For five days, would you visit Mount Takao or see more city sights?
For observation decks, gardens, shrine visits and Mount Takao’s middle slopes, stay four nights in Shinjuku and give city and mountain visits separate days. For slower visits to the zoo and two gardens, stay four nights in Ueno. Neither route changes hotels.
Choose a 4 nights, 5 days itinerary
Shinjuku, Asakusa and a Mount Takao day
Stay in Shinjuku, giving the gardens and streets, and eastern temples and views, a day each, then add a day on Mount Takao. Arrival-day government views and a final-day park walk are optional when flight times allow.
Shinjuku, Asakusa and a Mount Takao day →4 nights, 5 days BUeno Zoo and two gardens
Stay in Ueno and give the zoo, two gardens, and Senso-ji with Skytree separate days. Instead of Mount Takao, this route visits a historic residence garden on arrival day and makes a short Yushima Tenmangu visit on the last day.
Ueno Zoo and two gardens →Shinjuku, Asakusa and a Mount Takao day
Stay in Shinjuku, giving the gardens and streets, and eastern temples and views, a day each, then add a day on Mount Takao. Arrival-day government views and a final-day park walk are optional when flight times allow.
Day 1 | City views from Shinjuku’s government building
From Narita Airport, choose a Narita Express (N’EX) service stopping at Shinjuku and reserve a seat. Get off at JR Shinjuku Station and use the exit recommended by your hotel.
- Airport arrival station → Around Shinjuku Station
From Haneda, compare Keikyu to Shinagawa, then the JR Yamanote Line towards Shibuya and Shinjuku. At Shinjuku, use your hotel’s recommended exit.
N’EX stopsJR metropolitan area route mapKeikyu airport access guide
- Shinjuku Station west exit → Government building’s South Observatory and the same hotel
Walk about 10 minutes from JR Shinjuku’s west exit to the government building, then find the dedicated observatory lift on the 1st floor of Main Building No. 1. Enjoy free views from the South Observatory, return towards the same exit for dinner and stay at your hotel. Admission queues are extra to the 10-minute walk; shorten the visit if busy. South Observatory hours are 09:30–22:00, with last admission at 21:30. Check closures including the first and third Tuesdays. Reservations are not accepted. After a late arrival or during a closure, skip it and allow time only for your hotel and meal.
Official operation informationAdditional official information
If the observatory is closed, eat and rest in Shinjuku.
Day 2 | Shinjuku Gyoen, Meiji Jingu and Shibuya
Walk the garden paths of Shinjuku Gyoen and the woods of Meiji Jingu today, then have dinner in Shibuya. Walk about 10 minutes from Shinjuku Station’s south exit area to the garden’s Shinjuku Gate.
- Shinjuku Gyoen → The same gate → lunch in Shinjuku
After the morning visit, leave through the same gate and have lunch in Shinjuku.
- JR Shinjuku Station → Harajuku Station → shrine’s south entrance and main sanctuary
Take the JR Yamanote Line towards Shibuya and Shinagawa to Harajuku, then go to the shrine’s south entrance. Allow about 1 minute to the entrance, followed by at least another 10 minutes to the main sanctuary.
- Meiji Jingu and Harajuku Station → Finish worship → Shibuya Station
In October, finish worship before the 16:40 gate closure, then take a train from Harajuku in the same direction to Shibuya.
- Shibuya Station → Dinner → Shinjuku hotel
After dinner, return to your Shinjuku hotel on JR towards Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. If the garden is closed, choose a Shinjuku Central Park walk or a meal near your hotel instead. Choose the park around weather and local controls. In peak seasons, check reservation requirements for your date and complete any required booking first.
JR metropolitan area route mapMinistry of the Environment informationOfficial operation informationOfficial access
Day 3 | Senso-ji worship, then Skytree views
From JR Shinjuku, travel towards Ikebukuro and Ueno to Ueno, then change to an Asakusa-bound Ginza Line train for G19.
- Asakusa Station → Worship at Senso-ji → lunch
Walk about 5 minutes to the temple, worship and have lunch in Asakusa.
- Tobu Asakusa Station → Tokyo Skytree Station → entrance and observation deck
From Tobu Asakusa, take a regular train stopping at Tokyo Skytree for about 3 minutes. Walk about 6 minutes from the west exit to the main entrance on the 4th floor. Visit only the deck or deck-and-gallery areas included in your reservation.
Official Skytree rail accessRoute to the 4th-floor entranceTickets
- Tokyo Skytree Station → Change in Asakusa and Ueno → Shinjuku hotel
Return via Tobu towards Asakusa → Ginza Line towards Shibuya to Ueno → JR towards Ikebukuro and Shinjuku → your hotel. Allow time for your meal and Tobu waits to reach the entrance for your reserved slot. Without a ticket, or during an official suspension or admission closure, finish your temple visit and meal and return via the same Asakusa route. Reduce outdoor walks in severe crowding or heavy rain.
