Tokyo is huge and full of amazing sights. I already covered my favorite areas to wander in so this post will cover some of the top sights that attract tourists and my thoughts on them. It is hard to do and see everything you want to in Tokyo because there is just so much to cover, so in this post I am going to talk about the sights that I saw and really enjoyed and would recommend making sure you see!
Sensō-ji Temple
Location: Nakamise Shopping Street is just outside of Asakusa Station, then it's about a 5 min walk to the Temple walking through the shopping street
This is Tokyo's oldest temple and it is insaneeeeeee. This was the very first touristy thing I did in Tokyo because my hostel was near Asakusa. You could stand here and stare for a long time because there is so much going on. Seeing this for the first time was definitely jaw dropping. It's full of people, it's huge, it's beautiful, and was unlike anything I had ever seen before, given this was my first time in Asia. There's a lot going on, see the above photos! I highly recommend walking through Nakimase Shopping Street on the way there! The end of the street leads you right to the temple entrance! There are also plenty of street food stalls surrounding the temple as well.
Kokyo Gaien/Imperial Palace
Location: 10 min walk from Tokyo Station
Kokyo Gaien is a very large garden square where you can get a view of the Imperial Palace. You can't go inside the palace but you can get a tour of the palace grounds if you want. I believe you have to register ahead of time. I was perfectly pleased with the view and walking around Kokyo Gaien so I didn't do the tour.
Yoyogi Garden/Meiji Shrine
Location: 5 min walk from Harajuku Station
Yoyogi Garden is a really beautiful, quiet escape from the craziness of the rest of the city. Wandering around the garden was really calming. In this garden you can find the Meiji Shrine. The Meiji Shrine is a Shinto shrine where you can make offerings, write out your wishes, and see traditional Japanese weddings occurring. I saw one when I was there! I wrote a Kiganbun, which is a letter to the deities. You can write words of thanks or your wishes in it and then put in an envelope with some money. You can also write an Ema, which is a little wooden tablet you can write your wishes on and then hang up. You can see these all over shrines in Japan. Right outside the Meiji Shrine you can also see the wall of empty decorated sake barrels (see photo below). I thought these were really pretty, I loved all the different designs and writing on them.
Imado Shrine
Location: 15 min walk from Asakusa Staion, you could walk here after seeing the Sensō-ji Temple!
I feel I had to put this lesser known shrine on here because I thought the story behind it was really interesting. This is where the maneki-neko (means beckoning cat in Japanese) originated! The area of Imado used to be filled with potters who were some of the first to make maneki-neko. In case you don't know what maneki-neko is, it is a Japanese cat figurine that looks like it is waving or beckoning, you probably have seen it in a Japanese restaurant. It's a sign of good luck. Cats with their right paw up are supposed to bring you fortune and happiness and are supposed to bring people together and the cats with their left paw up are supposed to bring in customers. You find maneki-neko in all shapes and sizes at this shrine, and a lot of the emas here have maneki-neko painted on them.
In addition to being a big part of maneki-neko's history, the Imado Shrine is also known to help people find love so it is very popular with young Japanese women. This shrine isn't nearly impressive as a lot of other shrines but it's really cute, I really liked the meaning behind it and I also loved all the maneki-neko!
Tokyo Tower
Location: 10 min walk from Kamiyacho Station
Tokyo Tower is an Eiffel Tower shaped observation tower that is the second highest structure in Japan, second only to Tokyo Skytree. It is 332.9 m tall, and you can pay to go up to two different levels, the first being 150 m (900 yen for adults) and the second being 250 m (2,800 yen for adults). It's cheaper to go to just the first level obviously so I did that and honestly the view was amazing I don't think I really needed to go up higher! The tower is also a really amazing sight to see from below and afar!
Tokyo Skytree
Location: Right next to Tokyo Skytree Station
This is the tallest structure in Japan at 634 m! It is not only an observation tower but also has a restaurant and cafe and you can find the Studio Ghibli store at the bottom of the tower which is a must do if you are a Miyazaki movie fan like me (check the photos below)! There is also an aquarium at the bottom. Given that this tower is the tallest in Japan it is much more expensive to go up than Tokyo Tower, which is why I just decided to do Tokyo Tower.
The two levels you can get tickets to are 350 m and 450 m, at 1030 yen and 2060 yen respectively for adults, no line skipping. You can get more expensive tickets to skip the line. It is also can get super crowded in touristy months so I would register ahead of time just in case if you really want to go. I thought I was most impressed just by seeing the tower from walking around Asakusa and Sumida Park.
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