AboutRobert Expertise General questions about tourism/travel and life in Japan, including shopping, visa issues, culture-shock, finding accommodations and employment, proper cultural etiquette, and common problems ex-pats in Japan experience. Bachelors Degree in Japanese Culture and Masters Degree in Marketing.
Question I am a Japanese-American, and I speak fluent Japanese but my reading and writing ability is fair at best. I will be traveling to Tokyo for the first time within the next 12 months. I want to go there without a organized tour. I also want to do the regular tourist package only on my own. Please advise me on where to stay, the cleanest and least expensive and yet convenient to do some sight seeing and shopping and visiting major temples and shrines. thanks derrick
It would be a shame if you only visited Tokyo,
which does not give the whole experience of Japan.
I suggest you get a Japan Rail Pass for
1 or 2 weeks, which allows you to travel anywhere in
the country for an unlimited amount on all JR trains.
You must get the pass before you go to Japan though.
See http://www.jtbusa.com/enhome/jrpass.asp and http://www.japanrailpass.net/
for complete info.
If you choose not to do this, you can find rail fares
at http://ekimae.itp.ne.jp/tra-bin/jrtrageng.cgi
You can also find a Tokyo subway map at http://soli.inav.net/~ceicher/images/TokyoSubways.jpg
and other major city subway maps at http://www.reed.edu/~reyn/transport.html
Tokyo has a subway day pass for around
1000 yen too.
As for going from Tokyo Narita Airport, you can take
a bus or train, I urge you to take the train, since a
bus in traffic jams might take twice as long. I think
the Keisei is best--it will take you stright to Ueno Stn.
You can get complete info at http://www.narita-airport.or.jp/airport_e/access/
Do not under any circumstances take a taxi from Narita
since it will easily cost you 20,000 yen!
For what to see in Tokyo depends on what you like.
A good photo collection at http://www.artisandevelopers.com/web/tokyo/
can give you many good ideas.
Akihabara (see http://www.akiba.or.jp/index_e.html) is
the city's electronics district and you can find block
after block of newfangled electronic goods. Love Hotel
Hill in Shibuya is a sight at night, kind of goofy,
also Harajuku to see the weird young people hang out,
Ginza is glitzy shopping, especially on Sunday, Roppongi
is where the ex-pat bars and hangouts are, etc.
There are also bus tours of the city, such as at http://www.hatobus.co.jp/english/
As for Tokyo, go see Sensoji (in Asakusa), one of the best temples in Tokyo with its great Pagoda, also Akihabara for electronics, Meiji Jingu, and if you're there on
a Sunday, go to Harajuku to see the weird youth and Ginza for upscale shopping.
At night, go to Love Hotel Hill in Dogenzaka (near Shibuya Stn, go through JR Yamanote Exit 8), Odaiba to see its big Ferris Wheel and Statue of Liberty, and if you want, see Kabukicho near Shinjuku Stn for its seedy night life. If you
can get up really early, go see the Tsukiji Fish Market and eat the freshest sushi in the world there. And skip the Imperial Palace - it ain't worth it at all. For a good view
of the city, skip the Tokyo Tower and go up to the top of the city government building in Shinjuku -- it's free -- and
if the weather is good, you can see Mt. Fuji.
If you want to get out more, go to Kawasaki to see what old
Japan looked like in a recreated town with authentic buildings. See http://www.city.kawasaki.jp/sisetu_e/minka.htm
You can also see Kawagoe, in commuting distance from city center of Tokyo, which was a post town in the feudal era and still has many historical buildings and the old age flavor.
Also Nikko and Kamakura are well worth going to see.
Regarding money, Japan is still very much a cash based
society - credit cards are taken in larger stores and
hotels, but not much in small shops and restaurants.
But you can go to any Japanese post office and get yen
from a Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Diners Club
credit card, or ATM card in the Plus or Cirrus networks
(look on the back of the card), or debit cards in the
Visa Electron or Maestro Networks.
There are several things you can do to save a lot of money.
With Japan's economy in the dumps for the last 10 years
(as well as at least the short term future), many
restaurants for weekday lunches will have an all-you-can-eat
(tabe hodai) lunch for about 1000 yen or so. If
you fill yourself with that, and go for a light dinner, you
can save lots of money.
Also, convenience stores and department stores just before
closing often sell bento lunches cheaply. Many restaurants
have plastic models of the food they serve in window
displays in front of the restaurant. If you can't read the
menu, just take the waiter or waitress out to the front and
point at what you like.
For food, you didn't give any preferences, but you will
find most anything. See http://www.bento.com for a good
listing of restaurants, as well as maybe looking in some
ex-pat magazines like Tokyo Journal there.
The exchange rate is around 115 yen to the US
dollar at the moment, which makes things
cheaper for you compared to a few years ago.
You will find many if not nearly all things there
to be very expensive, but you do not need to sell
your soul to find a good buy here and there. A good
website to look at is
Price Check Tokyo at http://www.pricechecktokyo.com
You can also see what Japanese money looks like at http://www.geocities.com/ropponmatsu/japanfaq1b.html
Note that you can not use
1 or 5 yen coins in vending machines and phones.
Try and go to at least one hot spring (called onsen)
while you're there. They are all over the country.
See http://dmoz.org/Regional/Asia/Japan/Travel_and_Tourism/Hot_Springs
for more info and guides. They range from free
to very high at hot spring resort hotels.
You can also see a lot of guides on Tokyo at http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/Asia/Japan/Prefectures/Tokyo/Travel_and...
