kamatacci

My 20-year-old son and I are going to Japan for two weeks in May, our first trip. While we have a lot of things to do while there, most are daytime sightseeing. I'm stumped over our first day in Tokyo. Our flight gets to Narita at 1:15 p.m. on a Monday (from St. Louis via Dallas, about 16 hours total). How long will it probably take to get to the hotel and check in, and is there something simple to do late afternoon/early evening (besides eating or going to sleep)? We're staying at the Akasaka Prince Hotel.
Thanks for any suggestions.

kaneda

If you were going to European capital cities like London, Paris, Rome, etc, you'd be deluged with things to do but there really isn't a lot to do in Tokyo. However try this site (which also has reviews of your hotel):

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...kyo_Kanto.html

If you can't think of anything else, I'd say have a wander down to the Ginza or Shinjuku shopping districts. The Tokyo subway is very easy to use (press your station on the map in English and it'll tell you how much money the machine wants before giving you your ticket. Just watch everyone else.) If you don't use it, you're going to spend a fortune to wait in traffic in taxis.


Check out Japanese rail passes if you plan to explore Japan by train. They have to be bought outside Japan. Buy a good map of Tokyo and Japan, and consider buying a Lonely Planet guide to Japan.

angethereader

It'll take about 2-3 hours from when you land until you arrive at your hotel. The ride (I recommend the limo-busses) is 1.5 hours.

I differ with kaneda I thought there was lots to do. The neon in Ginza puts New York to shame. Just walking around is an adventure.

I recommend going to Shibuya to see the amazing neon there. We went at night (we were with our 21 year old son) and it was amazing. It's the busiest intersection in the world. At 11 at night there were thousands of people. We also went to an arcade to do picture club pictures

One night we explored one of the department stores. It was incredible. The food floor (usually the basement or first floor) is a must.

FYI - The drinking age in Japan is 20.

hawaiiantraveler

agree with angethereader and totally disagree with kaneda. IMHO there is a lot more to do in Tokyo and you can do it in relative safety without the gypsies and pickpockets that haunt the European capital that kaneda mentions.

You will no doubt be jetlagged that evening anyway and a nice walk down the ginza in the evening is a nice way to ease yourself into Tokyo. If your hungry you can always eat at one of the dozens of ramen shops that are off on the side streets or you can go to the basement of one of the department stores(Mitsukoshi, etc.) and have a feast just sampling all the wonderful foods on display for sale.

You probably won't be at the hotel till around 4:30 or so at the earliest so timing would be good for a stroll. If you have the energy and time you could jump into the subway at rush hour and expierence that rush for a couple of stops, lol.....any way enjoy!

Aloha!

curiousgeo

Well that is a pretty long day, pre-flight time check-in, 16 hours flying, plus say 2 hours into Akasaka. If you are feeling tired, the area around the Akasaka Mitsuske station is somewhat of an entertainment area with lots of restaurants and drinking places. Maybe not as well known as the Ginza, Roppongi or Shibuya, but it's just a short walk from the Prince hotel. Of course if you're up to it, the other areas aren't too far by subway either.

emd

A really great thing to do at night in Tokyo is to go to Tokyo Tower. Great evening/nighttime view of the entire city, all lit up. They have boards on each side of the Tower observatio area (indoors) where you can press buttons and see the area you are looking at, so you can identify Ginza, etc.

If you are adventurous, you could go to Tokyo Dome if there is a baseball game there that night and see a game if it is not sold out, or do that some other evening. Baseball in Japan, esp. the crazy fans is an incredible mind-blowing very fun experience.

hawaiiantraveler

If you are there between May 13 thru the 27th 2007 you can also take in the May Sumo Basho at the Kokugikan. Something really worth seeing, I have only seen them in tournaments in Hawaii when they travel which was spectacular. I am looking forward to seeing in Japan next time we are there.

Aloha!

mrwunrfl

I agree with the last two posters. I would go to a baseball game if I could find one on a Monday night. Would be too late for sumo that day, but would be a good idea to make time for it on Tuesday, if it is on.

emd

japanese pro-baseball 2007 schedules will go up at www.japanesebaseball.com sometime in late Feb. 2007

kaneda

Yes, there is lots to do in Tokyo, like.....shopping and.....eating.

Florence

Bonjour Kaneda,

You sure look like you have visited a very different Tokyo than everybody else, or like someone who mistakenly took their information about Tokyo from people on short business trips, who too often only know the seedier parts of Shinjuku or Ikebukuro at night ... ;-)

In case you decide to /are forced to return, may I suggest you take a look at "Tokyo for Free", from S. Pompian (Kodansha ed.)? You'll see there's lots of things to do beside shopping and eating, and very often for not much more than the price of a subway ticket.

kamatacci

Great suggestions for easing into Tokyo — I'll skip the part about telling my son he can drink He will love the neon lights, I'm sure. We do plan to see a baseball game and a sumo match while we're in Tokyo. But even if those were possibilities the first day, I think that would be too much after the long travel day. Appreciate the link to the baseball schedules, emd, and kaneda, the reminder to get maps. We do plan to get a rail pass.

kamatacci

Angethereader, I forgot to ask, you wrote that you went to an arcade to do picture club pictures. What's that?

angethereader

You go into a booth and take a bunch of funny pictures. Then you choose 4 or so and add writing, icons, etc. (every booth is different) and they're printed out in sheets of 4 or 5 pictures of each. They're tiny and are stickers. I have two of them stuck on my computer at work.
We found an arcade and walked around (things are very vertical in Tokyo) the different floors until we found the booths.

That's where we found the "No Smooking" sign.

I'd google them to get a better idea. My explanation doesn't sound coherent.

fodderfodder

considering that you get in at 1:15PM, I would not plan anything other than dinner and sleep for the first day. It usually takes @2 hours to get out of the Narita airport, and then depending on where you are staying, it can take another 2 hours to get there

kappa

Regarding "Picture Club", the common name is Pri-Kula which is abbreviation of Print Club. It was a big hit about 15 years ago. Probably some (or many stilll?) machines still can be found.

angethereader

Many machines still found. We did some in Tokyo, but our son - who just finised a year of college in Japan said there still quite popular.

How long it takes at the airport really depends. Our flight landed around 3, and we were at our hotel in Ginza before 5. We did walk around and eat, but didn't do too much else partly because we waited 2 hours for DS to show up.

kaneda

Florence. I had already looked at the site. Thge best thing there, the view from the 45th floor is shut on Mondays!

I have walked around grounds of shrines, the Imperial Palace, and parks. Nearly as interesting as walking around my own 4 acres of garden in summer. The museums? I would be hard put to find something less desirable than a sumo wrestling museum. A nuclear reactor? Big deal. If you go to the UK, visit Sellafield (open to the public) to see the real thing. Visit a car showroom? Geee! Such a lot of interesting things. I'd sooner visit the Hello Kitty theme park in Tokyo.

Shinjuku is a good shopping area, better than the overpriced and bland Ginza. I came out of the station, spent a few hours walking around, looking at endless interesting shops and went back into the same station. There is a large Manga comics, models, posters, etc basement shop only a few minutes walk away that I had a great time in.

The Tokyo tower is disappointingly small, but does have a good view, and is worth visiting for the 20x120 binoculars which cost a fortune each as anyone interested in astronomy knows. I walked past the Diet (parliament) building) but don't think they did tours. I did try to book a tour of a car company when first there back in 1986 but they did not allow me because I did not speak Japanese, so would not understand the guide.

So, what is worth visiting in Tokyo? The golden turd as everyone knows it? Or the shanty town across the river? To watch the robots feeding the slot machines at a pachinko arcade?

dsbraid

Hi kamatacci
I am on the terrific Tokyo having been there twice in the last two years. I believe that Tokyo is probably one of the most amazing places on the planet Earth.
You could write a book about what to do in Tokyo for a few days. Great stuff.

You can get some very interesting Tokyo travel ideas from the Getaways for Girls website at
www.getawaysforgirls.com
Check out the Tokyo section of the itinerary

They go to some of the more interesting places and attractions in Tokyo but are more focused on a womens point of view.

Apart from all of the Tokyo attractions there is also fantastic food halls that have a selection that would be unheard of anywhere else.
If you are interested you could also try Akihabra (electric town) especially at might time. Fantastic shopping for electric items in the country where most of them are made.

A REALLY fun place to go and it is on the JR metro line is Harijuku. It is exciting to see the teenage element of Japanese culture. I felt like I had just become part of a real life anime program. THis place is also the trendiest fashion centre of the east. It makes Carnaby street in London look downright sleepy.
There is much much more so good luck.

flbronc

I was in Tokyo last year and also stayed at the Akasaka Prince ! Great hotel and the concierge was EXTREMELY helpful. They have maps for any and every place you want to visit... including the Harley Davidson store ! I walked around after arriving in the general area of the hotel - lots to see and do. The very best book you could ever buy is Fodor's Citypack Tokyo. There is a section "Tokyo's Top 25 Sights" and I managed to get to almost all 25 ! There is also a section on 'walks' to do. There is also a section for day trips outside of Tokyo via train. My favorites were Kamakura, Hakone (Mt Fuji), and Mt. Takao. You must start VERY early to do Hakone in a day but staying overnight would be ideal. The outdoor art museum was great and I generally am not an 'art museum' type... look it up on the internet to get an idea of what it is like. The Ueno Zoo is great also..The garden at the Otani Hotel - across the street from Akasaka Prince - is supposed to be very nice too but I never got there ! I had so much fun there... I walked all day, every day for 10 days and didn't come close to seeing it all ! I did most everything alone since my friend was there on a business trip. The subways are easy to use and very clean and safe. A good tip: as the subway approaches a stop there will be lights above the doors that flash that lets you know which side of the train you will depart from. One more thing I got a laugh from.... they have 'Hundred Yen' stores (Dollar Stores)... I actually bought a few things to bring back with me... cheap and lots of fun. Their store was 4-5 stories ! I know you will have a great time - it is a great place. If your son starts yearning for American food while you are there, Wolfgang Puck is just down the street from the hotel. There is also another really nice place near the hotel called the East West Cafe (I believe). Enjoy your trip. It's a great place ! The hotel is fabulous - wait until you see the toilets ! So many switches and settings on it ! Who would imagine ?!?!