Guide de ville
Tokyo HND: 6 Hours, 14 Min to the City
Tsukiji fish market in 6 hours: otoro at 7am, no crowds before noon.
Getting from the airport
HND to city center: 14 minutes by rail (Keikyu Airport Line). Trains run every 10 minutes. Service runs 05:30 to 23:30. Skip the taxi unless your connection is under 5 hours.
What to do in Tokyo
The stops worth making: Shibuya crossing, Tsukiji Market, Senso-ji Temple, Shinjuku. Rated above 4.4: Meiji Jingu (4.6), Shibuya Crossing (4.5), Yoyogi Park (4.4), Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No.1 (4.5), Gōtokuji Temple (4.6). You do not need the full tourist circuit. Pick two and commit.
Visa and entry
Tokyo is visa-free for US passports. No application, no fee. The border process at HND is efficient. Expect 15 minutes or less.
How long do you need
The minimum useful layover is 6 hours. That gives you 14 minutes in each direction plus about 242 minutes on the ground. Up to 24 hours is a proper overnight.
HND airport
HND has 14 lounges. For short connections under 4 hours, the terminal is the destination: food options, showers, and enough space to reset before the next leg.