Going to Tokyo

hokiethang

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Not sure how many people around here have been to or live in Japan, but i'm heading to Tokyo with a friend Friday morning for 4 days, and i'm not sure how we're going to fill out that time.

Any suggestions on tourist things in Tokyo? Looking for cool restaurants, places to see, things to visit etc... Akihabara is on the list, and our hotel is in Shinjuku.
 
tokyo_touge.jpg


sorry, couldn't help myself
 
You could check out the Toyota Mega Web. It's mostly the current Japanese Toyota models in the main show room but the better attraction is History Garage. The Fuji TV headquaters is in the same area as well.
 
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If you're daring enough... Fugu? :|
 
I live in Tokyo. If you'd given a little more notice I could've given you some tour recommendations.
Currently building a website with just that in mind but it isn't really done.

But you should have no trouble filling up 4 days. Hell, you could spend 4 days in Shinjuku station.

Here's a one day guide with some alternate endings...

Get to Tsukiji fish market early, using either Tsukijishijo or Tsukiji station, when you?ve had your fill of gawking at fish walk to Hama Rikyu gardens and take a stroll. After that you have a few options.

Shiodome, Ginza and the Emperor?s Palace
This doesn?t involve any train travel and is all in the same area. From Hama Rikyu walk to Shiodome (pronounced she-oh-doh-may) and take the glass elevator as high as it goes for a look over Tokyo bay, Tsukiji, Hama Rikyu and Odaiba (check the map closely - there are 3 buildings in the complex). Shiodome also houses a TV station, a theatre and an ?advertising museum?.

From Shiodome its a fair walk through Ginza and Yurakucho to the Imperial Palace so take your time. The palace itself isn?t open to the public except for special days and for pre-booked tours, so the most you?ll see is some bridges, gates and moat walls. If you?re still up for more walking by the time you?ve finished at the palace you can keep going and see Yasukuni Shrine which is at the top of the gardens, opposite Budokan.

If you?re really slow and are finishing up about dinner time, you can head back the way you came and try one of the funky bars and/or izakaya wedged under the train line. There?s also yakitori alley, which is a bunch of semi-covered stalls selling BBQ chicken and draft beer... although I can?t really recommend it for the food, the atmosphere is interesting.


Plus Shiodome and Odaiba
See above for the Shiodome part and from there take the Yurikamome Line from Shiodome or Shinbashi station to Daiba station on Odaiba for Decks and Aqua City and the beach, or keep going to Aomi for Palette Town and Toyota's Mega Web. You can get off at one and walk to the other, it isn't too far.

Plus Asakusa
From Hama Rikyu you can take the ferry to Asakusa. I?ve never taken it myself and I?ve heard mixed reports about it but if you think of it as just a ferry instead of a river cruise you shouldn?t be disappointed. The ?river? sits quite low so you don?t really get a good view and, to be honest, there isn?t that much to see anyway.

At Asakusa you can visit Sensoji and then take a walk through the back streets. If you?re up for it, Ueno isn?t far from here and neither is Akihabara.
 
Daikoku Futo. You know you want to. ;)
 
I did the odaiba run one day. It was awesome, largely because Nissan was having an event at Fuji TV and I got to sit in a GTR. The new one. Months before it went into production. It was rad to the power of sick.

Also, IIRC, Daikoku Futo is in Yokohama. Not impossible to get to by any means, but a bit of a schlep.
 
I live in Tokyo. If you'd given a little more notice I could've given you some tour recommendations.
Currently building a website with just that in mind but it isn't really done.

But you should have no trouble filling up 4 days. Hell, you could spend 4 days in Shinjuku station.

Here's a one day guide with some alternate endings...

Excellent, thanks so much. I had planned on posting about it here before yesterday, but I have been so incredibly busy getting ready (and getting stuff done at work, so this can be a real vacation), and haven't been on here much.

Keep up the suggestions, I leave in 14 hours :-D
 
I wanted to go to Japan for so long, but I still haven't been.. it sucks :(

Have fun at Tokyo! Should be a kick-ass time, eat some new things, try more Japanese Food and make yourself the new DK while you're there

I don't know what else to say, but man I'm jealous lol
 
Go get okonomiyaki. Also robata. Also ask hansvonaxion for a ramen stand recommendation.
 
Go get okonomiyaki. Also robata. Also ask hansvonaxion for a ramen stand recommendation.

Will do. :-D

Hansvonaxion and any one else with recommendations: Any suggestions for some not to miss restaurants. I'm specifically looking for a good ramen stand and a great sushi restaurant (prefer not too expensive).
 
There are Ramen shops all over the place. Most use ticket vending machines so if you find one with pictures on it you should be OK, otherwise try to match the kanji with the pictures on the menu.

If you go to a conveyor-belt sushi place you don't have to eat what's on the bely you can order fresh stuff. Some places in the central area have an english menu or if you're lucky an english speaking staff member.

