I will be arriving in Tokyo on Tuesday March 20th from Kyoto. The train will arrive at approximately 8:30 in the morning.

After dropping the bags off at the Westin Tokyo hotel, I have scheduled the tour of the Imperial Palace for 10:00am , after that I wanted to explore Ginza before doing the Sumida Boat Cruise up to Asakusa where we will explore a little bit before coming back to the Ebisu Area at night.

The next day I wanted to start in Shinjuku and experience some city life there before heading down to Harajuku , Omotesando and then ending the day in Shibuya.

On Thursday I wanted to visit Odaiba before heading to the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium for the World Figure Skating Championships. That should last about 4 hours. After that heading to Ropponji to experience the nightlife since it doesn't seem to be too far away.

On Friday morning I wanted to take a day trip - either to Tokyo DisneySea or Kamakura ( I haven't decided yet )

On Saturday I figured I would start in Akihabara before heading up to Ueno and the Yanaka area before either heading back to the Metropolitan Gymnasium in the evening for the World Figure Skating Championships... I would then visit Ropponji or Shibuya again depending on which area I liked better for nightlife.

On Sunday my flight leaves from Kansai at 9:30 at night , so I only really have the morning in Tokyo. What time do the crazy teenagers come out in Harajuku? I figured I would visit there again to see this.


It sounds like alot.... I want to know if this is physically possible... My style of travelling is to pack alot in my first trip to any place I go becuase I do not know if I will ever get back there again.

Thanks

I think you are going to have a problem on day 1 when you arrive at 8:30, then have to get to the Westin in Ebisu and back to the Imperial Palace by 10 am. Your time frame is very short. On your other plans you have more flexibility. Regards, HT

Perhaps I should switch the the Imperial Palace tour to 2:00 on the first day and just head to Ginza after dropping the bags off at the hotel. After the Palace at 3:00, I could then take the cruise up to Asakusa and explore that area until the late late evening. What time does the temple there close?

Also, on the next day - if I take out visiting the Harajuku area including the temple and the park, I could save that for my last day (Sunday) Does that temple open on Sunday? What time do the crazy teenagers start coming out to parade around?

You must be leaving Kyoto very early to get into Tokyo at 8:30 a.m. That is going to be a long day.

I believe the cosplay kids only hang out on the bridge between Ometasando and Yoyogi Park on Sunday, but they don't really get going til at least noon. Are you talking about Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi park? If so, Sunday is best day for that also as you are likely to see a wedding taking place on Sunday there.

I would switch the Imperial Palace to later in the day, as you say.

What time do you want to be at Tokyo Metro. Gym. on Thurs.? Just be aware that it is a long way around Tokyo from Odaiba. If you could combine Odaiba with the Asakusa and Sumida river cruise day, that might be a better way to do it.

I don't think exploring Asakusa at night is the best, if you are hoping for the fun action on the Nakamise shopping street leading up to the temple and the side streets. All of the shops on the Nakamise will close at about 6 pm. I don't think that Senjosi temple closes (japan-guide.com says it is always open) but there will be more people there and more to experience during the day.

ok, I have switched some things around

First day - Tuesday: Arrive in Tokyo - head to Westin Ebisu to drop off bags. Take train directly to Asakusa to explore the area. Then head to the Sumida Boat Cruise and take it down to Odaiba where I will spend the evening before heading back to Ebisu.

The next day - Wednesday - Head to Shinjuku , then Omotesando/ Aoyama before heading to Shibuya before going back to Ebisu

Thursday - Going straight to the Imperial Palace for the 10:00 tour, then going to Ginza for just a bit before going to the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium by 4:15. When the skating ends at 8:20 , head to Ropponji for some dinner and explore before heading back to Ebisu.

Friday - Day Trip to Disneysea or Kamakura

Saturday - Akihabara , then Ueno/ Yanaka before heading back to the Metropolitan Gymnasium by 5:30. When it ends at 9:20 head back to either Shibuya, Ropponji or Ebisu

Sunday - Harajuku , shrine and park , then Ginza before boarding the train to Kansai.

