We are going on our first trip April 3rd. Basically one week in Tokyo and 6 nights in Kyoto. Lots of questions. Do we rent a phone at the airport? Where is the best place to exchange money? Should we bring a small amount of yen with us? Should we bring a lot of cash, or use ATM's? What should we not miss? What day trips should we go on? We'd love to see a baseball game, sumo wrestling [someone wrote you can see a training session out of season - how do you find one?], kabuki. Should we get rail passes?

I've been to Tokyo twice and can probably answer some of your questions from my own experiences.

Where is the best place to exchange money?
When you arrive, you can exchange some money at Narita. There are lots of Banks and ATM's all over Tokyo to exchange your money. But, when exchanging money in a Bank, it's a long and drawn out process.

Should we bring a lot of cash, or use ATM's?
This is strictly your decision. I personally brought cash. But, there are lots of ATM's as well.

We'd love to see a baseball game
Best place to go to see a game is by far the Tokyo Dome. I was only able to get standing room only section in right field for about 10 bucks a ticket. The view isn't bad though. You could ask your hotel how to score actual tickets.

I don't believe that all ATMs in Japan will accept cards from all banks. You might check japan-guide.com for more information about all of your questions. Good luck!

our bank was just outside of the palace garden in Tokyo. The transaction did take a long 10 minutes, but it was the BEST exchange we got - no fees!

YOu can read up on how to find a Sumo training session in the Japan Lonely Planet or Eyewitness Guides.

You may want to do an overnight from Tokyo to Nikko to see some very ornate temples (Chinese influence).

You may want to do a 1/2 day trip from Kyoto to see Himeji castle - best feudal fortifications in Japan.

In Kyoto, spend a day visitng the temples of the Philosopher's walk.

Read some trip reports on this site to get an idea of how people spend their time.

AS to train pass, if you have to go from Tokyo to Kyoto and back, you may want the JR pass.

No need to bring yen, they have lots of it in Japan. You can get cash from the Citibank ATM at the airport, at some ATMs at shinkansen stations, and most importantly at post office ATMs. Take a couple of $100 bills just in case (if that is your currency). Just make sure you know what using the ATM will cost you (ask your bank).

You don't need rail passes for your trip.

But if you mean by "6 nights in Kyoto" you are planning to take a day trip to Himeji or Okayama or someplace then a 7-day JR Pass would be useful --- but this assumes that you are returning to Tokyo on the day after your 6th night in Kyoto. Is that the case?

As Japan is on a different mobile phone netwoek, if you want to have a mobile/cell phone, it is easy to rent one at the airport. There are quite a few companies to choose from. The map at the airport should have where they are located. I rented a phone from the Vodafone company at the Tokyo airport and they charge for rental per day plus fees for calls made. Vodafone lets you rent from Tokyo airport and you can return the phone at their Kansai airport kiosk. Some companies may only let you pickup and drop off at same place eg Tokyo or Kansai. I found it easy and less time consuming to get a phone at the airport because I got it straight away rather than go to Tokyo and look for a phone shop there that did rentals.

In regards to money, I used ATMs in Tokyo and Kyoto - I used the Citibank ATMs as these accepted VISA and other international cards. I found it easier to withdraw a large amount each time to last me for at least 3 or more days at a time.