Walk across the Shibuya Crossing and head into the small, narrow streets of Shibuya Center Gai. It’s a youth cultural center and nightlife hotspot. Within these streets, you can find youth fashion shops and boutiques, record shops, restaurants/bars, karaokes and clubs tucked away underground. At night, late night parties and bar hoppers roam the streets. During big events such as the World Cups, Olympics or any major events, the places are packed with people looking to watch games and enjoy each others company.

Photo Credit: Go Tokyo

Location: 12-3 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0042

Hours: N/A

Website: N/A

How to get there: A 2 minute walk from Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit on the JR Line. The entrance can be found next to the famous Starbucks overlooking the Shibuya Crossing.

 

Located right outside the Shibuya Station a long with the Shibuya Crossing, this statue memorializes the touching story of Hachiko, an Akita breed dog and his owner Professor Ueno. Together, they would walk to the station every morning where Hachiko would send his owner off to work. In the afternoon, Hachiko would return to the station and wait for Professor Ueno to return. One beautiful morning in 1925, Hachiko sent Professor Ueno off to work in the morning, like usual. And then, Hachiko returned in the afternoon to wait for his owner to come back. Professor Ueno never came back. He died from a sudden brain hemorrhage at work and that morning was the last time they say goodbye to each other. Hachiko was adopted by another family, but even with the new family Hachiko would return to the station everyday in hopes to welcome Professor Ueno back home. Hachiko died in 1935 at the age of 11. He was found alone in the streets of Shibuya waiting for Professor Ueno. 

Hachiko Statue now is a famous meeting place for people coming to Shibuya.

Photo Credit: Go Tokyo

Location: Right outside the exit of Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit

Hours: N/A

Website: N/A

How to get there: A 30 second walk from Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit on the JR Line.

 

Rising 230 meters above the ground with 47 floors, the Shibuya Scramble Square is the newest and tallest landmark in the Shibuya area. The 47 stories are filled with shops and restaurants, offices and industrial complexes. At the very top of the building you can get a stunning view of Tokyo from the viewing deck. The viewing deck operates until 11:00pm.

Photo Credit: Matcha JP

Address: 2 Chome-24-12 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0002

Hours: 11am - 9pm

Website: https://www.shibuya-scramble-square.com/en/

How to get there: A 2 minute walk from the Shibuya Station, East Exit on the JR Line.

 

If you’re in Shinjuku and looking for things to do in Tokyo, Japan, stop by the Godzilla Head for a chance to encounter the head of a giant beast. Godzilla first came out in 1959 under Toho Co., Ltd. depicting a giant, destructive sea monster that was awakened by nuclear radiation from nuclear testing. It went on to make 32 more films under the same franchise and even holds the world record for the longest continuously running franchise film.

A giant 80 ton Godzilla head is placed on top of the Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku as a tribute to the movie. Get up close and personal with it by accessing it through the lobby level of Hotel Gracery.

Tokyo Guide: Witness Japans most destructive creature up close.

Address: 1 Chome-18-8 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021

Hours: Open 24 hours (lobby of hotel)

How to get there: An 8 minute walk from Exit b12 of the JR Shinjuku Station.

 

Tokyo Guide: Godzilla Head on top of the Toho CInemas in Kabukicho.

Shibuya 109 has been the youth fashion center since 1979. When it first opened up, it was a different kind of department store at the time. Instead of having similar shops under one roof, it was designed to be a fashion community for the area. It’s a community of retail shops with different youth subcultures and different stores.

Shibuya 109 is an iconic symbol of Shibuya. Inside the department store you can find over 120 shops throughout its 10 stories. You can buy anything from souvenirs, shoes, clothes, beauty products, accessories and costumes all within their niche subcultures.

Photo Credit: Timeout Tokyo

Address: 2 Chome-29-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0043

Hours: 10am - 9pm

Website: https://www.shibuya109.jp/

How to get there: A 4 minute walk from the Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit on the JR Line.

 

Every big city has a major landmark that can be associated with that area. New York has the Statue of Liberty, Paris has the Eiffel Tower and the London has the Big Ben. While Tokyo does have landmarks such as the Tokyo Tower and Skytree, the Shibuya Crossing is an iconic landmark that must not be missed.

This scramble intersection right outside Shibuya Station symbolizes modern Tokyo in itself - neon lights, crowds and hundreds of restaurants and shops. This intersection is unique in that you can cross in any direction you want. At peak hours there can be anywhere from up to 3000 people in the intersection at once! Being in the middle of a busy area, this makes for a perfect recipe of organized chaos! You’ll see waves of people going in every direction while everyone tries to dodge and avoid each other.

