cowlick

I'm heading to Tokyo for the first time. It's a business trip but I've got very very few meetings spread out over 10 days. I've got a couple free evenings, some free daytimes, and some entirely free days.

What are the must sees?
What are your personal favorite places in Tokyo?
What are the foods/restaraunts I shouldn't miss?

I'm relying on TFP here and I'll post a trip report when I get back!

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"It's a long story," says I, and let him up.

bundy

ok.
so theres a bunch of tfpers here in tokyo.

i'll start the ball rolling with a really basic 'must see' list...

10 days is great.
(this list is not in any particular order)...

Harajuku - sunday afternoon is best... catch all the litle lolitas and cosplay fanatics and the elvis guys at the entrance to yoyogi park.

Shibuya - this is quintessential tokyo... take the hachiko exit at the station... let your eyes do the rest.

Shinjuku - this is where everyone comes to play... and by play, i mean SHOP! (no one else in the world knows how to consume quite like tokyo locals!).

Ginza - this is my fav place. rich. beautiful. amazing. stunning. don't miss this place. Ginza girls are the greatest on earth.

Tsukiji - this is the greatest fish market on earth (no exaggeration). for variety and quantity this is the largest... get there REALLY early for the tuna auction... i haven't experienced this yet, but i've heard its amazing. also, there is a rumour floating round that its going to be closed to tourists soon since they just get in the way... so i'll keep you posted about that.

Meiji-jingu - this is an amazing shrine (the entrance is right next to harajuku station, so, after you've seen the lolitas, you can head on in). don't miss.

Senso-ji - this is the other main temple in tokyo. well established tourist track to asakusa. so you won't get lost. they've started using ipod-like tourist information packs at senso-ji... but i'm sketchy on the details... maybe someone else might know more.

Imperial Palace - Akihito's pad. take the Marunouchi exit at Tokyo Station and walk for about 200m. you can't miss it... but its only open two days a year. so its not a biggie if you miss this one.

Akihabara - this used to be the place you went if you wanted to get cheap electronics. now you can basically get cheap electronics anywhere in tokyo. now akihabara is just a place for geeks and other forms of otaku. its crowded and hectic... but if thats your schtick then take a look.

Omotesando - Aoyama just a smaller ginza. between shibuya and harajuku. the Prada building is of particular architecural significance.

Ebisu - GREAT restaurant area. recommend. and the prices aren't as crazy as other places like ginza... but hey, its tokyo, so they're still crazy.

umm... well, thats a start. maybe the others can fill in the gaps.

oh, the Yamanote train line is JR and Light Green in colour...
Fugu tastes great...
so does Kujira...
natto does not...
Roppongi can be great... don't listen to the jaded gaijin who don't like a good time out.
always check if an izakaya (type of bar) has namihodai (sp?) - which is an all-you-can-drink special kind of thing.
magic mushrooms are now illegal.
don't blow your nose in public. snorting and sniffing is fine... just don't blow.
don't talk on your keitai (cell phone) on the train.
don't worry if strange old men (ohaji) harass you.
don't bother experiencing capsule hotels... they're like paying for a night in prison.
love hotels on the other hand can be fantastic.

and finally...

never forget to check what time the last train leaves your station. usually the yamanote shuts down a bit before midnight... and starts again between 5-6am
if you get caught out late at night and miss your train... places you can sleep include (because taxi's are crazy expensive - flag fall is usually 660yen)... love hotels, capsules, convenience store toilets (but that usually pisses people off), coin laundries, karaoke bars and even night clubs if you can handle it.

good luck.
i'll update if anything comes to mind.

have fun. its the greatest place on earth.

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Ohayo!!!

irateplatypus

count me as a "jaded" gaijin... wasn't fond of rappongi.

bundy put together a good list of sites/districts...

i would encourage you to consider two additional things:

1) befriend fellow businessmen who are native to the city... gaijin or nihon-jin. tag along for drinks or kareoke... some of my best traveling experiences are pretty much based around brand new friends and a pint.

2) if you have a day w/no meetings, get out of the city. wake up early and head to Nikko if you are able. a trip to kamakura is wonderful. nice people, everything walking distance, beach, historic sites and tourist shops for purchasing the obligatory knick-knacks for the folks back home.

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If you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.

