Options for free time
We are arriving two days early prior to the tour. Day one we plan on heading to Ueno Park to visit the museums and the surrounding area and then head over to Asakusa to see the Sensoji temple and explore the area. Day 2 is sort of open (reception is that evening)
Is it worthwhile to head to Shibuya to "see" the scramble and stay in that area, or can someone suggest something else. We have read the guidebooks and are undecided
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Joel - I'm in Japan now. Our TD took those who of us who were interested to the Shibuya Scramble. I didn't think it was worth the effort - but I'm a native NYer and it wasn't that different from Times Square.
We went to a Tokyo Giants game the day of the welcome dinner - that was fun! We had to leave early to get back in time for a quick change, involving subway transfers (and a few mistakes!), but so worth it.
If you take the subway, ask the younger people for help- their English is better and they are so kind!
We were there in March 2026 and took the opportunity to visit the Imperial palace on our own. ( easy walk from youir Hotel) and ventured on the incredible Tokyo subway to visit Shinjuku Gyoen National garden. 20 Mins from Tokyo Station to Sinjuku and then a 200yd walk to the Garden entrance. Beautiful park for just admiring the large open space in the center of Tokyo. Buy a Suica card to make transit and 7-11 purchases a breeze. Lots of How to buy Suica on YouTube show you how easy it is especially if you have an iphone. Photos of Imperial Palace and Shinjuku attached. Enjoy!
Tokyo Disney Sea was a great way to spend an extra day. It was inexpensive and very different than anything Disney in the states. We prepurchased our tickets on Klook and took the train near our hotel. Very easy to navigate.
If you're a World War II history buff, go to the Yasukuni Shrine - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasukuni_Shrine
It's a controversial shrine because it has the names of 1,068 WWII war criminals, including 14 who were convicted of Class A war crimes and executed. I realize it's not a shrine everyone will want to visit.
Another interesting shrine is the Sengaku-ji temple where the ashes of the 47 ronin are interred. The temple is close to one of the subway stops (Sengaku-ji stop???) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengaku-ji