Few 7-day trips attempt to yoke together Tokyo and London, yet the pairing makes surprising sense. One city dazzles with precision, ritual, and restless reinvention; the other wears two millennia of history with casual authority, where Roman walls, royal ceremony, and immigrant kitchens share the same map.

Tokyo began as Edo, the seat of the Tokugawa shoguns, before becoming the capital of modern Japan in the 19th century. London, meanwhile, grew from Roman Londinium into the political and cultural engine of Britain. Together they offer a study in urban grandeur: Shinto shrines and sumo traditions on one side, Westminster abbeys and Tower ravens on the other.

Practical notes matter on a trip this compact. Because 7 days is too short to do justice to Japan, London, and Xinjiang in a logical flow, I have selected two cities based on your trip length and ease of travel: Tokyo and London. For March 2025 planning, keep an eye on visa rules, transit airport requirements, and the long-haul time difference; this itinerary assumes an afternoon arrival on Day 1 and an afternoon departure on Day 7.

Tokyo is a city of thrilling contrasts. You can begin the day with incense curling through Senso-ji, spend lunch under the scramble of Shibuya, and end the evening in a tiny Shinjuku bar with eight seats and a handwritten menu. It is also one of the world’s great food capitals, where ramen counters, kissaten coffee shops, department-store food halls, and hushed sushi rooms all compete for your loyalty.

For where to stay in Tokyo, I recommend The Peninsula Tokyo for polished service near Ginza and Hibiya, Hotel Gracery Shinjuku if you want to be planted in the middle of neon Shinjuku, or Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku for reliable value and excellent transport connections. If you prefer broader inventory, browse VRBO Tokyo or Hotels.com Tokyo.

For arrival logistics in Japan, use Trip.com flights or Kiwi.com flights to compare long-haul options into Tokyo. If you land at Narita and want a simple handoff after a tiring intercontinental flight, consider the Tokyo (Narita) Airport Transfer Service or Narita Airport(NRT) Private Transfer To/From Tokyo.

London enters the itinerary as a counterpoint rather than a sequel. Its pleasures are more layered than instantaneous: church bells over Westminster, painted pub signs in Covent Garden, the gleam of the Crown Jewels, and museum collections so rich they can alter the rhythm of an entire day. It is also a city best enjoyed on foot in segments, with pauses for tea, pies, curry, oysters, or a pint depending on mood and weather.

For where to stay in London, choose Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London for major sights at your doorstep, Point A Hotel London Kings Cross – St Pancras for excellent rail connectivity, or The Savoy if you want old-school grandeur on the Strand. You can also compare broader options via VRBO London or Hotels.com London.

For travel from Tokyo to London, plan a morning departure and expect roughly 15–18 hours total travel time including airport procedures and possible layover, with fares commonly around $550–$1,200+ depending on season and route. Because London is in Europe, compare tickets through Omio flights; for non-European search support on the Tokyo side, Trip.com flights remains useful too.

Tokyo

Tokyo is not merely large; it is layered. The city rewards travelers who move between its moods: old temple quarters, fashion districts, station-city megastructures, serene gardens, and restaurants hidden above laundromats or below railway arches.

Its great secret is how intimate it can feel. In spite of its scale, neighborhood identity is strong, and many of the best moments arrive in the in-between spaces: a lantern alley in Kagurazaka, a department store depachika in Ginza, or a hand-drip coffee counter in Yanaka where nobody rushes you.

• Best for first-timers: Asakusa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Meiji Jingu, Ginza, Tokyo Skytree area.
• Food worth prioritizing: sushi breakfasts, ramen, tonkatsu, yakitori, tempura, kissaten coffee, and basement food halls.
• Useful local tip: carry a little cash, keep a transit card loaded, and start popular sights early for a calmer experience.

Featured Tokyo activities:

• 1-Day Tokyo Bus Tour for an efficient overview on a short schedule.
• Mt Fuji and Hakone 1-Day Bus Tour Return by Bullet Train if you want Japan’s iconic landscape without planning the logistics yourself.
• Tokyo: Shinjuku Food Tour (13 Dishes at 4 Local Eateries) for a guided introduction to Tokyo nightlife and casual dining culture.
• Tokyo Shinjuku Sumo Show & Experience with Photo for a theatrical but approachable cultural evening.

