Tokyo Travel Guide: Yanaka, Skytree, teamLab and Cherry Blossoms

At a Glance

• Yanaka Old Town offers some of Tokyo's most walkable historic streets, best explored with a guided food tour.
• Sky Restaurant 634 Musashi, inside Tokyo Skytree, pairs a superb tasting menu with views across the entire city.
• teamLab Borderless now operates at Azabudai Hills, its home since February 2024.
• Late March brings peak cherry blossoms along the Sumida River, minutes from Tokyo Skytree.

The best way to experience Tokyo is to combine its historic neighborhoods, modern skyline, food culture, and seasonal beauty into one itinerary. During a recent four-day stay, we explored Yanaka Old Town, Roppongi Hills, the Sumida River, Tokyo Skytree, and Tsukiji Outer Market, an approach that delivered both the Tokyo everyone recognizes and a stronger sense of the city at street level.

For travelers planning a first or return visit, these were the standout experiences.

One of the most memorable parts of the trip was a Yanaka Old Town food tour with Arigato Japan. We walked from mesm Tokyo to Yanaka rather than taking a taxi, and the walk itself became part of the experience, giving us a much better sense of Tokyo's scale, neighborhoods, and everyday rhythm.

Yanaka is especially appealing for travelers who want a quieter, more traditional side of Tokyo. The area is known for narrow streets, small shops, temples, and a more residential atmosphere than the city's busier districts. The food tour was an excellent way to experience the neighborhood while learning about local flavors and Japanese food culture.

Why Visit Yanaka?

Yanaka is one of the best Tokyo neighborhoods for travelers interested in traditional streets and architecture, local food and small businesses, walking and neighborhood exploration, and art, temples, and cultural history. It pairs especially well with more modern districts such as Roppongi, Shibuya, or Ginza.

After the food tour, we visited the studio of artist Allan West in Yanaka. West works in the traditional Japanese painting style known as nihonga, and meeting him in his studio added depth to the experience because we saw the work in the environment where it is created.

He was accommodating, knowledgeable, and generous with his time, and the visit offered a personal look at Japanese art and craftsmanship. For travelers interested in art and design, a private studio visit can be far more memorable than another large museum.

We stayed at mesm Tokyo, which proved a strong base for exploring the city. The hotel is modern, clean, and sophisticated, with excellent service and a luxurious feel. The rooms are comfortable and contemporary, and the breakfast buffet offers a wide selection. For travelers seeking a modern luxury hotel with polished service and convenient access to the city, mesm Tokyo is well worth considering.

That evening, we had dinner at Shunbou, the Japanese restaurant inside the Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi Hills. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The quality of the food was excellent, and the service was attentive and refined. Shunbou is a good choice for an upscale Japanese dining experience in Roppongi, particularly for an evening spent around Roppongi Hills.

Roppongi Hills also makes it easy to combine dinner with culture and skyline views. The Mori Art Museum is one of Tokyo's best-known contemporary art museums, while Tokyo City View offers panoramic views across the city. Visiting both in the evening creates a very different experience from daytime Tokyo. The city lights and dense skyline reinforce just how enormous Tokyo really is.

The following day, we visited the Sumida River, and the cherry blossoms were magnificent. Tokyo during cherry blossom season is especially beautiful along the river, where the trees create a striking contrast with the skyline. For travelers visiting in late March or early April, the Sumida River area should be high on the list during sakura season, and its proximity to Tokyo Skytree makes it easy to build into a half-day or full-day itinerary.

We loved Tokyo Skytree. The observation decks offer spectacular views across Tokyo and put the sheer scale of the city into perspective. The tower anchors Tokyo's Shitamachi area, the historic downtown east of the Sumida River, where Tobu Railway Group has helped shape the district into one of the city's most rewarding destinations.

Below the tower, Tokyo Solamachi adds shopping, restaurants, and entertainment, making the area much more than an observation-deck visit. For first-time visitors, Skytree absolutely belongs in the itinerary.

One of the best meals of the trip was at Sky Restaurant 634 Musashi, located high inside Tokyo Skytree. The tasting menu was superb. The view was even better. Dining above Tokyo while the city stretched into the distance made the evening particularly memorable. For a special-occasion restaurant in Tokyo, 634 Musashi offers the rare combination of serious food and extraordinary views.

On Monday morning, we visited Tsukiji Outer Market. The freshness of the seafood was incredible. Although Tokyo's wholesale fish market operations moved to Toyosu, Tsukiji remains one of the best places in the city to experience Japanese food culture at street level, with seafood stalls, produce, snacks, specialty ingredients, kitchen tools, and small restaurants throughout the area. For travelers interested in food and markets, it remains an essential Tokyo experience.

Our final afternoon was spent at teamLab Borderless, the digital art museum at Azabudai Hills, its home since February 2024. It may have been the most interesting and fun experience of the entire trip. The museum's borderless artworks move out of rooms, respond to visitors, and continually change, and hours pass quickly inside its evolving digital landscapes. Reserve timed-entry tickets in advance; the museum draws capacity crowds year-round.

What made this trip memorable was the variety. In just a few days, we experienced historic Yanaka, a private artist studio, luxury hospitality at mesm Tokyo, Japanese fine dining in Roppongi, contemporary art and skyline views, cherry blossoms along the Sumida River, Tokyo Skytree, a tasting menu at 634 Musashi, the energy of Tsukiji Outer Market, and the digital worlds of teamLab Borderless.

The strongest takeaway is simple: Tokyo is best experienced both from above and at street level. Visit the major attractions, but also walk between neighborhoods when possible. Spend time in quieter residential districts. Explore markets. Meet local artists. Sit by the river. Those smaller moments often become the ones you remember most.

Portions of this trip, including accommodations and select dining and experiences, were hosted by mesm Tokyo, Tobu Railway Group, and Mori Building Company. All opinions are the author's own.

For more information, visit tokyo-skytree.jp.