Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world for locals and travelers alike with prices on hotels, restaurants, and shopping as sky-high as the Tokyo Sky Tree. It might surprise you to learn that you can enjoy dozens of free things to do in Tokyo, from scenic spots overflowing with Japan’s famous cherry blossoms, to ancient temples and even beer tastings. As you’re adding up your per-day budget of how to spend your yen, these no-cost activities are sure to soften the blow.
1. Visit Senso-ji Temple (And Get a Bird’s-Eye View of It)
You probably associate ultra-modern Tokyo with skyscrapers, video game arcades, and millions of neon signs, but the city’s Asakusa ward conceals an ancient sacred site. Originally built during the seventh century, Senso-ji temple is one of Tokyo’s most famous attractions, whether you photograph its vermillion pagoda against a bright blue sky or peer through the dozens of shops along the street leading to it.
It’s also free to get a bird’s-eye view of Senso-ji. Simply enter the Asakusa Tourist Information Center and take the elevator to the seventh floor. This open-air observation deck not only lets you look down on Senso-ji, but also offers an unobstructed shot of the nearby Tokyo Sky Tree, one of the tallest free-standing structures in the world.
2. Spot Harajuku Girls on Takeshita Street
It’s been more than 15 years since Gwen Stefani was the queen of the pop charts, but one of her lasting cultural impacts was popularizing Tokyo’s “Harajuku Girls” to an American audience. Long infamous among the Japanese and throughout Asia for their outlandish “Gothic Lolita”-style fashion, these iconic Tokyoites are a free Tokyo tourist attraction unto themselves.
Although they’re more dispersed throughout Tokyo these days, one of the best places to see the girls remains Harajuku’s own Takeshita Street, a wild and colorful thoroughfare that extends eastward from JR Harajuku Station. A hub for Tokyo’s youth (even those who don’t wear turquoise wigs or crazy costumes), Takeshita Street is a feast for the eyes and the stomach with culinary specialties like decadent sweet crepes and cotton candy bigger than your head.
3. Say Your Prayers at Meiji Shrine
After finishing up at Takeshita Street, cross over to JR Harajuku Station, but don’t board a train. Instead, make the short walk to nearby Meiji Shrine, an oasis of calm in the heart of busy Harajuku. From the moment you stroll under the towering, wooden toriigate to the point where you arrive at the shrine’s main building, which was built in 1920 but somehow feels older, this is one of the best free things to do in Tokyo—one of the best things to do in Tokyo, period.
Tip: Unlike temples, shrines in Japan, which are known in Japanese as “taisha,” are always free. And they’re always open 24 hours, which means you could theoretically come here after a night out on the town in Harajuku or nearby Shibuya.
4. Take in Cherry Blossoms at Chidorigafuchi Moat
If you travel to Japan during cherry blossom season, it’s tempting to think you need to leave Tokyo behind immediately, and head for more rural destinations. In fact, several incredible hanami spots exist in Tokyo—and many of them are free. Among the most picturesque is Chidorigafuchi, a moat that runs just to the north of the Tokyo Imperial Palace (spoiler alert: This place is also free to enter!).
Note that if you want to get the so-called “money shot” of the sakura-lined moat from the north, you won’t need to pay. However, if you want to row a boat underneath the pink-and-white blossom billows, you’ll need to pony up some yen (and wait in a very long line as well!).
5. Watch a Sumo Practice in Ryogoku
Watching a match of a Japanese sumo tournament, which takes place throughout the year not only in Tokyo, but also in Osaka and Fukuoka, is a truly thrilling experience. It’s also expensive, and you have to book well in advance. One hack, if you happen to be visiting outside of Japan’s scheduled sumo tournaments, is to watch a practice in Ryogoku, Tokyo’s de-facto sumo ward.
This is a free thing to do in Tokyo, but there are some complications. You’ll usually need to call the “stable” the day before to confirm that the practice is taking place. Additionally, due to overcrowding, many stables require tourists to watch through glass, so as not to distract the wrestlers.
6. Visit the Statue of Liberty
China is more famous for fakes than its neighbor Japan, but Tokyo has a legendary one: A replica of the Statue of Liberty on Odaiba island. To get here, ride the driverless Yurikamome train to Daiba station, from whose exit you can’t miss it.
Lady Liberty’s fake sister, which looks particularly stunning (or maybe crazy) with the Tokyo skyline and Rainbow Bridge lit up behind her after dark, is one of many amazing things to do in Odaiba.
7. Watch the New-And-Improved Tuna Auction
The bad news? Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji Market, home to some of the freshest sushi in the world, is no longer where the city’s tuna auctions (among the most expensive in the world) take place. The good news? In the lead-up to the 2020 Olympic Games, the local government has re-located the auction to the purpose-built Toyosu Market, which can accommodate even more travelers and offers better views than Tsukiji’s inner market did.
Despite the huge costs Tokyo and Japan have accrued in building the new market and infrastructure to get to it, the auction remains free. You simply have to arrive in Toyosu somewhere between 3 and 4 a.m., as there’s a daily quota for how many tourists are allowed in. Note that while the driverless Yurikamome train runs to Odaiba island (where Toyosu Market is located) during the day time, prospective auction watchers need to take a taxi to get there at that time—and that’s definitely not free or cheap!
8. See a Panorama of Tokyo Station
Another old structure in the heart of modern Tokyo is Tokyo Station, whose early 20th-century facade stands in stark contrast to the skyscrapers of Maranouchi that rise around it. If you can’t afford a stay at the luxurious Tokyo Station Hotel, which occupies most of the original station building, there’s a cheaper (actually free) way to appreciate this timeless piece of heritage architecture.
Simply head southward from the main station entrance, and go inside Kitte, a shopping mall that is itself housed in a historical building, the former headquarters of the Japan Post. Ascend to the free observation deck, where you can admire the old brick building and watch futuristic Shinkansen bullet trains speed away toward points all over Japan.