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Best way to get from Tokyo Station to GH Tokyo
We'll be coming in on the train from Kyoto, wife, 2 kids and a weeks luggage. Do we just haul the bags upstairs and take a taxi to the hotel? How much will it cost us (and is 4 in a cab a problem)? Is subway a possibility (non-rush hour)? Probably not with the bags. I know there is no JR line near the hotel.
When we leave the hotel, we are headed for a couple days with the kids at Disneyland. Any ideas of best way to get there from the GH?
Thanks for the help?
Last night will be spent near the airport- any suggestions for a decent hotel there (I have the Holiday Inn booked using points right now, Hilton is booked- wanted to use points there)?
I guess it depends how heavy your bags are, how much you want to save money and how tired you are. You can use the subway quite easily: From Tokyo Station catch the Marunouchi line to Ginza, change to the Hibiya line and that will take you straight to Roppongi (Grand Hyatt). 4 in a cab should be fine, but might cost you a few thousand yen.
With regards to Disneyland, you can catch a train to Maihama, without the luggage this would be no problem. I would speak to the concierge for more info. Have fun.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mpomfret
I guess it depends how heavy your bags are, how much you want to save money and how tired you are. You can use the subway quite easily: From Tokyo Station catch the Marunouchi line to Ginza, change to the Hibiya line and that will take you straight to Roppongi (Grand Hyatt). 4 in a cab should be fine, but might cost you a few thousand yen.
Just keep in mind that the "transfer" between Hibiya and Marunouchi at Ginza is over 600 meters apart. Also, the walk from the Hibiya line at Roppongi and the GHT is no cakewalk, 10 minutes up and down. A taxi will cost you 1500 yen. Four subway tickets will cost you 720 yen. Take a cab.
4 will fit into most taxi's but the luggage may be a problem, depending on how many bags you have. I paid JPY1600 (about US$16) from GHT to Tokyo Station, so that would be about what the subway costs plus a lot less hassle (read, hauling luggage up some stairs and down the street from Ropangi Station to the GHT.)
Not sure about trans to Disney. There is a Radisson in Narita that always has specials.
There are often largish (van-type or station wagon) cabs waiting at Tokyo station. Can't rely on it, but it seems to be more common to see them there than at other places. They charge the same price as regular cabs.
The most pleasant, and likely fastest, way to get to Disney via public transit from the GH is to take the Hibiya line from Roppongi to Ebisu and then take the relatively new JR Rinkai line that runs about every 20 minutes from Ebisu to Shin-Kiba. There you can switch to the Keiyo line that goes to Maihama without having to walk a mile to transfer like you have to at Tokyo station. This is a bit more pricey as the Rinkai line adds about an extra Y250 per person for the segment up the middle of O-Daiba.
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If you have anywhere close to the amount of luggage my family takes for a week, there is no way it will fit in a standard taxi. The Van is a good suggestion but they aren't always available. Be prepared to take two taxis if necessary. Also, exit on the Marunouchi side of the station so you are heading the correct direction.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardInSF
There are often largish (van-type or station wagon) cabs waiting at Tokyo station. Can't rely on it, but it seems to be more common to see them there than at other places. They charge the same price as regular cabs.
The most pleasant, and likely fastest, way to get to Disney via public transit from the GH is to take the Hibiya line from Roppongi to Ebisu and then take the relatively new JR Rinkai line that runs about every 20 minutes from Ebisu to Shin-Kiba. There you can switch to the Keiyo line that goes to Maihama without having to walk a mile to transfer like you have to at Tokyo station. This is a bit more pricey as the Rinkai line adds about an extra Y250 per person for the segment up the middle of O-Daiba.
We will still have time left on our Japan Rail Pass so that should cover the cost of the Rinkai and Keiyo lines corrrect? SO our only cost would be the Roppongi to Ebisu trip on the subway. But we won't be able to do any of this with a weeks luggage with us will we??? Taxi to Tokyo station and straight shot to Maihama would probably be better, no? I want to save Yen but I don't want the hassle for the family if it can be avoided for a small price. Anyone know if there is a bus service from the area that would take us door to door (Hyatt to Disney)? I know that there are some of these buses, but don't knwo if any are near the GH.
Even though it is on a JR train, a portion of the ride from Ebisu to Shin-Kiba -- the part through O-daiba -- is, I believe, on private tracks so there may be a modest extra charge (probably about Y350 per person) charged when you exit at Shin-kiba. I am not positive this will happen since I haven't gotten off at this station lately, but it happens at intermediate stations on O-daiba.
