Unique Things to Do in Tokyo: Choosing the Right Experience

Unique Things to Do in Tokyo, Compared

Read across each row. A time marked with an asterisk is our planning estimate, and the other times come from the venue. The sections below give the booking rule, the English help, the cost and the source for each one.

Start With What You Like

• Art you can step into: teamLab Planets
• A building you can enter free, with programs that change: MoN Takanawa
• The films of Studio Ghibli: the Ghibli Museum
• Tokyo’s history, indoors: the Edo-Tokyo Museum
• An old shopping street on foot: Yanaka Ginza
• The city from the water: the Hotaluna boat from Asakusa to Odaiba
• Professional sport and its rituals: a sumo tournament
• Geisha dancing in a private room: an ozashiki

Art and Animation: teamLab Planets, MoN Takanawa and the Ghibli Museum

teamLab Planets: Art You Walk Through, Barefoot

Best for

Visitors who want to move through art rather than look at it, and are happy to go barefoot. teamLab calls Planets a museum where you walk through water.

Skip it if

You cannot wade barefoot through water that can reach knee height, even for adults. Strollers are not allowed inside, and some artworks cannot be reached in a wheelchair.

Time

Open 8:00 to 22:00, with last entry one hour before closing (8:00 to 20:00 from 31 December to 2 January). teamLab’s group-ticket page estimates 2 to 2.5 hours for the whole venue.

Booking

Book ahead. Tickets are not sold on site. Tickets from the official store can be changed up to three times, no later than two hours before your entry time.

English

The ticket store and help pages are in English.

Cost

Adults (18 and over) pay ¥3,800 on teamLab’s page, which says tickets follow dynamic pricing.

Checked

9 November 2026: teamLab Planets, ticket store, help page and group-ticket page.

teamLab asks you to take off your shoes in the locker area and go barefoot in the water. Some floors are mirrored, and the museum provides rental shorts (free) and wraps if you need them. Free lockers are provided. Some artworks cannot be experienced in sandals without heel support or in high heels, and complimentary rental shoes are available. teamLab says its Moss Garden artwork stays open in light rain and cannot be viewed in typhoon-level wind or heavy rain.

teamLab Planets is a 3-minute walk from Exit 1A of Shin-Toyosu Station on the Yurikamome Line. For wheelchair users, staff explain the viewing routes before entry, and a special wheelchair designed for water areas is used for some artworks. teamLab lists its term as July 2018 to the end of 2027.

MoN Takanawa: A Culture Venue You Can Enter Free

Best for

Travelers who want something to see without booking. Anyone may enter the building freely, and its public spaces include terraces, among them an ashiyu (footbath) terrace on the sixth floor.

Skip it if

You want one fixed exhibition to tour. The program changes, and tickets may be required for some programs and workshops.

Time

Open 10:00 to 21:00 (the rooftop terrace, shrine and farm close at 20:00). Closed on the second Tuesday of each month (in November, on 17 and 18 instead) and from 28 December to 1 January. Plan 1 to 2 hours (our estimate).

Booking

Entry to the building needs no ticket. Tickets for programs are sold through the official site.

English

The official site has an English version. Check each program page for the language of talks and performances.

Cost

Free to enter the building. Program tickets are priced on each program’s page.

Checked

9 November 2026: hours and closed days, FAQ and facility guide.

MoN Takanawa is in Takanawa Gateway City, a 6-minute walk from Takanawa Gateway Station on the JR Yamanote Line and about 3 minutes from Sengakuji Station on the Toei Asakusa Line, which runs from Asakusa. Its exterior was designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates. The facility guide lists a 100-tatami space on the fourth floor where you can take off your shoes and relax, and an exhibition floor of about 1,500 square meters on the fifth. Whether they are open on a given day depends on the program, so look at the calendar first.

Photography is for personal use only, with no tripods or monopods. The museum lends wheelchairs and strollers free of charge, in limited numbers.

The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka: The Ticket Decides the Trip

Best for

Studio Ghibli fans who can fix a date and an entry time weeks ahead.

Skip it if

You cannot fix a date ahead. Admission is by advance reservation only, and each ticket is valid only for its date and entry time. The roof garden is reached only by a narrow circular staircase, with no elevator.

Time

Open 10:00 to 18:00, with no set exit time on the ticket. Plan about 2 hours (our estimate).

Booking

Tickets for a month go on sale at 10 am Japan time on the 10th of the month before. Tickets for 1 to 28 February, for example, go on sale on 10 January. No reservation or ticket purchase can be made at the museum.

English

Visitors can buy from overseas through Lawson Ticket (English) or on a bus tour from Sunrise Tours JTB. The hearing-assistance earphones at the Saturn Theater carry Japanese audio only.

Cost

¥1,000 for ages 19 and over, ¥700 for 13 to 18, ¥400 for 7 to 12 and ¥100 for 4 to 6. Ages 3 and under are free.

