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Traveling to Tokyo...-age (two week trip) - tips?

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Articate

Banned
Me and my friend (Clott here on GAF) are going to visit Tokyo for a two weeks from 31st of March. I'm sure there's gotta be some people here who's visited the place and would like to give tips on how to be and what to do in Tokyo.

We're staying in Shinagawa and we're gonna see The Album Leaf and Kings of Conveniece, both concerts in Shibuya, and elsewise just go sightseeing and visit bars/clubs etc.

I'm wondering what the weather's like in Tokyo in early April, and other than that, I'd love to hear any suggestion about what to see, what to do, what to not do and whatever else you might have regarding Tokyo and/or Japan!
 

gerg

Member
If you're interested in anime, I'd definitely suggest visiting the Studio Ghibli museum.

The Imperial Palace was also enjoyable, judging from my vague memories.

I can't help with geography though, so I don't know whether or not getting to those places would prove impractical. I know that the Ghibli Museum is in Mitaka, though.

Fake edit: I also remember eating at a really awesome fast-food-ish pancake restaurant near the Ghibli Museum. aha! I found my badge that I bought there. It was called "Pancake Days".
 

sasimirobot

Junior Member
When are we gonna have an *official visiting Japan* thread?

Every other week somebody asks the same things over and over. Its not bad, but it turns out to be the same people/answers almost every time...
 

Articate

Banned
Of course I would've searched - alas!

I'll try with inurl:neogaf.com

meanwhile, does anyone know what the weather is gonna be there in the beginning of April?
 
Weather should be pretty nice in April, and you might even be lucky enough to catch the Sakura trees blooming, which is a big deal in Japan. If you can, try to find a matsuri to go to, those are always fun.

As for what to do, it really depends on what you are looking for. There's traditional (though still touristy) Asakusa, there's Disney Sea, there's Odaiba, the Ghibli Museum as someone mentioned, umm...Tokyo Tower is going to be demolished soon so you might wanna visit that for some photos (not much else to do though). And most importantly, there is no shortage of delicious food everywhere!
 
I think it's better with individual threads, it's usually personal requests anyway, and time means a lot.

2 weeks is plenty for Tokyo. Besides the obvious stuff in Tokyo I suggest that you spend a day in Kamakura. While the Sensō-ji Asakusa and Imperial Palace are some beautiful places to view some temples in Tokyo, it's nothing compared to Kyoto and Kamakura.

Edit: Oh yeah, Ueno Zoo took me by surprise, awesome zoo with a lot of different animals than you usually see in western zoos. You have to see the Ueno part anyway, so if you have time and are interested in animals, the zoo will be good experience.
 

rykomatsu

Member
Articate said:
Me and my friend (Clott here on GAF) are going to visit Tokyo for a two weeks from 31st of March. I'm sure there's gotta be some people here who's visited the place and would like to give tips on how to be and what to do in Tokyo.

We're staying in Shinagawa and we're gonna see The Album Leaf and Kings of Conveniece, both concerts in Shibuya, and elsewise just go sightseeing and visit bars/clubs etc.

I'm wondering what the weather's like in Tokyo in early April, and other than that, I'd love to hear any suggestion about what to see, what to do, what to not do and whatever else you might have regarding Tokyo and/or Japan!

Temperature is mild but slightly humid (not as bad as summer)...I'd suggest also carrying a handkerchief around with you...most public restrooms don't have anything to dry your hands with. Cherry blossom bloom should have peaked by the time you get there, but they should still be pretty nice. A number of places you can visit to stroll around and with some wind, you'll be enveloped in a bit of a flower petal flurry. Ueno Onshi Park is lighted up at night for this as well...really quite relaxing, though it gets crowded.

If you can take some time and can afford it, I'd also suggest checking out a Ryokan somewhere near by....near penthouse quality service, generally, for about $120~300/person/night. Food is amazing, hot springs are even better. If you just want some time to relax, I can't think of much else in Japan that tops a travel lodge. If you can leave Tokyo and say goto Izu peninsula for that, even better.
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
sasimirobot said:
When are we gonna have an *official visiting Japan* thread?

Every other week somebody asks the same things over and over. Its not bad, but it turns out to be the same people/answers almost every time...

seriously we need a general traveling to Japan thread with FAQs and suggestions of places to eat, visit, stay.

Although search is down so its understandable.
 
I'm going there on the 24th until the 2nd of April! Will be staying in Tokyo but we'll travel around to see some destinations (my gf and I).
Wanna meet up there?
 

