sky303

So I'm trying to replicate a recent trip to Tokyo, with an Asia virgin coming up in about a week. We had slightly more time available (2 nights vs. 1 the previous time) but I decided to keep the itinerary the same to allow for more leeway. I realize it's really tight by most standards, but this worked last time under much tighter time constraints. My thing is if you all think I've missed anything really big. Places like Shibuya, Ginza, and Akihabara I've just said "explore ___ district" because that's kind of what I did last time, but if you've got anything specific for them, that'd be cool too. Thanks guys, link to the itinerary is below:
Tokyo Itinerary (Aug. 19-24)

ray1966

Impressive. Now you have me worried that maybe I should have one as neatly and as organized as yours.

jib71

A good part of day 2 and 3 seems to be devoted to repeatedly shuttling between the airport, the airport hotel and Narita city. I'd suggest either
a) Skip Narita City
b) Stay at a hotel by Narita station for your first night.

From Narita station, take a Keisei "limited express" train (a slow train) to Keisei Ueno - Although it's a slow train, it will be quicker, easier and cheaper than your current agenda.

robyng

I agree with jib71.

Also - you have something like this:

• Exit Ginza Station and take in the sights of the Ginza District (11:45am-12:25pm)

40 minutes to see Ginza??? I can't even explore one department store food basement in 40 minutes .

I am admittedly a "slow traveler" by nature - but your itinerary sounds like a "forced march" to me. I would see fewer things for longer periods of time. Just my opinion. Robyn

robyng

BTW - you are obviously a very experienced traveler - and I'm sure you know your jet lag limitations. But you might contact your trip companion - and see what he/she is like. On my part - a trip from the SE US to Japan is a killer in terms of jet lag. Robyn

sky303

Yeah, Ginza was something that took a hit on time here. Luckily, I think there's about 1.5-2 hrs of flexible time built in to allow for more mincing around if we need it. Last time we did Ginza, we didn't spend a whole bunch of time there (imagine this itinerary condensed into one day, minus the stuff in Narita), as it really didn't seem to be the ideal place for the budget traveler. We could very well have just missed some big stuff though. Help on that kind of stuff is precisely what I was looking for.

As far as jetlag goes, I generally don't have an issue adjusting from US to Japan as I get the bulk of the adjustment done before the flight and aboard (J-class DL)... My companion is pretty well traveled outside of Asia and assured me she won't have an issue adjusting in a similar manner to me (J UA). Traveling horizontally always helps, and my intention is to not give us a whole lot of time to adjust.

If you had to cut some stuff out in favor of longer time at other places, what would they be? I know it looks like Bataan (too soon?), but last time we did something similar and were pretty happy with it and didn't come out of it feeling all too rushed or anything.

I really wanted to take my companion to a decent, cheap kaiten zushi place...anything you guys could recommend based on the itinerary for lunch/dinner?

OliverB

I'd really like to see the itinerary but it won't fully load. I can't seem to open it.

sky303

I've just uploaded it here as a .pdf. Not sure why I didn't do that before as I love using that website to host .pdf's.

aa4ever

For cheap sushi, the Pen concierge recommended Sushi Zanmai when I requested cheap sushi, around the hotel, at 7:30am on a Sunday (I'd just arrived). I thought it was pretty decent, especially in my famished and jetlagged state.

They have some very cheap (full meal for less than JPY1000) sets and of course a la carte.

robyng

Perhaps this is the problem....

Your original file is a .docx file - which requires a newer version of Microsoft Word. Older versions of Microsoft word - like the one I have - can only read .doc files. OTOH - there's a free add-on a person can download from the MSFT website that allows someone like me to read .docx files. Robyn

sky303

It likely was the issue. My Microsoft Office edition is 2013, so it saves as .docx by default. Should have thought about that first and just saved it as a .pdf and put it on the hosting site to begin with. Nevertheless, it is now linked in .pdf form and should be easily opened by pretty much everyone.

robyng

Ginza has lots of stuff for budget conscious people. The food basements are great and the browsing is free. And - as long as you avoid the $500 melons - you can treat yourself to something (perhaps some sweets sold by the piece?). Of course - window shopping is always free. And - it is possible to pick up inexpensive souvenirs (I bought some great modern chopstick holders for about $1.50/each at Mitsukoshi - I think the packaging cost more than my purchase!).

