First trip to Tokyo - Welcoming all suggestions

[rezzadogs]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Kamakura. It is an easy day trip from Tokyo, jam packed with temples - both Buddhist and Shinto, and you can also fit in Yokohama on the way back to Tokyo (although that makes it a very full day).

My suggestion would be to travel JR to Kita Kamakura (North Kamakura) station, see some of the temples in that area, and walk down the hill on the main road through the tunnel to Kamakura. From there you can catch a tram to the beachside temples, including the big Buddha, which is similar to the Big Buddah near HKG.

Another day trip I recommend is to the Hakone region mentioned in a previous post. My company's office is in Roppongi, so I tend to stay in (expensive) hotels in that vicinity. But one of my most memorable days out of Tokyo was a trip I decided to do on the spur of the moment when I opened the curtains and saw a rare clear day. Metro to Shinjuku, Suburban express train to Odawara, transfer to a local train to Ohiradai, tram to Gora, funicular to Sounzan and gondola over the ridge to the most magnificent views of Mt Fuji.

A lot of people would stay in the area for the night and stay in a Ryokan (Traditional B&B) to sample the local Onsen (hot springs), but as it was 5:00pm on a Sunday, I walked down a path from Owakudani about a km, saw a bus stop, and caught a bus back down the mountain to Odawara, and then caught a Shinkasen (Bullet Train) back to Tokyo Eki (Tokyo station) via Shin Yokohama (New Yokohama - although not close to Yokohama Eki where the interesting things are walking distance away).

For travel from Narita to Tokyo, I also recommend the Limousine buses (orange - you can't miss them), as they take you straight to all major hotels in Tokyo. Within Tokyo I concur with the above suggestions. The Yamanote line (effectively the circle line around Central Tokyo) is key to getting around, and using the Metro to join up specific locations. The metro is effective, but not always the quickest way around. A suica card on JR trains is easiest, but has a relatively large deposit (refundable) to start with.

All JR and Metro stations have their names written in Romaji (the alphabet we use), and there are announcements on JR and Metro trains in English, so you can work out where you are.

I recommend the Tokyo Metropolitan Government towers over the Tokyo tower, although it is a little harder to find.

Asakusa for Buddhist temples and Harajuku for Shinto shrines (meiji jingu) are must do's. As mentioned Harajuku is best on Sundays with Goth brides near the station, and Elvis impresonators in Yayogi park. Shopping near Harajuku (Take****a {pronounced Ta Ka She Ta} Street for new funky designers and Omotesando for Western designers). I have spend days in the museums around Ueno, but also acknowledge that my tastes in museums don't match most people.

The food is great - don't worry about a lack of English menus. Walk in, point politely at other people's meals if they don't have pictures or displays, and you will be OK. You can eat quite cheaply in Ramen (noodle) or Katsu (Schnitzel) bars. As your confidence grows, you can try other places.

Above all, Toyko appears to be a normal Western city until you look closely. There is something always slightly off centre. Have an open mind, and I'm sure you will enjoy the trip.

 

[themaiz]

ntaus, be ready for a travel changing experience. Going to Tokyo and Japan for the first time altered my outlook on travel indelibly.

In no special order:

* I second the idea of going to Kamakura. It's a good daytrip out of Tokyo; just far enough on the train to be interesting, and heaps to do when you get there. Ensure good shoes, and sunscreen. Check to see if you can get a personalised guide to take you around. There are local volunteers who do this, possibly for a donation to a charity.. we had just the best time in the hands of a retired engineer who spoke impeccable English.

* if you're taking a JR Rail Pass, and that makes EVERYTHING heaps easier, treat yourself to the Green Car upgrade option. Provides just that little extra bit of comfort... a bit like WP, except you can buy your way into it. Once you buy the JR pass, there's no extra charge for travel but on many trains you DO need to reserve seats for each trip. No problem; they are used to tourists, and I think you can reserve several trips in one go. The website has lots of detail.

* my experience is that we (Australians) underestimate how effective the Shinkansen trains really are, and how quickly a "long" trip passes. In the time it takes to get from Sydney to Penrith in peak hour, you could get a few hundred kilometres out of Tokyo. Tip: you can buy food on the train (it comes to you) or you can take food with you. Or both.

* the Hiroshima memorial is a must. I expected a jingoistic justification for the Japanese involvement in WW2. Instead it's a highly balanced account of what really went on, and stresses the difference between the outlook of the government and military, and the ordinary person. See if you can join one of the "survivor talks"... people who were there on the day and lived. Just amazing.

* in Tokyo, after you go to the Tsukiji fish market (EARLY!!), you can walk through Hama rikyu teien (Hama Rikyu Park), and then take a ferry up the river to Asakusa. Rolling under the bridges is magic.

