First trip to Tokyo - Welcoming all suggestions

[flychrisfly]

You could also fly into Tokyo, train it to Osaka and fly out of there, or vice-versa.

 

[Crowne11]

I would recommend staying in Tokyo in an area like Shinjuku as the Disney area is out of the way. I feel you would waste too much time on trains travelling in each day for the short period of time you are there.

If you want to visit more than just Tokyo you could fly into Tokyo take a shinkansen to Kyoto then fly out of Osaka. That would eliminate the need to backtrack. Whatever you choose to do you will have a great time.

 

[whereishome]

Hi - I lived in Japan for a few years and due to family am now back there regularly.

Here are my recommendations for hotels and other things. Hopefully enough for you to google. I'm going to assume you have no Japanese at all.

HOTELS (I've stayed in all - all good)

Akihabara Washington Hotel
AKIHABARA WASHINGTON HOTEL, Tokyo

Shinjuku Washington Hotel
SHINJUKU WASHINGTON HOTEL

REMM Akihabara


THINGS TO DO

Asakusa (in Tokyo) - Sensoji Temple, loads of souvineir shops, Thundergate (a must) 1/2 day

Akihabara (in Tokyo) - Stop here for amazing nerdcraft, Massive Yodobashi Electronics store (duty free, English speaking staff, some English language models of stuff) 1/2 day or more

Ueno - Ueno Park, National Museum, Art Gallery, Ueno Zoo, s_h_i_tamachi Museum (http://www.tokyo-cci.or.jp/sangyokanko/english/058.html check it out it's OLD SCHOOL Japan from the post-war era recreated - very cool, English language volunteer guides), Ameyokocho (Big shopping arcades under train tracks evolved from post-war blackmarket 1/2 day or more

Shibuya - Go at night for the iconic Hachiko scramble crossing and massive signage. Department stores (109, Tokyuu - cough for guys, good for girls) - Avoid touts. Try for a nice drink at Legato (www.legato-tokyo.jp/) with a great view - I think I got a 6oz Bombay Sapphire martini for ¥1100 ($13) last time I went.

Shinjuku - Go at night for the nightlife. Have a look at Kabukicho. Avoid all touts. Also go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Govt Building at day and night for the 45 storey free viewing platform over Tokyo.

Harajuku - Go on Sunday, check out Meiji Shrine and the gardens. Walk through Harajuku (young teen folks fashions) to Omotesando (older stylish fashions). Check out Yoyogi park - usually bands playing, Japanese greasers jitterbugging.

Roppongi - Generally avoid for nightlife. It's a gaijin hole and no fun can be had unless you are a Marine on leave or a moron backpacker. Gonpachi is good dining and English support Gonpachi

Ebisu - Sapporo Beer Garden, home of beer in Tokyo. Also home of Morgan Stanley and many other international companies. Ebisu Garden place is nifty.

Naka-Meguro - Japan micro brewer. I heart. Nakameguro Taproom « Baird Beer, Baird Brewing

Also check out the Edo Museum - NOT TO BE MISSED. WILL CHEW UP A GOOD 1/2 DAY MINIMUM. Edo-Tokyo Museum Near Asakusa.


That's easy to do stuff for a good 5-6 days.

 

[drron]

Kpc and whereishome have given you some good tips for Tokyo.There is definitely enough to do in 5 days without a day trip but if you wanted the 2 that would not take up too much time in travel are Nikko to the north or Hakone to the south-great views of Mt.Fuji.March is cherry blossom time so prices may be a bit higher.
A couple of the areas of Tokyo are descibed in this TR of mine-tokyo starts at post 18.
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....p-photos/from-the-mersey-to-mekong-19767.html
or this one from post 40-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....photos/the-godfather-in-new-joisey-19045.html
I am sure you will enjoy.

 

[Mal]

Fish markets are definitely good, although I believe they've locked them down a bit more since I was there.

Sony store was very interesting. Plenty of things I would never buy, but were good to look at and play with.

Shinjuku is a good place to stay.

I'm not an expert though - others will need to chime in as well.

 

[medhead]

Also check out the Edo Museum - NOT TO BE MISSED. WILL CHEW UP A GOOD 1/2 DAY MINIMUM. Edo-Tokyo Museum Near Asakusa.

I was going to also suggest the Edo museum. one of the things that I did from that list, well worth it. Extremely interesting and gives a great over view of tokyo/edo.

Also agree about Roppogni, I changed trains during daytime there and was shocked by the 3 russian ladies and a big guy walking into the station.

 

[ab156]

Work in all the stuff KPC and whereishome have listed and you will have a great time. Good mix of Tokyo crazy and culture. Like others, I beg you not to stay at Disney unless it is something your partner really wants to do. There are plenty of decent (small, but that;s part of the fun!) hotels. Just need to seek out the websites.

Travel by subway is easy once you work out the system, all color coded and numbered - you'll be wizzing all over the city in minutes. Working out the ticket machine the first time is fun. Locals are generally helpful, if you stand there looking confused long enough someone will help Do take walking shoes, you can actually do a far bit of walking to take in the city if the weather is good.

Not sure 5 days is long enough to include a trip to Kyoto, it is beautiful but unless you want to run around like crazy you have plenty to keep you busy, especially if you are going to dedicate a day at Disney.

... now you have me thinking of another trip!

 

[wingspan]

Oops, I must have it around the wrong way, having trouble remembering the details. Must have been the day ticket that got rejected by JR.

Ahh yes that is known to happen depending on where you board.

 

[wingspan]

I was going to also suggest the Edo museum. one of the things that I did from that list, well worth it. Extremely interesting and gives a great over view of tokyo/edo.

Yes I agree! This is a must visit! I think you would easily get something out of it if you stayed for a day or an hour so you could spend as long or as short there as time would allow.

 

[ntaus]

Thanks one and all for your comments and suggestions over the last few pages!

I really appreciate the time and effort the AFF community go to assisting travelers with requirements as per myself.

I have placed the request for tickets via the Classic award that I mentioned previously, flying Sydney to Tokyo on QF21 - 3rd of March 2011 - and back Tokyo to Sydney on QF22 - 8th March 2011.

Total Taxes for all flights ended up at $479.12.

I had looked at the costs of taxes etc as compared to the ASA option but really couldn't justify the additional points required as compared to what it cost for taxes on the Classic award.

Even if I had split the trip and booked a Classic award there and ASA back, the cost of taxes for the return flight alone was either 38,000 points or 40,865 Yen ($489.57), so really not an option when combined with taxes of over $200 on the way out.

So my next step is to look at accommodation and transfers from the Airport as I understand this is not such trivial thing given the distance from Narita to Central Tokyo.

I will let you guys know how I go with this and some of the suggestions made here as I get the time to reply.

Thanks again.

ntaus

 

[ntaus]

1. Depending on what you want to travel for, I would suggest not staying in international hotel chains or resorts. Stay in ryokan, capsule hotels, love hotels or boutique hotels. They are all exciting experiences you won't have the chance to enjoy elsewhere so you could make the most of them while you are there.

Given this is our first trip to Japan, and that I hope to be able to return in the future, the thought behind staying in a chain hotel rather than something more traditional is that it provides a certain amount of familiarity at the end of the day.

The plan essentially is to cram as much in as possible during the days, meaning that we will only be returning to the hotel for (hopefully) comfortable place to sleep that is central enough to transport and the things we want to visit.

2. I would recommend visiting the fish markets early one morning. (My mouth is watering while I think of them). I would also recommend to Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.