And - should you have other interests (all of us have different interests) - here's a list to browse:

http://tokyocheapo.com/living/101-fr...o-do-in-tokyo/

It covers a lot of Tokyo - but has things of note in Ginza.

Are you taking the Delta non-stop from Atlanta (that's what we're taking - business class also)? If so - you'll arrive late in the afternoon. Is there any particular reason for the stay/sightseeing in Narita? If I were working with your compressed time frame - I'd skip Narita altogether - and head directly into Tokyo upon arrival. Check into and stay in one place for the duration of your trip. I suspect there are things worth seeing in the Narita area - but they wouldn't be at the top of my list. Also - Tokyo has a wide range of accommodations. Perhaps you can save a few dollars at Narita - but I suspect not that many.

Also - I haven't gone through your itinerary on a map. To maximize time doing things - as opposed to time getting to and from things - plot them out on a map in terms of area/neighborhood. I found some good flexible mapping available at

http://www.funtouristattractions.com

I'm pretty good at getting a sense of how a city is laid out - but even I find Tokyo very challenging due to its size (and my lack of familiarity with it).

Also - make sure you have checked out the hours of things you want to see - plus any normal waiting times for certain things/attractions.

I don't think anyone can tell you what to do - or what to leave out (if anything). My husband and I like to travel with some structure - some idea where we're going when we leave our hotel in the morning - while leaving room for discovery and serendipity (also room for bad weather/fatigue/etc.). And we really don't have a check list (except of course for some "absolutely can't miss" things - like the Pyramids when we were in Egypt). I guess what I'm saying is you have to establish your own travel style - the one that makes you happy. Robyn

sky303

Thanks for that Ginza stuff. Looks very useful!

I'm flying ATL-JFK-NRT//HND-SEA-ATL. JFK-NRT is basically the same as the ATL-NRT nonstop for time. The only reason I'm doing Narita stuff is because it's been kind of a tradition of sorts for me whenever I go to Tokyo. Ramen Bayashi, the crew hotel...idk sounds nerdy (and probably is) but I like getting the crew experience. I really like Narita and find it a good, relaxing way to ease into Tokyo. Weird, I know, but it's just hard to imagine a trip without it. And yeah, cheap lodging doesn't hurt either, though the place I found in Tokyo which is like a hybrid ryokan sort of place that just opened (Edo Sakura) was pretty cheap too (120 for a twin room).

When I create itineraries for short trips I use Google Earth to map out the sights I want to get in and then come up with an order based on location and hours of operation.

I definitely agree about the size of Tokyo being somewhat overwhelming.

I know this style of travel isn't the most desirable, but on a poor college student's budget it doesn't hurt the wallet so much (I fly NRSA, so no airfare) and I have classes starting up soon after I return, further restricting the time we have available.

robyng

I'm skating on thin ice here - because we're not supposed to say anything personal....

After you wrote this - I looked up some stuff you wrote.

You were born in 1994 - I was born in 1947. I don't travel NRSA (never have). It's either money or miles or both. The first time I ever left the US was on a typical college student backpacker's trip through Europe. Total budget class. Hitchhiking and staying in youth hostels. I never rode in the front of a plane until at least my mid-30's. I don't know what youth hostels are like in Tokyo - but people in your age group and budget category might look into them.

By the time my husband and I started to travel extensively (in our 30's and later) - we had money - and didn't have to worry about traveling thousands of miles and eating $10 meals.

I don't think the stuff about your staying with flight crews in Narita is nerdy. It is perhaps because you are still a very young person - and know these people (or know people who know them - I surmise that from your NRSA status). It's good to be around people/things that are familiar when you're young - within your comfort zone.

That said - I am probably older than your grandparents - and probably have very little insight into the type of travel someone your age would appreciate. Robyn

sky303

Totally cool with me. My grandparents are older than you though for the record (and none of them are savvy enough to use FT! )!

Also, I definitely like to look at hostel options, especially for solo travel. In Seoul I have a guest house that I stay at for about 30 bucks a night regularly, and there are definitely comparable places in Tokyo. But I figure on this trip I'm going with someone who isn't as used to "roughing it"...so I'd want to be safer when it comes to lodging and hit something more traditional. Honestly, I like getting more insight from folks older than me for travel, because kids my age (19-20s) pretty much want to party and drink. If I wanted that I'd be going to Cancun. I sometimes say I was born 75 and grumpy!

Thanks so much for taking special care in helping me out here!