2020 Olympics: Guide To Tokyo

Above, the Wako department store in Ginza. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The 2020 Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo and at other locales around Japan starting in July.

For those planning to go to Japan for the Olympics and wonder where to go, things to do, where to eat and where to stay, Travel + Leisure has a guide for what they recommend for foreign visitors.

They begin with:

The year 2020 may mark the beginning of a new decade, but perhaps most importantly, a new Olympic season. And while the Summer 2020 Olympics is just starting to show up on the radar of gymnastics and swimming enthusiasts around the world, Tokyo has been in preparation mode since they were announced as the host city in 2013. It’s not just Tokyo hosting the Olympics—it’s all of Japan, really. The farthest events, soccer and the marathon, will be 725 miles north of Tokyo in Sapporo—and baseball will be in Fukushima. Apart from those three events, the other 31 sports will happen within the region of Kanto, which encompasses Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, the most Olympic-relevant ones being Shizuoka, Kanagawa, and Yamanashi. 

In anticipation of Tokyo 2020, this guide outlines everything you need to know about the Olympic-centric neighborhoods of Tokyo. Not only did we travel to most of the neighborhoods, we checked in with Tyler Palma, Tokyo Branch Manager for InsideJapan Tours and long-time Tokyo resident for some insight into navigating the city during the 2020 Olympics. The Olympic venues have been classified into two zones: The Heritage Zone, which Palma classifies as central and western Tokyo, and the Tokyo Bay Zone, encompassing Odaiba and Tatsumi islands. 

And in terms of navigating the city, Palma can’t stress enough that public transit is the way to go, “especially during the Olympics when various roads and routes will be closed and causing major delays.” 

Travelers should expect that popular neighborhoods, restaurants, and attractions will be more crowded than usual, though Tokyo has put in a lot of effort to ensure the city will be able to handle the tourism influx. "There are monorails, underground lines, above ground train lines, trams, buses and even water buses that can zip you around Tokyo as the locals do,” said Palma. “It all seems a bit overwhelming until you arrive and realize that everything is numbered, color-coded, and labeled in English.” 

As for accommodations, hotels are booking up faster than you can imagine. We’ve talked to multiple Tokyo properties that have already completely booked-out through the Olympics. That’s why a neighborhood guide is critical in preparing for the games. This way, when you’re searching hotel accommodations still available, Airbnb, and VRBO, you’ll know exactly what ‘hood to hone in on. 

Here are the neighborhoods in Tokyo (and the surrounding prefectures) you’ll want to eat, sleep, and hang out in during the 32nd Summer Olympics, which kicks off on July 24.

Above, the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios in Setagaya. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Some Olympics attendees may also be Godzilla fans and want to see kaiju-oriented locations and attactions. To obtain a copy of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, go here.

To read more, go here.