Checked

9 November 2026: tickets, hours and directions and accessibility.

From Shinjuku, the JR Chuo Line takes about 20 minutes to Mitaka Station. From the south exit it is a 15-minute walk, and a community bus runs every 15 minutes during opening hours. The museum says every facility in its three-story building except the roof garden is wheelchair accessible, that wheelchairs can be borrowed, that strollers must be left in a designated area, and that the garden roof may be closed in bad weather.

Old Tokyo: the Edo-Tokyo Museum and Yanaka

The Edo-Tokyo Museum, Ryogoku: Tokyo’s History Indoors

Best for

First-time visitors who want Tokyo’s history in one place. GO TOKYO calls it an ideal introduction to the city. Photography is generally permitted in the permanent exhibition rooms on the fifth and sixth floors.

Skip it if

You can only go on a Monday, when it is closed, or the following weekday when Monday is a national holiday.

Time

Open 9:30 to 17:30, and to 19:30 on Saturdays (to 20:00 on Fridays in November 2026). Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Plan 2 to 3 hours (our estimate).

Booking

Walk in. Tickets are sold at the first-floor counter on the day, or online ahead.

English

An English usage guide is available as a PDF. The museum’s free Bloomberg Connects guide is translated automatically into over 40 languages, and GO TOKYO lists audio guides in 13 languages for the permanent exhibition (deposit required).

Cost

¥800 for adults for the permanent exhibition, with lower fees for students and ages 65 and over. Special exhibitions have their own fees.

Checked

9 November 2026: hours, admission, access, accessibility, news and GO TOKYO’s museum page.

According to GO TOKYO, the museum reopened on 31 March 2026 after years of renovation. In a news item dated 19 October, it said 1 million visitors had seen the permanent exhibition since the reopening. A smartphone audio experience, From Edo to Tokyo, plays in the permanent exhibition room through Bloomberg Connects, and the museum asks you to bring your own smartphone and earphones. Wheelchairs and strollers are available for rental on the first, fifth and sixth floors.

The museum is a 3-minute walk from the West Exit of JR Ryogoku Station, and 1 minute from Exit A3 or A4 of the Toei Oedo Line station. The Ryogoku Kokugikan, the sumo hall, is in the same neighborhood, Yokoami.

Yanaka Ginza: An Old Shopping Street With No Ticket

Best for

Walkers who want small independent shops and street food in an old shopping street, with no tickets or reservations.

Skip it if

You plan to arrive late or on one fixed day. GO TOKYO lists no fixed opening and closing hours, and closing days vary by shop.

Time

Plan 1 to 2 hours (our estimate).

Booking

Nothing to book.

Cost

Free to walk. You pay shop by shop.

Checked

9 November 2026: GO TOKYO’s page on Yanaka Ginza.

GO TOKYO describes Yanaka Ginza as a retro shotengai (a neighborhood shopping street) of small independent shops that sell daily staples, ready-to-eat food, tea and wagashi sweets, all prepared in small handmade batches. It is a short walk from Nippori Station, roughly 15 minutes from Tokyo Station on the JR Yamanote Line, and a 3-minute walk from the Dokan Exit of Sendagi Station on the Chiyoda Line.

From the Water: Asakusa to Odaiba on the Hotaluna

Tokyo Cruise’s Hotaluna: A Boat Designed by a Manga Artist

Best for

Travelers who want to see the city from the water. The Asakusa pier is about a 1-minute walk from Asakusa Station.

Skip it if

You need a fixed plan. The company says cruises may be cancelled without notice in bad weather, and the Hotaluna does not sail on the third Wednesday and Thursday of each month (except August) or for about three weeks around March.

Time

About 60 minutes from Asakusa to Odaiba Seaside Park.

Booking

The company suggests reserving the Asakusa to Odaiba route on the Hotaluna and the Himiko. Tickets are also sold on the day, first come first served.

English

The timetable, fares and FAQ are in English. The booking page mixes Japanese and English.

Cost

¥2,000 for adults one way from Asakusa to Odaiba Seaside Park (children ¥1,000).

Checked

9 November 2026: timetable and fares, FAQ, Asakusa pier and the Hotaluna page (in Japanese).

According to the company’s Japanese ship pages, the manga and anime artist Leiji Matsumoto designed both the Hotaluna and the Himiko. The Hotaluna has a silver, streamlined hull inspired by a spaceship, gull-wing doors and a roof deck, which is open only between Hinode Pier and Odaiba and is closed in rain. The company says all its vessels are wheelchair accessible. The Odaiba Seaside Park pier is about a 5-minute walk from Daiba Station on the Yurikamome Line.

Sumo and a Geisha Ozashiki: Two Living Traditions

Grand Sumo at the Ryogoku Kokugikan: Three Tokyo Tournaments a Year

Best for

Visitors who can plan around January, May or September and want to watch professional sport with its rituals. The ticket page says the top-division bouts start around 2 pm, so an afternoon visit works.