I think your suggestions have helped make it a little more realistic!!!

Thanks!

I think that is a much better plan regarding the locations of the different attractions and areas.

You might consider spending more time in the Ebisu area. It's kind of cool and laid back. Not exactly where the hotel is, about 7 minutes away by foot.

There are lots of independent consignment shops and very fashionable stores in the Ebisu/Daikayama (spelling?) area. We loved lingering there, much more so than Roppongi or Asakusa, which we found to be more touristy and less interesting.

funny, I was just thinking that with all of the travelling to the other neighborhoods - the neighborhood that my hotel is located in will get the least amount of time!!! I will definitely make more time to explore the area.

You have an aggressive which is good if it's what you want.

Make sure to try and get a mental picture of the subway stations and the station's surrounding area before you get out of the station.

The maps in the Japan and the train station exits are not always displayed with North on top of the map. It might and then it might not. So just be aware of where you are going before you go there or in other words you will get lost so figure in some extra time for that.

Plus I didn't mention that once you get out of the "friendly" confines of the station that the postal numbers are always off or non existent.

Street and all signs are in Japanese(NO ENGLISH). And it's harder to find help once you leave the station....well not harder to find help, the Japanese people are always helpful it's just harder to get your point across with sign language if you don't speak Japanese.

What I'm trying to say in a roundabout way is that if you get half of what you plan for done this time around don't be disappointed be happy!

Don't get frustrated, just go with the flow. It will all make sense after a couple of days there. Japan is a beautiful country.

Aloha!

The subway exits might confuse me alot. I have a Tokyo atlas and it seems that there are so many subway stops that have as many exits like Times Square or Union Square here in NYC!! Just the thought of it sounds a bit terrifying!!! I could be blocks and blocks away from where I wanted to go just by exiting on the wrong side!

Luckily, I have been studying Japanese off and on for a couple of years and can carry on a basic conversation. I just hope that I will be able to get over my initial intimidation and will be able to feel comfortable using the Japanese that I do know!!!

I am going to make the most of my trip there - it has been my dream to go to Japan for MANY MANY years and I can't believe that in one month I will be there.

I was in Tokyo for a week in March '04. I did not find the subway/JR trains that difficult. There was a lot of English signage particularly in the larger stations. As has been said, people are very helpful as well. It is good to have a map or atlas to show them if you get really desperate. I also remember that the larger streets did have signs in English. The only time I got lost was when I went to the Fugawa-Edo Museum and the Bonsai Museum - I believe the latter is now closed. On that trip I had only two or three words of Japanese ;-)
When I went to Kyoto last March and stayed at a business hotel, I tried to do everything in Japanese as I had been studying and knew a bit more - I'm sure you know Where is....? ....doko desu ka? You'll do fine! Enjoy!

As for the luggage drop-off on the Day 1, have you considered sending it via "takkyu-bin" from Kyoto directly to Westin? That would free up some time upon arrival, and you can go straight to the Imperial Palace after a leisurely breakfast near Tokyo Station.
As for getting around on Metro, I found getting a prepaid card (JPY1000, JPY3000) avoids the hassle of trying to figure out how to buy the right ticket. And carry a business card from the hotel in case you need to show it to the taxi driver.

I will use the takkyu-bin service from Kyoto to Tokyo for the larger bags, however we will have smaller bags that will contain toiletries and a change of clothing. We could carry those things around with us the whole day - the bags wouldn't be that heavy, but it might be a slight nuisance.


If I send my larger bags on the day before from Kyoto, should it be at the Westin Tokyo on the day I arrive? Also, from the Westin Tokyo to Kansai Airport... is it overnight as well or a couple of days? I want to make sure my luggage is at the airport when I leave Japan!

Kyoto to most of central Tokyo should be an overnight service. Check with your hotel what the cutoff time is.

Check w/the Westin re when to send your luggage from Tokyo to Kansai airport. It depends on what time your flight leaves. The two times I have sent luggage to Narita from Kyoto, I send luggage two days ahead, eg. if flight is Friday I'd send Wed. just to be safe, but check w/the Westin concierge.