This intersection has been made popular in movies such as Lost in Translation and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. It also makes appearances in many TV shows, manga’s, anime’s and newscasts.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Location: Right outside Shibuya Station

Hours: N/A

Website: N/A

How to get there: A 1 minute walk from the Shibuya Station, Hachiko Exit on the JR Line.

 

The current Imperial Palace sits at the former site of the Edo Castle surrounded by large moats and stone walls. It’s a short walk from Tokyo Station and is the household of the Imperial Family. The Edo Castle used to be occupied by Shogun Tokugawa who ruled Japan from 1603 - 1868. In 1868, the shogun was overthrown in what is known as the Meiji Restoration, and the country’s capital and Imperial Family moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. The palace was built in 1888, but destroyed once during the Second World War. It was rebuilt to it’s exact same style right afterwards.

Today, parts of the Imperial Palace are opened to the public. The inner grounds are usually closed except on January 2nd for a New Years greeting and on February 23rd for the Emperors birthday. The Imperial family makes appearances from a balcony on these special occasions. You can take a stroll around the Imperial Palace East Gardens, see the many bridges and moats from hundreds of years ago or even visit the Museum of Imperial Collections.

Entrance Fee: Free

Photo credit: Japan Guide

Address: 1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-8111

Hours: Closed Sunday and Monday, 9:00am - 11:15am, 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Website: https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/index.html

How to get there: There are several gates to enter from, but the Otemon Gate is the main entrance. It is a 5 minute walk from the Otemachi Station on the Chiyoda, Tozai, Hanzomon, Marunouchi and Mita subway lines. It’s a 15 minute walk from Tokyo Station.

 

One of the best views of Tokyo can be seen atop the Tokyo’s government building. This 243 meter tall building houses an observation deck at 202 meters. With favorable weather conditions, you can see Mt. Fuji, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Dome. The north observation deck is open later at night making it a very popular spot to get a scenic view of cities night time lights.

The second story holds a tourist information center and at times, there are volunteer tour guides who can show you around restricted areas in the government building.

Entrance Fee: Free

Photo credit: Japan Guide

Address: 2−8−1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 163-8001 Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Hours: 9:30am - 10:30pm

Website: https://www.yokoso.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/tenbou/index.html#h2-01

How to get there: Direct access from Tocho-mae Station on the Tokyo Metro Oedo Line or a 10 minute walk from Shinjuku Station on the JR Line.

 

Being near a waterside bay and having many rivers comes in handy for Tokyo as alternative route options to get around the city. There are a few companies that run boats to get around the city. The Water Bus, is a unique option to tour Tokyo and a different alternative to trains and taxis. Most notably conveniently locations for the Water Bus are the man made islands a long the Tokyo bay - especially Odaiba and it’s entire shopping and entertainment complex. Another notable location where the Water Bus leaves from is the Hamarikyu Gardens and Asakusa Pier.

Most of the Water Buses are operated by The Tokyo Cruise Ship Company and travel up and down the Sumida River - a very famous river in Tokyo. It also has access to the popular Eastern and Northern parts of Tokyo such as Asakusa and Ryogoku.

Entrance Fee: Depending on your destination and location, tickets can range between 400-2000 Yen.

Photo credit: Suijo Bus

Address: N/A

Hours: Depending on location and destination first buses leave around 10am and last ones about 4-5pm.

Website: https://www.suijobus.co.jp/en/

How to get there: There are multiple piers and stations which are shown below on a map.

Photo Credit: Japan Guide

This broadcasting and observation tower is the tallest structure in Japan at a staggering 634 meters (2080ft) which also makes it the tallest tower in the world and the second tallest structure in the world behind the Burj Khalifa. Opening in 2012, the Skytree overtook the Tokyo Tower’s job as the Kanto regions primary television and radio broadcasting site as the Tokyo Tower became overcrowded with surrounding high rise buildings.

The tower also features many shops within the structure such as the Tokyo Solamachi with over 300 shops and restaurants, Tokyo Skytree Town, the Sumida Aquarium and many other attractions.

Entrance fee:

The tower has 2 viewing decks which differ in price. Prices also vary depending on age and time of the year. With all these considered the prices can range from 500 - 4200 Yen.

Photo credit: Go Tokyo

Address: 1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida City, Tokyo 131-8634

Hours: 8:00am - 10pm (last admission 9pm)

Website: http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/en/

How to get there: Direct access from Tokyo Skytree Station on the Tobu Skytree Line or Oshiage Station on the Tokyo Metro Asakusa and Hanzomon Line and Keisei Oshiage Line.