4 Days in Tokyo

Digital Art, Temples, and Tasting Menus

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WHEN Spring and Autumn
WHERE Tokyo
HOW LONG 4 days

Tokyo is a neon-lit megacity of 14 districts, each with its own personality. Temples and historic shops cluster in Asakusa; Ginza is known for upmarket department stores (with marvelous basement food halls); Shibuya is a business hub; and kawaii (youth) culture and themed cafes reign in Harajuku. The Japanese capital manages to be crowded, yet orderly and efficient; steeped in tradition, but also trendsetting and tech-obsessed. Things to do in Tokyo range from digital art installations to kabuki theater, and you’ll find memorable meals at every price point.

Remember that you can explore freely with no foreign transaction fees1 on purchases made abroad made with your Platinum® Card.

Read on for our curated four-day Tokyo itinerary and learn about some of the benefits that you can enjoy throughout your journey when you book through American Express Travel®.

Comfort Food & Immersive Art

Accommodation

The Peninsula Tokyo

InterContinental ANA Tokyo

Aman Tokyo

Conrad Tokyo

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Place of Interest

teamLab Planets

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Eat & Drink

Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo

Izakaya-Hopping

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Old Meets New in Asakusa & Beyond

Place of Interest

Landmarks of Asakusa

Private Soba Noodle Making Class

Sake Tasting with a Local Sake Sommelier

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Eat & Drink

Dawn Avatar Robot Café

Inshotei

Jumbo Yakiniku Shirokane

Ninja Tokyo

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Street Style & Fine Dining

Place of Interest

Ghibli Museum

Nezu Museum

Sights and Sounds of Shibuya

Discover Harajuku

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Eat & Drink

Ichiran Shibuya

Ryan

Sakurai Tea Experience

Florilège

Den

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Traditions in Action

Place of Interest

Tsukiji Outer Market

Exclusive Sumo Training Experience

Shopping in Ginza

Kabukiza Theater

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Eat & Drink

Ginza Sushiko Honten

Bar High Five

Nakamura Tokichi Honten

Mutsukari

Sushi-Ya

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Day 1: Comfort Food & Immersive Art
Day 2: Old Meets New in Asakusa & Beyond
4
EXPERIENCE • AFTERNOON

Learn About the Art of Noodles or Sake

Private Soba Noodle Making Workshop

Don a chef's uniform and listen up: first, you will learn about soba flour and its varieties; then you will be taught how to knead the dough and cut the noodles precisely. After this precise exercise, help prepare the handmade soba noodles and sample tempura, soba-tofu, and soba ice cream. As you taste and learn, you’ll also get to know the hosts, who have more than 30 years of experience in the art of Japanese noodle-making.

Book your experience at deeperjapan.com.

Sake Tasting with a Local Sake Sommelier

Japanese culture is full of nuances, and it’s no different when it comes to understanding the country's favorite drink. During this tasting experience, join a local Sake Sommelier in Tokyo's Shinjuku district to brush up on the basics of sake drinking as you sample brews from six family-owned breweries. You will learn how temperatures and vessel styles effect the flavors of each sake and how to pair them with food.

Book your experience at  ninjafoodtours.com.

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EAT & DRINK • DINNER

Dine on Korean Barbecue or in the Company of Ninjas

Jumbo Yakiniku Shirokane

Hidden in the narrow streets of Shirokane, this Korean barbecue destination serves Japanese Wagyu beef and other cuts paired with sides like kimchi, raw eggs, bean sprouts, and pickled cucumbers (valuet.co.jp). Choose your favorite varieties of meat to sizzle on the grill and enliven with a touch of wasabi or any of the signature savory sauces.

Ninja Tokyo

In feudal Japan, a ninja was a secret agent or mercenary whose functions included ambush, reconnaissance, and espionage. Now you can add performers of tableside magic to the list. At this theme restaurant with hidden doors and a mysteriously dark atmosphere, there are tasting menus, including a kids-only version, and food is presented with flair by staff trained in martial arts, ready to wow with tricks and demonstrations (ninja-tokyo.jp). 

