Tokyo is one of the most exciting cities on earth, and has a legendary nightlife. It is the city that never sleeps. Most entertainment facilities like restaurants, theaters, and shopping malls are open all day long, and nightlife is as enjoyable as life by day.
After sunset, there is no lack of activities to enjoy in Tokyo. Doing a food crawl, shopping, or even just having a trip around Tokyo, there is always something for everyone to do.
Quick Facts
- The Tokyo Skytree is the tallest structure in Japan.
- Shinjuku is Tokyo's busiest nightlife neighborhood.
- Roppongi is the most accessible nightlife district for foreign tourists.
- Kabukicho is the biggest red light district in Japan.
- Kabukiza is the biggest Kabuki theatre in Japan.
Night Scenery
The view from the top is perhaps the most popular way to appreciate Tokyo's dazzling beauty at night. Many observation decks in towers and tall buildings will be open until around 22:00, providing great vantage points for lovely night views.
Popular observation decks are those located at the Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and Sunshine 60 in the Ikebukuro district.
In addition, several skyscrapers have restaurants on their top floors from where you can enjoy good food and also good views of the city. Top floor restaurants are an especially good way of seeing the city views at night, but they are usually on the high-end side.
Some notable districts where top floor restaurants are common, include Marunouchi, Shiodome and Shinjuku.
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Our second trip is now booked with Alisa Liu of Asia Highlights
She represents the very best travel agent to coordinate and customize your journey to Asia. This second trip, using Alisa Liu, will take us through Japan. More
, Mar 2024
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Customized Trip Planning
My experience with Alisa at Asia Highlights has been excellent. I wanted to customize my trip to South Korea and Japan. I made several changes and asked many questions which she answered promptly. My trip included only hotels and transportation because I wanted to explore on my own. This gave me the option to book my own tours if I want. I selected Asia Highlights because of the great reviews and booked because Alisa was helpful in planning my trip. More
JBC, Feb 2024
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Japan Tour
Alisa did a fantastic job, answering all my questions and catering to what I want for our upcoming Japan tour. The itinerary was so detailed! We are so excited for our trip! More
Theresa Beltran, Feb 2024
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The experience of working with Bert was…
The experience of working with Bert was amazing! Everything is clear! The route he introduced and planned for the travel in Japan was amazing! More
Polina Fedorina, Feb 2024
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Outstanding Agent
We haven't taken our trip to Japan yet with Asia Highlights, but I am so impressed by the thoroughness, communication skills, and attention to detail of their hard working agent, Claire Wong. I sent an inquiry to Asia Highlights and immediately I was given Claire as my agent. She designed a trip for my family that works for us and my communications with her via WhatsApp have been excellent. She always gets right back to me with answers and suggestions. Her English is perfect. Because of Claire, I have a very high regard for Asia Highlights, and I'm glad that I chose this company for our trip to Japan. More
Edwin Lowe, Feb 2024
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Japan Trip Planning
Although our travel plans will not materialize for another 2 months, we had the absolute pleasure of working with Bert Hu in putting our trip to Japan together. Bert was extremely professional in meeting our needs and tailoring a trip to our interests. Bert was also quite patient and helpful when we had to change a few details and add a couple days. I'm sure I'll have more wonderful things to say after our experience in Japan. More
John, Feb 2024
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Bert Hu knowledgeable travel adviser.
