Hi everyone, I am looking for some advice on how many days do you need to see Tokyo. We are going to Japan in April and staying about 12 days. We plan on arriving and leaving from Tokyo and would like to know how many days should we spend in the capital. I was thinking 2 whole days. Is that enough to see the city? Mind you we are not museum type of people.
Let me know

I've been to Tokyo 3x, and on my last trip we stayed there the whole 11-night trip (because we were staying with friends who live there).
I'd say somewhere around 2-4 full days would let you get a good taste of the major highlights of Tokyo. There are a lot of cool things to see. But if you prefer nature and temples, Kyoto might be more up your alley.
I definitely recommend grabbing tickets for TeamLab Borderless, that's the best thing I've ever done in Tokyo.

Janna thank you! We are planing on going to Mount Fuji, Nara, Nagoya and Kyoto. We are going during the cherry blossom season so the main point of the trip will be to see the nature as well.

Reka Okay dear. I'll be asking how your plans are coming along in the next few weeks/months

2 days is not enough. I would say three or 4. Just walking around Tokyo is incredible.

You can easily do a week in Tokyo. I was there last year in the summer and went out 2x a day for a full 7 days and still felt like there was more to see.

Recommendation: map out restaurants, sights, and activities you want to go to, and then plot them out by geography. Tokyo is really dense, so you can do 3-4 things near a single subway station over the course of a few hours.

Mark thank you

Each AREA in Tokyo, you could probably spend a good half or full day in. Depending on your interests!
I think you should make a list of what you want to see/do in Tokyo and estimate at least half a day per area. Then you'll get a good idea about how much time you need. This gives you ample time to find places to eat and take your time shopping without getting worn out

Sarah thank you

Keep in mind if you want to do a day trip to mount fuji, its easiest from Tokyo.. but I would say 2 days are not enough for tokyo... as its a huge city with lots of action...

Check out Japan-Guide videos on YouTube. They have a good one on Tokyo and other regions. I personally feel overwhelmed just thinking about being in such a busy place & 2 days would be enough for me. Really depends on what your idea of a fun vacation is.

It all depends on what are looking for? Food, shopping, temples, shrines, castles and so on.

If you are planning to sprawl across Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto and the rest, you will only have no more than 2 days in Tokyo. We've just came back about a month ago for 14 days from Tokyo to Hiroshima and back plus most the cities in between as well as up the mountains; Gero, Ono and Katsuyama, north of Nagoya. It's quite a whirlwind and you 're constantly on the go. Prioritize on the must and skip the others.For us, Kyoto is a must!

Roy thank you, we won’t really be shopping, it’s more about seeing the city taking architecture photography and experiencing the culture and food.

That's more or less what we were looking for besides food. Try to hook up with some goodwill local guides 2 months ahead in Kyoto, Osaka and so on. Most of these people are apprenticing to become professional guides and they need the experience. We had the opportunity of meeting one in Kyoto who gave us a full day service from 9:30 to 6:30pm except 1 hr. for lunch. Of course, you pay for their transportation and meals such as bus entrance fees. You ended up learning a lot. All the best!

Mind you, you've chosen one of the best time of the year ; cherry blossom it does provide yiu with a festive feeling where ever you go. Enjoy!

I spent about 2 days ago there and that was fine. You could definitely stay longer as it is massive and lots to see. It’s a cool city. Much different than your average huge city. I would say 2-4 days would be fine

Stephanie Wand

I would recommend 4-5 days during cherry blossoms. You should join the locals at Yoyogi or Ueno park with a picnic and sit and enjoy the blossoms! I did 5 days in Tokyo in March/April 2019 but one day was in Chiba for a baseball game.

We spent 10 days in Tokyo and still hadn’t “seen it all.” In 2 days, you’ll barely scratch the surface of one neighbourhood.

At least 5-6 depending what you want to do ; if in April , you may reserve a day for sumo tournament

Not enough. There's so much to see.

Depends on what you want to do and if you want to take in all that is Tokyo or go around. I was ambitious and did 5 cities in 2 weeks during Cherry blossom season (apr) and went to Takayama for the spring festival... Tokyo has so many pockets that are very unique. You can check out what I did on my travel blog http://boketto.rosannau.com/ I'd definitely say check out Teamlab, Ghibli if you are into that and I would save shopping to the very end of the trip if possible (although Tokyo is slightly more expensive than other cities). Don Quijote is a great place or a grocery store to stock up on those snacks to take home.

very nice travel blog, Rosanna

Just returned. 2 weeks. 4 nights in Tokyo, 7 in Kyoto and 2 in Hakone. Flew in and out of Tokyo.

It is all about what you want to do/see in Tokyo or Japan. We spent 2 days Osaka, 4days Kyoto, a day trip to Nara from Kyoto, 1 Night in Hiroshima and 4 days in Tokyo. For example we went to see live Tuna fish Actions in fish market at 4AM. Pack light, travelling is hard with heavy luggeses especially if you are not going to stay longer thann2 nights in every city.

Kerop hey. Just had a question. If I’m based in Osaka, is it easy to do day trips to Kyoto and still experience it. Or would you advise splitting up Osaka and Kyoto into 2 different stays. I’m trying to figure out if I can be based in Osaka and then have a full itinerary day trip to Kyoto to see the culture.

If I were you I would stay in Kyoto and do day visit to Osaka. There are alot to see in Kyoto than Osaka (temple). Everything is possible with JR pass.