12 Fun Things to Do in Tokyo: Go-Karts, Maid Cafe Visit, and More

Unique Activities in Tokyo

As a Tokyo visitor, you can enjoy unique activities exclusively available in this city. Read on to learn 12 fun things to do in Tokyo.

1. Shinjuku Golden Gai Bar-Hopping Nightlife Experience
2. Tsukiji Market Half-Day Food Tour
3. Harajuku Half-Day Walking Tour
4. Tokyo Yanaka Walking Tour
5. Watch a Sumo Training Session
6. Food and Drink Tour in Shinjuku, Ueno, or Asakusa
7. Local Food Tour on Sunamachi Ginza Shopping Street
8. Local Bar-Hopping Experience in Tokyo
9. Five Must-Try Traditional Japanese Cultural Experiences in Tokyo
10. Go-Kart Experience: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara
11. Maidreamin Maid Cafe Experience
12. Instagrammable Cooking Class in Asakusa

1. Shinjuku Golden Gai Bar-Hopping Nightlife Experience

Shinjuku Golden Gai is an area reminiscent of the Showa Period (1926-1989), all while situated in the middle of a concrete jungle. The sight of over 200 small, quaint restaurants and bars lining the alleyways attracts many visitors.

On this nightlife tour, a guide will take you to some of their recommended eateries. You'll learn about the area's history and have fun chatting with the bar owners. It will surely be a night to remember!

Book the Shinjuku Golden Gai Bar-Hopping Experience in Tokyo
(English Guide/21,000 yen)

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2. Tsukiji Market Half-Day Food Tour

Tsukiji Market is one of the most popular spots in Tokyo. Not only can you eat fresh seafood at the fish market, but you can also try various fruit or street food.

On this half-day tour, you'll learn in-depth about Tsukiji Market's history, its present-day situation, and Japanese food culture. You'll even be able to taste hand-pressed sushi made by skilled sushi chefs at an established restaurant adored by locals.

Book the Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Drink Half-Day Tour
(English Guide/13,000 yen)

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3. Harajuku Half-Day Walking Tour

Harajuku is a spot sprawling with unique fashion stores—even in a city like Tokyo.

On this tour, you'll learn about the history of Harajuku while led by a tour guide. You'll enjoy exquisite latte art at a popular local cafe and browse shops, including the popular shoe brand Onitsuka Tiger.

Book the Harajuku Half-Day Walking Tour
(English Guide/13,000 yen)

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4. Tokyo Yanaka Walking Tour

Yanaka Ginza in Nippori is a district where you can experience Japan's Showa Period (1926-1989) encapsulated in the local atmosphere and architecture. It was one of the few places that managed to avoid being air raided during World War II, with many of its historical buildings still intact today.

On this guide-led tour, you can enjoy local cuisine while walking around the neighborhood. Plus, you'll learn about the history and culture of this area.

Tokyo Yanaka Walking Tour
(English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian Guides/18,390 yen)

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5. Visit and Watch a Sumo Training Session

Sumo wrestling is the national sport of Japan. It has a long history and is even mentioned in books dating back to the eighth century.

During this experience, you can learn in-depth about this mysterious and uniquely Japanese sport. Have fun trying on a sumo wrestler's loincloth used in matches, experience an actual wrestling match with a sumo wrestler, and try dishes like chanko hot pot, a typical part of a sumo wrestler's diet, or tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlets).

You can listen to stories about the daily lives of sumo wrestlers, the training they undergo, and their hardships as you chow down together on chanko hot pot.

Book a Sumo Morning Training Visit
(English Guide/17,500 yen)
Book a Sumo Experience and Chanko Hot Pot Lunch in Tokyo
(English Guide/13,000 yen)
Book a Sumo Wrestling Experience with Tonkatsu Lunch
(English Guide/15,000 yen)

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6. Food and Drink Tours in Shinjuku, Ueno, or Asakusa

Shinjuku, Ueno, and Asakusa are the Tokyo districts where you'll find all the cuisines unique to Japan.

On this tour, you can dive deep into Japan's nightlife and experience it yourself. Drinks and meals are included in the tour fee. You'll also be able to sing karaoke with a Japanese person at a snack bar. It'll definitely become one of the best nights on your trip.

