Dates are flexible. This day-by-day plan is provisional until you choose exact travel dates.
Start at Shinjuku Washington Hotel in Nishi-Shinjuku and allow about 45 minutes to settle in, store luggage, and get your bearings. The most convenient station is Tochomae Station on the Toei Oedo Line, connected to the hotel via the underground passage; Nishi-Shinjuku Station on the Marunouchi Line is another useful option, though the walk is longer. If you arrive via Shinjuku Station, expect roughly 10–15 minutes on foot, with signs for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government area helping you navigate the large underground complex.
Walk from the hotel to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, usually about 5–10 minutes. Its observation decks are free, but opening days and hours can vary, so check the official schedule on the day; admission may involve a queue or security screening. Give yourself about an hour for the skyline, especially around sunset, when Mount Fuji may be visible in clear weather. Afterwards, stroll through Shinjuku Central Park, directly beside the government offices. This is an easy 45-minute break from the towers, with broad paths, small gardens, and benches. The park is free, but it is best enjoyed before it gets dark.
From the park, walk toward Omoide Yokocho near the west side of Shinjuku Station—around 15–20 minutes, or take a short ride from Tochomae Station to Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station if you prefer to save your legs. Spend about an hour browsing the narrow lantern-lit alleys and tiny eateries; it is atmospheric rather than spacious, so avoid carrying large shopping bags. For dinner, continue to Tsukada Nojo Shinjuku, generally a short walk from Shinjuku Station, and budget approximately ¥3,000–¥5,000 per person for its regional chicken dishes and drinks. Reservations are sensible in the evening, although walk-ins may work earlier; confirm the exact branch and last-order time when booking.
Catch the reserved highway bus from the Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal to Mitsui Outlet Park Kisarazu at around 8:00 AM. Allow 1.5–2 hours, and longer in weekend or holiday traffic; arrive at the terminal 15–20 minutes early because the boarding area and platform can be busy. The bus normally arrives directly at the outlet, making this more convenient than taking a train to Sodegaura Station and connecting by local bus. A one-way fare is typically around ¥1,500–¥2,000, but confirm the current timetable and fare when booking.
Spend late morning browsing the outlet’s spacious fashion, sportswear, home-goods, and Japanese-brand stores. It is one of the largest outlet centers in the Tokyo region, so start with any priority brands and keep your receipts and shopping bags together. Most shops generally open around 10:00 AM and close around 8:00 PM, though individual stores and seasonal hours can vary. Coin lockers, rest areas, ATMs, and tax-free counters are available; bring your passport if you plan to use tax-free shopping.
For lunch, use the Kisarazu fish-market-style food court in the outlet area, where you can choose seafood bowls, sushi, grilled fish, ramen, or casual Japanese set meals. Budget approximately ¥1,000–¥2,500 per person and eat slightly before noon or after 1:00 PM to avoid the busiest period. After lunch, leave about three more hours for a relaxed second shopping round rather than trying to cover every wing. The outlet is large enough that comfortable shoes and a foldable shopping bag are genuinely useful.
Around 5:00 PM, take a local bus or taxi toward the JR Kisarazu Station area for a short change of scene before returning to Tokyo. Keep this stop brief—about 45 minutes—and use it mainly for a coffee, convenience-store supplies, or a quick walk around the station streets. Check your return bus location carefully: some services depart from Mitsui Outlet Park Kisarazu, while others use Kisarazu Station, and the two departure points are not interchangeable.
Aim for a return highway bus between 6:00 and 7:00 PM, allowing roughly 1.5–2.5 hours back to Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal depending on congestion on the Aqua-Line and Tokyo expressways. Do not plan a fixed dinner reservation in Shinjuku, as traffic can easily delay arrival; eat at the outlet or keep dinner flexible near the hotel. If the direct return buses are sold out, the practical backup is a local bus to Sodegaura Station followed by JR services via Chiba, but this takes longer and involves transfers, so reserve the direct bus in advance whenever possible.
Allow roughly 1.5–2 hours to reach Akihabara Station from Kisarazu, then aim to arrive around 9:45–10:00 AM. Use the station’s Electric Town Exit for the most direct start; the area’s main shops generally open from 10:00 AM. Begin at Radio Kaikan, just beside the exit, and give yourself about two hours to browse its tightly packed floors of figures, trading cards, model kits, dolls, and secondhand collectibles. It is worth checking prices across several floors before buying, particularly for boxed figures and rare character goods.
From Radio Kaikan, walk east along Chuo-dori for approximately 8–10 minutes to Animate Akihabara. Allow around 1.5 hours for manga, light novels, Blu-rays, character merchandise, and current anime collaborations. For lunch, a convenient option nearby is Cure Maid Café; its quiet, old-fashioned maid-café atmosphere makes it a better choice for a relaxed meal than the louder themed venues. Budget about ¥1,500–¥3,000 per person, and expect a possible wait during peak lunchtime.
After lunch, continue along Chuo-dori to Mandarake Complex, roughly a 10-minute walk from Animate Akihabara. This is the place to slow down: its many floors cover secondhand manga, doujinshi, retro games, toys, and collectibles, with some sections requiring patient browsing. Allow about 1.5 hours, and remember that specialist stock changes constantly. Finish at Don Quijote Akihabara, a few minutes away, for snacks, small souvenirs, character goods, cosmetics, and practical travel items. Plan about an hour, but leave extra space in your luggage—tax-free shopping may be available for eligible purchases, so bring your passport and check the current minimum-spend rules. Most shops in this district close around 8:00–10:00 PM, though exact hours vary; use Akihabara Station for the return journey and avoid carrying large purchases during the busiest evening commuter period.