Skip it if

You are in Tokyo in other months. If sitting on the floor is hard, choose chair seats, because box seats are floor cushions for four with shoes off.

Time

Doors open at 8:45 (10:30 on 22 and 23 January, 10:00 on 24 January). Bouts run from the morning to about 6 pm. You may leave and re-enter once, and must be back by 5 pm.

Booking

Book ahead. The January 2027 tournament runs from 10 to 24 January, and tickets go on sale on 5 December 2026 at 10 am Japan time. Purchased tickets cannot be changed or cancelled.

English

The Japan Sumo Association’s pages and the Ticket Oosumo English site are in English. On the English site, payment is by credit card only and tickets can be printed only at a Seven-Eleven in Japan.

Cost

On the January 2027 ticket page, the lowest chair-seat price listed is ¥5,000 on a weekday and the lowest price for a box of four is ¥38,000. A ¥2,000 service fee per ticket applies on the English site.

Checked

9 November 2026: tournament schedule, how to buy and January 2027 ticket page.

The Japan Sumo Association’s general guide lists lower approximate prices than the January 2027 ticket page, so confirm the price when you buy. That page also prints “for 4 guests” beside the chair-seat prices, but the Association’s guide prices chair seats per seat, so check the unit at checkout. Outside a tournament, the Sumo Museum on the first floor of the Kokugikan is free. It is open from 10:00 to 16:30 (enter by 16:00), and closed on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays, with some exceptions. On tournament days a ticket is required to enter the arena. Japan’s national tourism organization says casual visits to a sumo stable are not encouraged, though some travel agencies can arrange tours for small groups. To compare sumo with kabuki and an ozashiki, see our guide to traditional entertainment in Tokyo.

A Private Geisha Ozashiki in Asakusa: Request It Ahead

Best for

Guests who want to watch geisha dance to live shamisen and play parlor games with them in a private room, and who can ask ahead.

Skip it if

You decide on the day, or want an attraction you can walk into. For a same-day option, see the Ozashiki Tea House below.

Time

Plans run from one to three hours, and visits start between 2 pm and 8 pm.

Booking

Request online at least two to three days ahead, and phone us for anything closer. We are normally open Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

English

Every private plan includes an English-speaking interpreter, and we reply to requests in English.

Cost

See our pricing page for current rates.

Where

On the north side of Senso-ji, about 3 minutes’ walk once you have crossed the grounds. From the Asakusa stations it is 13 minutes on foot (15 from the Toei Asakusa Line) or 4 minutes by taxi.

An ozashiki is a private gathering in which geisha dance to live shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese instrument), play games with the guests and talk with them. At a machiai-chaya, the house provides the room and looks after the guests, and the geisha are invited for each gathering. The geisha are self-employed professionals who belong to an okiya (a geisha house) and are registered at the Asakusa kenban (the district’s registry office). For the district and how a visit works, see our guides to the Asakusa geisha district and the geisha experience in Tokyo.

If you decide on the day, the Ozashiki Tea House is the geisha option that can still be booked. It is a 75-minute session with three geisha and shared seating, held mainly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 3 pm. Online booking for a same-day session closes at 2 pm, and after that you can call or come by to ask whether seats are left. One drink order per guest is required and charged separately.

What About the New 2026 Openings?

Two of this year’s openings are in the table because they are worth choosing for what is inside: MoN Takanawa and the reopened Edo-Tokyo Museum. TOFROM YAESU TOWER, beside Tokyo Station, is a different kind of stop. Its official site (in Japanese) lists more than 60 shops and restaurants, some opening as late as December 2026, a theater of about 800 seats, an underground highway bus terminal and a public art project, Ningyo no Machi (“Mermaid City” in press reports), built on an original story by the film director Shunji Iwai. The tower connects to Tokyo Station through the Yaesu underground mall. We would choose it only when you are passing through Tokyo Station anyway. Some other openings, such as the PokéPark Kanto theme park, need a day of their own, so they are not compared here.

If You Want a Cultural Dinner, Not Just a Visit

A cultural experience dinner in Tokyo takes three forms, and they differ mostly in how early you must commit. A houseboat dinner is reserved with the Tokyo Yakatabune Association. A kaiseki dinner with geisha is a private ozashiki request, since our three-hour private plan includes a kaiseki dinner and starts at 5:30 pm or later. A dinner you put together yourself, such as rakugo and an izakaya, needs no booking. Our guide to things to do in Tokyo at night sets out the rules for each, with sources and the date we checked them.

More Options Elsewhere on This Site

Kabuki single acts, rakugo at Asakusa Engei Hall, a neighborhood sento (public bath) and an izakaya are covered in the same night guide. For a plan that puts several of these together, see our 3 day Tokyo itinerary, and for what is open after dark around Senso-ji, our guide to Asakusa at night.