tokyo.

Three Michelin stars. The only Chinese-Japanese restaurant in the world at this level — chef Tomoya Kawada's reinterpretation of Cantonese, Sichuan and Shanghai cooking through a Japanese lens. Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026 #21.

The subject of 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi.' Lost its Michelin stars in 2020 only because bookings became so exclusive (only through luxury hotel concierges or Japanese cardholders) that Michelin couldn't verify it. Still the world's most famous sushi counter.

Two Michelin stars. Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa's playful kaiseki — modern Japanese with a sense of humor (the Garden Salad arrives as a literal garden, the rice dish nicknamed DFC for Den Fried Chicken). Asia's 50 Best regular.

Two Michelin stars. Chef Hiroyasu Kawate's intimate counter — Asia's 50 Best regular, contemporary French with deep Japanese ingredient awareness. The kitchen surrounds the counter so you watch every plate composed.

The tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) institution since 1939 — one menu (rosu or hire), four ingredients, a system that hasn't changed in 80 years. Watching the chefs work the line is part of the meal. Queue is part of the institution.

Australian chef Bill Granger's Tokyo outpost — the ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter that built his international reputation. The Omotesando-Sangubashi corridor's best brunch.

Tokyo's most beloved specialty roaster — a tiny wooden two-story house under cherry trees by the canal. Outdoor benches; locals stand and chat with their coffee. Most rewarding morning coffee in central Tokyo.

Sourdough bakery + café from chef Marie Iijima — Tokyo's best European-style breads, croissants, and the avocado tartine that became a Tokyo brunch standard. Inside the T-Cube building near Roppongi.

The first ramen shop in the world to receive a Michelin star (2015) — chef Yuki Onishi serves shoyu ramen with black truffle oil. Ticket-machine system; line forms before opening. Worth the trip to Sugamo (Yamanote Line).

Japan's convenience stores deserve their global reputation — the egg sandwich is the cult item, the onigiri are made fresh daily, the coffee from the machine is excellent. The Tokyo equivalent of a quick local breakfast.

Hidetsugu Ueno's tiny basement Ginza bar — World's 50 Best Bars regular, often top-20. The flag of Japanese bartending precision — Ueno-san invented the diamond-cut ice technique, and his Old Fashioned is the city standard. Reservations essential.

The 'Lost in Translation' bar on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt — the night view across western Tokyo to Mount Fuji is the reason to go. Live jazz nightly. Cover charge after 7pm.

Shingo Gokan's two-floor concept — Sip (street-level, casual) and Savor (basement, serious). World's 50 Best Bars #11 (2024). The most internationally important bar in Tokyo right now.

Six tightly-packed alleys with about 200 tiny bars — each holds 4-10 people max. The walk through alone is the experience. Some welcome foreigners, many don't (look for English signs).

A 30-minute wander beats a long night.

On the 40th floor of the Cerulean Tower — full panoramic view of Shibuya, including the Scramble Crossing from above. Less touristy than the New York Bar, possibly a better view.

In the basement of Caretta Shiodome tower — Italian wine bar by night, with the LED-lit canyon walkway above transformed into the famous Christmas light display in winter. Properly local.

TeamLab's immersive installations — walk through knee-deep water, lie under a digital flower forest, the Infinite Crystal Universe. Originally temporary; now permanently extended. Book online weeks ahead.

TeamLab Borderless reopened in 2024 in Azabudai Hills after closing the original Odaiba location. The artworks 'move' between rooms — there's no fixed map. Reservations essential.

Kengo Kuma's bamboo-and-stone building in Minami-Aoyama houses a serious collection of East Asian art — Chinese bronzes, Japanese paintings, calligraphy. The hidden Japanese garden behind is the surprise (with a tea house).

On the 53rd floor of Roppongi Hills — contemporary art rotating major shows, with the panoramic Tokyo City View observation deck on the same floor. The best blockbuster contemporary shows in Tokyo. Open late.

Japan's oldest and largest national museum (1872) — 120,000 objects across six buildings in Ueno Park. The Honkan (Japanese Gallery) is the essential building; the Hyokeikan is architectural heritage in itself.

Tadao Ando's concrete building in Tokyo Midtown — Issey Miyake co-founded; rotating design exhibitions across two galleries. Reliably the most thoughtful design show in Tokyo at any given time.

Tokyo's oldest temple (645 AD) — the Thunder Gate (Kaminarimon), Nakamise shopping street, and the temple itself. Free entry. Go at 5am for the empty courtyard or 9pm for the lit-up evening view.

The wholesale fish market moved to Toyosu in 2018 but the outer market — restaurants, shops, knife stores, breakfast sushi — remains. Best at 7-9am. The tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette) skewers are the morning order.

A vast Shinto shrine surrounded by 100,000 trees donated from across Japan in 1920 — the most popular shrine in the country (New Year visitors top 3 million). The walk in from Harajuku through the torii gates is the experience.

Tokyo's most spectacular observation deck — open-air on the roof of Shibuya Scramble Square (229m up). Mount Fuji on clear days. Book tickets online with a specific entry time.

The maximum-density manifestation of otaku (anime/manga/gaming) culture — multi-story arcades, anime shops, maid cafés, electronics stores. The Yodobashi Akiba alone is nine floors of electronics shopping.

A pre-war shopping street that survived earthquake and war — small shops, traditional crafts, the most old-Tokyo atmosphere you can still find. Yanaka Cemetery nearby is full of cats and locals walking. Take Sendagi station.

Ride the Yamanote loop (or the Marunouchi line through Tokyo Station) at 8:30am. Not for the claustrophobic — the famous white-glove pushers exist. An hour of being immersed in how 37 million people move.

58 hectares of garden in the middle of Shinjuku — formal English, French and Japanese gardens, the Taiwan Pavilion. Where Tokyo cherry-blossoms in late March. ¥500 entry; pay it.

Tokyo's main central park beside Meiji Shrine — Sunday rockabilly dancers, drum circles, picnic-ing locals. Where Tokyo learns to relax. Free.

Best Sunday afternoon.

A 1.5km canal lined with 800 cherry trees — peak sakura is end of March, when it's the most photographed spot in Tokyo. Quietly atmospheric the rest of the year. Walk from Naka-Meguro to Daikanyama.

An hour west of Tokyo by Keio line — 599m peak with hiking trails of varying difficulty, plus a cable car for the lazy. Most popular peak in Japan; expect crowds on weekends. Mount Fuji visible from the top on clear days.

1.5 hours by Romance Car train — hot springs, Lake Ashi with Mount Fuji backdrop, the Open Air Museum. The Hakone Free Pass covers all the trains/buses/ropeways. The most accessible classic-Japan day trip from Tokyo.