The Ultimate Guide to a Week in Tokyo! Discovering the Real Tokyo and Street Kart Adventures That Only Long Stays Can Offer
“If I’m staying in Tokyo for a whole week, I can hit all the famous spots, right?” Think again! Honestly, that’s seriously underestimating things. Tokyo is way bigger and deeper than you’d imagine. Even with a full week, most people barely scratch the surface. But flip that around, and with the right planning, you’ve got a real chance to discover the “true Tokyo.”
I always tell my friends visiting from Taiwan: “If you’ve got a week, don’t rush.” There’s a whole different way to savor Tokyo when you’re not on a quick trip. And one absolute must-do? Racing through the streets on a street kart. Once you experience it yourself, you’ll totally get why it’s blowing up on social media.
First 3 Days: Hit the Classics While Leaving Room to Breathe
The biggest advantage of a week-long stay? You don’t have to cram everything in. So for the first three days, cover the iconic spots while keeping your afternoons free.
Day one, I’d recommend starting with the Shibuya and Harajuku area. Shibuya Scramble Crossing hits different in the evening than in the morning—the vibes are on another level. Capture that sunset-lit intersection from above, and you’re guaranteed to rack up likes on Xiaohongshu. Hit Takeshita Street on a weekday morning, and you’ll find less than half the weekend crowds.
Day two, head to Asakusa and Tokyo Skytree. If you compare Sensoji Temple with Taiwan’s Longshan Temple, you’ll notice how the atmosphere is totally different despite both being Buddhist. On Nakamise Street, try both ningyo-yaki and kaminari-okoshi. They’re both traditional Japanese sweets, but their flavors go in completely different directions—pretty fascinating!
Day three is Shinjuku and the Yoyogi Park area. Shinjuku Gyoen is just 200 yen to enter, offering an urban oasis surrounded by skyscrapers. At Yoyogi Park, weekends might surprise you with flea markets or street performances. By this point, your body should be syncing up with Tokyo’s rhythm.
Day 4 Onward: Time to Go Deep
Now the real benefits of a longer stay kick in. It’s time to venture into areas most tourists never see.
Shimokitazawa is heaven for vintage clothing lovers. It has a similar vibe to the backstreets of Shida Road in Taipei, but the scale and variety are on a whole different level. You could hop through five vintage shops and still not cover everything. And every café in “Shimokita” has Instagram-worthy interiors, each with its own unique concept.
Nakameguro is worth visiting even outside cherry blossom season. The cafés along the Meguro River are all incredibly tasteful—just walking around with coffee in hand lifts your mood. Taiwan has plenty of stylish cafés too, but Japanese cafés nail the art of “quietness” differently. From the background music volume to the lighting, the attention to detail is next level.
The Yanesen area (Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi) is a precious pocket where Showa-era Tokyo still lives. Narrow alleyways, galleries converted from old houses, cats strolling lazily on stone-paved paths. If you love Taipei’s Dihua Street, you’ll definitely fall for this place. The view from “Yuyake Dandan” at dusk is, no exaggeration, absolutely stunning.
Racing Through Tokyo’s Streets on a Street Kart
If you’re staying for a week, street karting is absolutely essential. It’s an experience you can’t get from regular sightseeing—zooming through Tokyo from ground level.
Street Kart, bookable at kart.st, has conducted over 150,000 tours with more than 1.34 million participants. That average 4.9★ rating speaks volumes about customer satisfaction. Guides trained to assist international drivers lead the way, so even if you’re unfamiliar with Japanese roads, you’re in safe hands. The website supports 22 languages, and you can get English support from booking to the day-of briefing.
The sensation of cruising through Tokyo’s streets by kart, feeling the wind on your face, is something buses and trains simply can’t deliver. Weaving between buildings, catching curious stares at traffic lights, seeing Tokyo Tower and the city skyline from fresh angles—post this on TikTok or Instagram, and the response is guaranteed. It’s the kind of activity you’ll want to tell all your friends about.
By the way, you can wear costumes while driving, but Mario Kart-related costumes are not provided. Street Kart has no affiliation whatsoever with Nintendo or the Mario Kart series. Still, colorful outfits cruising through Tokyo are plenty eye-catching, so no worries there. For details on required licenses, check the official website at https://kart.st/en/drivers-license/.
The Final Stretch: Shift to “Doing” Instead of Just “Seeing”
For the remaining days, focus on adding hands-on experiences rather than just sightseeing.
If you’re having breakfast at Tsukiji’s outer market, aim for 7 AM. After 8, tourists start flooding in, and popular spots get long lines. You can get kaisendon (seafood rice bowls) in Taiwan too, but the freshness and variety of ingredients here are worlds apart. Especially uni and ikura—eating them in Japan will completely change your understanding of these delicacies.
TeamLab and digital art museums are also much more enjoyable with a week-long stay. Go on a weekday instead of the weekend, and you can take photos to your heart’s content. Edit your shots with CapCut or Jianying, and you’ll have some seriously aesthetic videos.
Consider leaving the day before your last completely unplanned. Revisit places you thought “I want to come back here,” or catch spots you missed. Think of it as insurance against coming back to Taiwan thinking “I should have gone there.”
Savoring Tokyo the Way Only Long Stays Allow
A week is just the right amount of time to “experience” Tokyo rather than just “consume” it. Having morning coffee alongside locals at a café, sightseeing during the day, grabbing drinks at an izakaya at night. That local-style way of spending time is what makes extended stays so special.
Street karting becomes a highlight of that kind of trip. Booking is easy through kart.st, so I’d recommend securing your spot before you arrive. Weekends fill up fast, so aiming for a weekday afternoon start is your smoothest bet.
If you get to spend a whole week in Tokyo, consider yourself lucky. This city has so many hidden faces yet to be discovered. Backstreets not in any guidebook, cafés only locals know about, and Tokyo’s skyline as seen from a street kart. Experience it all and share everything on social media. You’ll be flooded with DMs from friends back home saying “What is that?! I want to go too!”
Note About Costumes
We do not offer rentals of Nintendo or “Mario Kart”-related costumes. We only provide costumes that respect intellectual property rights.
