Twelve hours direct. Eleven million things to do.
There are cities that ease you in, and there are cities that hit you all at once. Tokyo is the second kind. The moment you surface from Shinjuku station, it's already everywhere: the noise, the neon, the extraordinary precision of everything.
And it costs considerably less than you think.
✈️ The deal
- From: London, UK
- To: Tokyo, Japan
- Airline: British Airways
- Stops: Non-stop
- Price: £708 – £750 return
- When: November to March
Example dates:
17/11/2026 – 26/11/2026
25/11/2026 – 18/12/2026
01/12/2026 – 21/12/2026
16/12/2026 – 15/01/2027
07/01/2027 – 31/01/2027
21/01/2027 – 15/02/2027
01/02/2027 – 15/02/2027
10/02/2027 – 25/02/2027
03/03/2027 – 17/03/2027
💰 How far does your money go?
Japan has a reputation for being expensive. It is not, not for tourists. A bowl of ramen costs around £4. A beer at a local izakaya runs to about £3. A set lunch with rice, miso soup and a main comes to roughly £5. Compare that to central London, where a pint rarely comes in under £6. You can eat extraordinarily well in Tokyo on less than £20 a day.
☀️ The weather
November is the sweet spot: days reach 17°C, nights drop to around 9°C, and the autumn colours are still on the trees. December cools sharply, settling around 12°C by day and 4°C at night, dry and very clear. January and February are the coldest months, hovering around 10°C by day and dipping to 3°C at night. Cold, yes, but the skies are almost always blue and the crowds are thin. March warms back to 14°C and the first cherry blossoms start to appear on the last dates in this window.
🏨 Where to stay
Tokyo has strong options at every price point.
KOKO HOTEL Residence Asakusa Kappabashi – 8.6/10 · From £65/night
Apartment-style rooms in central Asakusa, a short walk from Senso-ji Temple. A good base for anyone planning a longer stay.
Hotel Groove Shinjuku, a PARKROYAL Hotel – 8.8/10 · From £125/night
Right in the heart of Shinjuku. Stylish design, excellent city views, and everything Tokyo has to offer within walking distance or one metro stop.
The Okura Tokyo – 9.1/10 · From £380/night
One of Japan's most iconic luxury hotels. Immaculate service, multiple restaurants, a spa, and a location in Toranomon that suits both leisure and business travellers.
🎯 What to do
Tokyo rewards wandering as much as it rewards planning.
Shibuya Crossing – Stand above it from Mag's Park or Shibuya Sky and watch thousands of people stream across from every direction simultaneously. One of the few things that genuinely lives up to the photographs.
teamLab Planets – An immersive digital art installation where you walk barefoot through knee-deep water and mirrored rooms. One of those experiences that is very difficult to describe and very easy to remember.
Tsukiji Outer Market – Show up early. Eat fresh tuna sashimi for breakfast for around £6. It is one of the best meals you will have anywhere.
Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa – Tokyo's oldest temple, free to enter, and best visited just after dawn before the tour groups arrive. The surrounding streets of Asakusa are worth half a day on their own.
🗺️ Where to go from here
Tokyo is Japan's entry point, not its only act.
Kyoto – 2.5 hours by Shinkansen. Temples, bamboo forests, geisha districts and a pace of life that is the complete opposite of Tokyo.
Hakone – 90 minutes by train. Mountain hot springs, Lake Ashi and on a clear day a direct view of Mount Fuji from your ryokan window.
Osaka – 2.5 hours by Shinkansen. Japan's street food capital. Takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and a nightlife that runs later than anywhere else in the country.
Kamakura – 1 hour by train. A 13-metre bronze Buddha sitting in the open air since 1252, and excellent coastal hiking trails between temples.
Nikko – 2 hours by train. Elaborate 17th-century shrines in a cedar forest in the mountains. One of the most visually striking sites in Japan.
British Airways flies direct from London Heathrow. Eleven and a half hours. £708 return. Japan does not get much cheaper than this.
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