TicketsOpening hoursOfficial Skytree rail accessAsakusa Station timetableJR metropolitan area route map
Day 4 | Mount Takao cable car and a mid-slope walk
Take the cable car, walk on Mount Takao’s middle slopes and return to the same Shinjuku hotel.
- Keio Shinjuku Station → Takaosanguchi Station
Take a regular Keio Line train towards Takaosanguchi. If it is not direct, change to the Takao Line at Kitano. Check trains and cable car operation for your date before leaving; omit the mountain visit during a suspension.
Cable car fares and hoursKeio fare tableCable car operator’s official access
- Takaosanguchi Station → Kiyotaki Station → cable car
After getting off the train, walk about 5 minutes to Kiyotaki, then ride the cable car up for about 6 minutes.
Cable car fares and hoursCable car operator’s official access
- Cable car Takaosan Station → Viewing point near the station
After leaving the cable car, follow signs to the nearby viewing point. This is different from the summit viewing point. Clouds or rain can obscure distant scenery.
Cable car operator’s guide to the viewing point near the station
- Viewing point near the station → The same cable car Takaosan Station
After the view, retrace your route to the cable car station. This short walk does not continue along trails to Yakuoin or the summit. If the viewpoint path is closed or rain and strong winds make walking difficult, take the cable car down. For a mid-slope meal, check descending services and waiting time first.
Cable car operator’s guide to the viewing point near the stationCable car fares and hours
- Optional meal: near mid-slope Takaosan Station → Return to the cable car station after your meal
For a mid-slope restaurant, check its location, hours and queues. If you would not have enough time after eating to return to the cable car and descend, go down first and eat at the foot of the mountain.
Check your restaurant’s location, hours and queues, plus descending cable car services
- Cable car Takaosan Station → Descend to Kiyotaki Station
Check descending services for your date before taking the cable car. The official one-way ride takes about 6 minutes; queues and waiting are extra. Finish your meal and walk in time to descend before the last service.
- Kiyotaki Station → Keio Takaosanguchi Station
Retrace your route from Kiyotaki to Takaosanguchi, about 5 minutes on foot. Allow separate time for meals, cable car waits and reaching the Keio platform.
- Keio Takaosanguchi Station → Keio Shinjuku Station
Take a regular Shinjuku-bound train. If not direct, change towards Shinjuku at the actual interchange shown in your date’s journey search, such as Kitano. Train waits and transfers are extra; reserved-seat train costs are excluded from the existing subtotal.
- Keio Shinjuku Station → Return to the same Shinjuku hotel
Use the ticket gate, exit and walking route recommended by your booked hotel. Confirm the route and time from Keio Shinjuku to the hotel using your booking information.
Walking route and time from Keio Shinjuku to your booked hotel entrance
Day 5 | A short walk in Shinjuku Central Park
Explore Shinjuku Central Park, then return to the same hotel.
- Shinjuku Station west exit → Shinjuku Central Park
Walk about 10 minutes from JR Shinjuku’s west exit to the free Central Park for a morning walk on shaded and waterside paths. It is different from day 2’s Shinjuku Gyoen, which you do not re-enter. Skip the walk in rain, during works or local controls.
Official operation informationOfficial accessTourism association admission information
- Shinjuku Central Park → The same Shinjuku hotel
Walk about 10 minutes back towards the west exit and collect your bags at the same Shinjuku hotel. Have lunch only if airport travel allows, then go to your reserved airport service’s departure station or boarding point.
- Shinjuku hotel → Booked airport train’s departure station and your terminal
For Narita, board your reserved airport-bound Narita Express at JR Shinjuku. Get off at Narita Airport Station for Terminal 1, or Airport Terminal 2 Station for Terminals 2 and 3. For Haneda, take the JR Yamanote Line towards Shibuya and Shinagawa, then change at Shinagawa to an airport-bound Keikyu service. Confirm it stops at your terminal. Sightsee only if you can meet your airline’s airport arrival guidance after allowing for hotel-to-platform travel and Terminal 3 access.
N’EX stopsNarita Airport rail guideJR metropolitan area route mapKeikyu airport access guideJR works and service suspension information
An optional short morning walk when airport travel allows.
Included: Garden and Tembo Deck admission from JPY 2,300, plus Ginza Line return travel and Mount Takao return transport of JPY 1,840. Mount Takao uses regular trains at JPY 860 and the cable car at JPY 980.
Extra costs and conditions: JR, Tobu, airport travel, station-to-hotel transport, meals and accommodation are excluded from this subtotal.
