The City Code · Japan
Tokyo
The most exacting city in the world, and the gentlest about it.
Arriving
Haneda if you can choose — it is thirty minutes from the centre against Narita's ninety. Send luggage ahead by takkyubin rather than dragging it onto trains.
Book this first
The counter. The great sushi and kaiseki counters seat eight and book a month or more out, often only through a hotel concierge.
What is worn
Immaculate and covered. Slip-on shoes save you at every tatami room, temple and private dining space.
Money & manners
No tipping, ever — it causes genuine discomfort. Carry cash: superb small restaurants remain cash-only.
The golden hour
Six in the morning at a temple, and eleven at night in the back lanes, when the salarymen have gone and the bartenders relax.
The usual mistake
Treating Tokyo as one city. It is twenty villages; pick three and learn them.
Worth having
"Omakase" — I leave it to you. The most rewarding sentence in Japan.
When to come
March — see where to go, month by month.
From the collection
The stay, the table, the morning
While you are there
What moves the city
Season · 24 Mar to 8 Apr
Cherry blossom
Sakura peaks in the parks and along the Meguro river. Peak pricing and long waits at viewing spots; go at first light.
Public holiday · 29 Apr to 5 May
Golden Week
Japan's biggest domestic holiday run. Trains and hotels sell out nationwide; reserve seats as early as possible.
Go deeper
The rest of Tokyo on Velori
Elsewhere
Other city codes
Velori is a digital planning membership. We never take bookings or payments for travel — stays and experiences are booked on our partners' own sites, where we may earn a referral fee.