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5 Days in Tokyo

5 Days in Tokyo

Old Mar 10, 2013, 12:06 pm
  #1  
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5 Days in Tokyo

I'd appreciate a little advice re an upcoming leisure trip to Tokyo if I may....

A little background - my wife and I are fairly seasoned travellers, and whilst £££ is not a primary consideration I don't want to be spending a fortune either!

1) We are flying LHR - HND and arrive 04.55. I have provisionally booked a hotel that got good reviews on Booking.com, the Annex Katsutaro Ryokan. This is apparently by Sendagi subway station. Given that we can't check in until 15.00 hours, what would the suggestion be for using this time wisely, especially given that we'll be a little tired.... I am guessing presumably a couple of hours at least through customs/immigration and into town.

2) Reading through this forum, I get the impression that for the short time we are in Tokyo that any major trips outside of the city are probably a waste of time. Would I be correct in this?

3) Haven't got the guide book yet, but what do people think are the "must do's" in this timescale?

Once again, thanks for any input you can make.
kipperman is offline  
Old Mar 10, 2013, 12:28 pm
  #2  
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Are you staying at the same location for 5 days?

I would definitly contact the hotel/ryokan to examine the possibility to check in early. It's a pain to having to go there from the airport to just drop of your bags and not be able to change/shower. You might ge able to work something out.

If it was me I would split my stay in 2 locations, 5 days in one place would be too much for me in this big a city. But it all depends on what you plan on and like doing... You will be travelling by subway anyway so a day trip by train could work as well. Plenty of options, and it's nice to travel to some of the smaller places for a day.
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Old Mar 10, 2013, 1:03 pm
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The Katsutaro is way on the other side of town from Haneda, so you might want to find something more in the southern part of the city for your first day. On the other hand, it's in a more traditional part of town, and you'll definitely feel as if you're in Japan.

Customs and traveling into town won't take as long as you think, because Haneda is the less frequently used and yet closer in international airport. The ride on the monorail from Haneda to Hamamatsu-cho Station, which is on the Yamanote loop line is about 15-20 minutes.

If you are really tired, there are said to be day rooms at or near Haneda, but see if you can at least check into the Katsutaro early, perhaps by paying for the night before.

The typical day trips for short-time visitors to Tokyo are Nikko, Hakone, and Kamakura. Once you've read your guidebook, you can decide which one you prefer, or even whether you will find enough in Tokyo to keep you busy the whole time.
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Old Mar 13, 2013, 5:53 am
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I recently spent 5 days in Tokyo, we stayed at the Conrad located at Shiodome so very easy to use public transport. Will filled each day exploring major areas of the city (plus a day at Disney Sea) and partying in the night either until the last train or the first train in the morning!!

After 5 days we came away with still a list of places/things we want to do in the city, plus a definate urge to explore more of Japan outside tokyo.

To address your questions
1) I would definately contact the hotel in advance and advise of your early arrival in case they are able to allow you an earlier check in, if this is unlikely and you dont want to cross town to drop bags, then at most stations there are a lot of luggage lockers so you could always head somewhere and leave your bags locked up while making the most of your day. Or even with your early hour arrival try and get to the Tsukiji Market for some sushi breakfast (you likely be too late to snag a limited spot at the tuna auction)

2) We didn't leave the city in the 5 days there for this very reason as we didn't want to spend valuable time travelling for hours, although it is possible to do a day trip out towards Mount Fuji / 5 lakes area.

3) this is all down to personal preference, do you want to shop, see temples, parks?? Some good areas to look at are Shibuya, Harajuku, Ueno Park and Markets, Asakusa, Imperial Palace Gardens, Ginza, Roppongi, Tokyo Bay off the top of my head.

If your going to use the train system within the city both overground and underground then get a PASMO card which works in similar way to the oyster card in london which you charge up with cash. The machines at all stations will have an english button so it's not as difficult as it may seem.
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Old Mar 14, 2013, 11:56 am
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Thanks for all your replies. Looks like early check in the best option, so will contact the Ryokan. You've also confirmed my thoughts to stay in Tokyo, rather than attempt any day trips.
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Old Mar 14, 2013, 12:14 pm
  #6  
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Originally Posted by kipperman
You've also confirmed my thoughts to stay in Tokyo, rather than attempt any day trips.
I think you are doing yourself no favor.... it all depends on what you want to do but the variation is nice. Tokyo has many things to see but most are still surrounded by a big city.
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Old Mar 17, 2013, 1:09 am
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I've stayed at the Annex Katsutaro and it's a nice place to sack out. It's also at one end of the Yanaka Ginza; the other end leads to Yanaka cemetery and JR Nippori-eki. That area is part of Shitamachi, the old part of Tokyo which has its own charms, different from the more glam parts of the city.

An option for your luggage if you cannot check in early is to use one of the takkyubin services to have your luggage delivered to the Ryokan. The best way to do this is to address the luggage to yourself care of the Ryokan. Print this out (with the name and address of Annex Katsutaro in Japanese) and tape it to your baggage. Then when you are at the counter, the staff can copy the information onto their tags. Then you can begin your day and arrive at the Annex later in the day.
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