Day 1 – Arrival in Tokyo: Asakusa and an easy first evening

Morning: In transit.

Afternoon: Arrive in Tokyo, check in, and keep the first hours gentle. If energy allows, head to Asakusa, where the approach to Senso-ji through Nakamise-dori gives you a crisp introduction to older Tokyo: incense, snack stalls, lanterns, and the massive Kaminarimon gate that has become one of the city’s enduring emblems.

Evening: For dinner, choose Daikokuya Tempura in Asakusa, famous for its dark, sesame-oil-scented tempura bowl, or Asakusa Imahan for sukiyaki prepared with the polished confidence of a long-established house. If you want a lighter end to the day, stop at Suzukien Asakusa for famously intense matcha gelato, then stroll the Sumida River with a view toward the illuminated Tokyo Skytree.

Day 2 – Tokyo highlights: Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shinjuku

Morning: Start with coffee and breakfast at Path if you are willing to make an early detour for superb pastries and Dutch pancakes, or choose Streamer Coffee Company for a strong espresso-based start. Then visit Meiji Jingu, the forested Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, where the transition from city noise to gravel paths feels almost theatrical.

Afternoon: Walk into Harajuku and Omotesando. For lunch, Afuri Harajuku offers yuzu-scented ramen that feels lighter than the heavy tonkotsu style, while Maisen Aoyama is a classic tonkatsu choice in a former bathhouse, beloved for its crisp breading and tender pork. After lunch, continue to Shibuya Crossing, not just a famous intersection but a symbol of postwar Tokyo’s reinvention into a capital of commerce, media, and youth culture.

Evening: Spend the evening in Shinjuku. If you want a guided introduction to Tokyo’s after-dark food culture, book the Tokyo: Shinjuku Food Tour (13 Dishes at 4 Local Eateries). On your own, try Omoide Yokocho for smoky yakitori alley atmosphere, or Fuunji earlier in the evening for one of Tokyo’s benchmark bowls of tsukemen.

Day 3 – Mount Fuji day trip

Dedicate today to Japan’s most iconic silhouette. The easiest choice on a short itinerary is the Mt Fuji and Hakone 1-Day Bus Tour Return by Bullet Train, which bundles transport, classic viewpoints, and a memorable Shinkansen return. It is a smart use of time because it removes the friction of multiple transfers while still delivering mountain scenery, lake views, and a taste of high-speed rail.

If you prefer a more tailored experience, the Mount Fuji Full Day Sightseeing Tour from Tokyo is another strong option. Expect a full day and changing weather conditions; when the mountain reveals itself clearly, it has the uncanny effect of looking both impossibly distant and startlingly near.

For breakfast before departure, keep it simple with hotel dining or a station bakery near your departure point. Back in Tokyo in the evening, reward yourself with dinner in Ginza at Ginza Kagari for rich chicken paitan ramen, or Udon Shin if you want handmade noodles worth the wait.

Day 4 – Tokyo culture and final night before departure

Morning: Explore either with the 1-Day Tokyo Bus Tour for a broad survey or on your own through Ueno and Ameya-Yokocho. Coffee at Yanaka Coffee or a classic kissaten-style stop gives the morning a slower tone before you dive back into the city’s energy.

Afternoon: Visit Ginza for department-store food halls and polished urban spectacle. Lunch at Ginza Kyubey is a renowned sushi splurge if your budget allows; for something more casual, the food basements at Mitsukoshi and Matsuya provide a glorious parade of bento, sweets, grilled skewers, and seasonal specialties.

Evening: End Tokyo with a cultural performance. The Tokyo Shinjuku Sumo Show & Experience with Photo is an accessible way to engage with Japan’s national sport, especially for travelers who are not in town during a formal tournament. For a final drink, look for a small cocktail bar in Golden Gai, where the density of tiny themed bars captures Tokyo’s gift for compressing personality into very little space.

