Japan has a reputation for being an expensive country to travel, canny afford that. After travelling Southeast Asia for 4 months, we were ready for a culture shock. But also excited to be able to drink tap water again! We budgeted £50 a day each! And here are some of the free activities we did to stay under budget.
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The Imperial Palace, East Gardens, Chiyoda. Entering through Ōte-mon Gate, the East Gardens are free to enter. There are multiple rest stops / toilets inside. The garden is great to explore at your own pace, with a free audio tour via QR codes along the way. Alternatively, there is also the options to take part in a free guided walking tour around the garden on Weds / Sat : 11am, 2pm. The gardens are closed Monday and Friday.
Tokyo Skytree, Sumida City, is free to explore (mostly). We just thought the Skytree would be a quick viewpoint stop and were pleasantly surprised to find floors upon floors of restaurants, shops, and even a small museum inside! Of course, to stick to our tight traveller budget the only shopping we did was window shopping, bit it was reyt.
Tokyo Tower, Blackpool Tower but better. A popular spot that many people pay to go up to look out over Tokyo. We just admired from the ground to keep within the budget, and found a free alternative view point.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, head up to the 45th floor for views over the city. All for free. This did feel a bit sketchy, but inside there is a souvenir shop and a cafe. If you visit for sunset, make sure to hang around a little longer as there is also a free light show in an evening!
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Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest-established Buddhist Temple located in Asakusa is definitely a must see but be prepared to join the masses in doing so! The temple is free to enter, donations are accepted and you can spend 100 to draw an Omikuji (fortune).
Nakamise Shopping Street leads from the outer gate to the second gate on Senso-ji. Completely free to have a gander at the many stalls selling souvenirs and local snacks. If you do choose to indulge, note that you cannot eat on the street as it is in the temple grounds. You canny walk and eat either, so get yoursen to a different street and find a corner to stand in – a bit of a faff really!
Ueno Park, famous as a home for Giant Panda’s (Ueno Zoo) now having an identity crisis as the final Panda’s departed for Chine in January 2026. The park is free to enter, and still has a Panda theme (post box, drain covers, statues and even Panda themed festivals!). We happened to visit during the Ueno de Panda New Year Festival, but there are many different festivals throughout the year. Ueno Park is also a popular spot for viewing cherry blossoms in Spring, though I imagine this is chock-a-block!
Yushima Tenjin Shrine, located very close to Ueno Park, and known as the ‘Shrine of Scholars’, it is devoted to the Kami of Learning. We visited in February for the plum blossom festival and saw around 300 plum trees in bloom! Entry to the Shrine is free but it costs 500 to see inside the treasure house.
If you are into the Japan car culture, head to one of the many free car meets around the city. We went to 3 different locations; Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue and Akihabara UDX are popular, easy to get to destinations. If you don’t mind travelling further afield, head to Daikoku Parking Area. We recommend you save these for the evening at the weekend!
Gyosen park, located in Edogawa City. There is a Nature Zoo in this park that we stumbled across by chance, and it was completely free! This Zoo has a wide range of animals; from penguins to farm animals. There are 2 shows that are also free of charge during the day, and also opportunities to pet the farm animals. There are other parks like this dotted around Tokyo.
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