Tokyo Night in One Evening: From Sunset to the Last Train

One evening in Tokyo goes further if you let the sunset set the order. Be up high as the sun goes down, walk the neon once it is dark, eat, then move to the bars, and be near a station before the trains stop. Make your Tokyo Night booking around that shape, not the other way round.

Where should you be at sunset?

Up high. Sunset in Tokyo runs from 4:28pm in early December to 7:01pm at the turn of June and July, so check the date before you plan. From a deck you watch the city switch on below you, which you cannot see from the street.

Three decks are open well after dark. Shibuya Sky, the open-air roof over the Shibuya crossing, opens until 22:30, with last entry at 21:20. The free South observatory of the Metropolitan Government Building in Nishi-Shinjuku opens until 22:00. Tokyo Tower's Main Deck stays open until 23:00, with last entry at 22:30.

Shibuya first, then Shinjuku?

That order works well. Catch the sunset from the roof over the Shibuya crossing, walk the scramble and the back streets as the screens light up, then take a short train to Shinjuku for the lanes and the bars, which keep going later.

The photo walk runs the other way: it starts at the Lion statue in Shinjuku at 5:30pm and ends at the Shibuya scramble, with a train ride between. Either way, you cover both districts in one evening, and our Shibuya night tours and Shinjuku night tours show what each one offers.

When do you eat?

You have two good choices. Eat early, like the wagyu dinner, which starts at 5:00pm at Shimbashi and puts you back on the street by the time the lights are brightest. Or eat as you go, like the Ueno crawl, which is dinner in three stops: a standing bar, a tavern, then ramen.

What does not work well is a long sit-down dinner at 8:00pm, which eats the best hours of the night. If you are in the bars late, a bowl of ramen at the end is the classic finish. Our night food tours compare the dinners.

Can you fit a deck, a crossing and a bar lane into one evening?

Yes, if you keep them close. A sample that works in any month: the rooftop over the Shibuya crossing at sunset, down to the scramble when it is dark, then the train to Shinjuku for the food-stall lane by the tracks and the bar lanes. It fits between sunset and 11:00pm with time to eat.

The Shibuya walk does the first half for you: an hour in the streets with a guide, then an hour on the open-air deck, ticket included, and you may stay up after the guide leaves. From there, Shinjuku is a short train ride away.

When does the night move to the bars?

From about 8:00pm, and later on a Friday or Saturday. The Roppongi pub crawl gathers at 7:30pm for an 8:00pm start and goes on for five hours. The custom night in Shinjuku ends at 11:00pm, in good time for a train.

In the bar lanes, carry cash, ask before you photograph, and expect small rooms. The rules are in our post on the rules in the tiny bar lanes, and our bar night tours compare the guided nights.

What if it rains?

Plan for it, because Tokyo evenings are often wet. The rainy season normally runs from about 7 June to about 19 July, and September and October are wetter still, with 225 mm and 235 mm of rain on average.

The Shinjuku backstreets walk goes ahead rain or shine, the car-meet drives run in light or moderate rain, and the bars and food tours keep you indoors. Open-air decks can close in wind or bad weather, so have an indoor view in reserve: the observatory in Nishi-Shinjuku is behind glass. The sunset and weather by month has every month.

A winter evening that starts at 16:30

In December the sun sets by 4:29pm, so you can be up a tower by 4:00pm and see the city lit by 5:00pm. That gives you a long night: the neon, an early dinner, the lanes and the bars, all before 11:00pm. Evening lows average 4°C (39°F) in December and 1°C (34°F) in January, so dress for standing still. The free observatory in Nishi-Shinjuku stays open until 22:00, so a cold night can start or end behind glass.

Winter is also when the illuminations are up in Marunouchi, Roppongi and along the avenues. The Christmas drive tours them for your group with a driver-guide dressed as Santa; its dates are offered when you book.

A summer evening that starts at 19:00

At the turn of June and July the sun sets at 7:01pm, so a 5:30pm walk starts in daylight and even a 7:00pm drive can leave before sunset. Plan to be up high at about 6:30pm and on the street by 7:30pm. Everything after that runs later, and the last trains come sooner.

Summer evenings are warm: lows average 24°C (74°F) in August. Carry water, take breaks indoors, and pick an evening with seats, like the dinner cruise or a private drive, if the heat gets to you.

Where does a tour fit in?

Some tours are the whole evening; others are a part of it. The car-meet drives and the private drives take three to five hours, so book them for a night of their own. The photo walk and the Shibuya walk fill the sunset-to-dark hours and leave you free after. The Ueno crawl is dinner. The pub crawl is the late part of the night.

Build around one of them, not two. If you have two evenings, spend one on foot or at dinner and the other on a drive, and let the weather forecast decide which comes first. Our night tours compared will help you choose.

How do you get back before the last train?

Trains generally stop from about 12:30am to 4:30am. Aim to be near a station by midnight, and check your own line's last train on the day, because it varies by line and station.

The private drives take you back to your hotel, so they solve this for you. The pub crawl is built for the other answer: finish in time for the last train, or stay out until dawn. Our post on getting back after the last train lays out the options.

How do you move between districts?

By train, almost always. Shinjuku and Shibuya are a short ride apart, which is why the photo walk takes the train between them with your guide; that fare is yours to pay. The lattice tower is a five-minute walk from Akabanebashi station and seven from Kamiyacho exit 1.

Group your evening by area rather than crossing the city twice. Shinjuku and Shibuya sit on the west side. Ginza, Shimbashi and the tower are in the middle. Ueno, Asakusa and the broadcast tower in Oshiage are to the north and east, and the bay is to the south. One or two areas make a full night; four make a night on trains.

What should you carry for the night?

• Yen in cash: some small bars take no cards.
• Photo ID with your date of birth if you plan to go to a club; a photo of your passport on your phone is not accepted.
• Your passport on the hotel-pickup car-meet drive, which asks for it.
• Comfortable shoes: the photo walk covers about 3 km, and the lanes are best on foot.
• An umbrella from June to October, and a warm layer from December to February.

If you are meeting a guide, save the meeting point before you set out. Our meeting-points map shows every start, with the exit to use.

Three sample evenings, by season

The same plan, set against the sunset on three dates. Times are a guide, worked out from the NAOJ sunset table and rounded to the half hour.

What you need on the night itself, from station exits to cash, is in what to expect on the night.

Frequently asked questions

Evenings that follow this plan

Tokyo: Shibuya After Dark, Neon Streets & Skyline View

An hour through the streets around the scramble with a local guide, then an hour on the open-air rooftop deck, ticket included. You may stay up after the guide leaves.

From $102 per person

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Tokyo: Shinjuku Nightlife & Secret Backstreets Walking Tour

Ninety minutes from the police box at Shinjuku East Exit into Kabukicho's back alleys and a shrine, with a vending-machine drink. It goes ahead in the rain.

From $21 per person

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Tokyo Pub Crawl Nightlife Party with Club Entry

Friday and Saturday nights from 8:00pm in Roppongi: welcome shots at each bar, drink discounts and free entry to the last club. Drinking age 20; bring photo ID.

From $24 per person

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