Ministry of the Environment informationTicketsCable car fares and hoursKeio fare tableGinza Line journey table
Ueno Zoo and two gardens
Stay in Ueno and give the zoo, two gardens, and Senso-ji with Skytree separate days. Instead of Mount Takao, this route visits a historic residence garden on arrival day and makes a short Yushima Tenmangu visit on the last day.
Day 1 | Former Iwasaki residence and garden
Explore the former Iwasaki residence and its garden on day 1. From Narita Airport, reserve a Skyliner to Keisei Ueno from your terminal’s railway station and get off at the final stop.
- Airport arrival station → Around Ueno Station
Keisei Ueno and JR Ueno are separate stations; use the station and exit recommended by your hotel. From Haneda, compare Keikyu to Shinagawa followed by a JR service stopping at Ueno. At Haneda Terminal 3, follow “Keikyu Railways” signs from arrivals to the gates and platform. At other terminals, follow that terminal’s railway directions.
Skyliner stopsJR metropolitan area route mapKeikyu airport access guideHaneda Terminal 3 arrivals-to-station directions
- Ueno Station → Okachimachi Station and garden entrance
From JR Ueno, take the Yamanote Line towards Tokyo to Okachimachi, then walk about 15 minutes to the garden entrance.
JR metropolitan area route mapOfficial operation information
- Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens → Residence and garden visit
Enter before last admission to explore the Western-style residence and garden; standard admission is JPY 400. Wear socks inside to protect the historic building. Hours are 09:00–17:00, with last admission at 16:30. The gardens close on 29 December–1 January. Skip this visit if you cannot arrive by 16:30 with time to look around. Separate guided access to the underground passage and billiard room is excluded.
Official operation informationAdditional official information
- Garden entrance → Okachimachi Station and Ueno Station
After the visit, walk about 15 minutes back to the same station and return towards Ueno on JR.
Official operation informationJR metropolitan area route map
If you cannot visit the residence garden before it closes, skip the first-day visit and eat in Ueno.
Day 2 | Animals and breaks at Ueno Zoo
Spend a day at the zoo focused on animals you want to see, such as elephants and giraffes. From your Ueno hotel, go to street level at JR’s Park Exit and walk about 5 minutes to the main gate.
- Ueno Zoo → See the animals
Visit after 09:30. If the zoo is closed, compare opening calendars to see whether you can swap it with another sightseeing day. If no other day works, reduce the plan to a Ueno Park walk and meal when weather and access controls allow. Include admission queues, start with the animals you want to see and take breaks.
Official operating informationZoo main-gate accessOfficial guide
- Zoo main gate → Meal and rest in the park
After the visit, leave through the main gate for a rest and meal in the park.
Official operating informationZoo main-gate accessOfficial guide
- Ueno Park → The same Ueno hotel
After the visit and meal, walk back to your Ueno hotel to rest.
Day 3 | Senso-ji and Skytree
Take the Ginza Line from Ueno (G16) towards Asakusa to G19. Walk about 5 minutes to the temple, worship and have lunch.
- Tobu Asakusa Station → Tokyo Skytree Station
From Tobu Asakusa, take a regular train stopping at Tokyo Skytree for about 3 minutes.
- Tokyo Skytree Station west exit → Main entrance on the 4th floor and observation deck
Walk about 6 minutes from the west exit to the main entrance on the 4th floor and enter your reserved observation deck.
- Tokyo Skytree Station → Change in Asakusa → Ueno hotel
After the visit, take an Asakusa-bound train from the same station, then change to the Ginza Line towards Shibuya for Ueno and your hotel. Allow time for your meal and Tobu waits to reach the entrance for your reserved slot. Without a ticket, or during an official suspension or admission closure, finish your temple visit and meal and return via the same Asakusa route. Reduce outdoor walks in severe crowding or heavy rain.
TicketsOpening hoursOfficial Skytree rail accessAsakusa Station timetable
Day 4 | Shinjuku Gyoen, then back to Ueno
From JR Ueno, take the Yamanote Line towards Ikebukuro and Shinjuku to Shinjuku.
- JR Shinjuku Station south exit → Gyoen’s Shinjuku Gate
Walk about 10 minutes from the south exit to Shinjuku Gyoen’s Shinjuku Gate. If the garden is closed, choose a Shinjuku Central Park walk or a meal near your hotel instead. Choose the park around weather and local controls. In peak seasons, check reservation requirements for your date and complete any required booking first.
Ministry of the Environment informationGyoen access by gateJR metropolitan area route mapOfficial operation informationOfficial access
- Gyoen’s Shinjuku Gate → Garden visit and the same gate
Explore the garden and return to the same Shinjuku Gate.
