Konnichiwa. I just got back from my jaunt to Tokyo, Japan and would like to share some information about this wonderful and
amazing city. Hopefully it'll help you prepare for your trip to Tokyo.
Background
Tokyo has been on my to-visit list for a while now. I'm not particularly a huge fan of visiting Asian countries, but Tokyo was the exception. I ran out of vacation days at my new job, but had some time off for Christmas, so decided to do a quick trip to Tokyo to take some photos, because I love taking photos (my Tokyo photos on flickr).
Myth
Tokyo is not that expensive. Lodging in Tokyo is expensive. Shopping in Tokyo can be expensive. But everyday living (for a tourist) is not. A subway ride will cost you maybe $2 to $3 USD, pretty typical of a large city. A meal will cost you $7 to $12 USD. I love Pepper Lunch - could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For 780 Yen ($6.5 USD) you can get the beef steak meal, a very good deal in any country. A Starbucks Cappucino at Shibuya is $3 USD. So don't let people scare you from visiting Tokyo because it's expensve. Moreover, unlike some cities, cheap, good food is everywhere in Tokyo, so eating in Tokyo can be less expensive than say Paris, because you have so many cheap options.
Impressions
Tokyo is an amazing city, at night. During the day it's rather bland, even ugly. But when the sun sets and the lights come on, it's just spectacular. Tokyo is by far the crowdest city I've been to. Shanghai, New York, Istanbul, Mexico City, London, Paris - all massive cities - don't compare to how dense Tokyo is. People everywhere. I saw a guy try to squeeze into a packed subway car and got crushed by the door closing. Millions of people rushing out of the subway is a sight I won't soon forget.
Tips
Subway versus JR train. Definitely ride the subway and train to get a feel for Tokyo. They are separate, and require separate tickets. The larger tickets (size of a credit card) are used on the subway. The smaller tickets (size of your thumb) is used on the train.
Cerulean Tokyo Tower Hotel. I really liked this hotel. Yea, it's not very adventurous to stay at a Western hotel, but I was in Tokyo for so short
I just wanted a sure bet place to stay. It's a 5 minute walk from Shibuya Station (the intersection in Lost In Translation with the dinosaur),
so the location is great. The room I got had the best bathroom I've seen in any hotel. You can control the water temperature to the degree.
The shower is huge, and has a completely enclosed glass divider, so your sink mirror won't get fogged. The toilet has heated seats.
The room also has a nice plasma TV for your viewing pleasure. The elevator is sooo fast and so quiet you cannot tell if you're moving or not.
Press the close button and the door closes right away, not like the lame delays they have on all the other elevators.
Definitely my favorite hotel I've stayed at. Makes Hyatts, Sheratons, Westins, etc. look like crap. And very helpful staff as well.
The location is much better than say, the Park Hyatt (Lost In Translation hotel), where you have to walk quite a distance to get to the interesting
parts of town.
Airport transfer. To get to/from Narita airport (NRT) take the limousine bus. As soon as you get out of the airport terminal there's a counter
that says "limousine airport bus." For $30 you can get a comfortable ride to major areas of Tokyo. Takes anywhere from 1-1.5 hours to Shibuya. I
thought about taking the train to Tokyo from Narita, but didn't feel like getting lost right away. On the return trip you probably can take the Narita Express
once you're more comfortable with the subway/train system.
Frommer's Tokyo. I bought this book because it was small and fits in my pocket, but it's not that great. I'd try to find a better Tokyo guide.
If you're going to go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) building to view Tokyo from the 45th floor I say go at night. I think they are open until 10 PM. During the day it's too hazy and Tokyo is not much to see during the day. Then you can walk over to the Park Hyatt to see if Scarlett Johansson is around.
Don't visit Ginza (the upscale shopping area with the fancy department stores) too early. Most stores don't open until 11 AM. One department store did open at 10 AM, and I was literally one of the first ones in, which was kind of cool because everybody greeting me. But otherwise, getting to Ginza too early is a bad idea.
In general, I say sleep in late, and stay up late. Tokyo is about the night. Except for the fish market. If you want to see controlled chaos (besides the subway), check out the fish market early in the morning. I really thought I was going to die getting run over by one of those funny little fish mover cars.
Hope some of this information has been helpful.
Ciao.
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