It's 7am at the Tsukiji outer market. Steam is coming off a bowl of tamago, the stalls are already loud, and you got here in one go from Heathrow. No 4am layover in the Gulf. No second boarding call.
British Airways runs Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda non-stop, and return fares have dropped to £756.
✈️ The deal
- From: London (Heathrow)
- To: Tokyo (Haneda), Japan
- Airline: British Airways
- Stops: Non-stop
- Price: £756–£799 return
- When: December 2026 to March 2027
Example dates:
09/12/2026 – 23/12/2026
14/12/2026 – 28/12/2026
06/01/2027 – 21/01/2027
08/01/2027 – 29/01/2027
03/02/2027 – 26/02/2027
14/02/2027 – 28/02/2027
10/03/2027 – 23/03/2027
Check dates on Trip.com
💰 How far does your money go?
A proper bowl of ramen costs about £6. That is less than a pint in most of Zone 1. Breakfast sushi at Tsukiji runs around £8, roughly a supermarket meal deal back home. A cold beer from a convenience store is £1.60, and a draft at an izakaya about £3.50. Tokyo has a reputation for being expensive. For a traveller eating local, it is not.
☀️ The weather
Tokyo winter is dry and bright. December brings daytime highs near 12°C early in the month, dropping to about 9°C by Christmas, with nights around 3–5°C. January is the coldest stretch: roughly 10°C by day, 2°C after dark, and the odd frosty dawn near zero. February holds at 10–11°C in the afternoon. Skies stay clear, rain is rare, and snow in the city is unusual. Bring a warm coat, leave the umbrella.
🏨 Where to stay
Pick a base near a major station and the whole city opens up.
APA Hotel Shinjuku Kabukicho Tower — 8.1/10 · From £70/night Compact rooms, a top-floor communal bath, two minutes from Shinjuku's neon.
Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo — 8.9/10 · From £140/night Three minutes from Tokyo Station, quiet tatami touches, ideal for day trips.
The Peninsula Tokyo — 9.3/10 · From £480/night Hibiya Park views, deep soaking tubs, service that remembers your name.
🎯 What to do
Winter means clear light, shorter queues and steam rising off every street food stall.
teamLab Planets — Wade barefoot through knee-deep water and mirrored rooms of light. Around £22. Book two weeks ahead or it sells out.
Grand Sumo Tournament — The January basho runs for two weeks at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Upper-tier seats are cheap and it is an all-day spectacle.
Shibuya Crossing and Shibuya Sky — Watch 3,000 people cross at once, then ride up to the open-air rooftop deck for sunset.
Tsukiji outer market — Go hungry at 7am. Grilled scallops, tamago skewers and £8 sushi sets before the crowds arrive.
🗺️ Where to go from here
Tokyo is the base, not the whole trip.
Hakone — Onsen towns, Lake Ashi and Mount Fuji views, 85 minutes by train.
Kamakura — A 13th-century bronze Buddha and cliffside temples, one hour south.
Nikko — Ornate shrines in cedar forest, two hours north, far fewer visitors.
Jigokudani, Nagano — Wild macaques bathing in a hot spring, best from December to March, about three hours by shinkansen.
Winter fares to Japan rarely start with a 7. Non-stop, British Airways, from £756. Lock your dates before it moves.
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