Tokyo Travel Forum

Tokyo, Ueno, Asakusa or Ikebukuro area

any recommendations for budget accommodation below 8500Y for a double room with bed?
<managed to source for semi dbl 8400Y New Izu, Touganeya hotel>

any recommdations for ryokan for 2 person in a room below 6000Y?
<managed to source for Tokyo House Ikebukuro>

we will be in Tokyo for 6 nights from 31 May. VT Meet anyone?

any suggested itineraries are welcomed too.

Thanks in advance to the helpful VT Community!

I will be having a tight schedule and i want to see as much as i can of Tokyo, thus i hope to travel straight from Narita Airport to Asakusa without having to check in my accommodation in Ebisu first. Is there any luggage counters in Asakusa Station? Thanks

Where in Tokyo is there a market or similar which sells second-hand kimonos? It's to hang on a wall.......

I am confused about the JR ticket prices. I am taking the Bullet train from Tokyo to Odawara (Hakone). JR website indicates a Fare of Yen 1,450 and a Reserved Seat Charge of Yen 2,190.

If I do not need a Reserved Seat, do I need to pay the Yen2,190 charge.
Can I just pay only Yen 1,450 to go from Tokyo to Odawara?

I posted the JR fare here at this site.

http://geocities.com/leeweenee/

Would appreciate suggestions on reasonably priced accommodation near Narita airport for one night while in transit or in Tokyo that is easy to get to from the airport. Arrive 8pm and dep 3pm following day. Thanks John

Hi. I heard there are two giant malls - seibu and tobu - and that theres tons of stores. There is this basement that sells all sorts of foodstuffs. Any idea when this basement closes, or when most of the stores close in the mall itself?

Also, where is this Sunshine City? When do the aquariums, museums etc close?

Hi all,
How can I get to Kawaguchiko region (onsen area by Mt. Fuji) from Tokyo? This is really important; if you could please reply asap. Thanks in advance!

I love Arts and Crafts Markets. Are there any good arts and crafts market in Tokyo? If so where are they and when are they open? Any other information will be greatly appreciated! Thanks VT members!

Have a beautiful day!

Hi VT!

Let me clarify, I will still stay 4 days in Tokyo and I have 4 days to spend traveling around the rest of Japan. I wish I could stay longer. This is my first trip to Japan. I am going to buy a rail pass to travel around. Where do you recommend I go to see the most interesting things in the shortest amount of time. I was thinking: 1 day in Kyoto, 1 day in Nara, 1 day in Osaka, 1 day Mt.Fuji area. Is this the best itinerary? Or what else do you recommend and why?

I would like to thank you in advance for all the VT travelers who help me out. Please feel free to share as much information as you would like. It will be greatly appreciated it :o)

Have a beautiful day!

Hello!

Can you recomend a good hotel with short walking distance to Yamanote Line. I`ve heard that should be good for access to all the places in the city. We want to stay in an area with something going on, but it doesn`t have to be Shinjuku/Shibuya-going-on.

Many people in here talks about Asakusa. Is that a good area?

Hi,

where can i find the cake/dessert Tokyo Banana? Is it only in Tokyo? Also, can i buy it from Narita Airport? Do they have a shop there? thanks!

I arrive in Tokyo on May 3-May 8, which is Golden Week.

What should I expect for it being Golden Week in Tokyo? Crowded or less croweded?

Is everything going to be closed during the holidays?

Are there any festivals or special activities I should go see?

This is the first time I'm going to be in Japan. I am so excited. So any help you can provide I will greatly appreciate. Thank you!!!!

I am on a tight budget. Anyone to recommend cheap and nice japanese restaurants in Tokyo area.

I am particularly interested in all-you-can eat restaurant, shabu shabu, ramen, soba etc.

Hello,

does anyone know where to get Satellite Receivers and Equipment in Tokyo. I have
checked Akihabara but they mostly sell other Electronics, mostly Computer Stuff, Cameras, Household Electronics etc...

thanks so much

Hi All,
Anyone can advise me where to take the Keisei Limited Express from Narita Airport Terminal 1?

Also, where to take the JR Yamanote Line from Nippori Station? Is the JR Yamanote Line very nearby? Can I reach there within 10mins walking distance?

Thanks ya

Getting so excited about by trip this Friday :)

I will be going to Tokyo next week..eek!!... Can't wait!!!

Where is the best place to shop for designer items and or very good knock-offs I really don’t have a huge budget.

Any suggestions as many as you like will be greatly appreciated, sorry no picture just joined the site, hope you guys can help me x

Anyone know of other Electric City in Shinjuku and not Akihabara? PLease also recommend places where they sell 2nd hand but in gd condition electronics stuff (eg camera, camcorders etc).

Thanks ya

I'm going to be in Tokyo on a Monday and Tuesday. Is it worth it to visit Harajuku since everyone talks about the costumed kids on Sunday?

Hello,

I am schedule for a cruise on April 23 and the cruise liner will park in Harumi Pier. My question is if there is a nearest metro subway from the pier? How far is the subway station from Harumi Pier? How much is the fare from the pier to the subway station?

Thank you very much.

Regards,
Jackson

Hi! I´m going to Japan next month with my girlfriend and we´d like to have a love hotel experience; but I´ve been searching a little bit around the web and it seems that nowadays most love hotels in Tokyo have turned into the "elegant" style. We would like, instead, to find a more bizarre or funny experience; but I can´t find any specific hotels in Tokyo (any zone is ok); does anyone know about any SPECIFIC love hotel offering something different??
Thanks for your help!

Hello!

May I know when is Tokyo's Big Sale in July and January.
More specific dates like the last weeks of the month?
or from 1/15-1/25?

We are planning to go to Tokyo next January
and really would like to go shopping
while big sale is on.