Should you need to return, buy the minimum priced ticket at Shin-kiba just to pass the ticket gate, since your JR pass will let you exit at Ebisu.
If you transit to the Keiyo line by taking that long walk at Tokyo station, there will be no supplement and your JR pass will be good the entire way. There are escalators and some moving walkways.
With bags, you can take escalators most of the way to the Hibiya line at Roppongi, but will have to walk up one flight of stairs at Ebisu. There is an escalator up to JR at Ebisu. Don't know the situation at Shin-kiba, probably some stairs up.
Alternatively, you can take a taxi(s) back to the Keiyo line at Tokyo station. In that case, get the hotel to tell the taxi to take you to the Keiyo line and they should drop you off so that you can avoid the long walk, but might still need to go down one flight of stairs (then there are escalators after that).
There appears to be no convenient bus service. Take a look at
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardInSF
Alternatively, you can take a taxi(s) back to the Keiyo line at Tokyo station. In that case, get the hotel to tell the taxi to take you to the Keiyo line and they should drop you off so that you can avoid the long walk, but might still need to go down one flight of stairs (then there are escalators after that).
Personally, I'd take a cab to Tokyo Station. There is an escalator entrance to the Keiyo line directly in front of the Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank headquarters. I just don't recall whether the escalator goes both up and down or only down. In any case, as Richard said, you only have one stairway to go down. If you take the Keiyo line, you don't need to worry about changing trains either.
Are you staying at a hotel near Disneyland and, if so, which one? You would want to drop your bags there before going to the park and the station is probably different from the main Disney stop.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtrader
Are you staying at a hotel near Disneyland and, if so, which one? You would want to drop your bags there before going to the park and the station is probably different from the main Disney stop.
We are staying at the Hilton Tokyo Bay and I believe that it is the same station as the rest of the Disney property. I believe that we can actually drop our bags at the hotel check in area a few levels below the station and they will deliver our bags to our hotel room for us.
We'll be coming in on the train from Kyoto, wife, 2 kids and a weeks luggage....
If you are coming from Kyoto by Shinkansen (Bullet Train), then I suggest that you get off at Shinagawa instead of Tokyo Station. (It's just a few minutes before arriving at Tokyo.) There may be some Bullet Trains that don't stop at Shinagawa, but most do.
Without luggage, it's 160 yen from Shinagawa to the GH Tokyo, but you have to change lines once and, as others have noted here, it's then a pretty long haul (7-10 minutes walk by my watch) from the subway to the hotel. Unless you want a workout, I wouldn't do it with family and luggage in tow. For going out later, once you've checked in, the subway is very convenient and cheap.
A taxi from Shinagawa to the GH Tokyo should be around 2,000 yen. I recently paid about 1,500 yen but that was at 6 in the morning with no traffic at all. For my money, you'd arrive in better shape by taxi.
I am not the OP, but thank you all for the useful information... This is why I love FlyerTalk so much... I'll be heading to Tokyo (for the first time) in early June and the information posted here is truly useful. Who needs those tourist books when you have your fellow FT-ers. Thank you all once again...
Call or e-mail one of the local cab companies and book a "Wagon Taxi" with more luggage room. The fare is 400 yen plus the usual . You can reserve in advance at particular time and place. You have to pay some extra hundreds of yen for the booking.The fee is called "Geisha Ryokin" It may sound interesting for gaijin FTers out there .
Reserving a "wagon taxi" in advance seems like a good idea but I think it's not practical for two reasons:
1. You can't predict when you will need the taxi since it depends on when your flight actually arrives, the length of the lines at immigration, etc etc etc.
2. It is almost certainly very challenging if you don't speak Japanese. I enjoyed the English web site you mentioned but couldn't even figure out the ENGLISH in the "reservation" portion -- which didn't mention the "wagon taxi."
Around 1/2 - 2/3 of the Hikari and Nozomi shinkansen stop at Shinagawa.
The Four Seasons Marunouchi provides a platform Bell Boy service for guest pick up/drop offs (with a 1000 Yen Charge). If you are interested, I am sure the GH can arrange something similar for guests arriving via the Subway/Train? Although the distance from FS to Tokyo Station is walkable and I have no idea which is the nearest Subway station to GH......
I agree with other posters, just go for a Taxi after the NEX...it will keep you sanity. I did this and found it to be the most hassle free. (I'd recommend everyone to skip the Limousine Bus.....it's a L-O-N-G and enduring ride, especially in afternoon traffic after arrivel......)
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