Originally Posted by
geilux
It is somehow difficult for a Japan beginner to find out the right mix (I have posted on this topic in another japan thread).
I recommend that you pick up (1) a glossy
coffee table book about Tokyo (2) an
ordinary guidebook and (3) a
Daytrips With Kids guidebook. Browse through and find three things you find interesting. Will they be the "three top things" that everyone agrees are "must see"? Maybe not, but they will give you something to aim for in Tokyo. You'll experience Tokyo at those places or on your way to them. (I am going to call this the "Tokyo is what happens to you while you're busy pursuing other plans" school of tourism).
Originally Posted by
geilux
My point here is really to discover Tokyo "downtown" as well as some other popular sites around Tokyo
There may be no "best" answer to this.
Park Hyatt in Shinjuku might work well - A shuttle bus (or short cab ride) gets you to "downtown" Shinjuku and Shinjuku station. From Shinjuku station you have direct trains to Hakone, Nikko and Kamakura. It has an indoor pool that you can take geilux junior to when he refuses to sleep or needs to cool off at the end of a sweaty July day. Disadvantages include the fact that the immediate environs are dull, it's not the shortest trip from NRT and it's not the shortest trip to a Shinkansen station.
New Otani has outdoor pool(s). People tell me it's a great place to meet eligible young women in bikinis. That's ideal for an 8 year old, I think... See if you can convince your spouse. (I am going to call this the "Divorce is what happens to you while you're busy pursuing girls in bikinis" school of tourism).
Oh heck. you can make a case for staying at so many hotels in so many neighbourhoods... Conrad, MO, Grand Hyatt etc. Any decision is inevitably a compromise. It's probably better to work out what things you want to see in Tokyo and the area and then revisit the question.
I'll throw in a new suggestion - Stay at the PHT for four nights. Use it as your base for exploring Tokyo and daytrips to Hakone and Kamakura. When you check out, send most of your luggage to Kyoto but pack an overnight bag for a trip to Nikko. Stay overnight at an onsen near Lake Chuzenji. Next day take a local train to Utsunomiya and from there to Kyoto via two Shinkansen trains (Utsunomiya - Tokyo - Kyoto).
Originally Posted by
geilux
(Nikko and Akone) which can be reached on a daytrip.
Is that a Francophone keyboard you're using?