Please advise!

Thank you very much!

Chris

Hi,

I want to visit a friend of mine who is in Japan (Tokyo) this summer. It would be around the end of july/early august but the flights i have looked at are all extremely expensive (800-900 british pounds).

Does anyone know of any particular airlines i should be looking at that are cheaper or just cheap(er) ways in general to get there?

Thank you!

Which hot spring would you recommend in Tokyo? I'd prefer one within walking distance to a JR station, easy to get to from the city center, natural hotspring, and a relaxing view of nature. I'm only in Tokyo for a short time, trying to keep travel times short so I can have time for other things. So far I've only heard of these:
*Asakusa Kannon Onsen
*Ooedo Onsen (not much info on web, homepage English link is broken)
*LaQua
*Kusatsu Onsen (3hrs travel from Ueno per direction? Ugh, kinda far away)
Are there other onsens close to the city?

-Gender
Are these onsens unisex or male female separate? If separate, are pools close enough that men can see women? I'll be going with my husband, how do I communicate where to meet etc, while we're in different bathing areas, and no phones/watches allowed? Are there clocks so we can arrange a time to meet outside?

-Accommodation
Would it be better to stay in an onsen resort or another place? Are these resorts expensive? I'm just visiting Tokyo for 3 nights.


-Things to bring
Besides the obvious like a change of clothes, should I bring my own bath towel or do they rent? Are there personal lockers?

-Etiquette
How do we enter an onsen, do we just show up or is prior booking required?

-Tipping
I understand some onsens have massage parlors, if I decide to go for one, do I have to tip the masseuse, if so how much?

-Time
When is the best day/time to go, when there are not so many people?

Thank you for your advice!

Hi I'm heading to Tokyo in June with my husband and would like to stay in a budget hotel priced like Toyoko Inn. Could anyone recommend me a hotel within walking distance to a JR station along the Keisei-Ueno line preferable nearer the Ueno end in the city? I don't like the idea of changing trains when on hurry back to the airport.

Please recommend which is the best area to stay in Tokyo. Itf possible, I am looking at double rooms at ard 10,000yen or below per night.

Hi, below is my planned iternaries:

Day 1 (NRT -- Hakone, arrives at NRT at 1400 hrs)
- Narita Airport to Hakone Yumoto (what is the duration, cost and transport mode from narita airport to hakone yumoto?)
- Stay in Hakone for a night

Day 2 (Hakone -- Mt Fuji)
- Hakone sightseeing
- From Hakone travel to Mt Fuji
- Visit Lake Kawaguchi and Mt Fuji
- Stay in Mt Fuji for a night

Day 3 (Mt Fuji -- Kyoto)
- From Mt Fuji travel to Kyoto (What bus/ train to take to Kyoto, pls include the cost as well.)
- Visit Kiyomizu Temple, Heian Shrine, Gion Corner

Day 4 (Kyoto)
- Visit Nijo Castle, Kyoto Imperial Palace
- Stay in Kyoto for a night

Day 5 (Kyoto -- Osaka)
- From Kyoto travel to Osaka
- Visit Floating Garden Observatory, Dotonbori, Golden Pavilion

Day 6 (Osaka)
- Visit Tempazan Harbor Village

Day 7 (Osaka -- Tokyo)
- Shopping in Tokyo

Day 8 (Tokyo)
- Tokyo Disneyland
- bk to Narita Airport

As I intends to buy the "Hakone freepass" and "Osaka freepass", is JR pass still necessary?

I will be staying in Shinjuku next week and was wondering about places to purchase alcohol in the area, mainly spirits, local and imported or either.

Thank you.

G'day - its me again. Thanks to everyone who gave great advice re my recent questions. I had just about decided to choose Shinagawa as our hotel location but have now heard that Ikebukuro might be better. Any opinions? How hard is it to get from Narita airport to Ikebukuro also?
Thanks in advance.

I will be in Tokyo for a few days in late May. As a big sports fan it would be really great to see a Japanese baseball game and even a J-League football match. Since I know you really cannot get tickets online, I was wondering if there was a central location where you can purchase tickets for sporting events in the Tokyo area. Ideally I would like to travel to the outer stadiums, but I do not want to come back empty handed. Thanks for any info!

Hello,
We are planning a vacation to Japan in November for 10 days and we want to visit Tokyo and Kyoto. I did some research and I must admit that I am a little bit overwhelmed by all the information. We are looking for a decently priced (not more than $180 per night) accommodation in Tokyo and Kyoto that is close to the train station (5 min walk). We also want a hotel that is close to some attractions, so we do not have to spend up to 1 hour to get there from the hotel. Is this something doable in the price range we are looking at or we need to get back to the drawing board and increase our budget?

Here are some of the options we were thinking of. Any suggestions/feedback is greatly appreciated!

In Tokyo:
1.Oak Hotel (http://www.oakhotel.co.jp/english/)
2.Chisun Inn Asakusa hotel Tokyo (http://www.asiarooms.com/japan/tokyo/chisun_inn_asakusa.html)
3.SAWANOYA RYOKAN (http://www.tctv.ne.jp/sawanoya/)

In Kyoto:
1. Azuki-Ya (http://www.h6.dion.ne.jp/~azuki/)
2. Royakan Uemura
3. The Palace Side Hotel (http://www.palacesidehotel.co.jp/)

Are there any other places that we should consider staying at? We are looking for a nice, clean room, close to some of the sites and the train station, but in a location that does not take a lot of time to travel to the tourist attractions in each town.

Also, is it a much better idea to stay 1 night close to Narita Airport (our flight gets there around 5pm) since I understand that it takes about 1 hour to get to Tokyo from the International Airport?

Any suggestions are more than welcome!
Thank you,
Monica