Japan: Tokyo - Tips and Recommendations?

[Kxbc 10,183]

keio plaza hotel which is about 5 min walk from shinjuku station is good for a mid tier hotel. not sure if in your price range.

 

if you are a fan of 宮崎 駿, you might be interested in http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/

 

 

[Mockngbrd 60,346]

Here's my previous Tokyo trips if u have the time to read thru
http://garage36.blogspot.sg/2012/01/tokyo-2012-preview-day-1.html

http://garage36.blogspot.sg/2010/01/day-1-singapore-tokyo-shinjuku.html

 

Hotels so far i've always stayed in Shinjuku cos of the super connected train station. Hotels i've tried:

Keio Plaza (nice, good size, good location, slightly more pricey, free shuttle bus to Disney, bus from airport has a stop here)

Washington (small, crap, quite a distance from train station, small, cheap-ish, bus from airport has a stop here)

Best Western Astina (nice, clean, modern, not as big as Keio but not as small as Washington, good value for $, good location, would stay again, just next to but outside of their red light district, kabukicho, but is still safe, a bit of a distance to airport bus stop)

 

 

 

And yea, Tokyo not expensive la, after SG. Same $$$ for makan, you get more quality and quantity over there + better service + free water or tea. And if shopping you go during their sales, beats whatever Great SG sale has.

Taxis are not so bad if you don't travel far. Best used for short trips if really needed. They have a flat rate for a certain distance, once you go past it you will see the meter jump super fast. I've taken taxis there a few times. Only once was it heart stopping (because i missed the last train :P )

Edited July 18, 2014 by Mockngbrd

[Porker 18,279]

Here's my previous Tokyo trips if u have the time to read thru

http://garage36.blogspot.sg/2012/01/tokyo-2012-preview-day-1.html

 

http://garage36.blogspot.sg/2010/01/day-1-singapore-tokyo-shinjuku.html

 

Hotels so far i've always stayed in Shinjuku cos of the super connected train station. Hotels i've tried:

 

Keio Plaza (nice, good size, good location, slightly more pricey, free shuttle bus to Disney)

 

Washington (small, crap, quite a distance from train station, small, cheap-ish)

 

Eh Washington is the one with the fishing restaurant lah right? Haha..

[Mockngbrd 60,346]

 

Eh Washington is the one with the fishing restaurant lah right? Haha..

 

whats a fishing restaurant? Catch the fish they cook for you?

Edited July 18, 2014 by Mockngbrd

[Porker 18,279]

 

whats a fishing restaurant?

 

Where you can literally catch the live fish for your meal.

 

http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/venue/23483/Zauo

[Mockngbrd 60,346]

 

Where you can literally catch the live fish for your meal.

 

http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/venue/23483/Zauo

 

Punggol also have

[missmarigold 736]

i'm gonna camp in this thread! Going tokyo too! Thanks @babyblade for starting this thread!

[Mockngbrd 60,346]

i'm gonna camp in this thread! Going tokyo too! Thanks @babyblade for starting this thread!

 

you should camp here: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/japan-271/

[BabyBlade 15,424]

 

Oh yes there's a big Hello Kitty store near Shibuya (towards Jingumae)

 

Went to google Hello Kitty Store after seeing your comment. Found this link. Hello Kitty Flagship store in Ginza.

 

http://thewanderlustproject.com/2013/11/sanrio-world-ginza/#.U8i8gpSSySp

 

Did a further search and found the list of Hello Kitty stores in Japan!!!

@MISSMARIgold

 

 

http://www.sanrio.co.jp/english/store/

 

Terribly expensive? Not really.. Singapore's cost of living has caught up to Japan's.

 

Anyway, @Babyblade, for AirBNB, I have a recommendation for Shibuya:

https://www.airbnb.com.sg/rooms/2867138?s=KUSz

 

Host is amazing, he helped us a lot, met us at the JR station to show us to his place. The room is a little small, but the location is close to perfect as it gets. It's about 7-10 mins walk from JR Shibuya (Hachiko exit). We stayed there for only one night, as his place was quite booked, but he took the time off on another day to treat us to lunch.

 

He didn't have Pocket Wifi when we went, but on his listing now, it states that it is provided. If you're looking for AirBNB host, try to find one who provides Pocket Wifi with their rooms. It's gonna save you a huge hassle for Wifi.. Otherwise, register with Starbucks Japan for Wifi. Do it in Singapore while you have proper connection, coz if you register there, you need Wifi to access your email to confirm your Wifi registration (quite stupid, but ah well, Starbucks provides one of the best Wifi spots in Japan / Tokyo.)

 

I would recommend staying at Shibuya station or nearby, as the JR line goes to most places (you can get tourist pass if you like, but do your calculations, it might not be worth if you're not using the Shinkansen.)

 

Use this link to research on your traveling route and timing in Japan: http://www.hyperdia.com/

 

If it states that the train will be there at 11am, be queuing in line for it before 10.55am. Damn punctual one..

 

For places to go, must say what you like and what you wanna do. Else, if our interests different, say also no point.

 

Tip and tricks:

1. If you're collector of stamps (chops), bring a notebook around as all JR stations have a very cute (not all are cute, but quite a lot) stamping station. You might even make friends with some of the Japanese who are on stamping missions.

 

2. Taxis are too expensive =( Make sure you know when you must leave by to catch the last train. JR station conductors are (IMHO) more friendly than other line conductors. Train maps got 4-5, in Japanese, English and Mix.