* My wife says she would go back to Nikko in an instant. We stayed overnight in a Ryokan.. and survived a typhoon in the process. It took a local train to get there, and that was part of the fun. You can stand behind the driver, and watch.... note the white gloves and hand gestures as the train goes through signals.

* Major tip: there is a really neat PDA application called "MetrO" which is available for Palm, PocketPC, iThingy, Blackberry and others. Look for metro.nanika.net MetrO provides a foolproof way to navigate trains and subways in the cities for which it has databases (more than 440 cities worldwide). Tokyo, Kyoto and many more Japanese towns are included. MetrO is ABSOLUTELY my favourite way to navigate on public transport both here and abroad, and it's never given me a bad trip.

So much to do, so little time!

 

[Ultimobo]

Personally I'd take the local train for a few dollars from Narita if that's where you're landing. Avoid taxis unless you want to throw $100 - different train company/lines - maybe Keisei is cheaper - google 'train from Narita airport'. If you can do Kyoto in a day, my pick would be Kiyomizu temple on the hill - including the stroll up the hill shops, allow at least an hour and a half for that from arrival at the bottom street. If you have time, maybe Kinkakuji - a golden temple is something rare, but that's across town a bit. Spend a half hour strolling around the new Kyoto train station - sample some of the food stores, and climb up to the top for the architectural view inside, it's something ! The usual - Shinjuku/Shibuya for the crowds, try the cheap udon/curry at the train stations, good, cheap and filling. A couple of major stores within a block or so of Shinjuku station - I forget the names. If you only use the green train Yamanote line you'll have seen plenty. Not sure I'd recommend Osaka - apart from the okonomiyaki, but Kyoto is special.

 

[craven morehead]

Have stayed at Century Southern Tower in Shinjuku very good spot.
Day trip to Mt Fuji by bus and return via Bullet train is a great day out. CM :mrgreen:

 

[ntaus]

Thanks again to all those who have provided suggestions.

Now being Boxing day, I have done the deed and have video evidence of my wife blubbing like a baby when she opened the presentation folder containing the tickets - Earlier in the day when discussing a possible future trip to the Olympics in 2012 she was heard to uttre the words "You have to take me to Japan before I die!" so I knew I had the right Christmas present!

From our initial discussions my wife has put forward the thought of staying in a traditional hotel for most of the trip and staying in a Ryokan for one night, however my thoughts on this are that changing hotels will take too much time out of and already packed schedule, when we won't be spending all that much time in the accommodation anyway.

My father in Law has suggested a day trip to Nikko as per themaiz's comments. Given its' closeness to Tokyo compared to Osaka / Kyoto / Hiroshima etc I think this may be a better option for our first time in the country.

I've no doubt there will be plenty of discussion on the subject and a review of this thread by my wife (Love you beautiful!) over the next few days so will hopefully have some firmer plans by the end of the week.

ntaus

 

[themaiz]

changing hotels will take too much time out

It might/it might not. An idea I should have thought of sooner: A tour company could be a useful ally... you can pick up a land-content package which balances the level of accommodation to your taste. Yes you pay for the guide, but if you're inexperienced that's not so much an overhead as an enabler: if the tour company is good then you balance cost against time and opportunity lost. The package we took ensured that we optimised our travel and sightseeing, and everything happened like clockwork despite the impact of the typhoon.

A starting point: I can't recommend Intrepid Travel highly enough, and they are based in Australia. We wanted a package which got us close to daily life, and which let us travel like/with the locals but offering some comforts. Bingo! We would never have managed to achieve/see what we did in the time we had without professional help.... AND we didn't have to spend any time planning or getting lost once we selected and joined the tour. Bonus!! And the hotel changing every night or two became part of the fun... just getting to next hotel by public transport was (a painless) adventure. The native Japanese guide always had great suggestions as to what to do next, and we were able to be with/not with the group as we saw fit.

 

[ntaus]

Thanks again for all the comments made on this thread!

For those of you playing at home, based on the suggestions made here in AFF and IRL our current plans include the following:

- An early start in the FLounge in SYD This will be my first Intl trip since making WP so will be keen to make the most of it! (As will mrsntaus I'm sure )

- Booking accommodation in the Hyatt Regency Tokyo in Shinjuku. Looking at the options this property appears to be the best located for the price per night. I realise that it's a walk from Shinjuku station but we're happy for the walk given the apparent merits of the place.

If anyone has any first hand experience of this location, feel free to comment

- Use of the Airport Limousine Bus between Narita and the Hyatt (Thanks guys for this awesome suggestion)

- First day (Friday) in and around Shinjuku / Shibuya and dinner somewhere nice on the first night.

- A trip to the Fish Markets Saturday morning followed by some time looking for some of the older sites / Temples around Tokyo. A trip to Yokohama in the evening to visit Chinatown for some dinner.

- Day trip on Sunday - at this stage we're still tossing up between a tour to Hakone / Mt Fuji which appears to be a good way of visiting Mt Fuji and taking a bullet train back, or a trip to Nikko which has been recommended by a number of friends.

- A trip to Disneyland on my wife's birthday (Monday)

- A quick trip to Ginza / Akihabara Tuesday morning before heading back to the airport (and the JAL F Lounge ) and back to Aus!

--------

So with this plan in place we're on the search for some of the finer detail such as decent places to eat in Chinatown / Disneyland and things to do around Shinjuku / Shibuya / Akihabara etc.

Of course, with all the suggestions people have been happy to spend time offering, we'll be sure to reciprocate with a detailed TR w/ photos to say thanks

Lookin' forward to the trip!

ntaus

 

[Cynicor]

I've stayed there before, but in my next trip to Tokyo (next week) I'll be staying at the Westin. The Hyatt wasn't anything special, although the club lounge was fairly quiet. The walk isn't that far and is quite nice, even in winter. There's a park nearby, but the whole district is fairly quiet it seems. (Was there late Dec, around Christmas). If you don't feel like walking there is a smaller station right by the Hyatt, which is 1 stop from Shinjuku.

If you haven't booked, maybe consider the Hilton in the same area,as they have a sale on for weekends I think. Or the Westin- my parents were there recently and loved it.

 

[flychrisfly]

Thanks again for all the comments made on this thread!

- Booking accommodation in the Hyatt Regency Tokyo in Shinjuku. Looking at the options this property appears to be the best located for the price per night. I realise that it's a walk from Shinjuku station but we're happy for the walk given the apparent merits of the place.

If anyone has any first hand experience of this location, feel free to comment

I spent about 4 weeks at this hotel in the 90's for work and it was very clean and pleasant. The walk to Shinjuku station isn't too bad (it's not great in the height of summer with a 90's laptop, folders, etc etc) but make sure you take note of how to get out of Shinjuku Station as it is an epicly huge station - 3 million people pass through it daily :shock:. Hint: you want Nishi Shinjuku or follow the signs to the Tokyo Metropolitain Government building.

- Use of the Airport Limousine Bus between Narita and the Hyatt (Thanks guys for this awesome suggestion)

The door to door service can't be beaten!

- First day (Friday) in and around Shinjuku / Shibuya and dinner somewhere nice on the first night.

See my previous post about Kushiwaka for dinner. It's close to Shibuya and is delicious, authentic and not too "hard" for foreigners.

- Day trip on Sunday - at this stage we're still tossing up between a tour to Hakone / Mt Fuji which appears to be a good way of visiting Mt Fuji and taking a bullet train back, or a trip to Nikko which has been recommended by a number of friends.

I'd lean towards Fuji and the bullet train even though it'd be a longer day. Nikko is pretty but...

- A quick trip to Ginza / Akihabara Tuesday morning before heading back to the airport (and the JAL F Lounge ) and back to Aus!

I spent a whole day in Akihabara trying out the massage chairs from shop to shop to shop. There is a Laox shop in Akihabara that sells eletronic equipment with Australian plugs/voltages. Bring your passport and ticket to secure duty free.

 

[Cynicor]

Just to clarify, I liked the hyatt and every thing was perfect there. Nothing went wrong, the room was fine, club lounge was fine and location not a hassle. It just didn't seem to be worth the almost 600aud a night [was 60/1 at the time ] I paid. Can't really put my finger on it, but that's why trying a few other places before going back.

 

[ntaus]

If you haven't booked, maybe consider the Hilton in the same area,as they have a sale on for weekends I think. Or the Westin- my parents were there recently and loved it.

Yeah, the Westin was definitely my first choice as SPG is the hotel award scheme I have the most points in however the difference in price for the time we are looking to be there (~50%) wasn't worth it for the points involved.

The Hilton ended up a little cheaper, but not by much.

I'm happy with the Hyatt as long as there isn't anything major that should sway our thoughts.

ntaus

 

[whereishome]

Nikko is okay if you like a bucketload of tourists and 7 temples that are all pretty much the same and will hit you up for 4-800 yen for entry. After you spend two hours on the the Tobu rapid to get there.

Or go to Sensoji in Asakusa and Meiji-jingu in Harajuku for free.

In my experience of showing people around, Nikko falls a little flat.

 

[ntaus]

Hint: you want Nishi Shinjuku or follow the signs to the Tokyo Metropolitain Government building.

Thanks. No doubt a valuable piece of information!

I'd lean towards Fuji and the bullet train even though it'd be a longer day. Nikko is pretty but...

I think I would be the same - ultimately the trip is for my wife's Birthday so it's her call

I spent a whole day in Akihabara trying out the massage chairs from shop to shop to shop. There is a Laox shop in Akihabara that sells eletronic equipment with Australian plugs/voltages. Bring your passport and ticket to secure duty free.

I think my use of the phrase 'quick trip' was misleading I dare say we'll spend however long we have until needing to head back to the hotel to pickup bags and head to the airport for the 10pm flight.

ntaus

 

[thewinchester]

...but make sure you take note of how to get out of Shinjuku Station as it is an epicly huge station - 3 million people pass through it daily :shock:. Hint: you want Nishi Shinjuku or follow the signs to the Tokyo Metropolitain Government building.

I've found on my recent visit to Tokyo that getting lost when trying to get out of a station isn't too much of a problem.

Every station I've encountered have these bright yellow boards prominently available in multiple locations around the concourse and exits:



These boards are in both English and Japanese, and list all the prominent landmarks, hotels, tourist attractions, shopping areas and the like in the local area. Next to each location is an exit number, so simply follow the signs to that exit and go from there.

Both these signs, and ones near exits include a bi-lingual local map so you can get exact direction/bearings to where you're heading.

 

[medhead]

These boards are in both English and Japanese, and list all the prominent landmarks, hotels, tourist attractions, shopping areas and the like in the local area. Next to each location is an exit number, so simply follow the signs to that exit and go from there.

I also found that the lonely planet on tokyo also had the exit numbers listed when providing directions.

 

[flychrisfly]

I've found on my recent visit to Tokyo that getting lost when trying to get out of a station isn't too much of a problem.

Every station I've encountered have these bright yellow boards prominently available in multiple locations around the concourse and exits:



These boards are in both English and Japanese, and list all the prominent landmarks, hotels, tourist attractions, shopping areas and the like in the local area. Next to each location is an exit number, so simply follow the signs to that exit and go from there.

Both these signs, and ones near exits include a bi-lingual local map so you can get exact direction/bearings to where you're heading.

Agree, it's usually not too taxing but Shinjuku has over 200 exits!

I also found that the lonely planet on tokyo also had the exit numbers listed when providing directions.

Google maps also lists station exit numbers if you zoom in enough. The one closest to your hotel (or the one for you hotel) is A7.

 

[Lawlass]

I love Tokyo just for wandering around. I honestly place it above London and NYC as one of the world's greatest cities.

One of my favourite wanders was going to the Ryoguku district and strolling around the back streets where all the sumo stables are. There are lots of sumo wandering around or resting outside the stables in their loincloths and it quite a peculiarly Japanese sight! There is the free sumo museum there too.

I also enjoyed some Japanese blues bars at night - I can recommend Bright Brown if blues is your thing!

The subway is incredibly easy to get the hang of.

 

[thewinchester]

I also found that the lonely planet on tokyo also had the exit numbers listed when providing directions.

Yes, totally forgot about that.

The Lonely Planet Tokyo city guide is only ~AUD25, and has the locations and subway/oveground rail map in a small lift-out you can carry in your back pocket.

 

[Katie]

We went to Tokyo in 2003 for a family wedding, spent 6 or 7 days there.
Being on a tight budget, we took the train from Narita to our Ryokan (Kimi Ryokan, more a backpackers in some ways than a traditional Ryokan). We had to change trains at least once, but that was fine.
We did a one day tour to Nikko, which we enjoyed. We haven't been to Kyoto, and I believe it doesn't compare to Kyoto. Very painful bus ride back through Tokyo traffic. We also did a Fuji and Hakone day tour. We were there in April, cherry blossom time, and only the first gate at Fuji was open due to the snow. Hakone and the views to Fuji were pretty good, but the tour had a very disappointing Western lunch (square chicken kiev or something like that). In hindsight, we'd take the option to have lunch in the local town. Rather than another tedious bus ride home through Tokyo traffic, we actually took the bullet train. Something like this might be a great way to kill two birds with one stone (Fuji/Hakone and bullet train).

We tended to grab breakfast at Starbucks, and dinners from the food hall area of the nearest department store. Generally worked well, but we had no way to re-heat the food. Cold liver skewers was the only disappointing food, but we were guessing at what we were eating.

Ditto on Ueno, Tsukiji markets, harajuku on the weekends, and the other suggestions here.

 

[ntaus]

One of my favourite wanders was going to the Ryoguku district and strolling around the back streets where all the sumo stables are. There are lots of sumo wandering around or resting outside the stables in their loincloths and it quite a peculiarly Japanese sight! There is the free sumo museum there too.

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked into the Sumo as this is something my wife mentioned she was interested in but from what I could find the 'festivals that include Sumo occur at other times of the year than March (the closest being in May).

Is anyone able to let me know whether there are still things going on in Ryoguku outside of the festivals?

ntasu