Traveling to Tokyo for first time, must do/see?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I will be working and with several other people but I am arriving a day early (Saturday afternoon on November 16th) and don’t need to check in with the group until Sunday night. So I got time to do only one or two really cool things; what should they be? I am staying at the Century Southern Tower and not sure if I want to spend a day lost on the subway trying to interpret signs and schedules. :slight_smile: Unless of course it’s a straight shot and only one or two stops away.

Perhaps a cab ride or long walk to somewhere? Fish market on Sunday morning? Or should I just gaze at the city from near the hotel and be amazed? What will the weather be like? Should I refrain from Godzilla and nuclear jokes and leave my save the whales tee at home?

2

The subway really isn’t difficult to deal with, and it is quite efficient. Cabs aren’t that challenging, either, but maybe a little more so than the subway IMHO.

I’m not sure on the fish market rules, but that’s definitely a highlight and I would put that at the top of your list. Other good things include a walk around Akasuka, including the historic temple there. The gardens in Shinjuku are also a great place for a leisurely walk.

There’s a bunch of stuff that has more specific appeal: some people really dig the Tokyo Tower at night, others may like going to Harajuku to see the cosplay kids around the train station on the weekends; still others may find those very meh.

It will probably be crisp fall weather while you’re there. I’d guess temps around 60 or so may be average.

3

Not a whole lot of time, so you might be better off using taxis. If you’re adventurous there is both the subways and an (above ground) light rail system. If memory serves, the light rail makes a big loop around the city. So in the worst case, you can always make your way back to where you started.

As to things to do (with so little time):

  • the Emporer’s Palace (grounds)
  • walk around the Ginza area at night (big time light show on all the buildings)

I would not recommend visiting Tokyo Tower. Nice views if the weather is nice, but kind of a big tourist trap.

Have no idea how difficult it might be, but if you could, I’d see about catching a sumo match.

4

Tokyo Tower is so last century. The new tower is called Sky Tree and it’s much taller, if you like that sort of thing. It’s liable to be crowded on the weekend, though, it’s still pretty new.

Subways and commuter train lines have their destination signs in Roman letters (transliterated) as well as Japanese. However, I’m not sure if the ticket selling machines also do, so you may need to get a local to help you (if you stand there looking confused and helpless someone will probably take pity on you, in order to practice their English).

Your hotel is near Shinjuku station; getting from there to Asakusa requires a subway ride with, I think, one transfer. Maybe ask your hotel concierge for help with a taxi (get a hotel brochure or business card to give to the taxi driver for the trip back - this is a good idea any time you leave your hotel, it can be easy to get lost). Modest tipping (e.g. rounding up) is ok for taxis, but not anywhere else. I do highly recommend Asakusa for the historical interest.

If you happen to be a gay man, you can’t miss the Shinjuku 2-chome district on Saturday night. It’s an easy walk from your hotel. Just be aware that there are both regular type bars where you can meet regular people, and host bars where you pay to play. If it’s still there, the Bar Fuji has a friendly atmosphere.

Otherwise, for nightlife on Saturday night you might want to check out the Kabukicho district, which is to the north side of Shinjuku Station (your hotel is near the south side). Also a fairly easy walk. If you go to Kabukicho, keep a firm grasp on your wallet and don’t go into any establishments with shills or barkers out in front. Just walk around and see where Japanese people play when they are in the mood.

By the way, the exchange rate is close to 100 yen now so it is pretty easy to convert in your head by dividing the yen by 100. The 10,000 yen note, which is the standard large bill, is about $100.

Good luck, I hope you enjoy your visit.
Roddy

5

Moved MPSIMS --> IMHO.

6

We were just in Tokyo in April. I would advise you to go up into both the Sky Tree and Tokyo Tower. Try to hit one during the day and the other at night, or even watch day turn to night from there.

And Shibuya crossing, one of the busiest intersections in the world, with 100,000 people passing through per hour. Yes, hour. A good vantage point is the Starbucks. You’ll see it. And it’s the highest-grossing Starbucks in the world. Only “tall” sizes are served, to keep people from lingering, although it doesn’t work.

Tsukiji Fish Market, the world’s largest, is worth a look, and it’s free. Some good sushi restaurants in there too.

EDIT: Taxis are expensive there. The subway really is the way to go. Looks a bit intimidating at first, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. There’s also the above-ground JR Yamanote line, the city’s central ring. In fact, it takes about an hour to ride a full circuit, and that’s a good way to eyeball Tokyo. All the stations we saw had a bank of English-language ticket machines available if not bilingual.

7

Definitely voting for the subway/train system; it is very easy to use. The Yamanote line, as Siam Sam mentions, is an easy way to travel and orient yourself.

If you enjoy museums, the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park is very much worth a trip. Take the Yamanote line to Ueno Station, then follow the signs from there. Ueno Station is also where you would transfer to the subway line that would take you to Asakusa, which (as already mentioned) is a really great historic spot with a beautiful temple and a shopping street that’s been there for 300+ years.

8

The hop-on, hop-off Sky Bus is a good deal too.

