Originally Posted by
ksandness
There's actually an advantage to staying in a non-touristy area. It's quieter, you get to see the lives of ordinary Tokyo residents up close, and the restaurants are cheaper and more mom-and-pop.
Thank you for reminding me of this because you are right, Mom and Pop shops are cheaper.
Also, thanks for the tip about the Dept. Store sushi. I'll definitely search for it when I get there.
Originally Posted by
unagi1
Outside either the west or east gate of Shinjuku station you can find tons of that stuff. In Shibuya, if you make the main crossing out the Hachiko gate towards the Starbucks, you'll see lots of the same, go down into the streets, tons of stuff. Any of the large stations in Tokyo will have it in the vicinity. You might also go over to the Akihabara area, Omotesando, Ikebukuro, etc.
Fantastic. This is the info I'm looking for. Definitely will check out these different areas. Too bad it's not all centralized into some crazy shopping street but I'm very excited
Originally Posted by
abmj-jr
Then, there is also the water taxi stop right beside Asakusa Station (located in a portion of the beautiful Matsuya Department store) in the riverside park. You can catch the water bus and get a nice, backside view of Tokyo while you ride down toward the bay on the Sumida River. Get off at the intermediate stop at Hama Rikyu Imperial Garden, spend some time in the garden and then catch the water bus back to Asakusa - or just exit the Garden and catch a cab back to your hotel. Hama Rikyu is also only a short walk from the Tsukiji Fish Market but there is not much there in the middle of the day.
Thanks for the
water taxi information! i will probably opt for the cab suggestion as 1200 yen/pp may be worth a taxi back to the hotel or to another area after the trip out.
Cheers
Originally Posted by
msb0b
To the OP: the
Ramen Museum near Shin-Yokohama station will be a fun excursion--probably best as a part of a day trip to Yokohama. They feature famous ramen restaurants from around Japan in a recreation of old Japan streets setting. The map is on the penultimate page of the online brochure.
ohmigoodness. Thank you thank you thank you! This is a really great suggestion and I'll definitely use it for our time in Yokohama. It looks pretty fun!
Originally Posted by
LapLap
There are two subway stations very close to the Sheraton Miyako but neither are 'right underneath' the hotel, they involve a 5-10 minute walk.
There is a very regular complimentary shuttle service to a nearby JR station called Meguro. The shuttle was quick and reliable and, when I used it, departed at set times every 15 minutes.
Sounds like Hong Kong MTR stations. They are "underneath" a certain area but really it's a long walk to the turnstile and down steps/elevator to the train platform haha.
And thanks for the Ramen videos and other suggestions. Man, those videos make me so hungry just looking at it. Might have to do some pre-Tokyo research at some Japanese Ramen places here in Vancouver before I depart so I can "taste the difference"
