love2trvl

Going for three days, what shouldn't we miss? (Taking 10,9,8 and 6 year old.) Well traveled children who will do tons of walking.

Thank you so much,
love2trvl

KimJapan

My 9 yo daughter loved Tokyo Tower. DisneySea. Riding the subway. Odaiba has good shops and a huge ferris wheel. Children's castle is full of cool stuff. Tsukiji fish market is a great early morning excursion with sushi for breakfast. We also liked the Edo museum Department stores have great kids floors.

love2trvl

Thank you KimJapan. I am looking more into historial places/sights in Tokyo. We live in CA so no trip to Disney while in Tokyo.

Thank you.

KimJapan

Meiji Shrine.
Asakusa Kannon Temple.
Sumida River cruise.

mrwunrfl

Not really many historical sites in Tokyo. A lot was destroyed about 62 years ago and then it grew into one of the most populous cities in the world, from poverty to wealth.

The Edo museum is historical.

I recommend going to a baseball game and sitting in the right field bleachers.

There are some sumo sights in Tokyo. Or a sumo tournament in January, May, or Sept.

emd

If you are more into historical sights, maybe go to Kyoto instead.

I agree, there aren't many real historical sights in Tokyo, other than the ones Kim and mrw mentioned. Maybe do those and then take a day trip to Nikko or Kamakura. Nikko has a lot of good historical sights.

Barkinpark

I second the idea of day-tripping to Kamakura. It's not far from Tokyo and you'll be transformed to historical Japan immediately.

I suggest you get off the train at Kita-Kamakura station (Kita means north), which is one stop before Kamakura, and then hike to Kamakura. There are many beautiful shrines along the way. I visited Engakuji (right across from Kita-Kamakura station), Kenchoji (about 20 min away on foot from Engakuji along a nice, quaint road), and Hachimangu (full name is Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine). These temples are just as beautiful as the ones in Kyoto and Nara. I also walked from Hachimangu from the Kamakura train station along Wakamiya-ooji, a pedestrian walkway in the middle of a main street lined with cherry trees. This experience was magical in the cherry blossom season. Wakamiya-ooji connects the main entrance of Hachimangu to the Kamakura train station and thus you cannot miss it. I then walked from the Kamakura station to the Big Buddha. I felt that the Big Buddha was the most overrated sight, but this is just my personal opinion. I skipped the Bamboo Garden at Hokokuji, which I should have visited in lieu of the Big Buddha, in retrospect.

There is a tourist info center at the Kamakura station distributing free maps and the staff speaks English. If you get off at the Kamakura station, rather than Kita-Kumakura station, then you can rent a bike for the day (many Americans and Europeans were biking in the area). The Kamakura area is like Cape Cod, meaning that food is probably over-priced. I brought with me some snacks and bought a bento box/patisserie at department stores around the Kamakura station and had a picnic. In fact, I did see many Americans and Japanese picnicking and enjoying their time with their families under the gorgeous sakura trees.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...p;pagewanted=1
http://www.kamakuratoday.com/e/index.html (useful website with slightly outdated info and comments)

Barkinpark

To see old Tokyo, go to the area called Shitamachi. It's not the name of a particular train station, but a general name for the area around Asakusa.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0010923a5.html
http://www.kananet.com/asakusa-resta...ng.htm#wasyoku

The second website lists some famous restaurants in this old town area. For example, Imahan serves excellent Wagyu Beef and they have an English website. Yonekyu is more than 100 years old and serves sukiyaki.

When going to Tsukiji market, visit Sushi Daiwa or Sushi Dai, which are located two store fronts from each other. Arrive by 6.30am or wait in line for 30-100 minutes. I think the fish market is closed on at least one day in the week (check website) and on public holidays. So, do not go to any sushi restaurants in Tokyo on these days as the catch is from yesterday.

emd

There is also a walking tour available on the internet of the Yanaka district in Tokyo (an old district w/temples and it does have some old houses and shop bldgs. left that didn't get bombed). May not be interesting enough for the kids though. But others here have enjoyed that area. It is on my list for the 3rd trip to Tokyo.

See:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...085020036.html

miya

Depends on your interest & timing (August is hot & humid, so walking around will be exhausting); however, you could also look into
(1) Asakusa, historical town with old temple, streets full of traditional little shops full of toys/souvenirs, and Japanese restaurants (tempura, sukiyaki, etc.)
(2) Harajuku, which is modern, but you can visit Meiji Shrine (large complex w/ lots of trees & garden) "Kiddyland" (neat toy shop):
http://www.kiddyland.co.jp/en/index.html

Barkinpark

The restaurant equipment wholesale district in Kappabashi is eye-opening. The lacquerware is beautiful. Your kids would get a kick out of looking at the various plastic food models. Kappabashi is very close to the Asakusa temple (less than 10 min on foot).