Hello! My trip adviser Bert Hu gave very clear instructions about the my travel plan to Japan. He is very knowledgeable and guided me step by step. I highly recommend Bert Hu as a personal travel adviser. Thank you for making my future trip easily accessible. More
Fatema Mohammedi, Feb 2024
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Awesome
Such a great company to help us find our next family trip. We have been working with Bert Hu he is very informative and helpful. Looking forward to continuing doing business and our travels to Japan. More
Shaunda, Feb 2024
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It is my first time in Japan
It is my first time in Japan, I am glad that i found Asian highlights especially meeting claire the travel agent! She is amazing. She is very helpful all through out the process, she respond quickly to all my inquiry. She made the process so smooth. During the trip, I have to praise the company for giving us amazing accomodations and the best tour guides. Claire made everything happened. There are few bumps and she solve it right away.She was honest about the things that she can not provide. It is my first time to ask for help from a travel agency , I am glad I found Asia highlights. If I will plan tour in the future I will definitely ask help for this company. I recommended this company to my family and friends! Thankyou once again. More power! Keep it up Claire! More
Cc, Jan 2024
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Claire has listened carefully
Claire has listened carefully to our ideas and has created a highly customized journey for us. She has been very responsive and has shown a deep knowledge of travel options in Japan. More
Michael Brandenburg, Jan 2024
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Sharon from Asia Highlights
I highly recommend Sharon and her tour guidance.She is very patient and utmost polite.I absolutely loved coordinating my iteniery with her although I was unable to travel to Japan this time.She is an absolute gem and I recommend her to make your Japanese holiday an extraordinary and hassle free experience. More
Tess Thomas, Jan 2024
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10 Day Family Vacation in Japan
We had the absolute best time in Japan! Jennifer was our wonderful tour guide in Tokyo and Ho was our amazing tour guide in Kyoto and Osaka. We can’t thank them both enough for making our 10 day sightseeing trip truly a trip of a lifetime!! More
Sabrina Wilmoth, Jan 2024
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Trip to Japan
Family trip to Japan. Excellent itinerary, allowed for seeing many different sights in multiple cities in Japan. The tour was well-paced with enough time to explore on our own in the evenings. Tour guides were knowledgeable, had great attitudes and were accommodating, willing to modify our plans to allow us to see other sights if we wanted to as well. The vans were large and comfortable for the longer drives and water was always provided. More
May, Nov 2023
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Alisa Liu is a star to work makes Asia Highlights even better
Alisa Liu was my contact person for Asia Highlights. She was remarkably punctual, she was thoughtful, and she handle an emergency on my end, with grace and patience. She recommended great hotels in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka Japan that put us in the center of the action. The guides she choose were personable, punctual a knowledgeable about their cities. More
Brent Zadorozny, Oct 2023
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Excellent service
Started using Asia Highlights to plan my trip to Japan. Sharon was very helpful, giving me all the information I would need for the tour. I would definitely use Asia Highlights again, when planning another trip to Asia. More
Rachel Nelson, Oct 2023
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Japan tour
Our airport pick-up went very smoothly. Our guide, Vivian, on the second day was very nice, very accommodating, took into account our preferences. In Osaka, our trip to the castle was a very long walk with lots of steps to climb and quite honestly wasn’t very interesting. But Dotonburi is a must-see and we enjoyed that very much.Our trip to Hiroshima was very memorable. I highly recommend it. Our guide, Etsuko, was very knowledgeable and kind. The trip to Miyajima island, on the other hand, wasn’t too memorable. Our next city, Kyoto, is a truly wonderful place to visit. All the temples we went to were very interesting and very distinctive from each other (Kinkakuji temple, Nijo castle, Sanjusangendo temple,Kiyumizo temple, Fushimi Inari shrine, Kasuga Taisha shrine, Tojaidi temple). The sake tour was a downer and wouldn’t recommend it.Our guide, Ritsuko, was a darling. She was very knowledgeable too and kind and warm and easy to talk to. Our last tour in Tokyo was a rainy day and Sue, our guide, was able to change our tour to the next day. She was so efficient and so accommodating and so kind and very knowledgeable too. More
Mrs Cristina Hidalgo Loris, Oct 2023
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Very good tour of Japan
Very good tour around Japan for 10 days, including Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto. Excellent guides and experiences. Albee, the tour organiser, was always available to sort out changes to itinerary or extra requests. More
Guy Slimmon, Oct 2023
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Everything is good
All of the hotels were wonderful and our guides were super friendly, knowledgeable and flexible. We had a 10 day trip that included multiple cities and lots of different sights, we squeezed in as much as we could, including a 2 day hiking trip to Mt. Fuji (our guide Sun Nan was awesome!). Our guide in Tokyo, Jennifer, was lovely and our guide for 2 days in Kyoto, Dennis, was also super great. We did a food tour in Osaka with Vivian which was nice Sallie Fujimoto-Swun More
Ideale Tran, Oct 2023
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Thank you for the wonderful experience…
Thank you for the wonderful experience we all truely enjoyed. From the beginning (making first contact with Sharon from Asia Highlights) to the end (Saying good bye to our amazing guide Lilly) the experience was top notch. Great communication while preparing the trip and excellent local knowledge of our tour guide. I can highly recommend Asia Highlights and would not hesitate to use them again for our next trip. More
Dany Gruosso, Oct 2023
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Vacations in Japan
The guides Jessie and Vivian were very kind and professionals and the drivers as well. In a future vacation we will get in touch with Asia Highlights without a doubt. More
Hilda Andrade, Oct 2023
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Illumination Sites
Japanese people love light-ups. There are numerous sites and events through the year, offering spectacular and romantic lights that illuminate the city. The best season to see spectacular light-ups is winter. This is the time of the year when twinkling landscapes are set up all over the city, summoning everyone for a nice evening stroll.
