Quick Answer
The Slot That Sells Out While You’re Still Packing
We told you in our Tokyo travel guide about tapping through Narita on a Welcome Suica like we owned the place. What we didn’t mention: three weeks before that trip, we tried to book a sunset slot at Shibuya Sky and watched every single one vanish inside about four minutes. Lesson learned the hard way — in Tokyo, the queue that ruins your trip isn’t at the gate, it’s in your browser tab, weeks before you fly.
So this guide ranks Tokyo’s best things to do the way a repeat visitor actually plans them — by entry price and how far ahead you need to lock in a booking, not just by fame. Five picks, one summary table, and the exact move for each.
Tokyo’s Best Things to Do, Ranked by Price and Booking Urgency
Tokyo doesn’t lack for sights any more than Rome or Paris does — it lacks patience for tourists who show up without a plan. Some of its best experiences cost nothing and need zero forethought; others sell out to the minute. Rank what you book by two things: how much it costs, and how far ahead the slot disappears. Here’s how the big five stack up.
1. Senso-ji and Asakusa — free
Tokyo’s oldest temple costs nothing to visit: the grounds and main hall are open with no ticket, roughly 6:00–17:00 from April to September and 6:30–17:00 from October to March, and the Nakamise-dori shopping street leading up to the great red lantern is free to walk too. No booking exists because none is needed — the only strategy here is timing. Go at opening to have the approach mostly to yourself before the tour groups and school trips arrive; by mid-morning the lane is shoulder to shoulder.
2. Tokyo Skytree — around ¥1,800–2,100
The Tembo Deck at 350m runs around ¥1,800 for an adult ticket bought online in advance on a weekday, climbing to around ¥2,100 or more for same-day or weekend entry; the higher Tembo Galleria at 450m is a paid combo upgrade on top of that. Buy online ahead of time — it’s both cheaper than the counter price and skips the ticket-office line entirely. Skytree doesn’t sell out its slots the way Shibuya Sky does, but a clear-weather evening booking still beats rolling up and hoping.
3. Shibuya Sky — around ¥2,700 (strict timed booking)
An online adult ticket costs around ¥2,700 for entry before 14:59 and around ¥3,400 for entry from 15:00 onward, with walk-up counter tickets — when available at all — running higher still, around ¥3,000–3,700. Shibuya Sky sells 20-minute timed-entry windows, and sunset slots sell out in minutes, sometimes weeks ahead of the date. If you want the golden-hour view over the Shibuya Crossing scramble, book around four weeks out the moment your dates are fixed — this is the one on this list you cannot decide on a whim.
4. teamLab (Planets or Borderless) — around ¥3,800 (advance-only)
Adult tickets to teamLab Planets in Toyosu or teamLab Borderless at Azabudai Hills run around ¥3,800 on a weekday and around ¥4,200 or more on weekends and holidays, with pricing that flexes by date and time slot; children aged 0–3 go free. Neither venue is a walk-up experience — both are advance-online-booking only, so build the date into your itinerary before you land rather than treating it as a spontaneous afternoon. Give yourself at least two unhurried hours; the immersive rooms reward not rushing.
5. Meiji Jingu and Shinjuku Gyoen — free plus around ¥500
Meiji Jingu’s shrine grounds in Harajuku are free to enter (the Inner Garden add-on is around ¥500, the Treasure Museum around ¥1,000), and a short ride or walk away, Shinjuku Gyoen’s landscaped park charges adult entry of around ¥500 — students and seniors 65+ pay around ¥250 with ID, and elementary/junior-high visitors go free. Pairing the two gives you a forest shrine and a formal garden in one loop, with no timed booking for either — just show up during opening hours.
Summary Table: Tokyo’s Top Things to Do
| Sight / experience | Around (from) | Book ahead? | Best time to go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senso-ji + Nakamise-dori | Free | No | Opening time (6:00–6:30) |
| Tokyo Skytree (Tembo Deck) | ¥1,800 (online, weekday) | Recommended, not essential | Clear evening for the view |
| Shibuya Sky | ¥2,700 (before 14:59) | Yes — essential, ~4 weeks out | Sunset slot |
| teamLab (Planets/Borderless) | ¥3,800 (weekday) | Yes — advance-only | Weekday, unhurried 2+ hours |
| Meiji Jingu + Shinjuku Gyoen | Free + ¥500 | No | Any day, morning |
None of this needs a rental car — every sight above sits on or near the JR Yamanote loop line, and a Suica or Pasmo IC card taps you onto every train involved. Once your Tokyo days are booked, plan the wider trip: our JR Pass worth-it guide does the Shinkansen math before you spend on Kyoto or Hiroshima legs, and our Japan itinerary sequences Tokyo with the rest of the country. If you’re comparing flight dates around these bookings, check fares on our flights hub , and once your dates are set, our trains hub covers Shinkansen and JR Pass booking for the legs beyond Tokyo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do in Tokyo?
Senso-ji in Asakusa (free), Tokyo Skytree (around ¥1,800–2,100), Shibuya Sky (around ¥2,700, timed booking), a teamLab digital-art museum (around ¥3,800, advance booking) and Meiji Jingu plus Shinjuku Gyoen (free plus around ¥500) cover Tokyo’s must-sees. Book Shibuya Sky and teamLab online weeks ahead — both sell out their timed slots — while Senso-ji, Meiji Jingu and the Imperial Palace East Gardens need no ticket at all.
How much does it cost to go up Tokyo Skytree?
A Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck (350m) adult ticket runs around ¥1,800 booked online in advance on a weekday, rising to around ¥2,100 or more for same-day or weekend entry. The higher Tembo Galleria (450m) combo costs extra on top. Buying online ahead is both cheaper and skips the ticket-counter queue.
Do I need to book Shibuya Sky tickets in advance?
Yes — book around four weeks ahead if you can. Shibuya Sky sells strict 20-minute timed-entry slots, and sunset slots routinely sell out in minutes. An online adult ticket runs around ¥2,700 for entry before 14:59 and around ¥3,400 for entry from 15:00 onward; walk-up counter tickets, when available at all, cost more.
How much are teamLab tickets in Tokyo?
Adult tickets to teamLab Planets (Toyosu) or teamLab Borderless (Azabudai Hills) run around ¥3,800 on a weekday and around ¥4,200 or more on weekends and holidays, with prices flexing by date and time. Both are advance-booking-only, not walk-up venues, and children aged 0–3 enter free.
Is the Ghibli Museum easy to visit in Tokyo?
Only with advance planning — the Ghibli Museum is reservation-only and does not sell tickets at the door. Tickets for a given month go on sale at 10:00 Japan time on the 10th of the previous month, adult entry runs around ¥1,000 (ages 13–18 around ¥700), and you pick one of four entry slots: 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 or 16:00.
What is free to do in Tokyo?
Senso-ji temple and the Nakamise-dori shopping street in Asakusa, Meiji Jingu’s shrine grounds in Harajuku, and the Imperial Palace East Gardens are all free with no ticket required — the East Gardens close Mondays and Fridays. Add-ons cost extra: Meiji Jingu’s Inner Garden is around ¥500 and Shinjuku Gyoen’s park entry is around ¥500.
Plan the Rest of Your Tokyo Trip
Book Shibuya Sky and your teamLab slot the moment your dates are fixed, save Senso-ji and Meiji Jingu for whenever the mood strikes since neither needs a reservation, and you’ll spend your trip actually looking at Tokyo instead of refreshing a booking page. For where to base yourself near all five of these, see where to stay in Tokyo , and for the wider country trip our Japan travel guide covers Kyoto too, including where to stay in Kyoto .
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