we are in tokyo, and very happy at the excellent ebisu. we love the area. the rooms are not special, (a twin would be better than a double), but the location is key. we love the vibe of the area. my wife has a friend who has shown us around and it is great. japan is so enchanting.

alibi, please take notes on Ebisu and where you went. I stayed there last March bit really did not explore it at all, just to and from the train station on that great covered walkway/moving sidewalk. Am staying there again in April for a week and woudl like to hear anything you can pass on...

So glad you find it enchanting. So did we. The trip provided many vivid dreams upon return...I hope yo uwill be getting out of Tokyo - you'll find it even more enchanting beyond Tokyo (although I LOVE tokyo too!)

alibi13, Welcome to Tokyo! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the Ebisu area. There are so many good places in the area, so I suggest just walking around and hanging out. I think you'll find a lot of cafes everywhere. I recommend heading over to Naka Meguro, a very cool area filled with funky shops, cool cafes, and interesting places. You'll like the vibe. It's nice to stroll along the river and go people watching. You could also walk over to Daikanyama for more cafes and people watching. I suggest getting a copy of the free weekly English magazine, Metropolis. It'll tell you all that's going on around town. It's online too. You could also drop by Claska one evening and have tea or dinner. There's often something going on, especially on weekend evenings. If you want to call me or meet up while you're here, I can tell you more. I live just near where you're staying.

One of my favorite cafes is in Ebisu, Dexee Diner. Very cool, best as a nightime hangout. Open until very late. Lots of hip locals and an interesting place. You should try to go there for sure. I also like Idee Cafe in Aoyama, another great place to feel the Tokyo vibe.

Ben's Cafe is in Takadanobaba, a busy student area. I've only been there a couple of times. It's a pretty nice place, kind of feels like a down-to-earth, slightly scruffy student cafe. It's always been more foreigners there than Japanese. It was more popular back in the days when there weren't many interesting modern cafes in Tokyo, but now there are so many.

emd, Good Honest Grub is still good and popular. They also have a branch in Harajuku. You're right, the Westin/Ebisu Garden Place side of Ebisu Station is a lot quieter and more residential. Lots more action on the other side (Vodafone side towards Daikanyama). Maybe we can meet up one of these days.

You both might want to check out: gridskipper.com and jeansnow.net for some interesting information on Tokyo.

Mealea, would be pleased to meet up w/you while we are in Tokyo/Ebisu. We are there April 8 through the night of the 11th (Sunday through Wed. night). It seems that mrwunrfl (Bill) is going to possibly be arriving in Tokyo the same day we are, April 8. We are already planing on meeting up w/Bill if he is going to be there, so maybe the 4 of us (Bill, you, me, my daughter) can all go out for sushi together. Would be nice to meet you after all of these months (maybe years now) of coresponding on this forum. As the time gets closer, let's talk about this again. It is possible to exchange email addresses if we contact the fodors editors to do so.

Good Honest GRub is on the list for us. We will spend our first day, Sun. 4/8, at Harajuku so will likley go to the Good Honest Grub there that day, and try the one in Ebisu later. Their food looks good for my vegetarian daughter. Will look up Naka Maguro and Dexee diner too, and am going to chekc those websites you gave.

Hi Mealea,

We are loving Ebisu. Last night we ate at this really cool new place. It is on the second floor of a main street of Daikanyama. It is organic. The food was great and we saw the actress who played Gogo in Kill Bill. The night before we were in Naka Meguro. Our friend Minori lives there. We went to this really cool sweets place called Higashiya. There was this far-out green tea that you drank in stages and then at the end you eat the tea. And there were really delkightful treats. And the building is fantastic. This morning we went to the fish market and ate at this place that had a huge line. That was the sign that it was good. Delicious. We go to Kyoto on Wednesday early afternoon. If you have time and are free it would be nice to meet up and say hello. We are staying at the Hotel Excellent Ebisu. My last name is McDaniel. If you want to�@meet tonight (Monday) might be best to call the hotel and�@leave a message with your number because I do not know that I�@check e-mail before Tuesday morning. We are free tonight after 8 and tomorrow after 8 or 9. And Wednesday we could meet for tea around 10 or 11 am. If you e-mail a time and place in the Ebisu/Daikanyama area, we can meet you there. Thanks for the tips on where to go. Bens Cafe was a strange experience. I did not stay long. Ciao.

alibi13, please what is the name of the organic restuarant where you ate? My daughter is vegetarian and I'm on the hunt for places in that area where she can eat.

hi mealea,

hope you are well. we had excellent ramen last night. and i went to an onsen. today we go to see some museums. would love to meet up and say hello. we are off to kyoto on wednesday afternoon, then bangkok, siem reap, luang prabang, chiang mai. we are staying in room 803 at the hotel excellent ebisu 03 54580087. would love to meet for tea at that Dexee Diner. we could meet outside out hotel at 9 pm. i do not know if i will see e-mail before then. or we could meet for lunch on wednesday at 1 pm in naka meguro.

emd, one veggie place we went was brown rice. i will find the name of the organic place soon. it is not veggie only thought. we had shabu shabu