skyhopper

Hey ya'll,
I'm in Tokyo and had my first day of sightseeing. My feet hurt so resting a while before I hit the streets again for dinner!I made my major screw up when I got here yesterday(i lost my luggage...yes you read right. i've got it now) so hopefully everything will be golden for the rest of the week.
It is really easy to get around..I thought you guys were joking! It's all about the colors if you get that down you are 90% there. Arrows everywhere point you to the direction you should be heading towards.
I've pretty much avoided rush hour so haven't had a train yet that's packed to the gills.
I got a passnet card for the subway lines and it was really easy to use the ticket machine.
For anyone coming to Tokyo, wear comfortable shoes! Not only flat but cushy. I see women here wearing high heels and I don't know how they can do it. Of course they aren't traipsing the city but still!
I studied some basic phrases before coming so communicating hasn't been a problem. I'm very far from fluent however, so I have had to rely on English in a few situations and it hasn't been a problem at all either way.

So far I've been to the Sony building in Ginza and have I think covered just about everything in Roppongi Hills entertainment complex including the Mori Art Museum (beautiful exhibits) and the Observatory.

Temple hopping tomorrow..as for tonight, who knows.

emd

Hi skyhopper. I hear you about the shoes and the feet. I took some foot muscle soak and used it every night.

Sony building is on my list for the next trip. Was it interesting/fun?

Did you see the exhibit w/the scale model of the entire city of Tokyo at Roppongi Hills?

I love the traveling trip report, keep it up! Others are getting ready to go to Tokyo soon and will be enjoying this too.

KMLoke

Whether Sony building is fun is subjective. Majority of the displays can be seen in other stores. If you're a techie that it could be quite cool. Personally I prefer to wander the mazes of Akihabara. Since it's at Ginza crossing if you're already there no harm dropping by. There's a duty free shop on the 5th level where purchases above JPY10,000 are tax free. Remember to bring your passport. They sell overseas models there.

Mealea

skyhopper, welcome to Tokyo! I hope you have lots of fun here. One of the best things you can do for your tired feet is to get a foot massage. Foot massage places are everywhere and no appointment needed. Very relaxing.

skyhopper

Hello all,

Well last night, I don't know what happened. I thought I will take a nap (it was around 5p) then head out to dinner at 8p. Well I did take a nap at 5p but I didn't wake up until 8 hours later! It's funny b/c I couldn't go to sleep my first night here.

Anyway took Mealea's advice and got a foot massage at midday and my feet feel much better! I also wore some socks today which I think helped too.

The sun rises VERY early here! Hence 'land of the rising sun'. I forgot to close the curtains and woke with a start thinking it was 12 noon but it was more like 5am.

Went to Meiji and Asakusa today. Also strolled thru Harajuku on Takeshita-dori where I felt ancient and Omotesando where I felt poor. I really loved Meiji as it was very peaceful and the irises were starting to bloom. It was a lovely walk. Asakusa was very bright and colorful. There were a lot of tourists in Asakusa. The temple and the shrine in Asakusa was exactly the image I had in my head of what a temple/shrine should look like, but it was definitely a different vibe than Meiji which I felt was a little more serious and definitely quieter. I must confess that I did a cheesy thing and took a rickshaw ride..yes I know it's wrong but it was fun! Up until visiting Asakusa I swear I thought I was the only Western tourist in Japan and this coming from Roppongi where I've decided to base myself this week. I've seen Westerners here but they all seem to live here....I think.

Another thing..the subway is so quiet! I noticed it today..it was still uncrowded but no one really says a word and if they do it's very quiet almost under breath. I had a salary man fall asleep next to me but it was really funny 'cuz he would catch himself before completely landing on my shoulder.

KMLoke and emd..The Sony showroom was interesting. I would agree that I wouldn't classify it as fun..although the Aibo robot dog was very cute. I am a techie so it was interesting to see possibly the smallest laptop I've seen yet. I think if you decide to go to Sony it should be after you've gone elsewhere and you need a little break as they have some sitting areas where you can watch Dvds on their latest flat screens. You can take pictures until you get to the 6th floor which I guess is where their newest televisions and sound systems are. I think the brand it's coming under is called Qualia.

