Tokyo itinerary help (7 days) - leaving in under 2 wks

Hello,

It%26#39;s crazy, just started finalizing our trip last week, bought the plane tickets about 2 weeks ago. So now it%26#39;s the final scramble (lots and lots of TA research) to get everything together and our itinerary still needs work so any advice, tips, or suggestions are welcome!

3/22 (sun)

- NRT arrival @ 4:30p

- check into Best Western Shinjuku

- Not sure what district we could try to visit in the evening. I assume the cosplay crowd in harajuku will be long gone by the time we check into our hotel?

Any suggestions here would be great. Maybe somewhere to see the night skyline of Tokyo?

3/23 (mon)

- see the auctions (4:30-6a?)at Tsukiji around 5:30a / fish market

- Sumida-Gawa river cruise (9:30-6p|10/15min) to Asakusa

- Asakusa / Sensou-ji (6-5p) / shopping

- Mitaka, Ghibli Museum (10a-6p) in afternoon

- Luggage hold @ hotel until our return 3/26

- It seems that many shops and sights in Tokyo close pretty early at 5/6pm. What do most people do after that hour usually? Not into the bar scene, maybe go shopping at department stores or are those closed too?

3/24 (tues) (Hakone)

- shinjuku -%26gt; hakone-moto w/ Hakone Free Pass (55K yen)

- pack light, do Hakone loop in clockwise or counterclock-wise direction. Which provides the better view? If fuji is visible, I%26#39;d imagine it would be much more beautiful at the golden hour

- Owakudani Nature Trail (25 min), have a black egg, Open Air Museum (9-4:30, 1.6K) @ Chukoku-no-Mori, Hakone-moto/Hakone-machi

- Mikawaya ryokan for onsen %26amp; kaiseki dinner

3/25 (wed)

- remember to leave tip @ ryokan

- Hopefully we%26#39;ve seen everything we wanted in Hakone on tues, but it not, see it again (maybe Mt fuji will be visible!)

- Ueno (Saigo Takamori) / Imperial Palace / maybe National Museum of Western Art

- Akihabara

- My wife really wants to check out a Maid Cafe, any recommendations?

- Over night @ Capsule Hotel/Inn (or possibly Internet cafe with private booth %26amp; showers - not sure what those things are called?)

3/26 (thurs)

- Shinjuku / Shinjuku park

- Harajuku (Omote-sando | Meiji shrine? (dawn-dusk) | shopping)

- Shibuya (Hachiko | shopping) / Love Hotel Hill

- return to Best Western Shinjuku

3/27 (fri)

- Day trip to Nikko

- OR-

- Day trip to Kamakura

- OR-

- Odaiba

- Roppongi Hills

- Ginza ?

- Yebisu Gardens ?

3/28 (sat)

- Harajuku ? (will there be dressed up xosplayers?)

- Roppongi Hills / Odaiba / Ginza / Yebisu ?

- OR-

- revisit something we missed, or a favorite spot

- What time is best to head for NRT from Shinjuku?

- 6:30p NRT -%26gt; TPE

As you can probably tell it%26#39;s quite a packed schedule, which is why I%26#39;d like to flesh it out as much as possible.

I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s really practical or possible to fit a day trip to Nikko or Kamakura in. I think I would personally prefer Nikko, but it%26#39;s much further (4 hours roundtrip). It also looks so beautiful and it seems like there is less to see overall than Kamakura. We%26#39;re not too interested in the falls or the lake.

Kamakura has a LOT of interesting shrines it looks like, not too crazy about the giant Buddha (all buddha%26#39;d out)

I%26#39;ve perused all the Nikko vs Kamakura threads, and it looks like it%26#39;s up to personal preference. Kamakura is much closer though.

Also heard Ginza isn%26#39;t worth visiting. My wife would really like to see Roppongi Hills. Not sure about Odaiba - I just want to see the Rainbow bridge lit up at night really.