Okonomiyaki is good, but you usually cook it yourself. The staff will do it for you if you ask.

Here's some more info...

Shinjuku is mainly a business district but it also has stacks of shops and the biggest, busiest station in Tokyo so its worth visiting if just to see the hustle and bustle. If you?re a tourist there?s a good chance your hotel will be here so you may not have a choice.

Take an exit on the Western side of Shinjuku station (if you can find one) and walk through the myriad of electrical shops and then office towers and hotels until you reach Tocho (Tokyo Metrpolitan Government building). There are free lookouts in both towers and the building itself is somewhat impressive.

If you?re feeling energetic and interactive, technology based art sounds interesting you can keep walking until you reach NTT Opera City Inter-Cultural Communication Centre. As someone who is usually disappointed by installation art I can honestly say that there are usually a couple of pieces on display here that are actually interesting. The interactive nature makes it good for ankle biters.

Once you?ve had enough, make your way back to the station and cross to the opposite side. If you?re into photography there are a bunch of galleries in this area (check the map), if not just go straight to Shinjuku Gyoen. Its a nice park with a Japanese, French and English style garden and worth the 200 yen entrance fee. You are allowed to sit on the grass, so take advantage, take your shoes off and take a rest.

Exit through the Sendagaya gate and turn left to find Sendagaya station on the Chuo Sobu line and take it 5 stops to Suidobashi. On the North side of Suidobashi station you have Tokyo Dome, LaQua Amusement Park and Korakuen (park) and if you head South you?ll reach the area around Jimbocho station which is famous for its bookstores -which also sell old prints and maps and stuff that makes for good souvenirs.

This is the end of this suggested guide, but from here you?re within striking distance of Yasukuni Shrine, The Imperial Palace and Akihabara.

Take the Yamanote line to Harajuku Station. When you come out (if you come out alive - it gets pretty nuts on the weekend) go left until you see Takeshita Street on your right (there is a sign over it). Walk down Takeshita Street exploring the side streets if you want, just make sure you get a crepe along the way.

When you get to the end, cross the main street and have a wander through the back streets, eventually going right until you end up on Omotesando (street). Follow it back toward the station but cross the bridge over the train tracks. If you want to go to Meiji Shrine follow the big gravel path on the right, if you?ve had enough of shrines and just want to chill out go left and follow the path until you get to Yoyogi park entrance.

Take off your shoes and relax for a while. When you?re fully recharged its time to head to Shibuya. If its a weekend, go back out through the main entrance, turn right and follow the road again, you should see a bunch of buskers (fully amplified bands) on the footpath. When you get to a main pedestrian crossing, cross the street and head over to Yoyogi Stadium. There may be some more bands, or something else going on between the stadium (left) and NHK (right).

You can take any number of different routes from here down to Shibuya so don?t stress about how you get there. Take a walk around, head to 109, check the crossing, do some shopping, go to a club, whatever. When you?re done, Shibuya Station has a bunch of train lines so you should be able to get home easily enough.

On second reading, that's pretty hard to understand.

But that's 3 days worth.

Have fun.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm posting this on my last flight home (SFO-IAD on Virgin America).

The trip was great. I've got a bunch of pictures and had a huge amount of fun. We ended up not getting as lost as I expected (the Narita Express is a great way to get from the Airport to Shinjuku). We ended up exploring Shinjuku the first night. The second day we went to Shibuya (walked from Shibuya station to NHK studios and back), Harajuku (saw Takeshita, and was quite amazing, and walked down towards Shibuya and then down towards the omotesando metro stop) and then took in a Yomuri Giants game at Tokyo Dome that afternoon (which was AWESOME). The third day was all Akihabara, and it was so much fun wandering through all of the new and used electronics stores. The fourth day ended up being a great rest day, and then a ride on the Narita Express back to the airport for an early afternoon departure.

It was an amazingly quick trip, but I can't wait to go back. Hansvonaxion thanks for the information, it helped quite a bit.
 
Did you buy a JR rail pass? unlimited use of all the JR lines in tokyo as well as coach seats on any of their bullet trains in case you want to take a day trip to say ... Kyoto for example and see the temples.
 
Aw... those pictures are awesome. Damnit, now I really want to travel teh world!
 
stuff to do in Tokyo? Tokyo is like New York after it got fat, smoked a whole bunch of crack then had a threesome with Hello Kitty and Goku
 
Did you buy a JR rail pass? unlimited use of all the JR lines in tokyo as well as coach seats on any of their bullet trains in case you want to take a day trip to say ... Kyoto for example and see the temples.

No, I wasn't there long enough to justify buying the rail pass. The next time I go, i'll consider getting one. I think overall I only spent about 7000 yen total on train tickets, whereas the rail pass is something like 28000 yen.
 
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