How should a first-time visitor plan a trip to Tokyo?

Think of Tokyo as several cities stitched together

Tokyo has no single center. Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Asakusa and Akihabara each feel like their own downtown. Where you stay shapes the trip more than the sights you pick, since trains stop shortly after midnight and a taxi across town late at night is costly.

Useful districts

• Shinjuku or Shibuya: major transit hubs, a practical base.
• Asakusa: older, low-rise streets and temples, quieter at night.
• Ginza: near Tokyo Station, convenient for day trips.
• Akihabara and Roppongi: worth visiting, not ideal as a base for first-timers.

Getting in and around

Haneda (HND) is close to central Tokyo, via monorail to Hamamatsucho or the Keikyu line to Shinagawa. Narita (NRT) is farther out; the Narita Express or Keisei Skyliner are the fastest routes in. Get an IC card (Suica or Pasmo) at the airport and tap through every gate with it.

The JR Yamanote Line loops around the main districts and is the easiest way to orient yourself. Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway are separate companies, so transferring between their lines is charged as a new fare, even though the map suggests one network. Check whether a route stays on one operator before assuming it's fastest.

What first-timers get wrong

• Picking a hotel by price alone, then paying for late-night taxis once trains stop.
• Treating the subway map as unified, then being surprised by extra Metro-Toei transfer fares.
• Zig-zagging across town in one day instead of grouping sights by district.

A first-trip shape

Spend the first days near the Yamanote loop: Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku. Give Asakusa and Ueno a separate day for older Tokyo. Save Akihabara, Roppongi, and day trips like Kamakura or Nikko for once you're comfortable with the rail network.