How I Spent 3 Days in Tokyo (includes a day trip to Yokohama)
Here you’ll find a three-day spring travel itinerary for Japan, featuring Tokyo and Yokohama.
This guide accompanies and provides further details from my spring visit to Japan with friends, as shown in the following video. It’s the first of four videos I created from this trip.
โก๏ธ I know how chaotic planning a trip can be! So, I created a simple checklist to help you keep track of everything! You can sign up to get the free “Japan Travel Checklist” here.
Tokyo Hotel Accommodations
Whenever I visit Japan, I like to stay in areas that are central and in close proximity to train stations.
I stayed in Ginza during this leg of the trip because it’s central, walking distance to a station, and in a quieter part of Tokyo (compared to Shinjuku or Shibuya).
The hotel I stayed at was The Royal Park Canvas Ginza Corridor.
3-Day Japan Itinerary: Tokyo & Yokohama
Day 1: Tokyo
Hibiya Park
One of my favorite things about Japan is that you can find spectacular gardens in the heart of bustling cities, like Tokyo.
Hibiya Park is a favorite of mine to walk through when I’m staying in the Ginza area of Tokyo. There are thousands of tall trees all around the park, including a gingko tree that is estimated to be around 500 years old.
Itโs a scenic place to walk through no matter the season–cherry blossoms in the spring, rich gold gingko trees in the fall, etc. Plus, the park hosts seasonal events throughout the year. So you never know what you’re going to find as you wander through it.
I spent about an hour here, aimlessly walking through the park and taking in all the different flowers in bloom. If you visit during the springtime, you’ll likely see people picnicking under the sakura trees.
Imperial Palace
I walked over to the Imperial Palace through Hibiya Park from Ginza (where my hotel was located) because the palace opens up Inui Street to the public for cherry blossom viewing.
Typically, you would need to register for a guided tour to enter parts of the inner palace grounds.
And since sakura season is so fleeting, I decided to take advantage of the grounds being open and stroll through them.
Tokyo Station
After my stroll through the palace garden, I hoppped on over to Tokyo Station (located in the same vacinity as the Imperial Palace) to grab a bite to eat.
There are so many great restaurant options located within the station along with lots of shops for souvenirs.
Since I was about to start traveling with friends the next day, I head back to my hotel afterwards to do some laundry and rest up before my two-week journey with friends officially began.
Day 2: Tokyo
Shibuya Crossing & Food
The first day with friends started in Shibuya where we met by the Hachiko Statue (located near Shibuya Crossing).
Food was, of course, the first priority. We went to the infamous Gyukatsu Motomura — a restaurant chain made famous via social for its beef katsu cutlets that you cook on a personal hot stone plate at your table.
The katsu was good but a little greasy in my opinion. However, I do think that if you’re looking for an experience that’s uniquely Japan — then it’s a place to consider checking out!
If you go, I recommend arriving at least an hour before the store opens to get in the waiting queue.
Shibuya is one of my favorite places to shop in Tokyo. There’s so many amazing global and Japan only stores located in the area.
Miyashita Park
After lunch, we walked over to Miyashita Park where we shopped and explored the rooftop public park. A few of my favorite Tokyo spots are located here:
- The Matcha Tokyo — matcha and hojicha drinks and soft serve
- Daimyo Soft Cream — creamy soft serve, my favorite in Tokyo!
- HIGH TIDE – stationery store (fun fact: they also have an LA location as well!)
Shopping: Disney Store, Parco Shibuya & More
To be honest, you don’t really need to plan out your day in Shibuya. It feels like no matter what direction you walk, there are big clusters of stores — both big brands and small local ones.
Our group wandered from Miyashita Park and head back towards where Parco Shibuya, Muji and the Disney Store is located.
We spent a good amount of time in Parco Shibuya alone. Inside you’ll find a mix of designer and pop culture brands.
Plus there’s entire floors dedicated to food (both top and bottom floors) and to anime/animation (Nintendo and Pokemon are located here).
Because my friends were starting to feel the jet lag, we ended up staying in the area and did a sake tasting in Parco Shibuya’s Chaos Kitchen. The sake bar was Kubota Sake Bar, and afterward, we ate ramen at Jikasei MENSHO (which btw has vegan ramen options!).
Day 3: Yokohama Day Trip
Yokohama has been featured frequently on my channel because itโs one of my favorite places to visit when Iโm in Tokyo. Thereโs so much to see and do in the area, and it’s only an hour from Tokyo by train.
It’s also an amazing place to catch the bloomed sakura in the springtime.
โก๏ธ Read Next: Top Things to Do in Yokohama (Japan Guide)
Minato Mirai Station
My favorite place to start (and end) the day in Yokohama is Minato Mirai Station.
I like to start here because most of the main Yokohama attractions are nearby. This station is also located within a gigantic mall that’s home to a lot of big brands that Japan is known for.
But what makes this my ultimate favorite starting point is the walk from the station mall to where the CupNoodles Museum is…
The walkway is lined with beautiful cherry blossom trees in the spring time, and during the winter they’re lit up with winter illuminations.
CupNoodles Museum
The CupNoodles Museum was the next stop on our list because we wanted to grab our timed entry tickets for the museum and CupNoodles factory (where you make your own cup noodles).
We got there pretty early because we wanted to be one of the first in line to purchase a ticket.
Once the ticket was secured, we grabbed coffee and breakfast at Zebra Coffee & Croissant. Then we slowly made our way back to the factory and took in the beautiful weather, port views and sakura.
Make sure you stop at the small park behind the CupNoodles museum which is filled with sakura trees.
At the factory, you can make your own cup of noodles where youโll get to design the outside of the cup, choose your base flavor, and toppings. Itโs fun for both kids and adults!
After creating our own CupNoodles and learning about the history of CupNoodles at the museum, we hopped on a bus to Yamashita Park and Yokohama Chinatown.
Yokohama Chinatown
Yokohama Chinatown is the largest of three Chinatowns in Japan. The others are in Nagasaki and Kobe.
I love coming here because of all the street food, restaurant options and stores. I always find something amazing to eat and the stores are so fun to browse.
After filling our bellies with food, we head back to Minato Mirai to shop a little before heading back to Tokyo for dinner.
Dinner in Tokyo
Dinner was at my go-to katsu place in Tokyo: Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama. Itโs a chain restaurant, but the flakiness of the katsu and the tenderness of the meat are always done to perfection (in my opinion).
Up Next: Osaka & Hiroshima
This itinerary covered the first leg of a two-week spring Japan trip with friends. In the next blog post, you’ll find our 4-day Osaka and Hiroshima itinerary, which accompanies the following video.
Plan Your Trip: Resources & Links
โก๏ธ Read next: What to Book BEFORE You Arrive in Japan
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