Top Rated Attractions in Tokyo

With Totoro greeting you at the entrance, step inside this colorful and whimsical museum and learn all about Studio Ghibli animations. Stroll through the beautiful exhibits and discover how animated films are created. After learning about the movie process, you can catch the screening of short museum-exclusive films. Kids will love playing on the plush Cat Bus from My Neighbor Totoro and later, you can visit the rooftop garden to see the five-meter (16 feet) tall statue of Robot Soldier from Laputa Castle in the Sky. Pay a visit to the Ghibli Museum to learn more about an iconic animation studio.

This naturally wooded park adjoins the Meiji Jingu Shrine, and until 1996, it hosted Tokyo's amateur rock and roll bands, who strutted their stuff every Sunday. They have since moved to Omotesando, and Yoyogi Park has become quiet, and ideal for groups of friends and families who like to enjoy a tranquil Sunday afternoon strolling by small ponds filled with koi (Japanese carp). Rental bicycles are available within the grounds during summer.

This huge, two-building general science museum was established in 1877 and covers a wide variety of scientific knowledge including the evolution of living things, the Earth's formative history, nature, and astronomy. The giant dinosaur fossil, a moon rock and the stuffed body of Hachiko, the famous loyal Akita dog are some of the unmissable exhibits here. Taxidermy specimens, steam engines and the life of Japanese people are also some of the intriguing permanent exhibitions. If you cannot read Japanese, it is better to bring along a Japanese friend who can translate things for you.

The Shinjuku Gyo-en blends Western and Eastern influences in its layout with English, French and conventional Japanese gardens. It also features quaint tea ceremony houses and a greenhouse with a considerable collection of tropical plants. It is most famous for its cherry blossom trees, which in early spring paint the stunning landscape in different hues of fluttering pink and draw visitors in droves owing to their spellbinding beauty. The garden is an ideal place to get some fresh air, relax amidst nature and lift your spirits.

The Tokyo National Museum displays a bevy of sculptures, paintings, calligraphy, archaeological objects and other decorative arts. Divided into sections spanning Japanese as well as Korean and Chinese art, the museum's collections are nothing short of artistic preservation of Asian history and culture. Exhibitions, lectures, gallery talks and workshops are held regularly, so visitors can gain access to some valuable information about the world's largest continent. The museum also stores historical documents dating back to the 10th and 11th Centuries.

Located in the Taito-Ku area of Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art is known for its amazing collection of drawings, sculptures and paintings by European artists. Designated a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, the architecture of the main building can be credited to renowned Swiss Architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, famously known as Le Corbusier. You can admire the great works of Monet, Cezanne, Manet, Signac and many masters that shaped the history of art. Visitors are treated to the rich artistic heritage of the West during the numerous thematic exhibitions held regularly at the museum's gallery.