Seasonal illuminations around Christmas have become a popular attraction in cities across Japan. They are typically displayed from around November to around Christmas or New Year. Some are also kept up until Valentine's Day in February.
Roppongi, Omotesando, Tokyo Station, and the area around Tokyo Tower are the must-visit places to witness the season's most dazzling lights.
Traditional Food and Specialty Restaurants
Dining is probably the most anticipated activity during the night. All over the city, various types of dining establishments can be found, from humble family restaurants to traditional Japanese style Izakaya and classy three-star Michelin restaurants.
Asakusa offers many traditional Izakaya, with an authentic, down-to-earth, old-fashioned Japanese feel. Shinjuku, Shiodome and the Tokyo Station area are where many high-rise buildings with top floor restaurants are located. They make for great places to munch on a meal while enjoying the night scenery at the same time.
Yurakucho also has a lively restaurant district, built up under the brick arches under the elevated train tracks of the JR Yamanote Line.
Walking and Street Food
In order for a travel destination to be awesome, it has to have amazing food. Tokyo street food will not disappoint. Street food is always a bonus because it usually comes cheap, freshly made in front of your eyes and it tastes delicious.
Tokyo is the best place on earth for foodies. There are more restaurants per capita than in any other city on this planet, which translates to fantastic food, great culinary dedication and some of the most incredible street food. Here are some examples you should not miss:
Tamagoyaki
This is essentially a Japanese rolled omelette, served on a stick with roe over it. Tamogoyaki literally translates to grilled egg, and is made by rolling several layers of seasoned egg made in a rectangular frying pan.
Tamagoyaki has a subtle sweetness, almost like egg custard, but not so sweet that a dab of soy sauce would be unpleasant. It's not unusual for the Japanese to save their tamagoyaki at the end of their sushi meal, as a bridge between savory and sweet courses.
Takoyaki
Takoyaki are crispy, golf-ball sized balls with a soft and gooey inside. They are made from wheat flour and filled with green onions, pickled ginger and a bite-sized piece of octopus. This is another Tokyo street food favorite which quickly becomes addictive.
It's a really cheap and satisfying snack, usually served with sauce, mayo, nori and green onion. You can watch the vendors as they make takoyaki. You will be amazed at the impressive display of agility involved.
Yakitori
Yakitori is a Japanese skewer with chicken or seafood, and vegetables. You can find it everywhere around Tokyo. You can expect anything on it from chicken breasts to chicken hearts.
Chargrilled to perfection, these flame-kissed skewers are either slathered with tare sauce, a teriyaki-like sweet soy sauce glaze, or with dry seasoning. Either way, they're a Tokyo street food classic and must not be missed.
Traditional Performances
Aside from partying and drinking during Tokyo's nighttime, watching traditional performances is also another great entertainment. Kabuki and Noh performances are the most popular.
Kabuki
Kabuki is a type of traditional Japanese theatre that uses drama, dancing, and music. Performers often wear elaborate costumes and makeup, including masks. All roles are played by men, but so skillfully do they control their gestures and voices, that it's often hard to believe that the female characters aren't played by women.
Kabuki has three to four acts with 20 to 30-minute intermissions between each act. Kabukiza is the main Kabuki Theatre in Tokyo, and it's the biggest Kabuki theatre in Japan. Kabukiza features Kabuki shows throughout the week. Evening shows will start from 4:30 pm to 9 pm.
Noh
Noh is a form of theater, involving music, dance and drama, originating in the 14th century. It is the oldest and most revered style of Japanese drama, full of highly codified aesthetic principles and subtle word play.
These days, a typical Noh program will last a couple of hours and consists of two or three Noh acts with short kyogen pieces in between. In Tokyo, venues of such programs include the National Noh Theatre near Sendagaya Station, the Kanze Noh Theater in Ginza and the Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre in Shibuya.
The Onsen Experience
Japan has more hot springs than anywhere in the world, so it's the perfect place to warm up this winter with a good soak.
Tokyo offers numerous large hot spring establishments with varied choices of baths, relaxation, dining and entertainment options. Central Tokyo is full of real hot springs, most of them being a part of larger sports complexes, but they are still modeled to look traditional.
There are plenty of baths in Tokyo, including the mega Oedo Onsen Monogatari. But for a real escape, you can go to one of the resorts to enjoy a mini-break that'll leave you sloth-like in your levels of relaxation.