3. I would take her to chinatown in Yokohama - you can wander the streets and find something to your liking.

Awesome suggestions! We are both lovers of good sushi and, indeed, all types of Asian food! I dare say a lot of our time will be spent eating one thing or another

4. If you want to take a bullet train, I'd say it would be nice to go to Osaka for the food and the friendliness and it's where most visitors might like to go. Personally though, I'd take the bullet train up north and go exploring.

I will definitely be trawling the JR and other rail web sites over the next few days to look at timing of trips to Osaka / Kyoto / etc to see what makes the most sense in terms of travel times etc.

ntaus

 

[serfty]

Of course, a WP would earn 21,884 QFF points and 280SC's for that trip if booked as a JASA.

The 280 SC converts to more than another 3,111 QFF point when the "loyalty" bonus is applied - 24,995 in total.

If your wife is NB then she would earn 12,158 for the travel, as well as the 3111 from "Loyalty", more if PS or higher status, giving a minimum of 15,269.

That's an eventual total of 43,375 points earned for the travel if it had been booked as a JASA.

 

[medhead]

I have placed the request for tickets via the Classic award that I mentioned previously, flying Sydney to Tokyo on QF21 - 3rd of March 2011 - and back Tokyo to Sydney on QF22 - 8th March 2011.

Total Taxes for all flights ended up at $479.12.

I had looked at the costs of taxes etc as compared to the ASA option but really couldn't justify the additional points required as compared to what it cost for taxes on the Classic award.

Even if I had split the trip and booked a Classic award there and ASA back, the cost of taxes for the return flight alone was either 38,000 points or 40,865 Yen ($489.57), so really not an option when combined with taxes of over $200 on the way out.

I'm not sure about mentioning this, please I'm not trying to be smart or anything. Just I'm not sure you are search the ASA fully. A return ASA is available on those days for the same points (144000) and $683. So the difference is only $200 extra or $100 per person. No need to book 2 one way fares. I guess also if you did pay the full 200k points for the ASA then there would be no cash payment.
Anyway as you mentioned you don't need the points. I guess I'm a bit OCD at explaining these things.

So my next step is to look at accommodation and transfers from the Airport as I understand this is not such trivial thing given the distance from Narita to Central Tokyo.

ntaus

I did my trip on a real tight budget and used the suburb train to/from narita. Having watched one of the express trains fly past I would really recommend using one of those if possible. If you do go for more central accommodation then the airport express can work well.

I'm looking forward to see what you end up doing and also the tips from the real japan experts here.

 

[tuapekastar]

I'm probably going to repeat some things alredy posted but here goes anyway :

Second the Edo-Tokyo museum as a good (not sensational, but good) one.

My two stays in Tokyo have been at the Shinagawa Prince (modern, small room, slightly out-of-town, next to Shingawa station) and Best Western Astina in Shinjuku (short walk from Shinjuku station). This one is right in the heart of the, err, action, being smack-bang in the middle of red-light Kabukicho. The hotel itself is fine though, small rooms, but all amenities. I don't know if this applies to all hotel bokings in Japan, but getting the all-up rate is pretty important - I think I eneded up paying a little more than I expected at BWA even after double-checking and thinking I had the all-up rate.

Ginza well worth a look, including Sony store

Didn't think much of Roppongi but if nightclubbing is your go, it may be for you.

Not a lot to see at the Imperial Palace but it's a nice big park around it.

Second the comment re Chinatown in Yokohama, there are squillions of places to eat.

Kyoto well worth a visit as is Hiroshima (and Miyajima Island nearby).

I spent 2 nights at Takayama (bit of a tourist destination for Japanese people, but not too crowded) up in the hills where it snows in Winter (~2 hours by 'local' train from Nagoya) and found it a refreshing change from the bustle and wall-to-wall people in Shinjuku (where I had spent 4 nights - in hindsight I would have split it 3/3).

I'm not sure how it works with a JR pass, but with the train trips I took (no JR pass) there was a 'basic' ticket purchased, then had to pay just about as much again for a seat reservation. If you don't reserve a seat there are 'unreserved' cars but you risk being in smoking cars (may or may not bother you) and maybe not getting a seat (not exactly sure as I did not do it).

Whatever you end up doing, there are obviously enough suggestions in this thread, as well as your own ideas, to keep you going - enjoy the trip!

 

[ntaus]

I'm not sure about mentioning this, please I'm not trying to be smart or anything. Just I'm not sure you are search the ASA fully. A return ASA is available on those days for the same points (144000) and $683. So the difference is only $200 extra or $100 per person. No need to book 2 one way fares. I guess also if you did pay the full 200k points for the ASA then there would be no cash payment.
Anyway as you mentioned you don't need the points. I guess I'm a bit OCD at explaining these things.

Yep... point taken.

I was looking at the return ASA and maxmising the use of points, rather than spend, which ended up with more points that I wanted to 'spend' or borrow.

As I am only booking into Y (well, X) so the points earned aren't significant enough for me to care too much either way.

Main thing is that I'm booked in, in time to give the e-ticket as a Chrissy present

ntaus

 

[medhead]

Main thing is that I'm booked in, in time to give the e-ticket as a Chrissy present

ntaus

That is the main thing. If it was me I might still be searching for options in 3 weeks

 

[flychrisfly]

So my next step is to look at accommodation and transfers from the Airport as I understand this is not such trivial thing given the distance from Narita to Central Tokyo.

I will let you guys know how I go with this and some of the suggestions made here as I get the time to reply.

Thanks again.

ntaus

Regarding transfers, I used these guys Airport Limousine Bus-Airport Transport Service Co., Ltd repeatedly with extremely reliable on-time service (it is Japan after all) and English speaking staff at the airport. The counter at the airport is literally 10 metres in front of you as you exit the arrivals hall plus they take credit cards.

Re: accomodation, I stayed at the Cerulean Hotel near Shibuya - more expensive but very nice rooms and good views too.

 

[11sjw]

Not sure what they're charging these days but we stayed here late in 2008 and they charged Y25500/night then.

[FONT=&quot]Hotel:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Dai-ichi Hotel Tokyo[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Street:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1-2-6 Shimbashi[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]City:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Tokyo[/FONT]

From there we were able to walk (pram as well) to:

1. Ginza (nothing like stumbling into a restaurant overloaded pram in tow to find you're about to spend $180pp on some freshly made tempura, yum but ouch!)
2. Tokyo Tower
3. Imperial Palace
4. Rappongi (no real need as we weren't sampling much night life)
5. Sony shop

Don't use the hotel breakfast as there is a McDonalds close by. Well I couldn't justify Y5000 for a bowl of cereal!

 

[Mal]

Regarding transfers, I used these guys Airport Limousine Bus-Airport Transport Service Co., Ltd repeatedly with extremely reliable on-time service (it is Japan after all) and English speaking staff at the airport. The counter at the airport is literally 10 metres in front of you as you exit the arrivals hall plus they take credit cards.

I've used them too, as well as the fast train to Shinjuku. The limo buses are probably better for a first time visitor, as they will drop you off at your hotel (if a recognised hotel on their route). But there's something magical about the train I just can't describe. Price is about the same.

 

[LG1959]

Dear ntaus
One thing we should all do in our life is visit Hiroshima memorial and museum. Though my husband told me that years ago and it was only after he took me that I realised we do all need to go and see it. You can catch a bullet train there and back and the experience is something that will stay with you always. It isn't all sad and very well done. Also eating out, our best experiences are walking the back streets and popping under the curtained entrances to small family eateries and trying to comunicate. We have had many memorable nights where there was very little language exchanged but wonder food, saki and laughter with friendly people. Mind you they are a little worried when westerners appear but if you are friendly and warm then you find the Japanese people are also. Noodle shops are the cheapest lunch, and their Mcdonalds bacon and egg muffin comes with lettuce!!