Tokyo - Where to Stay - Itinerary
 

We are 2 single women who will be spending 5 days in Tokyo in mid-November. Would appreciate advice on where to stay and the best sites / side trips.

Hi Patti-<BR>We need a few hints...<BR>budget (shoestring, midrange, or you want only the best?). <BR>Interests(art, shopping, nightlife, language,architecture?) <BR>Style (adventurous or timid travelers)<BR>and are you finishing or starting a longer vacation or are the 5 days in Tokyo your whole trip?

Hotel - mid-range. We land in Tokyo and have 5 nights. We are middle age ... fairly adventuresome... enjoy museums, architecture and culture of other countries, nature, and of course, shopping ... perhaps arts for night life.<BR><BR>Should we stay in Tokyo full time ...or consider a night in Kyoto? What is transportation from Kyoto back to airport?

Also ... neither of us will be able to read or speak language.

Bonjour Patti,<BR><BR>Depending on the time of arrival, you could consider going directly from Narita airport to Kyoto for a couple of days (about 5 hours by train, including one easy change in Tokyo), then spending the last 2-3 days in Tokyo. Consider taking a 7 days JR railpass: it will cover the return fare from Narita to Kyoto and transportation inside of Tokyo on the JR lines. Exchange the voucher for the pass in Narita and book your seats at the same time.<BR><BR>In Tokyo, consider staying in Asakusa: relatively quiet at night, easy to go to and from, well connected to the other interesting areas of the city, with traditional life, food, and shopping, and some of the main museums of Tokyo are in nearby Ueno.<BR><BR>For traditional life and architecture Stroll in the traditional areas of Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi.<BR><BR>A great museum is Tokyo-Edo Museum, just next door to the sumo stadium in Ryogoku. Unfortunately, you won't meet many sumo wrestler at this time of year, they have a big tournament in Kyushu.<BR><BR>Get the book "Tokyo for Free" by S. Pompian for tons of cheap but great ideas.

Patti- Florence's ideas are exactly what I'd do. Kyoto is a much smaller city, so you don't have to spend a lot of time looking for, and getting to, the sights. You can easily get around walking, by bus (500yen for an all day bus pas...ask for an english map), or taxi,and they have a great traveler info center across the street from the train station. Go there to find out which temples will be lit up in the evenings. Depending on the weather, You should be able to go to the forests at the edge of town and see the foliage changing color. Speaking of that you, might want to reserve a hotel in advance if it is a good fall colors year.<BR>You could make a day of most of your Tokyo desires by heading for Uneo park. From the JR station, you can go south to Ameyoko-cho, the street market outside. Then head north over to the park. Inside are the Ueno zoo and the Tokyo National museum (Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan). It has a terrific gift shop and wonderful displays of Japanese art. There are also the treasure house and the Metropolitan Art (modern) museum next door. From there, wander vaguely west and then north (on the west of Yanaka cemetery)towards Nippori station. There are some very old, quaint neighborhoods full of shops, some galleries and several shrines along the way.