- JR Shinjuku Station → Ueno Station and the same hotel
From JR Shinjuku, take a train towards Ikebukuro and Ueno, get off at Ueno and return to your hotel.
After the garden, you can have lunch and a break in Shinjuku before returning to Ueno. To return straight away, head to JR Shinjuku Station.
Day 5 | Worship at Yushima Tenmangu, then the airport
Walk from Okachimachi Station to Yushima Tenmangu for a short worship visit.
- Ueno and Okachimachi north exit → Yushima Tenmangu
From JR Ueno, take a Tokyo-bound train to Okachimachi and walk about 8 minutes from the north exit to the shrine. In the morning, see the bronze torii and worship in front of the sanctuary within the free grounds. Gates open 06:00–20:00. The treasure hall, prayers and charms are excluded. The shrine is on a slope; to avoid stairs, use the sloping route on the Kasuga-dori side shown in the official access map.
Yushima Tenmangu access by stationTokyo tourism foundation’s Bunkyo guide PDF
- Yushima Tenmangu → Okachimachi and Ueno hotel
Walk about 8 minutes back to the same north exit, take JR towards Ueno and collect your bags at the hotel. JR Ueno and Keisei Ueno are separate stations; go to your reserved airport service’s departure station or boarding point. Eat only if travel time allows.
Yushima Tenmangu access by stationJR metropolitan area route mapSkyliner stops
- Ueno hotel → Booked airport train’s departure station and your terminal
For the Narita-bound Skyliner, go to Keisei Ueno from your hotel and board your reserved service. Get off at Narita Airport Station for Terminal 1, or Airport Terminal 2 Station for Terminals 2 and 3. Allow extra time from the station to Terminal 3. For Haneda, compare JR from Ueno to Shinagawa, then a Keikyu service stopping at your terminal. Work backwards from your required airport arrival time and sightsee only if time allows.
Skyliner stopsNarita Airport rail guideJR metropolitan area route mapKeikyu airport access guide
Allow time for airport travel and formalities first.
Included: Admission to Ueno Zoo, Tembo Deck, Shinjuku Gyoen and Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens totals from JPY 3,300, plus Ginza Line return travel. Skipping the arrival-day garden removes its JPY 400 admission.
Extra costs and conditions: JR, Tobu, airport travel, station-to-hotel transport, meals and accommodation are excluded from this subtotal.
Official operating informationTicketsMinistry of the Environment informationOfficial operation informationGinza Line journey table
Frequently asked questions
Does this route stay overnight on Mount Takao?
No. It is a day trip by Keio and cable car to the middle slopes, returning to the same Shinjuku hotel. Local accommodation and summit hiking are excluded. Check your date’s descending cable car and Shinjuku-bound train first.
Cable car fares and hoursCable car operator’s official accessKeio fare table
Does Tokyo Wide Pass cover every journey of a five-day trip?
It is valid for only three consecutive days from your chosen start date. Tokyo Metro, Toei subways, Keio, JR buses to Kusatsu and local Karuizawa buses cost extra. Choose side-trip dates and eligible rail sections, then compare individual fares. The itinerary figures are subtotals of selected admission and transport, not total side-trip budgets or totals after buying a pass.
Official sources and dates checked
- Asakusa Station timetable ·
- Official operating information ·
- Ginza Line journey table ·
- Senso-ji rail and walking access ·
- Zoo main-gate access ·
- Ministry of the Environment information ·
- Gyoen access by gate ·
- Shrine access ·
- Official Skytree rail access ·
- Route to the 4th-floor entrance ·
- Cable car operator’s official access ·
- Temple guide ·
- Tickets ·
- Opening hours ·
- Gate opening information ·
- Cable car fares and hours ·
- Keio fare table ·
- Official guide ·
- Official operation information ·
- Additional official information ·
- Official operation information ·
- Official access ·
- Tourism association admission information ·
- Official operation information ·
- Additional official information ·
- Yushima Tenmangu access by station ·
- Tokyo tourism foundation’s Bunkyo guide PDF ·
- Skyliner stops ·
- JR metropolitan area route map ·
- Keikyu airport access guide ·
- Haneda Terminal 3 arrivals-to-station directions ·
- Narita Airport rail guide ·
- N’EX stops ·
- JR works and service suspension information ·
- JR Tokyo Wide Pass routes, price and three consecutive days ·
- Karuizawa tourism association transport and local buses ·
- Echigo-Yuzawa tourism organisation’s Shinkansen access ·
- Kusakaru Kotsu 2026 buses, crowding, delays and operating periods ·
- JR East access to Kusatsu Onsen and Yubatake ·
- Cable car operator’s guide to the viewing point near the station ·