What are the main neighborhoods in Tokyo?

Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza, Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara and Roppongi are the ones every visitor meets. Ebisu, Nakameguro, Daikanyama, Shimokitazawa, Kichijoji, Koenji, Yanaka, Kagurazaka and Kuramae are where Tokyo actually lives.

Which Tokyo neighborhood should I stay in?

Shinjuku for everything and every line, Shibuya for nightlife and a young crowd, Asakusa for old Tokyo and the best hostels, Ginza or Marunouchi for elegance and Tokyo Station, Ebisu or Nakameguro for a quieter grown-up base. Anywhere on the Yamanote line works.

What is the Tokyo equivalent of Brooklyn?

Shimokitazawa and Koenji for the vintage-and-venues version; Nakameguro and Daikanyama for the polished version; Kichijoji for the leafy family version; Kuramae for the craft-and-coffee version. Tokyo has several Brooklyns.

Which Tokyo neighborhoods do tourists miss?

Yanaka and Nezu (pre-war streets, temples, a cemetery walk), Kichijoji (Inokashira Park, Harmonica Yokocho), Kagurazaka (French-Japanese lanes), Kuramae (craft shops, the river), Koenji (live houses, vintage), Shimokitazawa (theatres, records, curry), and almost everything on the Chuo line west of Shinjuku.

← Back to Blog

Travel Guides · Tokyo

Tokyo Neighbourhoods Explained: What Each One Is Known For, Which to Stay In, Which to Explore, and the NYC Comparison

Tokyo is a hundred villages joined by trains, and the guidebook names (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Asakusa) are the five percent tourists see. Every district that matters, in one line each: what it's known for, who goes, whether to stay there or just visit, and the New York comparison that helps. Then the ones nobody sends you to: Yanaka, Kichijoji, Shimokitazawa, Koenji, Kagurazaka, Kuramae, Daikanyama, Nakameguro.

Oscar Garcia·Founder of Roavi··3 min read

Visiting Tokyo?

Find a local friend who can help you explore safely, discover food spots, avoid tourist mistakes, and experience the city like a local.

Browse Local Friends in Tokyo

Tokyo is a hundred small cities. Here are the thirty that matter, one line each.

The famous ones#

Area	Known for	NYC equivalent	Stay or visit
Shinjuku	The station, skyscrapers, Golden Gai, Kabukicho, Gyoen	Midtown + Times Square	Stay
Shibuya	The crossing, youth, clubs, shopping	Union Square at 20	Stay
Harajuku, Omotesando	Street fashion, Meiji Jingu, Omotesando's architecture	SoHo + Fifth Avenue	Visit
Ginza	Department stores, galleries, sushi counters, the Kabuki theatre	Fifth Avenue	Stay (pricey)
Marunouchi	Tokyo Station, the Palace, offices	Financial District	Stay (convenient)
Asakusa	Senso-ji, old Tokyo, the river, hostels	Lower East Side (old)	Stay
Ueno	Museums, the park, Ameyoko market, zoo	Museum Mile + Chinatown	Visit
Akihabara	Electronics, anime, arcades, maid cafés	No equivalent	Visit
Roppongi	Foreigner nightlife, the Mori and National Art Center	Meatpacking	Visit by day
Tsukiji, Toyosu	The outer market; the new fish market	Chelsea Market	Visit early
Odaiba	Reclaimed island, malls, teamLab Planets, the bay	Hudson Yards	Visit if booked
Ikebukuro	A giant station, anime for women, Sunshine City	Downtown Brooklyn	Stay (cheap)

The ones Tokyoites live in#

Area	Known for	Equivalent
Ebisu	Restaurants, standing bars, Yebisu Garden Place	West Village
Nakameguro	The canal (cherry blossoms), cafés, boutiques	Williamsburg, polished
Daikanyama	T-Site bookshop, design, brunch	Cobble Hill
Shimokitazawa	Vintage, theatres, records, curry	Bushwick, friendlier
Koenji	Live houses, dives, vintage, Awa Odori	Bushwick, louder
Kichijoji	Inokashira Park, Harmonica Yokocho, the perfect neighbourhood	Park Slope
Yanaka, Nezu	Pre-war streets, temples, the cemetery walk, cats	Nothing left like it in NYC
Kagurazaka	Cobbled lanes, French restaurants, geisha past	Tokyo's little Paris
Kuramae	Craft shops, coffee, the river, hostels	Red Hook
Jimbocho	Secondhand bookshops, curry	The Strand, times 150
Shinjuku Nichome	The gay district, open to all	Chelsea
Ryogoku	Sumo, the Edo-Tokyo Museum, chanko stew	No equivalent

How to use this#

Stay in one of the first table's "stay" rows (where to stay, hostels), do the famous areas one or two a day (the 7-day itinerary), and give the second table your afternoons. Things to do, where locals eat, nightlife, getting around.

The neighbourhood you can't find#

Every Tokyoite has one: the shotengai shopping street, the sento, the bar that opens at 5 and has four stools. Post your dates on Roavi Community and a Local Friend will take you to theirs.

Want to see the Tokyo in the second table? Go with someone who lives in it.

Meet a Local Friend

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main neighborhoods in Tokyo?
Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza, Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara and Roppongi are the ones every visitor meets. Ebisu, Nakameguro, Daikanyama, Shimokitazawa, Kichijoji, Koenji, Yanaka, Kagurazaka and Kuramae are where Tokyo actually lives.
Which Tokyo neighborhood should I stay in?
Shinjuku for everything and every line, Shibuya for nightlife and a young crowd, Asakusa for old Tokyo and the best hostels, Ginza or Marunouchi for elegance and Tokyo Station, Ebisu or Nakameguro for a quieter grown-up base. Anywhere on the Yamanote line works.
What is the Tokyo equivalent of Brooklyn?
Shimokitazawa and Koenji for the vintage-and-venues version; Nakameguro and Daikanyama for the polished version; Kichijoji for the leafy family version; Kuramae for the craft-and-coffee version. Tokyo has several Brooklyns.
Which Tokyo neighborhoods do tourists miss?
Yanaka and Nezu (pre-war streets, temples, a cemetery walk), Kichijoji (Inokashira Park, Harmonica Yokocho), Kagurazaka (French-Japanese lanes), Kuramae (craft shops, the river), Koenji (live houses, vintage), Shimokitazawa (theatres, records, curry), and almost everything on the Chuo line west of Shinjuku.