Tokyo
depending how many days you stay and which neighborhood will be key to what you could/should do, and what i would recommend… i like quieter places in tokyo. shinjuku and shibuya are a bit busy and crowded for me. kinda nyc or bangkok type vibes. same as any big city. i recommend downloading Hello Cycling (and/or Docomo bikes) and you can rent some bikes and go around smaller neighborhoods. i like Kichijoji and the Inokashira park there.
this was a really good izakaya/yakitori place in the center. def recommend, and try to sit downstairs on the tatami mats if you can.
Toritake Shibuya https://maps.app.goo.gl/J3kGu3bHevz89uVt5
fukumimi shinjuku was also really good! https://maps.app.goo.gl/FgVbHtDs8JezEtCm6
i like this museum, depending on the exhibit at the time… but it has a really beautiful privately owned backyard garden, if it’s a nice day… https://maps.app.goo.gl/KK8q6vW5igKqwA29A Nezu
if interested in yoyogi park (and the meiji jingu temple there, the main touristy big one in tokyo) then this could be a really nice walk for a few hours one day and ending at two cool bar spots and the tortake yakitori for dinner https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ev5UhEofDh9zugpK7
i don’t recommend the neighborhood called “Jinbocho”, it was listed recently by Time Out as #1 in teh world, but it’s actually not that cool. just a lot of universities and japanese used bookstores and curry restauraunts. i wouldn’t use time there even though it was called “cool”, fyi…
hiking from tokyo, i haven’t done it Most people go out to Mt Takao (a bit smaller/easier, also has monkey park) or Mt Mitake https://maps.app.goo.gl/jFih9tZAusnNeRky9 Expect it to be busy on weekends… and btw rush hour is worst in the morning between like 8-9, it’s a crazy experience on the trains…
depending on season adn blooms you can also check out Kinchakuda park or Hitsujiyama park, not far from city and very beautiful colorful flower fields.
another nice day trip is Tokyo –> Yokohama (transfer train) –> continue to Kamakura (surf town) –> grab coffee, watch surfers (dependign weather) –> continue to Enoshima (small local bus or train) –> rent bikes nad explore that island –> back to kamakura –> back to Yokohama (go to chinatown for dinner, so good) –> back to tokyo that was a nice day i did once before, nice on a sunny day, leave at 7-8-9am and get back around 8-9pm prob
somewhere, smiling :) 