It’s raining, your plan is dead, and you’re standing under a konbini awning. Here’s how to decide what to do next, fast.
Step 1: find out if it’s worth waiting
Open the JMA rainfall nowcast (opens in a new tab) — the Japan Meteorological Agency’s official short-range precipitation forecast, in English.
If it’s a passing band, a coffee and a covered arcade solves your problem and your original plan survives. If it’s set in for the day, stop negotiating with the weather and commit to an indoor plan. Most wasted rainy days in Tokyo are wasted in the hour spent hoping.
Step 2: the real question isn’t “indoor” — it’s “how far from the station”
Every list of rainy-day activities tells you which places have a roof. That’s not the variable that decides whether your afternoon is miserable. The variable is how long you’re outside between the ticket gate and the door.
Ten minutes across Ueno Park in horizontal rain will soak you regardless of how dry the museum is. Here’s what we’ve confirmed from official sources:
| Place | Station | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| teamLab Planets | Shin-Toyosu | 1 min |
| Samurai & Ninja Museum | Tawaramachi | 2 min |
| Tea ceremony (Asakusa) | Asakusa, Tsukuba Express exit A4 | 2 min |
| Mori Art Museum | Roppongi, exit 1C | 3 min |
| Warner Bros. Studio Tour | Toshimaen | 2 min |
| Miraikan | Tokyo International Cruise Terminal | 5 min |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum | Shirokanedai exit 1 | 6 min |
| Nezu Museum | Omotesando exit A5 | 8 min |
| Tokyo National Museum | JR Ueno | 10 min |
| Ghibli Museum | JR Mitaka | 15 min (or take the bus) |
Two traps in that table. teamLab Planets is in Toyosu, but Toyosu Station is a ten-minute walk — you want Shin-Toyosu, which is one. And the Samurai & Ninja Museum is in Asakusa, but Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line is eight minutes away, while Tawaramachi, one stop earlier on the same line, is two.
Getting the station right is worth more than anything else in this guide.
Step 3: can you even get in today?
Sort your options into three buckets before you move.
Impossible today. The Ghibli Museum sells dated tickets released on the 10th of the previous month. There is no door sale. If you don’t already have a ticket, it isn’t today’s plan — see how the booking works for your next trip.
Book now, from where you’re standing. Timed-entry venues — teamLab Planets, the Samurai & Ninja Museum, tea ceremony sessions, Warner Bros. Studio Tour — sell slots online, and rainy weekends are exactly when they sell out. Book before you get on the train, not when you arrive.
Just turn up. Museums with general admission — Tokyo National Museum, Nezu, Teien, Miraikan — and any neighbourhood sento. No slot to lose.
Step 4: match it to the time you actually have
| Time you have | Do this |
|---|---|
| 1–2 hours | A depachika food hall, a big bookstore, or a sento (¥600, no booking, and you’re wet already) |
| Half a day | One serious indoor destination: teamLab Planets, Tokyo National Museum, or a booked experience in Asakusa |
| Full day | Warner Bros. Studio Tour — the official recommendation is three to four hours, plus travel |
| An evening | Mori Art Museum is open until 22:00 (Tuesdays until 17:00 only) |
Prices, so you can decide with your wallet
- Sento: ¥600 for adults — the regulated Tokyo rate, the same at every public bathhouse. Children 6–11 ¥200, under 6 ¥100.
- Tokyo National Museum: ¥1,000, and free for under-18s and over-70s.
- Miraikan: ¥630 for adults, ¥210 for under-18s — and free for under-18s every Saturday.
- Teien Art Museum garden only: ¥200, if you just want somewhere to be.
- teamLab Planets: ¥3,600 and up for adults.
- Mori Art Museum: ¥2,100–2,500 for adults depending on day and whether you book online.
Prices at the museums move with the exhibition on show. The cheap end of this list is genuinely cheap.
Step 5: three things that will still catch you out
Last entry is not closing time. Tokyo National Museum closes admissions 30 minutes before it closes. Miraikan stops selling tickets at 16:30 for a 17:00 close. teamLab Planets stops entry an hour before closing. On a rainy day, when everything takes longer, this is the rule that ruins plans.
Tuesdays and Mondays. Miraikan and Mori Art Museum are closed on Tuesdays (Mori opens Tuesdays but only until 17:00; Miraikan closes entirely). Tokyo National Museum, Nezu and Teien close on Mondays. Between them they cover the week — but check before you travel across the city.
“Indoor” isn’t always all indoor. Nezu and Teien both have celebrated gardens that are entirely outdoors. Tokyo National Museum’s galleries are separate buildings, so you’ll be outside between them. Sunshine Aquarium has an outdoor rooftop area. None of these are reasons to avoid them — they’re reasons to keep the umbrella with you rather than checking it at the door.
Our rainy-day guides
- teamLab Planets: barefoot, and what to wear
- Tokyo National Museum: a half-day in Ueno
- Samurai & Ninja Museum: what you actually do
- Tea ceremony in Asakusa for beginners
- Ghibli Museum: how the booking works
- Sento for first-timers: ¥600 and the full sequence
- eSIM setup: so you can do all this from a doorway
Planning ahead rather than deciding on the spot? See our complete rainy-day Tokyo itinerary.