By Summer Anderson | Posted: Feb. 21, 2025

My husband and I got to visit Tokyo, Japan, in September 2023, and we LOVED it! The city of Tokyo — and Japan as a whole — have become some of our favorite places in the world.

Where we stayed:

Airbnbs! We booked a private room at a hostel in the Shinjuku District in Tokyo. We felt safe and comfortable there and everywhere else we went. Tokyo has a wide range of accommodations, from budget to expensive! I recommend researching what district you want to stay in, as each district offers something unique. I also recommend booking a place close to the Tokyo Metro so you can get around more easily.

How we got around:

We bought the Japan Rail Pass to help us get around Japan by train, and it’s a good idea if your stay is longer and you plan on visiting other parts of Japan besides Toyko. But, if you are only staying in Tokyo, I recommend skipping this as the tickets for the Tokyo Metro are cheap and easy to get. If you decide to get the Japan Rail Pass, be sure to check where it does not work and see if it is worth it for you!

Here are some of my favorite things we did and a little bit about them:

Sensoji Temple in Tokyo

Meiji Shrine

Sumo wrestling match

Tokyo > Fujiyama bullet train route

Shibuya District: This is probably what you think of when you think of Tokyo! It is a bustling, exciting part of the city with a ton of restaurants and shops, and we had so much fun eating and looking around at everything. You can easily spend a few hours here. Also, check out Shibuya Crossing, the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing!

Sumo Wrestling: This was a highlight of our trip! Watching a Sumo match is a must-do while you are in Tokyo. Research if any matches are going on during the time of your stay, and don’t hesitate to book tickets and go. If there aren’t matches going on, see if you can find a practice match, it will be worth it! Luckily, a Sumo Wrestling tournament was going on while we were there. We booked our tickets online, then printed them out at a 7-11 store when we got to Japan.

Meiji-Jingu: This is a gorgeous Shinto shrine in a beautiful forest and was well worth the visit. You can walk and explore the surrounding park as well, it is beautiful!

Senso-ji Buddhist Temple: This is the classic Tokyo temple; you don’t want to miss this! The area around there has a ton of cute shops and photo opportunities, and you can easily spend a couple of hours in this area!

Imperial Palace: We walked around the grounds of the Imperial Palace! The grounds are beautiful, and it is a great place to go if you want to learn more about the history of Japan. There are tours every day, but we weren’t able to go one due to the time of day we were there.

Bonsai class: We took a Bonsai Tree class! Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing miniature trees. If this is something you are interested in, I recommend taking a class to learn more about it!

Sushi-Making class: We also took a sushi-making class through Airbnb Experiences! This was such a fun way to get to know local food and people!