Going to Tokyo for 10 days...
 

Hey everybody,

My buddy and I are going to Tokyo for 10 days and we're looking for recommendations on things to do, places to see, etc. My friend speaks Japanese so getting around shouldn't be a problem.

Tourist Activities:
What are the must see spots in Tokyo and surrounding cities? Tour buses? I figure 10 days is pretty short... shuold we just stay in Tokyo?

Nightlife:
Cool clubs, lounges, and bars? Live music? My friend likes jrock and jpop... i hear the underground hiphop scene is pretty big in Japan. Are there any areas in particular where Japanese-Americans hang out?

Food:
Ramen houses? Sushi?

Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Eugene

Have you decided which area of Tokyo you'll be staying in ?

What are your interest?

Plan A - All 10 days in Tokyo

Spend sometime in Yokohama, one full day, night view from the landmark tower is great, I have pictures posted for that, you can do a search. You probably want to spend at least 1 day in Daiba. Half a day in Asakusa, half a day in Akiba. You can probably do Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku (Including Takeshita Dori and Yoyogi park) in a day, but its probably a good idea to split that up to 2. If you are into history and culture, there is an Edo museum in Tokyo that will last you half a day, there is also a sword (katana) museum that may interest you You can also take a side trip to Kamakura, Nikko and Hakone Yumoto... If I am to spend 10 days ONLY in Tokyo and area, this will be my itnierary:

Yokohama - 1 day
Hakone Yumoto, Fuji - 2 days
Asakusa, Akiba - 1 day
Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku - 2 days
Daiba 1 day
Kamakura - 1 day
Nikko - 1 day
1 free day, possibly 2, as you may not need ot go to Nikko if you go to Hakone. Nikko has better onsen (Hot spring), but then Hakone give you an easy access to see Mt Fuji

Clubs/Lounges/Live music you can find in Shibuya, Roppongi and Ginza. With Roppongi being the "run down" foreigner settlement.

Plan BTokyo + Kyoto

I think this maybe a better plan, but its subjective. There are a few places that you want to see in Kyoto, so if possible this is what I will do

Day 1 - Day 3 Kyoto. Visit Kinkakuji, Kiyomizu Dera, Gion etc etc. NIght life and dinner in Gion. Visit and climb Fushimi Inari (3-5 hours), visit Nara and Nara park

Day 3-5 Hakone Yumoto

Day 6 Yoko hama

Day 7 Shibuya, Shunjuku, Harajuku

Day 8 Asakusa, Akiba, Roppongi Hills (Different from Roppongi)

Day 9 Daiba

Day 10 free day

Plan C - Skip Tokyo all together!

THis is a bit of a push, the plan is to spend all 10 days in Kensai. Most of the things you can find in Tokyo is available in Osaka if not better, and Osaka definitely have more choices for food. Namba and Umeda pretty much have everything that you can find in Tokyo. This will also give you the option of Himeji and Kobe...

I highly recommend plan B if Tokyo is a must, otherwise Plan C is the way to go. Its a bit of a rush, and it cost more (To travel from Tokyo to Kyoto will cost you about 150USD$, reserved seat ont he shinkansen), but Kyoto really house some of the "real" Japanese culture.

There are all kind of food outside of Ramen, but Ramen is probably the cheapest food you can find that can fill you, so if you are traveling on a tight budget, then Ramen is a great choice. As mentioned earlier and as others pointed out, Ropongi is the foreigner settlement, but there isn't anything interesting there. I would say to skip it if you can

I recommend plan C as well-- but he seems pretty dead set on Tokyo, and 10 days isn't a long time at all; so plan B is probably the best... But, Plan A is perfect if you are sure you don't want to travel outside of Tokyo and its surrounding areas. :D

And your friend speaks Japanese, so going to the Kansai area would be fairly easy (minus the Shinkansen ticket)...


As for food, you could easily survive off of $25 a day each

But I still highly recommend Yokohama. For myself, if I go to Tokyo, Daiba, Yokohama and Shibuya is a must

WOW! Thank you so much everybody!

I am going to Japan for the first time i my life in a year and a half. for my first time where should i go?

i think you should worry about that in a year and 3 months time to be honest.

|L.p.

It is true that planning this early may be a bit overkill, but its good to start investigating and looking into options...

thanks a lot. when it comes nearer that time ill make sure to follow your advice:)