Book a Japanese Food and Drink Tour in Shinjuku
(English Guide/14,600 yen)
Book a Japanese Food and Drink Tour in Asakusa
(English, Japanese Guide/14,600 yen)
Book a Japanese Food and Drink Tour in Ueno
(English Guide/14,600 yen)

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7. Local Food Tour on Sunamachi Ginza Shopping Street

Sunamachi Ginza Shopping Street is a shopping district in Tokyo's Koto Ward, with 140 shops lining both sides of this 670-meter-long street. It ranks among Tokyo's three major Ginza shopping streets alongside Togoshi Ginza Shopping Street and Jujo Ginza Shopping Street.

You'll take the bus from Kinshicho to Sunamachi Ginza with your guide on this tour. Have fun trying local food like tempura (deep-fried seafood and vegetables), Inari sushi (sushi rice in tofu pouches), yakitori (chicken skewers), Japanese sake, menchi-katsu (minced pork cutlet), and oden (fish cake stew) while listening to your guide explain the shopping street's history.

Book the Local Food and Drink Tour on Sunamachi Ginza
(English Guide/13,500 yen)

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8. Local Bar-Hopping Experience in Tokyo

As far as local izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) in Japan goes, these pubs may be difficult to enter outside the famous chains.

Communication with the staff and receiving a menu only available in Japanese? Could you adapt to such an extremely local environment? These are some situations you might worry about when visiting an izakaya.

However, participating in this tour ensures a stress-free visit to popular izakayas selected by your guide. The tour fee includes a choice of either a drink and two appetizers or two drinks and an appetizer at each bar.

You'll undoubtedly adapt to Japan's unique izakaya culture and fully appreciate Japan's nightlife while conversing with your tour guide and fellow participants.

Book a Local Bar Hopping Experience in Tokyo
(English Guide/18,500 yen)

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9. Five Must-Try Traditional Japanese Cultural Experiences in Tokyo

On this tour, you can experience five activities: tea ceremony, maiko performance (*1), kimono experience, calligraphy lesson, and an origami workshop. This will take place over two hours on the grounds of Kanda Myojin Shrine, one of the representative shrines of Tokyo.

*1 Maiko: geisha apprentice

The activities on this experience tour can be enjoyed alone or as a group. Are you someone who wants first to be exposed to Japanese culture? Then you'll absolutely be able to do so by participating in this tour!

Book Five Must-Try Traditional Japanese Cultural Experiences in Tokyo
(English Guide/10,000 yen)

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10. Go-Kart Experience in Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Akihabara

Do you want to have a thrilling experience dashing through Tokyo's streets? Then get dressed as a video game character and drive go-karts through the streets of Tokyo with a guide!

During this experience, you'll get a taste of Tokyo's charms from a different perspective than what you'd typically get from simply sightseeing in the city. The experience tour requires you to present a valid driver's license. Please adhere to Japan's traffic laws and enjoy yourself while putting safety first.

Go-Kart Experience in Akihabara
(English Guide/7,200 yen)
Go-Kart Experience in Shibuya
(English Guide/25,000 yen)
Go-Kart Experience in Shinjuku
(English Guide/17,500 yen)

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11. Maidreamin Maid Cafe Experience

Maid cafes are famous among the many representations of Japan's otaku culture.

Step into Maidreamin, a maid cafe, and you'll be warmly welcomed by staff fully dressed in maid outfits. It's almost as if you've wandered into a fantasy world.

You can ask the maids to draw or write a message on your food and choose songs for them to sing. Don't forget to take a two-shot photo with your favorite maid!

Maid Cafe Experience at Maidreamin Tokyo
(Japanese/3,680 yen)

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12. Instagrammable Cooking Class in Asakusa

Would you like to learn how to make Japanese dishes at a restaurant overlooking Sumida River? Not satisfied with just sightseeing and eating out at restaurants? Then we recommend this cooking experience!

You'll learn the recipe for temari sushi (ball-shaped sushi), a dish worth sharing on social media, and how to make instant miso soup balls. This cooking class is especially recommended for groups.

Book an Instagrammable Cooking Class in Asakusa
(English Guide/7,500 yen)

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Enjoy Tokyo's Culture to the Fullest!

The activities introduced in this article are remarkably popular, even among the countless activities you'll find in Tokyo.

We suggest doing more than shopping and eating local cuisine when visiting Japan. By participating in a tour, you'll be able to experience Japan's unique cultures and learn about the other sides of Tokyo.

All pictures courtesy of Pixta