4 days in Japan
 

We stopping in Japan for four days on our way home from Thailand and flying into Tokyo. Can anyone suggest an a schedule for the four days as to what to see and where to stay?

Ohhh...can I ever!

Tokyo has some wonderful places to go!

1. Shibuya: This is the madcap central meeting place in Tokyo with massive electronic screens all blaring out together. There are loads of crazy video game parlours, a great 'stuff' shop called Tokyu Hands (http://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/index.htm) and calls itself a 'creative life store'. Check it out for great japanese shopping. Make sure you take the HACHIKO exit from Shibuya station or you'll be on the wrong side.

2. Harijuku station: go here on a Sunday and you will find the 'japanese goths' hanging out in their mad costumes! Seriously, ever seen a 'santa goth' before??

3. Meiji Jingu Shrine: This is just by Harajuki and is a very traditional glorious oasis of calm in the centre of Tokyo.

4. KiddyLand: This is also just near Harajuku on Omotesando Dori Avenue. Its the biggest and best toy shop in Tokyo with very weird Japanese toys in the basement.

5. Senso Ji Shrine: This shrine is alot more buzzy than Meiji Jingu, which is quite serene, and is located near Asakusa. There are heaps of little stalls selling trinkets and lots of insence!

6. Akihabara: This is the Electronics district. Go here at night for the best effect of all the neon!

7. Ginza: Mitsukoshi department store in Ginza is lots of fun. Ginza is the more upmarket shopping area. You can go into the food hall at the bottom of Mitsukoshi and eat chocolates! The Sony concept store is here too if your interested in that kind of thing.

Please SKIP Roppongi! It is full of rubbish bars and foreigners getting drunk! It's a total waste of your precious time.

Hi

My wife and I went to Japan in May this year. We had about 2 weeks so we got to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima etc. I have posted a trip report with pictures, links etc on my personal homepage http://gardkarlsen.com :-) Maybe you can find some useful information there. Have a great trip...get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

Thanks so much. It is always hard to narrow a trip down to just a few days. We wanted to be focused and not miss the key sites. Thank you both!

Regarding where to stay for 4 days...what is your budget? How many people are with you? Will you have 4 full days, or closer to 3 days once you factor in flying in, getting from Narita to Tokyo, and vice versa on the way out?
Also, what days of the week will you be there?
Any special interests? Do you have any ideas at all from any research you've done as to what interests you?

We are thinking of seeing Kyoto and Tokyo in the four days planned. Do you think that is possible? Our favorite thing to do is shop, antiques. We want to go to at least to one great flea markets. I know this all is a push. We are older in our late 50's.

I will admit upfront to having a bias. I am also of your age group ;-) I spent two weeks in Kyoto this past June and loved it. I didn't see Tokyo and honestly had no desire to see it. The sites that luckykat mentions would be of interest to many people, but not me at all. So I think where you go should depend on what you really want to see. Kyoto is a city with a fairly large population, has a large shopping area, but also has thousands of temples in addition to palaces. It also is a thriving art center, with pottery and other crafts. It also has the Gion, famous geisha area. It is cheaper than Tokyo, and has fine restaurants with regional cooking and teahouses. While buzzing, it does not have "massive electronic screens all blaring together." Frankly, that is my idea of hell. I didn't take the train from Tokyo so I don't know how long it takes, but some friends took the bullet train and I believe they said it took a few hours. If you stayed at a place like the upscale Granvia hotel, it is right above the train station and would provide a great base for exploring. (I stayed at a budget ryokan, and I liked it, but it's not the best solution if you want comfort.) These are my thoughts. As I said, where you go should depend on what you love to see and experience. Have a great trip. I left part of my heart in Kyoto.

Luckykat- We spent a week based in Roppongi last Christmas and found it to be a very nice area. Have you been in the last few years? One of the most expensive shopping centers and hotels in Japan are located there now.

I've been to Japan countless times in the last 20 years, so I'd notice if an area was bad enough to stay out of it. Roppongi was not bad in anyway, other than there being lots of very expensive cars parked there in the evenings. Never saw any drunks or scary behavior.

Gord! I lived in Roppongi a couple of years back. In that time I think I saw a hundred examples of why I would advise someone to spend their short amount of time in other places in Tokyo. However, one persons experience is only ever one person's experience which is exactly why we post on these boards...to get lots of peoples experience!! Cheers!

PamR
Thank you so much,Kyoto it is. Now off to decide where to stay. I think I will use points to stay at a Westin.
J