Day 3: Street Style & Fine Dining
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EAT & DRINK • LUNCH

Find a Taste of Japan in Every Dish

Ichiran Shibuya

This beloved no-frills institution for tonkotsu (pork-based) ramen is ready to satisfy cravings (ichiran.com). Purchase a ramen ticket from the machine and you’ll be seated in an individual cubicle or next to your group then customize your soup and wait for its delivery. Savor the silky dashi broth and perfect texture of the noodles and top it off with your desired level of spicy red sauce. The long queue moves quickly.

Ryan

The beautiful hardwood counter surrounding the kitchen is the place to sit at Ryan to watch the experienced chefs slice sashimi and prepare their famous Soba noodles (tysons.jp). Try the sashimi as an appetizer, so soft you can barely pick it up with your chopsticks, before ordering from the extensive list of Soba dishes on the a la carte menu – or go all out with the tasting menu of eight or nine small courses.

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EAT & DRINK • DINNER

Take a Seat at These Show-stopping Restaurants

Florilège

A meal at Florilège is more like an evening at the theater (aoyama-florilege.jp). The massive open kitchen and bar is center stage, and diners are blown away by the dance of the culinary masters working behind it. Executive Chef Hiroyasu Kawate plays the starring role in creating the French-influenced tasting menus. It holds its own as one of the world’s best restaurants.

Den

Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa puts a creative take on moden kaiseki cuisine at Den, where dishes are often laced with humor (jimbochoden.com). Just imagine a salad made with more than 20 vegetables garnished with an emoji-shaped carrot and chef’s signature Dentucky Fried Chicken. Without being pretentious, Den delivers a standout dining experience.

Day 4: Traditions in Action
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PLACE OF INTEREST • EARLY MORNING

Explore a Historic Market or Sumo Traditions

Tsukiji Outer Market

Once a high-end market that only catered to cooking professionals and wholesale ingredients, Tsukiji now welcomes all epicurean explorers, with many vendors opening as early as 5am. Stalls and casual restaurants sell everything from fresh seafood and rare Japanese vegetables to high-quality cookware and tea sets (tsukiji.or.jp).

Exclusive Sumo Training Experience

Sumo wrestling is as emblematic of Japanese culture as geishas or anime, and during this special experience, you’ll witness a professional training session alongside an expert guide and translator. Learn the secrets of the sport, including its link with Shinto spirituality and what it takes to be successful in the ring. There’s also an opportunity to meet the wrestlers.

Book your experience at deeperjapan.com.

4
EAT & DRINK • AFTERNOON TREAT

Sip and Savor Bespoke Cocktails or Matcha Delights

Bar High Five

Cocktail enthusiasts have Bar High Five high on their Tokyo wish lists (barhighfive.com). Rather than be given a menu, patrons are asked a series of questions about their taste and preferences that result in bespoke cocktails conjured up on the spot. The space is small and classy, with an intimate atmosphere.

Nakamura Tokichi Honten

This boutique sells a multitude of matcha tea varieties while the cozy café in back demonstrates how this finely ground powder of green tea leaves is essential to Japanese gastronomy (global.tokichi.jp). From salty plates like noodles, soba, and udon to the desserts such as jelly and cheesecake, it’s all made here with matcha.

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EAT & DRINK • DINNER

Opt for Vegetable-Based Dishes or Sushi

Mutsukari

Mutsukari is one of the top vegetable-based restaurants in Tokyo, with an open kitchen that lets you in on the action. Some of the creative, unique dishes include terrine jelly made from local vegetables and shiitake mushrooms, sesame tofu, and vegetarian soups. The interior is beautiful and the atmosphere is relaxed.

Sushi-Ya

Helmed by talented young chef Takao Ishiyama, Sushi-Ya seats eight lucky diners for a memorable meal of sushi along with other seafood dishes (pocket-concierge.jp).

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