~ Winston Churchill

bundy

great point irateplatypus!
cowlick, if you can, you should really try to see Nikko and Kamakura. both are day trips from tokyo, and since they are popular sites, arranging visits shouldn't be a hassle.

also, i forgot to mention earlier that Odaiba and Yokohama are great places to see.
Odaiba is the home of FujiTV and a few other interesting things.
Yokohama is a totally different city to Tokyo in the sense that Tokyo is crazy, electric and hectic... and yokohama is more relaxed (except for Chinatown - which is i highly recommend) and less stressful than the bigger brother.
check out the bay area in yokohama such as sakuraguchi and minatomirai, as well as chinatown in yokohama.

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Ohayo!!!

Janey

I would love it myself, Bundy, if you could elaborate a bit on the following things:

1) what is the lolita thing about? I know that lolitas are young girls, but can you put it into context with touring Tokyo?

2) Kujira, Raponggi & and Natto. I knos they must be food items...

3) is is bad form (manners) to use the cell phone on the train, or illegal? here, there is no reception on the subway, so it must be above ground trains you are referring to.

4) is there a cultural thing about the old men harrassing folks in public?

5) is molesting of women on subway trains as big aproblem as i hear? (eg. the women only train cars).

bundy

sure thing.

lolitas and cosplay fans are young teenagers who dress up in in all sorts of interesting outfits ranging in themes from Nazis to horror/french maids... usually in relation to characters from video games or anime.
they usually just hang out together on a sunday afternoon in Harajuku.
here is a site with photos http://www.photosaga.com/Japon%20kids/
some people call them freaks, but i think its a bit rude since they are actually mostly really sweet school children just having fun.

Kujira is whale meat, Natto is a sticky bean substance, Roppongi is an area in Tokyo with heaps of night clubs, strip clubs, hostess bars and the like... its usually despised by most people because its a mecca for drunk westerners like marines and english teachers.

yes, its bad manners to talk on your phone on the train... although many people do. but a friend of mine was shouted at by an elderly man (oyaji) when he used his, so i refrain.

old men 'harassing' foreigners isn't really a cultural thing. i've been latched onto countless times... sometimes they just want to practice speaking english, some want money and think westerners are soft touches, some just want to interact.

yes, women are molested in trains and it is a serious problem. so far there are only women-only train cars in kyoto... but they will be in the main lines in tokyo soon. the subway/metro is the worst for molestation since it is always seriously packed and hentai (perverts) are often concealed in the mass. the other problem here is that 90% of japanese women are far too concerned with not causing a scene... and as a result they don't yell out when perverts grope them.

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Ohayo!!!

StarCrossed

I want to be in Japan. One of these days ill know what you guys are talking about.

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"Everybody plays the fool sometimes"

Bob Biter

To add to Bundy's notes:

Nomihodai: literally "drink without restriction", this type of deal is usually offered in izakaya (Japanese-style restaurant/bar, with private rooms and open areas) and some bars. Usually, they last between 80 and 120 minutes, but the selection of drinks can be limited (basic mixes, beer, non-alcoholic drinks), as opposed to the regular menu. Also, in some places who have to order some food if you want the nomihodai, while other spots just add a table charge of 250-1,000 yen (depending on classiness) to your bill. I've noticed that the Japanese tend to get drunk quicker than North Americans (some are even allergic to alcohol and I've seen people break out in hives!), but they have a lot of spirit and will often go for the long haul.

I'm really sad that I missed the "medical fetish" craze that swept Harajuku about 3-4 years ago. Kids would dress up as nurses, doctors, surgeons, etc., with all the accessories that this entails. *sigh*

Harassment on the train is the reason that Japanese cellphones that have a built-in camera (pretty much all of them) ALWAYS make a loud, old-school "shutter click" sound when you take pictures, even when you shut off all the built-in noises (this is called "manner mode" over here), since pervs tend to take panty shots of women wearing skirts. In a crowded train, you can't tell whose hands are near you, but since everyone is so freakin' quiet on JR trains and subways, a loud shutter click will always let people know that a "tsukebe" (pervert) is around.

Speaking of "keitai" (cellphones) in trains, there are actually signs (in Sendai, at least) showing all the bad things that can happen when you use them, which ranges from mild annoyance (a business guy giving a disapproving look) to outright physical pain (an old lady clutching her chest because the keitai "waves" fuck with her pacemaker). I see these and think "what the hell is wrong with these people!". Silence truly is golden in Japan, which is why people use the e-mail feature of their cellphones to an almost obsessive degree. It takes longer to get your message across, but it's quiet and doesn't piss off anyone. Also, it gives you something to do during your commute, I guess.

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A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.