Tokyo in a Day and a Half

Tokyo rewards both the planner and the wanderer. Start with the classics — the scramble at Shibuya, a morning at Senso-ji before the crowds, sunset from the free observation deck at the Metropolitan Government Building.

Eat like a local

Skip the guidebook queues at least once:

• A standing soba bar at any train station — ¥400 well spent
• Depachika (department-store basement food halls) for a picnic upgrade
• A late-night bowl at a vending-machine ramen shop

When to go

Spring cherry blossoms get the fame, but late autumn (mid-November to early December) brings ginkgo-gold streets, clear skies, and thinner crowds — and TripDip's index usually shows better value then too.

Ride the Yamanote line one full loop with a coffee. Thirty-five minutes, the whole city in cross-section.