From Shinjuku Washington Hotel, use Tochomae Station to reach Shinjuku Station, then take the Odakyu Line toward Gotokuji Station. Allow about 35–45 minutes door to door, including the walk and a little time to navigate Shinjuku’s platforms; an IC card is easiest, and no reservation is needed. Get off at Gotokuji Station and walk through the calm residential streets toward Gotokuji Temple. The temple grounds are usually open from morning until late afternoon, with free admission, and about an hour is enough to see the pagoda, halls, and the famous rows of small beckoning cats. Keep the visit respectful—this is an active Buddhist temple, not just a photo stop.
Afterward, spend around 45 minutes browsing the Gotokuji maneki-neko shops near the temple and along the approach streets. Small ceramic cats make much better souvenirs than bulky items, and some shops have different sizes or painted designs that are not always available elsewhere. Opening hours vary by shop, so treat this as a flexible browsing window rather than a fixed retail stop.
Continue to Shoin-jinja-mae on the Setagaya Line, the charming two-car tram that crosses the neighborhood. From the Gotokuji area, walk to Yamashita Station and ride toward Sangen-jaya, changing as needed according to the tram’s displayed destination; allow roughly 30–45 minutes including the transfer. Get off at Shoin-jinja-mae for Shoin Shrine, a quiet shrine dedicated to Yoshida Shoin, with spacious grounds and a noticeably slower atmosphere than central Tokyo. Allow about 45 minutes, and check the shrine’s posted visiting guidance if you arrive near dusk.
Finish at Katsu Seibu, a relaxed tonkatsu restaurant near Setagaya Station, for lunch if you began early or an early dinner if you lingered in Gotokuji. Budget approximately ¥1,500–¥3,000 per person; set meals are filling, so ordering one each is usually sufficient. From Shoin-jinja-mae, continue along the Setagaya Line toward Setagaya Station. After eating, you can return via the same tram and Odakyu Line, or take the tram to Sangen-jaya and connect onward by the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line; allow around 45–60 minutes back to the hotel.
From Shinjuku Washington Hotel, take the JR Yamanote Line from Shinjuku Station to Shibuya Station—about 7–10 minutes on the train, or roughly 20–30 minutes door to door once you include the walk to the platform. The JR Hachiko Exit is the easiest arrival point. Start at Shibuya Scramble Crossing while the sidewalks are lively but not yet at their busiest; allow around 45 minutes to cross, photograph the surrounding streets, and look down from a nearby café or department-store viewpoint.
Walk uphill through the Shibuya PARCO area, allowing about two hours for its pop-culture floors. Nintendo TOKYO and Pokémon Center Shibuya are popular and can develop queues, especially on weekends or during school holidays; check the same-day entry procedure before committing to the rest of the building. Shops generally open around 11:00 AM, so a late-morning start works well. Afterward, continue to Tower Records Shibuya, where you can browse Japanese music, books, vinyl, and artist merchandise; allow about an hour. Expect many stores in this part of Shibuya to run approximately 11:00 AM–9:00 PM, though individual floors and pop-up events vary.
From Tower Records Shibuya, walk northwest toward Cat Street, a mostly pedestrian-friendly route connecting Shibuya with Harajuku. Spend about 1½ hours dipping into small fashion, sneaker, design, and lifestyle shops rather than trying to cover every side street; the atmosphere is best in the afternoon, when independent stores are fully open. Return toward Dogenzaka for dinner at Uobei Shibuya Dogenzaka, where touchscreen ordering and conveyor delivery keep the meal quick and affordable—roughly ¥1,500–¥3,000 per person. There may be a queue at peak dinner time, so arriving before 6:00 PM or after 8:00 PM is usually easier. From nearby Shibuya Station, return to Shinjuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line or the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line, then walk or take the hotel’s underground-connected route back to Shinjuku Washington Hotel.
Start at Shinjuku Station South Exit around 10:00 AM. From Shinjuku Washington Hotel, the easiest approach is via Tochomae Station and the Toei Oedo Line to Shinjuku-nishiguchi, or by walking through the underground passages toward the south side; allow roughly 15–25 minutes. If you are coming from Shibuya first, take the JR Yamanote Line to Shinjuku Station and follow the signs for the South Exit. Begin with NEWoMan Shinjuku, directly above the south-side railway complex, for Japanese fashion, cosmetics, stationery, and gift browsing. Its food floors are useful for a quick coffee or beautifully packaged snacks, though individual shops may open at slightly different times.
Walk across the station complex to Lumine Shinjuku next, allowing about 1½ hours. This is a good place for contemporary Japanese clothing, accessories, and lifestyle brands, with several cafés when you need a break. Continue south to Shinjuku Takashimaya, about a 10-minute walk via the pedestrian deck. Spend up to two hours here, especially on the basement food hall, where wagashi, boxed sweets, tea, and regional delicacies make easy souvenirs. Department-store restaurant floors are convenient for lunch, but expect a queue around noon; eating slightly before or after the main lunch period is more comfortable.
From Shinjuku Takashimaya, walk or take the short underground route toward Books Kinokuniya Tokyo in the East Shinjuku area. Allow about an hour for Japanese and English-language books, manga, art books, and travel-friendly souvenirs. This is a better stop for browsing than for a tightly timed purchase—Japanese editions and specialist titles can take time to find, and tax-free shopping may require your passport at the counter.
Finish at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, reached in about 15–20 minutes on foot from Books Kinokuniya Tokyo, or by taking the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line from Shinjuku-sanchome Station to Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station. Allow 1½ hours for a slower garden walk; check the official calendar because the garden is generally closed on Mondays, with seasonal or holiday exceptions, and last entry is earlier than closing. Entry is about ¥500. Shinjuku-gyoemmae Station is the most convenient station for leaving afterward, while Shinjuku-sanchome Station is useful if you want one last drink or dinner around the east-side restaurant streets.
No packing list attached yet.