Our interests:

- Cultural experiences:

- wife would like to visit ';drunkards alley'; nomiya%26#39;s (i%26#39;m not too crazy about that lol), stay at a traditional ryokan, stay at a capsule hotel, visit love hotel hill, play pachinko, visit a maid cafe, and is open to any other uniquely Japanese experience.

- Coming from the animation industry, I%26#39;m interested in art, anime, models, photographing beautiful or unusual locations. I find the juxtaposition of century old shrines, nature, and modern high-rises very appealing. And who doesn%26#39;t like all the high tech gadgets Japan has to offer!

- Although it sounds like one can get around fine speaking English, we can both speak conversational Japanese and read some Chinese, so we%26#39;re ready to go anywhere or try anything.

Japanese was one of my majors in college and my wife lived a few years around Osaka growing up, so we%26#39;re pretty excited!

It also looks like the current sakura forecast for Tokyo is Mar 24th (opening), 3/29-4/8 (peak). Wow, that%26#39;s exciting. Or will the crowds be worse than ever?

Tokyo itinerary help (7 days) - leaving in under 2 wks

3/22 By the time you get to Shinjuku, it will be almost 7pm. Just walk around Shinjuku and enjoy the atmosphere and get something to eat. Go to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building at the west side of Shinjuku (next to Hyatt Regency Hotel). There is a fantastic free observation deck you can enjoy. Last entry is at 10:30pm.

3/23 Department stores usually close at 8pm. Some stores (such as ABC Mart for sports shoes) stay open later so just walk around and you will find them. Another possibility is Donki shop which is a discount shop with a bit of everything. They typically stay open until 5am or so.

www.donki.com/c/index_en.php?lang=en%26shopid=

The other parts of your trip look fine. A lot of it is down to personal preference. I personally liked Kamakura better than Nikko as it has a more relaxing feel to it.

Tokyo itinerary help (7 days) - leaving in under 2 wks

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; 3/22 (sun)…..Any suggestions here would be great. Maybe somewhere to see the night skyline of Tokyo? %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

As Sammyfloyd pointed out, TMG (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) Bldg. will be the place to go if you stay in Shinjuku. See

www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/TMG/observat.htm

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; 3/23 (mon) - see the auctions (4:30-6a?)at Tsukiji around 5:30a / fish market - Sumida-Gawa river cruise (9:30-6p|10/15min) to Asakusa - Asakusa / Sensou-ji (6-5p) / shopping - Mitaka, Ghibli Museum (10a-6p) in afternoon %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Sumida River Line runs between Asakusa and Hamarikyu/Hinode Pier. You should travel by subway (instead of cruise) if you want to go to Asakusa after Tsukiji Fish Market. See

suijobus.co.jp/english/cruise_e/index.html

RE Ghibli Museum, I’d strongly recommend that you purchase tickets in advance if you haven’t. See

www.jtbgmt.com/eng/ghibli/TicketSystem.html

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; 3/25 (wed) - remember to leave tip @ ryokan - Hopefully we%26#39;ve seen everything we wanted in Hakone on tues, but it not, see it again (maybe Mt fuji will be visible!) - Ueno (Saigo Takamori) / Imperial Palace / maybe National Museum of Western Art - Akihabara… %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

If I want to give any tip (called “Kokoro-zuke”/心づけ) at ryokan, I would do it when “Nakaisen” (仲居さん) takes us to our room. However, I don’t give any Kokoro-zuke when ryokans charge service fees besides room charges. Also, I wouldn’t give any if I stay at budget ryokan. (I’ll give Kokoro-zuke if I stay at ryokan with kids.)

If you are coming back from Hakone on 3/25 and visit Ueno and Akihabara, you may want to skip Imperial Palace. Don’t miss Ameyoko in Ueno. See

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3012.html

If you visit the National Museum of Western Art, don’t miss Matsukata Collection. I saw some in Ueno and some in Paris. (If you are not familiar with Matsukata Collection, see http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/collection/permanent/matsukata.html)

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; 3/27 (fri) - Day trip to Nikko - OR- Day trip to Kamakura - OR- Odaiba - Roppongi Hills - Ginza ? - Yebisu Gardens ? %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Assuming you don’t visit Kyoto, I’d highly recommend that you take a day trip to Kamakura on 3/27. There are a lot to see in Kamakura, besides Buddha. Kamakura is only about an hour away, so you can go to Roppongi at night if you have any energy left. Nikko is nice, but much further and pretty cold in March.

