2 nights in Tokyo w/family - hotel and American tour?
 

Hi! We have a layover in Tokyo (en-route to Australia) so I thought it would be fun to spend 2 nights there with my 11-yr old son. First time visitors, we'll be jet-lagged, but would like a nice hotel (that also offers American food) in the middle of things and will probably take a day tour bus or something, and walk around at night. Any suggestions on where to stay and what to do locally? I could possibly use frequent flyer miles to stay at a Hilton, but we could just pay for any nice hotel. Traveling Tuesday-Thurs, late-July.

Tours are quite pricey. HIS and JTB both offer about the same for the same price. Tokyo is quite easy to navigate by subway/train, and if you did that you could see what you want and go back to your hotel when you are tired. If you are coming from the US, you will likely find that you are exhausted before dinner time comes around and don't have energy to wander at night.

A wide variety of food is available in hotels, restaurants and stores, so that even the most finicky eaters can find something they like. Any hotel with a restaurant will offer a variety of choices, so don't try to pick your hotel based on food. Hotel food will cost you 2 - 10 times what you would pay in a stand alone restaurant.

We enjoyed our stay at the Peninsula Tokyo very much, and they have some very good promotional rates now if you book directly through their website, like a suite for 1/2 price if you stay two nights. There are, of course, a large number of other options, ranging from under ¥10,000 per night to ¥100,000 per night. For Hilton points, you have both the Hilton in Shinjuku and the Conrad in Shiodome, as well as the Tokyo Bay Hilton at Disneyland.

McDonald's are everywhere ;-) That's the American food you can find most easily in Japan.

KFC, too.

I think that the Conrad is quite a nice hotel and if you can get that on points would be a good choice (who wants to pay for a hotel in Tokyo, save it for other things like a meal). As I don’t know your budget, the other place I might recco is the Marriott Courtyard Ginza, is not as plush (nor as expensive) as the Conrad, but in a great location right in the Ginza district, which your son (and yourself) may find interesting just becuase it is so crowded, lively and well, so Tokyo. It’s lit up like Christmas every night. Lots of shops and restuants and bustle (and so friggn’ <i>clean</i>, how do they do that?!)

The Conrad’s location is on the water and not as in the midst of things. It is near the fish market (which may be in the process of being moved, so do check), which is a plus if you want to get up early in the am to see all the fish on sale which is quite interesting. It is in front of Hama Rikyu park, which is a very nice park and might be a break for your son. It is basically also in front of the ferry piers which you can take up the river to get to the interesting Asakusa area and the Sensoji temple; which is IMO a very good way to get there as the ferry is much prettier way than the subway. There is a subway stop quite close by. It is very close to the main train station to the airport, less than 10 minutes by taxi.

Another place to consider might be Roppongi Hills area, there is a Ritz-Carlton which is very nice (fantastic views esp at night) and also a Grand Hyatt (have not stayed but have eaten in some restaurants). This is mainly a huge shopping/commerical area, but again very lively. Not far from the Ginza area.

I am not sure that a bus tour would be a good way to “see” the city, there really aren’t many “sights’ to see other than the Imperial Palace, which you can’t see much of in any event, so you might see mostly traffic. There is the Asakusa are and the Sensoji temple, which is further out and you could see on your own by ferry or subway. (Frommers #1 site recco in Tokyo is the fish market, that may tell you something about the sightseeing generally in Tokyo. IMO you have to make it up yourself by walking around. There are some museums.)

You will not have trouble finding American food on offer, and there is lots of Italian and other European as well, but don’t rule out things like tempura or tepanyaki, the latter can be a performance and a meal if you go someplace like Momiji-tei in the New Otani Hotel, see http://www.newotani.co.jp/en/tokyo/r...iji/index.html.

Great advise given above. Just a couple of thoughts.....

If you are coming in from the US you will probably arrive in the afternoon. By the time you transit from Narita to Tokyo it will be late and you will be jet-lagged so, you will at best check out the surrounding neighborhood and pass out for the night awaking early the next morning. Plan your time accordingly.

You will only have <b>one</b> full day to explore Tokyo so pick one or two sections of town that interest you and take the subway there and walk around.

You can get two(free)one day metro passes if you buy a round trip from Narita to your hotel via the limosine bus service. With your family, the bus is probably the easiest and most convenient especially if you stay at a Hilton on points as the service would be door to door. See here for detailed information:

http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/discou...odayspass.html

http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/

Depending on when you leave the following day, you can use another day of the metro pass to explore yet another part of the city then transit to Narita via the limo bus when you are ready to depart.

Take a look at this site for ideas on where to go in Tokyo and site to see. Have fun!

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

Aloha!

Hi. My wife and I were in Tokyo last year and used "Tokyo Free Guide" to see the sights.
The URL is http://www.tokyofreeguide.com/

After registering with them a few weeks before the trip, our future guide contacted us via Email to set up an itinerary. She met us at our hotel and we spent a wonderful day visiting some of the many sights Tokyo offers. The only expense incurred was the guide's lunch since she had her own metro pass. Good luck! Marty