Tokyo Types

What kind of Tokyo traveler are you?

Sixteen types, four letters each. Your letters say how you actually travel: what you look for, how much you plan, how fast you move and how far you'll go. Find yours, then find out where in Tokyo it belongs.

Take the quiz

ODiscoveryC or O

SPlanningP or S

BEnergyB or Z

RRangeN or R

That's OSBR, The Tabibito. Every code reads the same way, left to right.

The four letters

Each letter is a choice you already make

Nobody is 100% one side. The quiz works out which way you lean on each of these, and that lean is your letter.

1. Discovery

Famous or unheard of?

Classic

Prefers proven, iconic, well-known experiences.

You're a C if

"Touristy" doesn't scare you. It's famous for a reason.
You'd rather be sure it's good than be the first to find it.
You want to go home having actually seen Tokyo.

Offbeat

Prefers local, niche, unexpected or lesser-known experiences.

You're an O if

No English sign is a selling point.
The best thing you ate was somewhere you can't find again.
If everyone's posting it, you've already lost interest.

2. Planning

Spreadsheet or vibes?

Planned

Likes structure, research, reservations and knowing what comes next.

You're a P if

You booked the restaurant before the flight.
You know which train exit you need.
A free afternoon makes you slightly nervous.

Spontaneous

Likes flexibility, improvisation and changing plans.

You're an S if

Your plan is a pile of saved pins and a feeling.
A reservation is a commitment you're not ready for.
The best part of the day was never on the list.

3. Energy

Shibuya Crossing or an empty shrine?

Buzz

Likes activity, crowds, energy, stimulation and momentum.

You're a B if

You did not fly 12 hours to sit down.
A packed izakaya is the point, not the problem.
The day isn't over until somebody suggests karaoke.

Zen

Likes calm, slower pacing, quiet and space.

You're a Z if

Two hours in one café is a good use of a day.
Crowds cost you energy instead of giving you any.
You'd rather do three things well than ten things fast.

4. Range

One neighbourhood or the whole map?

Near

Prefers exploring an area deeply and keeping travel efficient.

You're an N if

Thirty minutes on a train had better be worth it.
You'd rather know one neighbourhood properly than skim six.
You pick the hotel by what's walkable from it.

Roam

Happy travelling across the city or beyond for something worthwhile.

You're an R if

"It's an hour away" is not a no.
The train ride counts as part of the trip.
You've left Tokyo on a Tokyo trip, more than once.

The four families

Your first two letters are your family

What you look for plus how much you plan says most of what there is to know about how you travel. Each family is named after a Japanese idea that sums it up.

C + P · Classic, Planned

KODAWARIこだわり

“If you're going to do it, do it properly.”

Kodawari is the Japanese word for caring about the details more than anyone asked you to. Kodawari travelers want the real version of the famous thing, and they've done the reading to make sure they get it. They're the reason the group had a table.

How to travel: Build the trip around a few things done right: the booked counter seat, the timed entry, the first train out. You don't need more stops. You need better ones.

💼

CPBNThe Salaryman/Salarywoman

🚆

CPBRThe Tetsu

📚

CPZNThe Sensei

🔨

CPZRThe Shokunin

O + P · Offbeat, Planned

OTAKUオタク

“When you're into something, you go deep.”

Otaku just means someone who goes all the way in on the thing they love, whether that's anime, coffee, vinyl, denim or one specific izakaya. Otaku travelers research like planners, but what they're researching is a rabbit hole, not a top ten.

How to travel: Pick your obsession and let it draw the map. Tokyo has a whole building, street or neighbourhood for nearly any interest, and it rewards people who show up knowing what they're looking for.

🍶

OPBNThe Jōren

🎮

OPBRThe Otaku

☕

OPZNThe Kissaten Master/Mama

🧸

OPZRThe Collector

C + S · Classic, Spontaneous

NOMIKAI飲み会

“The people and energy are half the experience.”

A nomikai is the after-work drinking party where the real conversation happens. Nomikai travelers want the Tokyo everyone talks about, and they want it with people. No spreadsheet required: the plan is whoever's around and wherever's good.

How to travel: Stay somewhere central and well connected, keep the evenings open, and let the famous neighbourhoods do the work. Your trip is measured in stories, not stops.

🍸

💅

😎

🌙

O + S · Offbeat, Spontaneous

MICHIKUSA道草

“The detour is usually the point.”

Michikusa literally means eating the grass by the roadside: what a horse does when it wanders off the route. Michikusa travelers treat the plan as a suggestion and the side street as the destination.

How to travel: Book the bed and almost nothing else. Pick a station you've never heard of, get off, and walk. Tokyo is one of the safest and densest cities on earth to be aimless in.

😈

🎒

🛵

⚔️

All 16 types

Find yours. Then find your friends.

Each type is named after a character everyone in Japan would recognise. Tap one for who they are, where they should stay and what they should skip.

💼 CPBN · KODAWARI

Two minutes. Four letters.

No wrong answers. Only wrong ramen. Koko turns your type into places picked for the way you travel.

Find my type