9

Excellent idea for Sunday, I could go to the fish market early and then hop rides all day. I’ve used these on my first days in London and Boston and they were a great help in understanding the lay of the land later.

10

These sound good too. How far is Ginza from my hotel?

11

Taxis are spendy (unless you’re on a corporate expense account). The subway system is extremely convenient, however, so you should be able to get around pretty easily, and most station workers will speak enough English to help you on your way.

From Shinjuku Station, Ginza is 8 stops (about 16-18 minutes) on the Toei Marunouchi Line (the red line on the subway maps), going towards Ikebukuro.

Tokyo Station is one more stop, and Tokyo Station is pretty cool.

I’ve lived in Japan on and off the late 80s. Last time I was there, I actually lived in Ginza (technically Shiodome). My apartment overlooked the Hamarikyu Gardens. This is a beautiful public garden - do a Google Images search. Might be a bit tricky to get to, so I’d just hop in a cap from Tokyo Station.

Tsukiji is close by as well, and it’s quite cool - it’s walkable from Hamarikyu. Unfortunately I am pretty sure the market is closed on Sundays.

November would probably be a good time to go to the Meiji Jingu Gaien Gingko Festival. Street performers and such along the avenue of gingko trees; when the weather is nice it’s beautiful. I believe it’s a 5-10 minute walk from Aoyama Itchome Station (three stops on the Marunouchi Line going towards Ikebukuro).

Meiji Jingu means Meiji Shrine, and it’s also beautiful in its own right; definitely worth a stop if you have time. It’s a short walk from Harajuku Station (also a cool spot to walk around for people-gazing). Harajuku is just two stops from Shinjuku on the JR Yamanote Line going towards Shibuya.

Asakusa Templeis fantastic. It’s about 30 minutes by train from Shinjuku: Take the JR Chuo Line towards Tokyo, 3 stations, and change at Kanda Station to the Toei Ginza Line, six stops to Asakusa (last stop). You can of course go directly from Ginza; 10 stations on the Toei Ginza line towards Asakusa.

One idea is to hit Asakusa in the morning, then work your way back through Ginza in the afternoon and hit Meiji Jingu Gaien and the gingko trees in the early evening?

Tokyo weather in mid-November will be a tad on the cool side during the day if it’s sunny - high 60s maybe? - but can sometimes dip in to the 40’s in the evenings. You’ll probably want a jacket or something.

If you’re into electronics and maid cafes and the like: Akihabara. 20 minutes or so from Shinjuku, either 9 stations on the Chuo-Sobu Line towards Chiba, or 14 stations on the Yamanote Line towards Ikebukuro.

If you’re in the Ginza area on a weekday night looking for some dinner and drinks, Andy’s (Shin HInomoto) is an institution for foreigners and Japanese alike. I personally have been going here for 20 years - almost as long as Andy’s been working there.

12

As for the Emperor’s/Palace grounds, they’re nice but not a must-see. You have to reserve a time slot through the Imperial Household Agency’s website, and while it’s free and the grounds are lovely, my wife and I felt it really wasn’t worth going out of our way for when there are as nice or nicer temples and parks everywhere. (You don’t go inside the palace, just walk around the grounds in a group. Like walking in a park.) So much so that we canceled our time slot for the Kyoto Palace when we moved on to that city.

Ginza is worth a look though. Check out the Sony showroom. You’ll see stuff that’s not even been released yet.

Oh yes, do hit a maid cafe at night. Don’t worry, just walk down the sidewalk and they’ll find you. You’ll see what I mean.

13

In Akihabara. Electronics and sexy maids. It’s a nerd’s paradise.

14

So much to see and so little time. At least I will know what to expect if our group gets stopped by a crowd of young girls in maid outfits. :slight_smile: Follow them! Of course that would have been my natural reaction anyway. :smiley:

15

If it were me, I’d get the heck out of Tokyo (traffic, noise, wall to wall people).

You would be amazed how far one can travel on the Shinkansen trains and the scenery north of Tokyo is fantastic.

You could get up early on Sunday and take the 7:30 am Hayate 23 north to Aomori arriving at around 11:00 am. Have lunch, stretch your legs and then take the 12:30 pm Hayate 34 back to Tokyo arriving around 4:00 pm. Leaving you plenty of time to get ready for your meeting that evening.

Its 440 miles one way and costs about $170. Well worth it. When are you going to have another chance to do it?

16

Check with the hotel concierge and see if you can get a tour of the fish market. Might even want to do that with your group (dunno how many you are) later in the week. We had a party of four, and got a private guide. You get there early (4 or 5 AM) to watch the fish come in, and then have sushi breakfast… best sushi EVER, ANYWHERE.

17

So where is Mt Kiliminjaro in relation to where I will be staying? Worth a look?

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Duh. Still asleep. Not the one in africa but the mountain in japan. Can’t think now.

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Mount Fuji. They say you can see it from Tokyo if it’s clear. The only time wesaw it was from the airplane the morning we flew into Tokyo. Couldn’t even see it from the Sky Tree or even from the bullet train. I guess April is a bit hazy.