FederalFlyer

I'll be traveling to Japan in early April with the following itinerary:

Arrive late Friday evening, staying at Conrad Tokyo for 3 nights. That gives me all day Sat and Sun to explore Tokyo. On Monday, will do the Fish Market early and then travel to Kyoto where I'm staying that night in a Ryokan, and then 3 more nights at the Hyatt. Since the Ryokan is an experience in itself, that only leaves Tues-Thurs to explore Kyoto. On Friday, I return early to Tokyo for 3 more nights at the Park Hyatt, departing Monday late afternoon.

I typically like to spend the first half of each day doing something touristy. A temple, shrine, a tea house, etc. And then delve into exploring unique and local everyday sorts of places as the day progresses. Such as, hole in the wall eateries serving amazing food, a dive bar in the evening or splurging on an upscale one too on occasion, an underground music venue where bands are still just hoping to make it, up and coming art shows, etc. the sorts of places you might enjoy an impromptu conversation about art and music and travel and culture and so on (bearing in mind I only speak English). Although, I'm not seeking a tryst of any sort, just to be clear. I guess I aim to experience things as a local wannabe hipster turned yuppie might.

With that in mind, I'm hoping to get some advice on things to do and see during this trip. As I mentioned, I really only have 2 full days in Tokyo, broken up by 3 full days in Kyoto, and the followed by two to three more days in Tokyo. So if anyone has any ideas that fit the bill, please suggest away. And feel free to be a little creative in your suggestions!

I should also add: does the JR pass make sense? We want to take the fastest bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto so the JR pass will be of no help there. Will just moving around Tokyo and Kyoto justify it's purchase?

abmj-jr

No. If you will not be using the Rail Pass for the longest travel on the shinkansen (bullet train) it would not make sense. Just get a Suica pre-paid card for local travel in Tokyo. There is a similar pre-paid card for Kyoto.

If, on the other hand, you use the Rail Pass for your longer travel PLUS the train trip out to NRT, then it would make sense. The "fastest" bullet train, called Nozomi, is not really any faster than the other shinaknsens, it just makes fewer stops. That means it makes the trip to/from Tokyo-Kyoto about 20 minutes faster than the Hikari, which is available to Pass holders. Nozomi and Hikari run at the same speed. The only real advantage to Nozomi versus Hikari is that there are more frequent departures on Nozomi.

If you really want to stay with Nozomi shinkansens, then I'd recommend purchasing the round-trip Narita Express ticket which has just been announced for the trip to and from the airport plus a Suica card for local travel. You can purchase your Nozomi tickets as you go.

LapLap

Information I had is now out of date. I still go to gallery openings in Tokyo but these are invitations.

No reason why you can't wangle your own. Tokyo Opera City Gallery will open a new exhibition in early April (what it is to be hasn't been published on their website yet). You can contact them and see if the dates coincide, if they do, you can request an invite, they can only say no, nothing lost by asking (EDIT to add, never tried this but the PH concierge might be able to help you). There'll be a well dressed, well heeled cosmopolitan crowd there, a date isn't that likely but chats in English, drinks and canapés should be freely available.

Daikanyama close to Shibuya has its fair share of cool young things milling around the neighbourhood's boutiques and stores, the club there is excellent and has band nights as well as DJ nights. http://www.unit-tokyo.com

You might like to trawl through:
http://metropolisjapan.com
And see what appeals to you.

My own advice for a wannabe hipster is to do what hipsters do, go to record stores and find out from the owners and customers what gigs, shows and events are going on. Go to one of them, talk to the people there and find out what's happening later or during the next night. Last thing a real hipster would want would be recommendations from jaded ex pats

lobsterdog

Here are some interesting art galleries and event spaces.

Serious espresso bars are becoming quite popular, and usually the staff are at least chatty, although of course English ability may vary.

FederalFlyer

Good information to know. Thanks for this. With this in mind, I think I can skip the Nozumi and stick to the Hikari trains and the JR Pass.

FederalFlyer

I will check out the sites you recommend. And I agree, except that working with such a short time frame, I don't want to spend too much time looking for things to do. So, I'm at least hoping to get pointed in the right direction. In New York City, for example, I might advise someone to head to the Lower East Side in Manhattan, or Williamsburg in Brooklyn. I imagine there must be neighborhoods beyond equivalent in Tokyo?

FederalFlyer

The espresso bars look great. Thanks for the tip!

LapLap

It's way more spread out than you might be expecting it to be. I did point to Daikanyama, combine a visit there with neighbouring areas and you'll sort of find something close to what you're looking for. Eg:
http://www.whereintokyo.com/dbinx/rc-ebisu.html

Speaking for myself, when it comes to nightlife, if you start off at the right place (eg a decent record store or bar) you don't actually waste any time, a great evening just unravels from there. Perhaps you could start looking for recommendations in your own neighbourhood. If you were in London I would point you to a few record shops which have extremely close connections with their counterparts in Tokyo as well as a lot of very hip Japanese visiting clients. Have a couple of conversations, take a few notes, and you should be able to hit the ground running.

emma69

I ended up in a place called WWW in Shibuya, which was a very basic stage and standing room to listen to bands. The event I was at was a private event, but I understand they are open to the public. Might be worth a look?

mt-i

Not familiar with New York City, so I have no idea how it compares to the Lower East Side, etc., but the first place that comes to mind when thinking of a hip neighborhood in Tokyo is certainly Shimokitazawa.

lobsterdog

Koenji might also be of interest - lots of music venues, funky little bars, etc.

shinjukuflyer

You can actually use the same Pasmo/Suica that you get in Tokyo on Kyoto trains/buses. Unlike Tokyo, however, using an IC card in Kyoto doesn't get you any discount over the regular ticket price. Still, it's convenient not having to buy a separate card.

Shimokitazawa might be of interest to you, laid back area with lots of cafes, music venues, second-hand clothes shops, record stores etc. Short train ride from Shinjuku/Shibuya stations.

Walk around Shibuya/Harajuku. Can combine with first visiting the Meiji shrine during the early afternoon, then Yoyogi Park from the Harajuku entrance (best seen on a Sunday), and head over to Shibuya in the evening.

For dive bar/karaoke, go to One Coin Bar Champion in Shinjuku. 15-20 minute walk from the Park Hyatt.

For Kyoto, here are a few good day/half-day trip ideas:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3950.html