4 districts Updated 16 September 2026

Districts in Tokyo

Where the city changes character, block by block

4 districts in Tokyo, and what changes when you cross from one into the next.

WHERE TO START

Which Tokyo are you here for?

A dozen rail operators and no centre. Start from what you want the day to feel like.

First time?

Asakusa

The oldest temple in the city, open at dawn and free, with a shopping street that dates the district and a 1706 shrine beside it.

Start in Asakusa

Want the city after dark?

Shinjuku

The busiest station on earth, the Golden Gai alleys behind it, and the bars that decide what a Tokyo evening actually costs.

Go to Shinjuku

Off the tourist line?

Yanaka

A cemetery under cherry trees, seventy temples and a shopping street with no chains on it. The best free walk in Tokyo runs through it.

Walk Yanaka
Nakamise shopping street leading to Senso-ji in Asakusa, TokyoWorth it

Asakusa

Tokyo’s old east side, built around a temple that opens at dawn and a shopping street that does not. Time it and it is a different neighbourhood.

Taito, eastern Tokyo Best before 09:00 Ginza, Asakusa, Tobu, Tsukuba Express
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

Senso-jiTokyo SkytreeSanja Matsuri
Pedestrians filling the Shibuya Scramble Crossing at nightWorth it

Shibuya

A station rebuilt for fifteen years, a crossing that moves three thousand people a cycle, and several ways to look down on it at very different prices.

Shibuya, western Tokyo Best after dark Yamanote, Ginza, Hanzomon, Fukutoshin and more
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

Shibuya SkyMeiji JinguThe Millennials Shibuya
Neon signs above the streets of Kabukicho in Shinjuku at nightWorth it

Shinjuku

The busiest station on earth, a free skyscraper view most visitors pay to replicate elsewhere, and a five-alley bar district with rules worth knowing.

Shinjuku, western Tokyo Free view at 202m Yamanote, Chuo, Odakyu, Keio, three subway lines
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

Golden GaiBar BenfiddichNakiryu
A narrow lane of wooden houses and potted plants in Yanaka, TokyoWorth it

Yanaka

Low wooden houses, around seventy temples, a cemetery full of cherry trees and a shopping street with no chain stores. Almost all of it is free.

Taito and Bunkyo Almost all free Nippori or Sendagi
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

Yanaka old-town walkTokyo National Museum

The rest of Tokyo

Every other collection in the city guide, with what is in it.

Sights 6 Museums 3 Restaurants 6 Bars 3 Where to stay 4 What to eat 4 Things to do 3 Walks 2 Events 2