What else in Tokyo?
 

My tour group will transfer from Kyoto to Tokyo via JR super-express train. Question..how long of a ride is this?
Next day sights include Imperial Palace,Tokyo Tower,Asakusa Temple/Nakamise shopping arcade and Tasaki pearl gallery. Rest of the day is free..any suggestions?

I took that exact same tour when I visited Tokyo for the 1st time 3 years ago. Last year I visited Tokyo and did lots of touring on my own. I would try to visit Shinjuku and maybe drop by Takashiyama Times Square. There is also a really nice Meiji Temple in the Harajuku district. (a walking distance from the subway station) If you like baseball and if there is a game going on that evening, It's definitely a worthy experience to drop by the Tokyo Dome and catch a Yomiuri Giants game. It's about $10 bucks for a standing room only seat. I think the best part is hearing the Japanese fans chanting constantly.

By "JR super-express train" they the shinkansen, the bullet train. The trip from Kyoto to Tokyo takes about two and a half hours, give or take ten minutes.

You know, my Japanese friends (young and old) tell me that baseball in Japan is really passe, old-school, so over, however you choose to characterize it-it's soccer, soccer, soccer all the way now! When I queried whether this was just true with the younger set, my 65 year old artist friend said that nope, it used to be THE game, but no longer-no one they know would be caught dead at a baseball game-too uninteresting and just not "in," for what it's worth.

Anyway, Dorish-definitely you want to see the Meiji Shrine-it's a very beautiful and peaceful park area-you might want also want to do some window shopping in the Ginza area.

But one really great thing to do of a uniquely cultural nature is to go see Kabuki at Tokyo's famed Kabuki-za theater in the Ginza district. Now, you don't have to do as I have done and stay and watch a Kabuki play for some 7 hours; you can go in and watch one two hour segment-this website shows the next few months performances:

www.kabuki-za.co.jp/english/program.html

You don't have to worry about not understanding what is going on-they have continuous English translation guides that you rent at the theatre-I cannot recommend this highly enough-it is a truly fascinating, one of a kind experience; both the play itself, and the local folk who sit up in the gallery, calling out with whistles and cat-calls the moment their favorite Kabuki actor appears on stage for the first time-and the ritual "pose" that the actor assumes while the whistles and calls are taking place, as is custom-this is definitely a cultural event like no other.

Girlspytravl, I wish that baseball was as "out" as you say. We wanted to go to a Giants-Tiger game on 8/1 or 8/2 when we were in Tokyo. Since we weren't going to arrive until the evening of 7/29, we figured that the game might be sold out by then, so we emailed the concierge at the Conrad Hotel where we would be staying about 1-1.5 weeks before we left and asked if they could arrange for tickets for us. They replied that the games for both nights were already sold out at every ticket level. So, as blase as baseball might be in Japan now, we missed out because there are still plenty of people attending games.

btw, we did watch some of one of the games on TV later. Looked like fun.

Judy

I've gone to 2 Giants games each time I've been to Tokyo and both times the games were jam packed and completely sold out. Hence, I was only able to buy standing room only seats. I really doubt the sport is past it's prime or as you say blase in Tokyo. Even though the Giants have lost many of their star players over the years, from what I've seen each time I've visited the Tokyo Dome, they are still one of the hottest tickets in town.

<i>baseball in Japan is really passe, old-school</i>

I never would have guessed that after being in the Tigers store on the eighth level of Hanshin in Osaka recently. Aisle after aisle of every type of logo merchandise imaginable (far more than you'd find in any similar store in the US) and loads of people there buying it all up.

On my trip 4 months ago, there was a series of baseball games we wanted to see at Tokyo Dome. We would have gone to any one of 4 games in the 5 days we were there. Every game was sold out, and the concierge at the Westin called agents who said they had all been sold out for months prior to the games; in fact that they had sold out just after tickets for the season went on sale. Ditto for the game at Osaka Dome while we were in Kyoto. Hiroshima is building a new baseball stadium. Doesn't seem to be an indication that baseball popularity in Japan is over.

Spygirl, that was a good post, could have been a great post if you had held back on the arguementative part.

The more I read all of spygirl's posts the more I am convinced that most of her info is taken verbatim off of other sources of information. I often wonder if she has ever really traveled as much as she claims or is just traveling via the keyboard.

She is just being a troll IMHO and trying to instill arguement into these boards.

I feel sorry for her(or him).

Aloha!

HT...I tend to agree. Baseball is very, very popular. It is the most popular high school sport; high schools are chosen based on their baseball team - students choose their high school based on what they want to study, reputation, and whether or not they are likely to pass the entrance exam. Soccer is not popular even close to the same way baseball is.

Thanks for the feedback.....but I really don't like baseball. Either american or japanese. Just not my thing.I spent many years with my ex at baseball games..which of course he loved. The theatre however sounds interesting. Will post my trip upon return.

Hi

My wife and I went to Yokyo/Kyoto last year and I have posted a trip report with some pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/japan_tokyo.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there :d When we took the Hikari Shinkansen the trip took about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures