🇬🇧 Newcastle → 🇯🇵 Tokyo · Weekend

Tsukiji Outer Market breakfast

Go straight from the airport to Tsukiji (metro to Tsukijishijo) and have the definitive Tokyo breakfast: fresh tuna don at Sushizanmai or the market stalls on Shin-Ohashi Street. Arrive by 8am — stalls start selling out by 10am.

Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa

Walk north to Asakusa (metro from Tsukijishijo). Senso-ji is Tokyo's oldest temple and genuinely beautiful — but go before 9am when it's quiet. The Nakamise shopping street leading to the gate sells proper craft items alongside tourist tat; the backstreets behind the temple have local sembei shops and craft studios.

Akihabara electric town

Metro to Akihabara for the evening — the multi-story electronics and manga/anime shops are extraordinary even if you're not a fan. Yodobashi Camera has 8 floors of every gadget imaginable. Have dinner in one of the basement ramen shops under the railway arches.

Shibuya Crossing & neighbourhood

Go to Shibuya Crossing at 9am before the main rush — the scramble crossing is less impressive at peak times. Take the lift to the Shibuya Sky observation deck (¥2,000, book online) for the 360-degree view. The rooftop is open-air and extraordinary on a clear morning.

Harajuku & Meiji Shrine

Walk north along Omotesando to Meiji Shrine — a vast forested Shinto shrine in the middle of the city. Arrive at 9am for the quiet. Walk the forested path to the shrine and watch the marriage ceremonies on weekends (free to observe respectfully).

Shinjuku Golden Gai at night

Take the metro to Shinjuku for the evening. Golden Gai is a labyrinth of 200 tiny bars, each seating 6-10 people — established in the post-war black market era. Pick any bar that catches you (look for English welcome signs), have two drinks, and move on. This is the real Tokyo bar culture.

Yanaka neighbourhood morning

Metro to Nippori and walk west through Yanaka — the old Tokyo that survived the war. Visit the cemetery (peaceful, covered in cats), walk the Yanaka Ginza shotengai, and buy sembei from the old ladies who've been grilling rice crackers outside the same shop for 40 years.

Ueno Park & Tokyo National Museum

Walk south from Yanaka into Ueno Park. The Tokyo National Museum (¥1,000) has the world's largest collection of Japanese art — the Honkan main building alone requires 2 hours. Don't try to see everything; choose one period and go deep.

Yurakucho evening under the arches

Metro to Yurakucho for the final evening. The izakayas under the old railway arches between Yurakucho and Shimbashi stations fill with office workers after 6pm. Stand at a yakitori counter, order skewers and beer, and spend your last Tokyo evening exactly as the locals do.