London

London is a city of pageantry, argument, and appetite. It can feel ceremonial around Parliament and Buckingham Palace, mercantile around Borough Market and the City, and gloriously unruly once you enter Soho, Brick Lane, or the many neighborhoods shaped by migration and trade.

What makes it magnetic is not simply the list of sights, though that list is formidable. It is the friction between eras: Tudor stones, Georgian terraces, Victorian stations, Brutalist walkways, and glass towers all existing at once, often within the same ten-minute walk.

• Best for a short stay: Westminster, South Bank, Covent Garden, the Tower area, Borough Market, Soho.
• Food worth prioritizing: modern British cooking, pub pies, Indian and Pakistani fare, afternoon tea, market lunches, and riverside dining.
• Useful local tip: book major attractions in advance, especially the Tower of London and popular day trips.

Featured London activities:

• London in a Day: Tower of London, Westminster & River Cruise if you want a strong overview with good pacing.
• Tower of London Guided Tour with Beefeater Meet & Crown Jewels for deeper historical storytelling.
• Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Guided Tour of London for the royal and political heart of the city.
• Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Bath from London for a classic English countryside day.

Day 5 – Fly Tokyo to London and settle into the South Bank or Westminster

Morning: Depart Tokyo for London. Compare routes with Omio flights; nonstop or one-stop options vary, but plan on a substantial travel block and arrive prepared for the time change.

Afternoon: After check-in, keep your first London hours focused and scenic. A walk along the South Bank is ideal: the Thames, the London Eye, bridges layered with history, and constant city movement. If you need caffeine and a reset, try Monmouth Coffee near Borough Market for one of London’s most respected cups, or WatchHouse for a stylish modern coffee stop.

Evening: For dinner, The Anchor Bankside offers classic pub atmosphere in a historic riverside setting, while Dishoom Covent Garden is a highly polished homage to Bombay café culture, beloved for black daal, house chai, and room-filling aroma. If you still have energy, cross Westminster Bridge after dark; the lit clock tower commonly called Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are at their most cinematic at night.

Day 6 – Westminster, the Tower, and classic London

Morning: Begin in Westminster with the Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Guided Tour of London or explore independently. Westminster Abbey is not merely a church but the ceremonial heart of the monarchy, the site of coronations since 1066 and the resting place of monarchs, poets, scientists, and statesmen.

Afternoon: Continue east to the Tower area. The strongest option is the Tower of London Guided Tour with Beefeater Meet & Crown Jewels, which gives the fortress its proper weight as palace, prison, armory, and treasury. For lunch nearby, Borough Market is a superb choice: sample a sausage roll from Ginger Pig, cheese toasties from Kappacasein, or oysters and sparkling wine at Richard Haward’s Oysters.

Evening: Head into Soho or Covent Garden for dinner. Rules, London’s oldest restaurant, is a theatrical option for British game and puddings; Kiln offers smoky, spice-forward Thai dishes cooked over fire in an intimate room. End with a cocktail at a discreet bar nearby or simply wander the West End streets, which have a way of making even casual strolling feel like participation in a long-running play.

Day 7 – A final London morning and departure

Morning: On your final day, choose between a brisk overview or a last indulgent ritual. If you want one more attraction, the London Eye Fast-Track Ticket gives you a sweeping perspective across the Thames, St Paul’s, Westminster, and the modern skyline. If you prefer a softer farewell, take breakfast at The Wolseley, where Viennese grand café styling meets one of London’s great breakfast rooms.

Afternoon: Depending on departure time, fit in a short museum or market stop. Covent Garden works especially well for final shopping and people-watching; if you are near King’s Cross, a quick meal at Dishoom King’s Cross or pastries from Aux Pains de Papy make for a satisfying last taste of the city before heading to the airport.

Evening: In transit home.

This itinerary is brisk, but it is not superficial. In one week, you will have experienced two of the world’s great capitals through food, history, ritual, skyline, and street life—Tokyo with its kinetic precision, London with its layered grandeur. If you return later for a deeper Asia journey, Xinjiang deserves its own dedicated Silk Road itinerary rather than being squeezed into a week already full of long-haul crossings.