Emd I did see a model city in Roppongi Hills but it wasn't Tokyo, it was NYC..lol. It was amazing.

In more mundane news I went grocery shopping today so if my next bit of narcolepsy hits me I won't wake up hungry. I never thought I would find mayonnaise here but lo and behold!

I will probably hit Akihabara and the Edo Museum tomorrow.
Sorry for the long posts, I have free internet access in my room..can you tell?

KimJapan

Funny about the mayonnaise...I thought the same thing before living here. Then, I discovered that Japan is the land of mayonnaise. Mayonnaise comes in the most unusual places...broiled on top of sea urchin...as a topping on scalloped potatoes...as a pizza topping...as a salad dressing...as a vegetable dressing...baked into various kinds of bread...the list goes on and on!

The all-time weird mayonnaise use...I saw on one of the morning tv shows a special about all the great things you can do with mayonnaise...a mayonnaise margarita! If I remember correctly...this was years ago now...there was mayonnaise mixed into the drink itself and as a decorative "garnish" on the rim of the glass instead of salt.

emd

We felt the same way in Tokyo, like we were the only American tourists. I did see a few European tourists at Senjosi in Akasaka, but that was about it. Did see some American business people at our hotel but I expected more tourists. And yes, the subway is very quiet. I think they are tired from working such long hours. We routinely saw very full trains at 11 p.m. w/people going home from work.

The mayonnaise thing is surprising and wierd. I thought mayonnaise on french fries was unusual in Belgium, but mayonnaise margaritas?

If you went grocery shopping, are you staying at Mansions at Roppongi? I know they have kitchenettes.

Keep up the reports if you can, enjoying it very much here. Glad you got some sleep, hopefully you'll be adjusted now.

KMLoke

You can see something more from NYC at Odaiba. It's the statue of liberty. Can you spot where it is?

grango

skyhopper in Tokyo, have you seen Taito Ryokan in Asakusa? Wondered if it is OK, price is very cheep but main draw is non-smoking and close to train-subway etc. Any sugestions on smoke free places to stay would be most appreciated. Be in Tokyo with 15y/o granddaughter and 13y/o grandson end of June. Your "long posts" are very incouraging and informative. Sounds like a fun trip. Hope this reaches yhou before you are gone. Thanks

emd

grango, that is tres cool that you are taking your teen grandkids to Japan! My teen kids think it is cool that I take them, but it is ultracool for a grandparent to take the grandkids.

grango

The kids surprise me with the things that they are interested in that I had wanted to see but thought they wouldn't, like the sword museum. My granddaughter, looking at the info on accomidations came up with "its ok not to have a private bath if we can stay in a really traditional Japanese building". That is why I am wondering about the experience at Taito Ryokan. Sence we are headed to Okinawa for a month after Tokyo, packing really light is not an option, so I am a bit concerned about transportation from Narita and to Haneda. Read that "JUST SHY OF PANICKED!" But having read the posts here, I think the place for help is now found!

skyhopper

grango, I didn't stop at Asakusa again today but will do tomorrow and see if I can find Taito. I think I may have seen it already during the rickshaw ride but I will dbl check when I go back tomorrow.
KimJapan, about the mayonnaise thing I believe it. I took a wild guess that what I got was mayo when I saw a picture on the container of lettuce being dipped in something white and creamy. I was praying that it wasn't cream cheese or some sort of margarine. I also got what I thought were grapes but it was some crazy grape/muscadine hybrid it's yummy and reminds me of home.
Yep I am at the Mansions and it's fab..my own little one bdrm palace. I'm really going to hate leaving the place. By the way for you folks thinking of staying here the cab ride from the ANA is about 650Y. It's pretty much a straight shot up the street and takes less than 5 minutes by cab. I would almost recommend walking it but if you have luggage you have to walk up some stairs to get across an intersection.
Not much to report today other than it was HOT!!! I went to the Edo Museum and it was great. I really loved all the small scale models (complete with detailed figurines to make up the population). Also the live scale of homes from back then were very cool. There were lots of school children but not so many that you would be overwhelmed.

