First timer in Tokyo April 3-6

Hey!

I will be arriving in Tokyo from London at 9am on April 3. I have never been to Japan before... excited!

I have the rest of that day and all of April 4 to explore! April 5 will mostly be taken up with work at the Punkspring Festival in Tokyo...and I/we leave morning of April 6.

The hotel we are in is the Akasaka Excel Hotel Tokyu (2-13-3 Nagata-Cha, Chiyoda-Ku)

A colleague coming with me (who has been to Tokyo before) says he is pretty good at using the subway to get around.

These are places I had thought would be great to see:

Meiji Jingu shrine nr Harajuku station, Sensoji Temple in Asakura, the sakura bloom - at Ueno Park or Shinjuku Gyoen (where is best?), the Imperial Palace, the busy crossing at Shinjuku, Takeshita Street, the Tsukiji fish market (around 9 or 10am sounds best time so not to be in the way, correct?).

Is that too much to fit in? Any other recommendations?

There will be 3 - 4 of us max - all around 30 yrs old, who work with rock bands. I always giggle at obvious tourists taking photos of everything in London, and I know I am going to be exactly like that in Tokyo. :)

First timer in Tokyo April 3-6

Subway is pretty easy, so that should not be an issue.

Everyone I think has their favorite things, so it may be hard to go off of what people say. I think your list is perfect and even if you only have time for half that, you will have a nice stay.

Personally I loved the fish market. For me it was a really fun thing to do, something I can%26#39;t see at home.

Cherry blossoms are beautiful, no doubt, but if they are blooming, you will see them in many places. As far as parks go, I preferred the Shinjuku Gyoen over Ueno by far.

I preferred Meiji Shrine over Sensoji Temple.

You may not fit it all in, so read different guide books and web sites to see if you can get a feel for what you might prefer. Plus, I am sure others will answer here.

Good luck and have fun!

First timer in Tokyo April 3-6

Great to see 30ish rockers into the cultural sights, but also check-out Tokyo for instrument stores. A Yamaha showroom in Ginza, and drum / guitar stores in Shibuya. You%26#39;ll find antiques in perfect condition of every manufacturer and every model.

There%26#39;s also a drum museum that goes back even further. Expect to get the rock band welcome.

Subways and trains -- you%26#39;ll be fine. It%26#39;s fun!

Sensoji Temple - wow, what a place. Very nice.

Tokyo experts -- I was told that VERY early (6AM?) was THE time to be at Tsukiji. Kixx - am sure they%26#39;ll let you know.

Imperial Palace --%26#39;all%26#39; I saw were the east gardens -- they were very nice, good for a relaxing stroll.

Again - Tokyo experts -- was there more to the Imperial Palace area?

Shinjuku %26#39;crossing%26#39; -- a sight to see for sure! Have your picture taken with Hachiko -- Tokyo%26#39;s icon.

As you%26#39;re into the rock scene -- and more just for fun --not sure if you have heard of the %26#39;decora%26#39; people. They are close to one of the MAJOR train stations, and are a real sight to see all dressed up. They were a blast to visit with.

Tokyo experts -- apologies for any names / places I%26#39;ve got wrong!

Kixx - have a great trip!

The crossing is at Shibuya, not Shinjuku.

Tsukiji Fish Market: the earlier the better. If you go as early as 5am, you might be able to see the tuna auctions. Search the ';tuna auction'; in the forum search box for proper etiquette when viewing the auctions as the procedures is real business, not meant to be a tourist attraction. If you can%26#39;t get up early enough for the auctions, get there by 8am to 9am. After 9am, the cleanup starts and by 11am, most of the market will be very quiet.

Note the closing days of the market here:

tsukiji-market.or.jp/etc/calendar/2009.html

Overall, you will be a bit rushed but still get to see most of what%26#39;s on your plate. I don%26#39;t find Imperial Palace particularly interesting so if you need to drop anything, that%26#39;s the one I%26#39;d skip.