Fugu

Member
It is nigh impossible to go to Tokyo and not be absolutely floored by what you see unless you spend the whole time in your hotel. Having said that...

Do you have any connections that can take you somewhere? A lot of what makes Tokyo interesting is the very different way in which they do business: For example, when I went to Japan for the first time, a woman I'd known second-hand took me to a restaurant the owner of which she was very familliar with; she subsequently took us upstairs where we ate privately at a low table. It was almost surreal coming from the American environment.

Rent a bike. It's not hard and it's not expensive (Expect to spend about 250円 for the day) and the first time I went biking around Tokyo was possibly the most marvelous thing I've ever done in my life. There are simply so many back streets to see and so many places you can go that you will find many of them simply wandering around by accident. The city is exceptionally bike friendly and the riding experience there is nothing short of amazing.

Get a suica and visit as many stops on the Yamanote line as you possibly can. Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ueno are obvious answers and you should see them. but literally everywhere in the downtown core of Tokyo has something distinctive to see. As I can assume you are a gamer, you absolutely positively must visit Akihabara. If you're interested in arcades, I can tell you the location of some of those, too.

Go to Ueno Park. It's absolutely beautiful at this time of year. Check out the zoo. Walk around or better yet bike around. Go at night. It's gorgeous and it's in the middle of the city; you don't want to miss this.

Check out Tokyo Tower if only because it's difficult to realize just how enormous Tokyo is until you can see a fairly good chunk of it at once.

Do you speak any Japanese? A little goes a long way and a lot of Japanese people have great respect for those who attempt to speak their language. It is one of the easiest ways to make connections and in a city so massive those connections can add greatly to your trip. I should also mention that you don't really need to be able to speak the language to get around but that the further out from Tokyo you go, the more of a detrement not being able to read basic Japanese will become.

Brace yourself for a fantastic two weeks. I love Tokyo every time I'm there and it won't be long before the JET program lands me there permanently.

Edit: If you're white (or just not Japanese), become familiar with the terms gaijin and gaikokujin if you aren't already. :lol
 

Zoe

Member
MadraptorMan said:
Weather should be pretty nice in April, and you might even be lucky enough to catch the Sakura trees blooming, which is a big deal in Japan. If you can, try to find a matsuri to go to, those are always fun.

Only managed to find one sakura tree when we went last week :(

24248_10100175510971480_7950338_59419631_3431221_n.jpg
 

Articate

Banned
Fugu said:
<awesomeness>

Man, thanks. All noted and I've started investigating already.

Fugu said:
Do you speak any Japanese? A little goes a long way and a lot of Japanese people have great respect for those who attempt to speak their language. It is one of the easiest ways to make connections and in a city so massive those connections can add greatly to your trip. I should also mention that you don't really need to be able to speak the language to get around but that the further out from Tokyo you go, the more of a detrement not being able to read basic Japanese will become.

I've poked at it via my kendo dojo for a time, but I don't really know anything, so I'm learning some more phrases outside of the few words I can, stuff like "my japanese is terrible" and such, since I've heard about people being a lot more friendly if you're not afraid to make a fool of yourself to try and speak their language.

J. M. Romeo said:
I'm going there on the 24th until the 2nd of April! Will be staying in Tokyo but we'll travel around to see some destinations (my gf and I).
Wanna meet up there?

Drop a PM - I'd love to cruise around with someone that's already got a feel for the city.




Thanks to all other replies too. I've noted all the stuff said. I've been hoping to catch the Sakura blooming ever since I knew I was going in the beginning of April.


I'm totally also going to visit the Park Hyatt and spend some time in the bar there.
 

Shirokun

Member
J Tourettes said:
My friend told me about some place where you pay a set amount and can then drink as much as you can in an hour.

Just about every other place in Tokyo offers this. Just ask for "nomihoudai". They often offer it with all you can eat, too. Yum
 

Shirokun

Member
Articate said:
Thanks to all other replies too. I've noted all the stuff said. I've been hoping to catch the Sakura blooming ever since I knew I was going in the beginning of April.

Inokashira park is supposed to be quite famous for it's Sakura viewing, so you might want to check it out. That and you can spend sometime in Kichijoji afterwards :D .


Articate said:
I'm totally also going to visit the Park Hyatt and spend some time in the bar there.

Visit the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, 45th floor for the sky bar from "Lost in Translation"

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku also has a free observatory, if you're feeling cheap. If not, check out the Mori building at Roppongi Hills for one of the best views in the city. Tokyo Tower is neat, but it's not very high, and you can't see Tokyo Tower. :D

Kamakura is a good, cheap day trip, and you could stop at Yokohama on the return trip to check out some interesting spots by the harbor.

If you want to get a great hot springs experience just outside the city, head over to Hakone for a day or so. You can get some great views of Mt. Fuji on a clear day, and many Japanese inns open up their hot springs to visitors for less than 1000 yen. If you feel like staying, you can usually score a pretty decent room in one of these inns for less than 15000 yen. Look up Kappa Tengoku for <7000 yen a night if you don't mind a Ryokan that is slightly more run down than the others(but by no means bad) :D .

Akihabara is great for games(check out the third floor of Softmap next to Club Sega : O), anime, and gadgets, but if you're really into the anime scene, Nakano Broadway(floors 2-4) at the end of the Sunroad outside of Nakano station is heaven.

And of course, Kabukicho outside of Shinjuku station for a healthy dose of saucy clubs, bars and the only real harassment you're likely to get in Japan.

PM me if you want some more info about anything.
 

Atlagev

Member
MadraptorMan said:
Tokyo Tower is going to be demolished soon so you might wanna visit that for some photos (not much else to do though).

Wait, what?! I haven't heard anything about Tokyo Tower being demolished! I did a Google news search and couldn't find anything, either. Are you sure about this???
 

rykomatsu

Member
Atlagev said:
Wait, what?! I haven't heard anything about Tokyo Tower being demolished! I did a Google news search and couldn't find anything, either. Are you sure about this???

There's supposed to be a Tokyo Tower II that's going up about 20min walking distance from where I was born...but I haven't heard about Tokyo Tower I being demolished...
 
I'm gonna be in Japan from 4/2-4/23, but I'm a little worried about the blossoms blooming earlier than expected this year. It looks like we're gonna have to visit Kyoto almost immediately instead of spending a full week in Tokyo first like originally planned. My friend and I were planning on hitting as much of the country as possible, so there should be some opportunities further north.
 
I tried this thread a week ago or so as I'm planning a Japan trip too. Mine died but I'll follow this one. I'm getting some advice from a friend's family that lives over there as well :)
 

Atlagev

Member
rykomatsu said:
There's supposed to be a Tokyo Tower II that's going up about 20min walking distance from where I was born...but I haven't heard about Tokyo Tower I being demolished...

OK, that's good... I would hope they wouldn't demolish such an iconic symbol as the Tokyo Tower...
 

Gibbo

Member
I'm heading there next week (March 22) for about 3 days . Hopefully I'll be in time for the cherry Blossoms:D It's my first time there and I've done some research into where I should go. As it stands, places to visit is as such--

Rikugi-en
Kyu Furukawa Gardens
Meiji Shrine
Mori Art Museum/Mori Tower
Yebisu Garden Place
Ueno
Booked a tour at the Imperial Palace

Any place above that I should not bother visiting? I'll be staying at the Hyatt in Shinjuku

Also are there any shopping centres that I absolutely have to visit? Takashimaya Times Square is on my list
 

rykomatsu

Member
Gibbo said:
Also are there any shopping centres that I absolutely have to visit? Takashimaya Times Square is on my list

If you're a foodie, Matsuya in Ginza (bottom floor) is definitely a place I would venture to...quite a few of the more exotic food items to browse (and extremely pricey I might add).

Also, the Tsukiji open air market area (open to public) would probably be of significant interest as well.
 

sasimirobot

Junior Member
Also, the Tsukiji open air market area (open to public) would probably be of significant interest as well

I think they closed off the business/wholesale part to the public, but you can still find great susi shops there. Try susi sei!
 
Shirokun said:
Just about every other place in Tokyo offers this. Just ask for "nomihoudai". They often offer it with all you can eat, too. Yum

I did not know that. Thanks, I'm sure that'll come in handy when I finally get my arse in gear to go.
 

Blimblim

The Inside Track

navii

My fantasy is that my girlfriend was actually a young high school girl.
stay away from the red light districts... unless you are going to a restaurant. that is all.

lucky bastard. I loved tokyo!
 

wRATH2x

Banned
Fly into the rising sun,
Faces, smiling everyone
Yeah, she is a whole new tradition
I feel it in my heart

My woman from Tokyo
She makes me see
My woman from Tokyo
She's so good to me

Talk about her like a Queen
Dancing in a Eastern Dream
Yeah, she makes me feel like a river
That carries me away

My woman from Tokyo
She makes me see
My woman from Tokyo
She's so good to me

But I'm at home and I just don't belong ...

