Tokyo Landmarks: 5 Top-Notch Tourist Attractions & Perfect Places to Visit

Tokyo landmarks embody everything from religion to modern culture. Photograph the city from the observation deck of a skyscraper in Minato, or adore ancient temples and sumo wrestlers in Asakusa. Tokyo may have built its whirling reputation on modern technology, but underneath the glow of the neon lights lies dozens of landmarks just waiting to be explored.

AGODA EXTRA: While bopping around Tokyo, you’re bound to end up at the busiest train station in the world. Shinjuku Station accommodates, on average, about 3.5 million passengers per day and contains a whopping 36 platforms. You’ll find 17 more platforms outside for connecting railways, but good luck finding the right one on the first try. With more than 200 exits to navigate, getting into Shinjuku Station is as adventurous as getting out!

1. Pass through an ancient cypress gate, and watch a Shinto wedding at MEIJI JINGU SHRINE in Shibuya

Dedicated in 1920, destroyed in World War II and rebuilt in 1958, Meiji Shrine honors the spirits of Emperor Meiji, the first modern emperor of Japan, and his consort, Empress Shoken. Nestled inside the forested grounds of Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, the shrine is the most popular religious site for Hatsumode, the first Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese new year. Enter the temple complex through an ancient 40-foot-high gate made of cypress wood, and meander the grounds along paved pathways shaded by more than 100,000 native and imported trees. Join locals to write wishes on “ema” (small wooden plaques) and purchase charms and amulets. On many days, you can even watch a Shinto wedding ceremony!

Check In to Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu, Step Out to Meiji Shrine

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2. Buy tickets to see Asakusa from a record-breaking height at TOKYO SKYTREE

The world’s tallest freestanding broadcasting tower looks a little out of place towering over one of Tokyo’s top historic neighborhoods. Tokyo Skytree is located in Sumida, but the broadcasting tower offers a 360-degree view of neighboring districts, including Asakusa. The tower sits next to popular attractions like Sumida Aquarium and Koume Children’s Park, but a trip up Tokyo Skytree actually offers enough entertainment for a whole day. Admire the tower from the mega shopping plaza on the ground floor, or take the climb to Floor 350 through art galleries, cultural exhibits and the Tembo Deck, a glass-bottom observation deck and photography station. The pinnacle of the tower is on Floor 450, which can be reached by elevator or by strolling along a slanted, spiraling walkway that gives you a view of Tokyo from every angle.

Check In to Hotel Hokke Club Asakusa, Step Out to Tokyo Skytree

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3. Make a daring dash with thousands of locals across an intersection at SHIBUYA CROSSING

With the world’s tallest broadcast tower and the world’s busiest train station, why wouldn’t Tokyo claim the world’s busiest intersection? Akin to the Times Square intersection in New York City, Shibuya Crossing, or Scramble Crossing, is best scene at night when the neon lights of Tokyo skyscrapers dance over thousands of pedestrians who work, shop and hang out in the business district. You’ll need to arrive earlier in the day if you want to tackle all the attractions in the area. The crossing is the connecting point for the district’s elite shopping centers, art galleries, camera supply shops and hip hangouts. Plus, Yoyogi Park is only a short walk away.

Check In to Shibuya Tokyu REI Hotel, Step Out to Shibuya Crossing

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4. Savor a panoramic view of Minato from the top deck of TOKYO TOWER

Modeled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris and painted bright orange and white, Tokyo Tower is the second-tallest structure in Japan. Start your adventure in FootTown, the tower’s four-story shopping plaza located at the base of the structure. Then make your way up to two observation decks, the first at about 492 feet (150 meters) and the second at 819 feet (250 meters), to peer out over Minato and Zōjō-ji Temple in Shiba Park.

Quirky tidbit: the tower’s gaudy color scheme keeps the structure in compliance with air safety regulations. Tokyo Tower gets a paint job every five years, and the entire process takes one year to complete.

Check In to Tokyo Prince Hotel, Step Out to Tokyo Tower

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5. Trek across Tokyo Bay on a solar-powered iron icon at RAINBOW BRIDGE

Spanning 2,618 feet (798 meters) over Tokyo Bay, Rainbow Bridge connects the Shibaura and Odaiba waterfront districts in Minato and Koto, respectively. At night, the bridge’s solar-powered color scheme of red, white and green lights up the bay. Visitors can cross the bridge on foot for free. The one-mile jaunt offers views of the Tokyo skyline, ships sailing in Tokyo Bay and occasionally, Mount Fuji.

Check In to Hotel Trusty Tokyo Bayside, Step Out to Rainbow Bridge

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