Tokyo's Nightlife Districts
Like other global cities, Tokyo has attractive jobs, food and shopping. Although shops don't stay open late, that doesn't mean all Tokyoites turn in early. In fact, when the sun sets, it's time for nightlife hotspots to open. Here are the top nightlife districts around Tokyo:
Shinjuku
Just a few stations away from Shibuya, Shinjuku is a city-within-the-city that never sleeps. This is the place where boredom is not a possibility. Being Tokyo's busiest nightlife neighborhood, you'll find shops open 24 hours every day, as well as bars, Izakaya pubs, restaurants and almost anything you can think of.
The Kabukicho section of Shinjuku is Tokyo's most well-known red-light district. Despite the area's shady reputation, it can be very interesting for you to explore, and amongst the madness you can find great little bars and restaurants, along with some local music venues and more.
Shibuya
As one of Tokyo's most tightly packed and brightly-lit central districts, it's no surprise that Shibuya stays up late, offering countless eateries, boutiques, watering holes, clubs, arcades and karaoke bars, catering to night owls well into the small hours.
Shibuya commands a younger local audience. As it's the cultural center of the energetic youth of Tokyo, for sure there's always something going on 24/7. Shibuya has a lot of good live music houses and nightclubs to suit all tastes, far too many to name.
Ginza
By day, Ginza is an upscale business district and high-fashion shopping destination, boasting one of the largest concentrations of luxury brands in the world. By night, it becomes one of Tokyo's premium entertainment districts, with scores of decadent fine-dining restaurants, chic bars, and lavish nightclubs.
Nightlife in Ginza is not as crazy as in the other areas, it's more subtle. There are flashy restaurants and popular hangout spots, including the upscale nightclub Genius, where you can see people partying in high fashion. But many locals prefer to go to member-only bars for the peaceful drinking atmosphere, enjoying exclusive premium drinks and deep conversations.
Roppongi
Packed to the brim with bars, clubs, and all-night revelers, Roppongi is without a doubt one of Tokyo's most famous nightlife districts. It is well known for a heavy concentration of foreigners, so places there tend to cater to the western lifestyle.
A large concentration of foreign-friendly nightclubs, bars and restaurants can be found in the area. Some of the more famous spots include the Roppongi Hills Club, for an opulent dining experience, or V2 to get down in one of the most stunning nightclubs in the city.
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Our guide lele is a wealth of information, Lele is very professional and very attentive to our needs. Lele is amazing. Lele got everything spot on. It probably helps that Guilin is a brilliant place to visit so Lele has great material to work with but that doesn't take anything away from how much Lele helped make it a great trip.
moreOur guide for Beijing was super knowledgeable and experienced and able to help us to achieve as much as we wanted within the time given. We had a fun time guided by him as he is also super humorous and you can see how he interacts with the vendors and people whom he comes by. Thank you for a very enjoyable time in Beijing and accommodating to all our needs!
moreOur China Highlight guide. Michael, was attentive, thoughtful and knowledgeable. He narrated many interesting historical events about Chengdu while touring around the city and having afternoon tea with us. He was thoughtful to provide us with snacks during long hikes at Leshan or walks around the city.
moreShe was very flexible and added extra time when we needed it and we felt extremely well taken care of. She also chose the best restaurants for us,
moreOur tour guide Helen, was excellent, she was very kind, professional and passionate for her work and she also loves Pandas! She will take you to take the best panda photos and to know more about Chengdu city. Our tour was great, she took us to all our destinations always with the best spots: Temples, pagodas, famous streets, theaters, pandas...you name it! Everything was great.
moreHe picked up our pre-booked boat/other excursions tickets so we were able to avoid all the long lines and chaos. He is knowledgeable of the places we visited, courteous, fun to travel with and well-versed in Chinese classics.
moreTom is the guide that will take you to where no other guide will. We pushed for the experience and Tom and the team delivered more than what we could have ever asked for. His English speaking ability and his Chinese history knowledge is second to none.
moreTom is the guide that will take you to where no other guide will. We pushed for the experience and Tom and the team delivered more than what we could have ever asked for. His English speaking ability and his Chinese history knowledge is second to none.
moreOur day trip to Hangzhou was phenomenal. Derek, our guide, was impeccable. By far the best guide we have had so far. He is extremely knowledgeable about the country’s history and geography and was always excited to share his insights.
moreXian es encantadora, el hotel Eastern house boutique muy buena elección por parte de la agencia, los desayunos muy completos para complacer todo tipo de gusto, lo recomiendo 100%, el itinerario fue muy acertado fueron 2 días en la ciudad xian, compartimos con la guía Susana, la atención, la amabilidad y sobre todo su profesionalismo fue lo que marcó la diferencia, sus detalles, estaba siempre en el lugar y momento correcto para hacer de xian un lugar inolvidable.
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