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;- Over night @ Capsule Hotel/Inn (or possibly Internet cafe with private booth %26amp; showers - not sure what those things are called?)%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

I%26#39;m not sure why you want to do this. I don%26#39;t know of any capsule hotel that has a coed floor. You%26#39;ll be separated from each other and stuck in a tiny space with nobody to talk to--doesn%26#39;t sound fun to me. What are you going to do with your luggage? They usually have lockers but they are not large enough to hold a big suitcase.

As for internet cafes, I really don%26#39;t recommend staying a night in one. The majority of them reek with tobacco smoke--unless you%26#39;re a smoker yourself, you won%26#39;t be able to stand it for long. Some cafes have tatami rooms for 2 but it%26#39;ll be so uncomfortable to lie on a hard floor without a pillow or a blanket. A love hotel would be a much better alternative.

I second Kamakura on the 27th. The sakura there will be beautiful!!

One of my nieces in Tokyo says this maid cafe is the best:

http://www.cafe-athome.com/pics/?lang=en

Woops, it’s not “Nakaisen”, but “Nakai-san” (仲居さん)!

%26gt;As Sammyfloyd pointed out, TMG (Tokyo %26gt;Metropolitan Government) Bldg. will be %26gt;the place to go if you stay in Shinjuku. %26gt;See

%26gt;www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/TMG/observat.htm

Oh, excellent, both N/S observatories look like they%26#39;re open until 11pm?

%26gt;Sumida River Line runs between Asakusa %26gt;and Hamarikyu/Hinode Pier. You should %26gt;travel by subway (instead of cruise) if %26gt;you want to go to Asakusa after Tsukiji %26gt;Fish Market. See

It%26#39;s hard for me to judge from the map, but is it possible to walk to the Hamarikyu stop from Tsukiji fish market, then take the boat up Sumida to Asakusa? Or would the boats not be running that early if we finish the fish market around say, 7-8am?

Yup, got my ghibli museum tickets for Monday. Most people say the museum takes 4-5 hours.. I%26#39;m wondering if there%26#39;s enough time to check out Asakusa, Sensouji, shop and catch a train to Mitaka with enough time left for Ghibli.

%26gt;If I want to give any tip (called

%26gt;“Kokoro-zuke”/心づけ) at ryokan, I would do %26gt;it when “Nakaisen” (仲居さん) takes us to %26gt;our room. However, I don’t give any %26gt;Kokoro-zuke when ryokans charge service %26gt;fees besides room charges. Also, I %26gt;wouldn’t give any if I stay at budget %26gt;ryokan. (I’ll give Kokoro-zuke if I stay %26gt;at ryokan with kids.)

Oh, is it not customary to tip at a ryokan? My wife had read somewhere, maybe on TA, about having to tip at a ryokan. I%26#39;m confused though because all the guidebooks I%26#39;ve read have said not to tip in Japan. I don%26#39;t think Mikawaya ryokan is a budget one, but I%26#39;m not sure if there%26#39;s a service fee either.

%26gt;If you are coming back from Hakone on %26gt;3/25 and visit Ueno and Akihabara, you %26gt;may want to skip Imperial Palace. Don’t %26gt;miss Ameyoko in Ueno. See

%26gt;http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3012.html

Is the imperial palace really not worth going to? Even though there isn%26#39;t much to see, the moat and old ruins of the castle fortifications seem interesting. Or is it too far out of the way to get there?

Ameyoko - will definitely put that on my list.

thanks for your help!

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; I%26#39;m not sure why you want to do this. I don%26#39;t know of any capsule hotel that has a coed floor. You%26#39;ll be separated from each other and stuck in a tiny space with nobody to talk to--doesn%26#39;t sound fun to me. What are you going to do with your luggage? They usually have lockers but they are not large enough to hold a big suitcase.