They have free volunteer guides but I think they must rotate languages because next to the volunteer guide desk it said something to the effect of 'Languages offered today' which was English and Spanish. I would recommend the guide because some of the displays have speaking/action parts to them. Also the some of the placards are written in the Japanese only but you get the general gist without reading them.

Today's theme was if I can't find it in 15 minutes forget it.

After I left the Edo Museum, I thought I would go see the Sumo Museum since easily enough they are right next to each other. There was a security guard right next to the entrance to the museum so I asked him where the Sumo museum was and he said 'Massugu'. So I walked straight up the walkway past the Edo Museum and I saw what I thought was probably the stadium but I didn't find anything pointing to the museum. There is an area map outside the Ryogoku station showing where the museum is but no other signs or area maps pointing you to the right direction. I was sweating buckets and gave up for some subway a/c.

So then I decided to go to Ahkihabara. I walk out the train station and my little guidebook says that I should see the area map outside the station giving you directions to 'ElectricTown'. I saw the map but no Electric Town on it. Tons of people were walking out of the station but no one was going in a set direction. I walked up the street a few blocks, but couldn't find the building that's supposed to house all this stuff. Again it was hot and by this time I was annoyed with myself that I'm such a bad navigator and came home. I will try it again tomorrow.

Tips for getting lost and found Japan.
1. Get a guidebook that will tell you the correct exit to take out of the train station for the site you want to see..it will save you a lot of time.
2. Find a map with landmarks on it (like stores, restaurants etc)so you will know where you're going. The one I got for Ginza at the info booth was excellent cuz it had not only the street name but some of the stores on the streets so when I passed by I knew exactly where I was. The Mansions also supplied me with one of Roppongi and it's excellent also.
3. If you run out of money on your Passnet card, don't get another card with a picture just like the one you had before. I made that mistake and then couldn't figure out which one I just paid for. After getting slapped down at the gate the nice man at the ticket counter flipped the card over and showed me all the writing on the back showed it was at '0'.

4. Don't even think about going down a street that you believe may be a shortcut..it ain't so.

Finally going to sample some nightlife tonight as my sleep sched. has returned to normal.

KMLoke

skyhopper,

to get to Electric Town either take the JR to the Akihabara station. It will take you to the heart of it. If taking the Metro get out the exit which goes to the JR station. Once there you would be able to gather your bearings.

Sheryl

skyhopper, my husband and I are joining you here in Tokyo. We're staying at the Hilton in Shinjuku and just arrived after a couple days at the Expo near Nagoya. Didn't do too much today - just the free observation deck at the TMG building near the hotel and walked around Kabuki-cho near Shinjuku station. We'll be visiting Asakusa tomorrow - too bad it will be raining.

Carino007USA

Sheryl, I am planning to stay at the same Hilton Hotel by the end of August, first time in Tokyo for three nights, it will be great to read about your experience there.

notzathros

Hi Grango,
We're preceeding you to Japan by a few days. We will be staying at the Taito Ryokan on the 15, 16 and 17. We then head out towards Kyoto and plan to return to Tokyo on the 28th. If Taito is nice we will stay there on the 28th. Maybe we will overlap. This is our first trip to Japan and we are both nervous and excited. Looking forward to the adventure.

skyhopper

Hello again,

grango, I tried to find Taito ryokan but couldn't locate as I forgot to bring the address with me. I did remember that it was across the street from Vodafone and I also saw the small koban on the corner.

It's going to be a good 10 minute walk to get to Asakusa station. I didn't see the Tawaramachi station tho, but judging by the map on their site that station is closest to the ryokan.

Have been spending the last couple of days wandering around. Went Ebisu stopped by What the Dickens. Had a live blues band that was pretty good. It wasn't crowded when I got there and then all of a sudden at around 10p it was packed.

Ebisu has a lot of small restaurants with very well dressed people eating in them..I was bumming it in t-shirts and jeans so didn't go into any.

So I came back to Roppongi and ate at this little izakaya next to the Mansions. I had sashimi (which i tried for the first time--oishii desu!), chicken liver, and some sort of wild japanese plant dish.

Then went to a place called Soul Sonic Boogie. They play 70's/80s r&b and disco tunes. It's so funny that they can't speak english well but know all the words to Celebrate by Kool and the Gang. I met so many people there! They were shy at first but after a drink or 2 watch out!

