What should I avoid in Tokyo?

Roppongi after dark has a specific problem: touts. They stand along Gaien-Higashi-dori, usually foreign men who speak good English, and they'll steer you to a 'free entry' bar that hits you with a ¥30,000–50,000 bill — roughly $190–315 — for two watered-down drinks. The trick is a cover charge buried in Japanese-only fine print on a laminated menu you'll see once. Kabukicho in Shinjuku runs a similar game. Young men in suits approach you near the Toho Cinemas Godzilla building, offering cheap drinks at a place 'just around the corner.' That place has a seating charge, a table charge, and a charm charge. You'll leave ¥20,000 lighter for lukewarm beer in a room that smells like stale cigarette smoke and air freshener. Mind you, both neighborhoods are fine to walk through — the neon reflecting off wet pavement in Kabukicho is one of the great urban sights. Just don't follow a stranger into a basement.

Senso-ji in Asakusa is worth seeing — once, early. By 10am on weekends, Kaminarimon gate turns into a wall of raised phones and the thick incense drifting from the jōkōro purification cauldron catches in your throat. The Nakamise-dori shops sell ¥800 chopstick sets and ¥1,200 folding fans you'll find at Don Quijote in Shibuya for half the price. Tsukiji outer market still pulls crowds, but the wholesale tuna auction moved to Toyosu in 2018 — what remains is decent sushi at tourist markup. A chirashi bowl runs ¥2,500–3,500 at the counters facing the main lane; a standing sushi counter under the Yurakucho train tracks serves comparable fish for ¥1,500–2,000. The warm vinegar smell and the clatter of ceramic plates are the same. The price is not.

Don't take taxis unless you're splitting a late-night fare four ways. A taxi from Narita to Shinjuku costs ¥20,000–30,000 ($125–190). The Narita Express does the same trip in 80 minutes for ¥3,250 — the seats are wide, the car has that clean-upholstery smell Japanese trains do so well, and you get legroom a domestic flight would envy. From Haneda, the Keikyu line reaches Shinagawa in 13 minutes for ¥300. Get a Suica or Pasmo IC card from any station machine before your first ride — it works on every train, bus, and most konbini. To be fair, Tokyo taxis aren't a scam; they're metered and honest. They're just wildly expensive for what the rail network already does. Currency exchange at Narita and Haneda tends to shave 3–5% off the interbank rate. Pull cash from a Seven-Eleven ATM instead — Visa and Mastercard get the real rate plus a flat ¥110 fee.

June through mid-July is tsuyu — the rainy season. Humidity sits above 80% and the air carries a warm, damp weight that makes walking Harajuku's Takeshita-dori feel like pushing through a steam room. August is worse: 35°C days with a heat index past 40°C, and the concrete holds warmth well past midnight. If you're visiting between late August and October, typhoons are a real possibility — they track up from the south and can shut down Shinkansen lines and domestic flights for a full day. Check the Japan Meteorological Agency site, not your phone's weather app. That said, timing matters beyond weather. Golden Week (late April to early May) and Obon (mid-August) are when half of Tokyo leaves the city and every ryokan from Hakone to Kyoto doubles its rate. Tokyo itself gets quieter during those weeks — a genuine upside if you're staying put.