As for internet cafes, I really don%26#39;t recommend staying a night in one. The majority of them reek with tobacco smoke--unless you%26#39;re a smoker yourself, you won%26#39;t be able to stand it for long. Some cafes have tatami rooms for 2 but it%26#39;ll be so uncomfortable to lie on a hard floor without a pillow or a blanket. A love hotel would be a much better alternative. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

My wife is totally interested in the capsule hotel experience haha. We are aware that the sexes are separated. Our luggage should be sitting at our original hotel in Shinjuku awaiting our return the next night.

The original plan was to stay a night in a capsule hotel as well as a love hotel, but then it seemed that luggage storage would be an issue. So perhaps a love hotel would be yen better spent? Any recommendations? It sounds like checking is not usually until 10pm and they frown on suitcases (not that we%26#39;re planning on bringing any). Also once you are in the room, are you stuck there the entire night, so you should eat before checking into one I assume?

Ah yes, smoking, I almost forgot about the smoking. Last time I was in Japan was almost 20 years ago, and I still remember the horrible time we had w/ the smoke there. Shinkansen trains only had 1 or 2 non-smoking cars, and you had to reserve them in advance. It seemed as if you could never escape the cigarette cloud of smokers. And in the underground subway stations, every 5 feet there would be a trashcan full of blackened water for cigarettes. Except it seemed that no one ever used them since the station floor would be littered with cigarette butts.

';Yup, got my ghibli museum tickets for Monday. Most people say the museum takes 4-5 hours.. I%26#39;m wondering if there%26#39;s enough time to check out Asakusa, Sensouji, shop and catch a train to Mitaka with enough time left for Ghibli.';

What time are your tickets for? The Ghibli Museum is actually quite small but if you plan to eat there and take in the short film they offer (unfortunately you can only see it once), then maybe you could spend 4 hours there. We stayed there around 2 hours and that seemed fine.

The train from Shinjuku to Mitaka takes around 20 minutes. Then you get on a community shuttle (can%26#39;t miss it, it%26#39;s clearly for the museum) that takes another 10 minutes or so to get to the museum or you can walk. So plan for at least 30-40 minutes travel time from Shinjuku.

I think trying to squeeze Asakusa and Ghibli in on the same day might be a stretch. They are on the opposite sides of the city. I guess it depends upon how long you want to spend at each location.

Be sure to check out the gift store at the Ghibli museum. They have some items only sold there. We bought a plush Teto that I didn%26#39;t see anywhere else.

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; It%26#39;s hard for me to judge from the map, but is it possible to walk to the Hamarikyu stop from Tsukiji fish market, then take the boat up Sumida to Asakusa? Or would the boats not be running that early if we finish the fish market around say, 7-8am? %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Unfortunately, the boats start running after 10am. See

suijobus.co.jp/english/…index_su_line.html

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; Yup, got my ghibli museum tickets for Monday. Most people say the museum takes 4-5 hours.. I%26#39;m wondering if there%26#39;s enough time to check out Asakusa, Sensouji, shop and catch a train to Mitaka with enough time left for Ghibli. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Great that you’ve already got the tickets! Are they for 2pm? If you leave Tsukiji around 8am, you will arrive at Asakusa by 8:30am. Traveling from Asakusa to Mitaka (via Shinjuku) takes 45-55min. If you want to leave Asakusa around 12noon, you can spend 3.5hrs in Asakusa. It sounds enough for Sensoji and shopping at Nakamise Dori, IMO.

If your tickets are for 4pm, you will have more than enough time in Asakusa.

Thanks for all the travel time and boat schedule information! Definitely very helpful and often the toughest part of planning any itinerary.

I thought I had read that if you purchase your Ghibli Museum tickets outside of Japan via JTB that the tickets are not timestamped and valid for entry at any time on that day? Maybe I should check my tickets when I get home to make sure there isn%26#39;t a time stamped on them!

thanks!

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