So far away from the garden we love
She is what moves in the soul of a dove
Soon I shall see just how black was my night
When we're alone in Her City of light

Rising from the neon gloom
Shining like a crazy moon
Yeah, she turns me on like a fire
I get high

My woman from Tokyo
She makes me see
My woman from Tokyo
She's so good to me
 

AMUSIX

Member
Two years ago, my wife and I went to Tokyo for two weeks for our anniversary.

The ONE bit of advice I would give is this:

GET YOURSELF A JRAIL PASS.

As an American (I'm assuming) you can buy one. You have to buy it before you go (there's bound to be a location near you that sells them) once there, you activate it, and it lasts for whatever duration you buy, but the thing is incredible. It gives you pass on every train around Tokyo (not subways, though, those are owned by other companies) and most trains around japan. Want to go to Osaka for a day or two? (the answer is yes, yes you do) Just step into the ticket office, flash your pass and you've got a seat on the next bullet train. Want to go see the world's largest Buddha? or Tokyo Disney? or Mt Fuji? or anywhere? Just jump on the train.

Our entire trip, we took a taxi once, and the subway once. Every other time, we were on trains...

edit: here's the link for the pass: http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en001.html
 
sasimirobot said:
When are we gonna have an *official visiting Japan* thread?

Every other week somebody asks the same things over and over. Its not bad, but it turns out to be the same people/answers almost every time...

I made one. Everyone was like "screw that, i'll make my own one when i want". *fumes*
 

rykomatsu

Member
AMUSIX said:
The ONE bit of advice I would give is this:

GET YOURSELF A JRAIL PASS.

If you're strictly limiting yourself to Tokyo only, this thing is a ripoff. It's about $11 for an Eidan/Toei subway day-pass which will take you virtually anywhere JR will and if you absolutely need a JR day-pass, that's another $8 or so per day. $77~133/week or $290/week (if you're going 1 week or $230/week if you're going 3 weeks)?

Obviously if you have an itinerary that includes excursions to areas outside of Tokyo, particularly by Shinkansen, then yes it's worth it, but I find that a lot of my friends that visit Tokyo usually don't venture much outside of there to the point where a railpass is worth it; especially on their first trips :p
 

Zoe

Member
rykomatsu said:
If you're strictly limiting yourself to Tokyo only, this thing is a ripoff. It's about $11 for an Eidan/Toei subway day-pass which will take you virtually anywhere JR will and if you absolutely need a JR day-pass, that's another $8 or so per day. $77~133/week or $290/week (if you're going 1 week or $230/week if you're going 3 weeks)?

Obviously if you have an itinerary that includes excursions to areas outside of Tokyo, particularly by Shinkansen, then yes it's worth it, but I find that a lot of my friends that visit Tokyo usually don't venture much outside of there to the point where a railpass is worth it; especially on their first trips :p

I agree. My bf and I stuck to Yokohama and Tokyo for a week, and we definitely spent less than the ~$300/each it would have cost to get the 7-day JR Pass.

We ended up getting the NEX+Suica deal coming out of Narita.
 
We will be getting the JR weekly pass because we intend to go to Hiroshima (round trip in the day, a lot of hours but I really want to see the Peace museum), go to Mt. Fuji and Kyoto too (round trip in one day again). It's a fuckload of hours but we both prefer that to moving around with suitcases.

But unless you plan on heavy nationwide travelling, the JR rail pass may not be the best idea. Consider doing some plain number crunching. It's convenient, but convenience only pays so far!
 

AMUSIX

Member
Yeah, guess I should have mentioned that the JRail pass works best for travel around the country, but I figured if you're going for two weeks, that you'd want to get out and explore.

Also, if you didn't have the pass, you might not leave the city much, while if you did, it becomes very easy to suddenly decide to go elsewhere for a day.
 
i'm leaving on the 10th and going for a week. :D Staying at the New Otani in tokyo. Thought about renting a bike so glad someone suggested it. Would it be hard to do such a thing being from another country? I mean here you have to leave ID or a credit card. Can someone recommend the best things to do being able to do it in a day? As in leave the hotel in the morning and be back by night? I'd think the temples and more historic stuff would be further out no? Where is Akihabara in relation to tokyo?
 

ChryZ

Member
Go to a Tokyo Jihen concert. I heard it's nerdy as fuck, might be fun to spot dat freaks ;P

Have fun, J. M. Romeo ;)
 
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