I wouldn't be so much concerned with getting from the airport to your hotel as getting from the airport to your hotel when you're in a total fog due to a long trip and jet lag. Especially if you're dealing with children and a lot of luggage.

The hotel we stayed at in Tokyo in 2006 had a "meet and greet" service at the airport. It basically met us at the airport - got us on the right bus (we could have used the train) - and a porter met us at the bus stop when we got into town and took us to the hotel a few blocks away. I don't know if this is a common hotel service (or how much various hotels charge for it) - but it's worth looking into.

Note that a bus is easier than a train if you're dealing with a lot of luggage (although I would certainly check whether a bus or a train gets you closer to your hotel - you can start a new thread and ask some of our experienced Japan travelers here about that). Also note that one way to make arrival easier is to change more cash than you think you'll be spending during your trip before you leave. We do this whenever we leave the United States. Our bank - Bank of America - usually charges about 2-3%. But I doubt we'd save much if we exchanged money in our destination country - and we'd certainly waste a lot of time. Worst comes to worst - we use any unused cash to pay our hotel bill at the end of our stay.

As for a guide while in Tokyo - I guess it depends. Before you decide - I think everyone in your family should spend some time reading about Tokyo - and seeing what things interest them. Then have a family meeting - and decide on a tentative list of things to do. Then - once you have decided what you want to do (just the highlights - don't plan every minute of every day) - organize those things by geographical area. Although the subway system in Tokyo is great - it is still a huge city. And you don't want to spend half of your time navigating around the subway going from one end of town to the other during your days there. I recommend the Time Out Guide to Tokyo in terms of reading about sightseeing. It has descriptions of most of the major things to see/do - organized by geographical areas.

IMO - your children aren't kids. They're capable of reading about a city and deciding what sounds interesting to them. Fashion? That's really big in Tokyo. Anime? That's really big too. Something else? I think your biggest chore will be deciding as a family how to balance the things your daughters might want to see/do versus those you/your wife might want to see/do. But also keep in mind that Japan is perhaps the safest country in the world crime-wise. If your daughters are mature - I wouldn't hesitate for a minute turning them loose on their own to explore things that interest them - but bore you to death.

Also - Tokyo is a city where your hotel concierge is your best friend . It is often not easy to find things - or even the streets they're located on. Any decent hotel concierge will be able to print out maps for you - complete with directions in English and Japanese. You can use the English. And - if you still can't find something (that happens) - you can always ask someone for help using your Japanese map. The people in Tokyo are very polite and helpful (although perhaps somewhat reserved). And - unless you are approaching someone who is rushing to work - if you have a card printed out in Japanese that says "excuse me - do you know where this is" and a map showing what you're talking about - you will always find what you're looking for.

On our first trip to Tokyo in 2006 - we didn't use a guide. And we did fine. OTOH - we will probably be using a guide for a day or two on our trip in 2013. We avoided some museums and other attractions we'd like to see on our first trip because we read there wasn't much in the way of English explanations/signs in these places. We'd like to visit them on this trip with someone who can explain what we're looking at.

Anyway - don't hesitate asking questions here - no matter how dumb they might seem. I asked a ton of questions here before our trip in 2006 - and got great answers that helped me a lot.

Finally - look at it this way. The worst thing that will happen to you in Tokyo is you will wind up lost in a great city (which can sometimes have surprise fun results). There's an exit on the Florida Turnpike. Which - if you miss it - means driving about 50 miles out of your way. Which is worse ? Robyn