 

Get 1x JR map, 1x Tokyo Map in both languages, best if you can find mixed. Coz a lot of Japanese can't read English, so if you're asking for directions, you need to show them the Japanese map and you look at the English Map. Why get two types of maps? Tokyo subway map shows different lines, but not all the JR stations, and JR map only show JR stations / lines, so you need both to travel efficiently.

 

3. Drinking and eating is permitted on trains / buses and a lot of places, but talking on the phone or using phone / mp3 to blast music is not. (I quite like this).

 

4. Don't worry about baggage, there are coin lockers in most stations. Some are INSIDE the stations, some are OUTSIDE, some have both. Plan your schedule, so you can make the most of the coin lockers. 300-600 yen for a day, I think, depending on size.

 

5. By the way, Tokyo banana is overrated, plus it has a short shelf life. Try other biscuits / confectionery.

 

Tokyo Tower and Skytree also overrated.

 

6. You might want to check out

i. Tsukiji Fish Market (Tuna bidding ends before first train starts, we took the first train and missed the tuna bidding. Either cab, or stay nearby or stay there overnight.) Go to Marukita II (second outlet) and try either the High Grade Fatty Tuna bowl, or the Premium Chef Recommendation or something like that. 2800 yen and 3500 yen per bowl.

ii. Studio Ghibli Museum: If you watched Totoro or Howls Moving Castle, go to the Ghibli Museum. Even if you didn't (like me), the place is still amazing.

 

For DisneySea / Disneyland, I've given recommendation at http://www.mycarforum.com/topic/2110107-tokyo-disneylanddisney-sea/?p=5223002

 

If you're into limited edition items, get the Shelly Mae bear. Only DisneySea sells. Get her clothes here too, nowhere else sells. Nothing special about the bear though.

 

Feel free to ask me if you have any specific questions. If you feel super grateful and want to repay my hard work typing all this out and doing research, things I like from Japan include Gunpla aka Gundam Model Kits. I'd be happy with a PG 1/60 Red Frame Astray. http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN958463/Gun

 

Hahahaha... Have fun...

 

That's a extensive list. Will check out the airbnb homestay and the rest of the info once I get home. Thanks!

 

Anyway regarding the pocket WIFI, do they not sell prepaid cards in Japan?

[Ah_Zai 441]

Sad. Cannot post gay stuff. RadX just infract me

 

Anyway, why no one point out where the used school girl panties vending machines are? [laugh]

[BabyBlade 15,424]

Sad. Cannot post gay stuff. RadX just infract me

 

Anyway, why no one point out where the used school girl panties vending machines are? [laugh]

 

Because I am not interested in used school girl panties.....

[Hydrocarbon 10,880]

That's a extensive list. Will check out the airbnb homestay and the rest of the info once I get home. Thanks!

 

Anyway regarding the pocket WIFI, do they not sell prepaid cards in Japan?

 

1. AirBNB find those near the JR lines.. The guy I recommended, really good.. 5/5 Stars.

 

2. Got Pre-paid card in Japan, my GF bought, but got issue / error. We didn't get the chance to change / swap as we went to another prefecture the very next day. Pocket Wifi is the best.

[Adrianli 82,127]

Reporting in live from Yokohama, Japan.

 

 

U cant get pre-paid sim card here. My ang mo colleague lend me his pocket wifi, called WiMAX.

[Ktglfc 88,514]

i'm gonna camp in this thread! Going tokyo too! Thanks @babyblade for starting this thread!

I am also camping here :))

Just love Japan, and will go Tokyo next year though :)

Targeting Disneyland, Disneysea, Sanrio Land, etc :)

Maybe a few onsen too :)

[Kangadrool 31,038]

pocket wifi still need prepaid sim inserted right?

 

If I not wrong, JP prepaid SIM you need to activate by calling a local number, which they are reluctant to do it. Don't know what's the reason???

 

Reporting in live from Yokohama, Japan.

 

 

U cant get pre-paid sim card here. My ang mo colleague lend me his pocket wifi, called WiMAX.

 

[Wt_know 53,408]

pocket wifi aka MiFi no need sim card

turn on you will get signal

the wifi ssid and password will be sticked on the pocket wifi

connected to the pocket wifi then you are good to go ... speed is damn fast ... get the 4G model

pocket wifi also come with an extra usb battery bank ... good to last for whole day trip

at night charge the pocket wifi and the battery separately for the next day

 

pocket wifi still need prepaid sim inserted right?

 

If I not wrong, JP prepaid SIM you need to activate by calling a local number, which they are reluctant to do it. Don't know what's the reason???

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2014 by Wt_know

[Adrianli 82,127]

pocket wifi still need prepaid sim inserted right?

 

If I not wrong, JP prepaid SIM you need to activate by calling a local number, which they are reluctant to do it. Don't know what's the reason???

 

 

 

No need. Its built into the device itself. See photo of it, I am using it now to reply u. Its 40mbs @ USD30 per month, unlimited download. Thatz what my ang mo colleague told me. He use it to watch movies.

 

 

 

 

The JR card for travel on train.

 

 

[Throttle2 31,845]

Babyblade, i know you are a biker.

So was i (sold my triumph a yr ago )

 

My recommendation is Ueno Bike street and Ueno park.

 

There is a web of streets just off the station nearer the semi industrial area.

There you will find plenty of parts aceessories and apparel for bikers.

 

Afterwhich, walk the cultural old street of Ueno where you will finds good bargains on many things including sports goods and watches and clothes and food.

 

Finish off at the Park where you will find a small building often used as an art gallery or exhibition hall of sorts.

 

Dinner at the many small traditional local restaurants before a short train ride back to the city center if thats where you stay.

 

Enjoy.