Went to Tokyo station today to get my JR pass and reserve a seat for the train to Kyoto. That place is huge! Today is some sort of holiday..the guy at the izakaya told me last night. I wish I'd known earlier this week cuz now I only have 2000 or 3000 yen to my name and of course the post office is closed.

Looking forward to Kyoto tomorrow and my stay at Hiiragiya. Ready for a slight change of scenery.

DonTopaz

Great report and update, skyhopper.

What a change you are in for as soon as you set foot in Hiiragiya. The whipped green tea and "cake" will let you know that you have walked into a different world, one of calm and relaxation. Looking forward to your next installment!

moxie

What wonderful reports; I am looking forward to the next one!

skyhopper

Aah,
Back to the land of Fodor's. Well here I am in Shibuya and what a mind blow that was when I got out of the train station. Staying at the Cerulean Tower Hotel and it is pretty nice. I have a fantastic view of what's going on below. It is 5p here and the neon is starting to give a little twinkle.

I decided not to send my luggage thru takkyubin (luggage delivery) because well I'm a master procrastinator. But I figured..hey I haven't had a really crowded train since I got here so my luggage shouldn't be an issue. HOWEVER...I forgot that I had been taking the train around 10am. I left the Mansions at 8am. It was good going at first..escalators were going down so except for the entrance I didn't have to lug my stuff for long.I thought this is going to be a breeze! NOT! I sat for an hour in Roppongi station waiting for a train where people's faces weren't smashed up against the glass. At 9am it miraculously let up at least enough to fit me and my luggage.

When I needed to transfer to Marounochi there was an elevator so no need for lugging luggage there either.
I think it became a prob when I got to Kyoto because I had no idea where I was or where to go. Long story short use the delivery service..your life will be much easier.

I had more leg room than I thought I would on the train. I was almost cursing the fact I hadn't brought my bigger suitcase. The overhead bins are just enough for a stuffed backpack or a very small suitcase. The suitcase I have is about 15 in wide and 22 length and I still had legroom despite the person in front was leaned back in their seat.

When we first arrived at Kyoto station, I was thinking..am I at the wrong stop? Very industrialized.

Kyoto was really nice. It was a nice break away. Hiiragiya was lovely especially the cedar tub which was so aromatic I just wanted to sit in there forever. I opted for dinner only and am I glad I did..I don't think I've had that much food ever. Shabu-shabu was my final meal there and I am not by any means skilled with the chopsticks. Needless to say I felt like the room and myself needed plastic coating for that meal. My housekeeper had a great sense of humor thank Buddha. The service was great and if I return I will definitely stay there again.

Went to Arashiyama (?) and went to the bamboo forest which was beautiful and thankfully cool for a very hot day.
Walked around a bit and found another temple called Suzumidera(?). It was a lovely walk up the steps(curses!) to get to the ticket gate but alas Nihongo only. The bamboo forest was really the only thing I went to Arashiyama for so I caught the number 73 back to Kyoto station.

Went to Chion-in shrine in Kyoto where I sat seiza for around 30 minutes while the monks chanted. It was very soothing...until the clanging of bells started at which time I promptly got up and left. The garden was okay but be forewarned that there are some arrows that lead u nowhere. Also if you have bad/weak legs/knees don't even think about going there. The steps leading up to the entrance is a killer. I better have some nice calf muscles when I get home!

Now for my favorite place which was Heian. Probably the best garden I took a spin through. I needed sunglasses for the white sand. Also there were 2 geisha or at least a pretend ones at the entrance..all the tourists..me included descended on them like locusts with our cameras out. I'm sure they were thinking, 'Man, we just wanted to try it out for a day!'

Walked thru the narrow alley of Pontochoburi which still, I think has a feeling of old Japan and then walked thru Shirakawa-minami dori which is a very lovely little street.

Sent my luggage via takkyubin to Cerulean from Hiiragiya with no problems.

It's raining today and very cool so I think I'm just going to hang in the hotel tonight. My shoes aren't gripping the pavement so I was slipping some when I walked around. There's a jazz bar and some nice restaurants to choose from so..ja mata everyone.