Originally Posted by
msp3
Yay for those of us who have to stay in Tokyo suburbs and take JR trains
Lived and worked in downtown (Shinjuku) for a few years and discovered back then that the area around Narita is quite beautiful. You can still get the feel of the old Japan there. Small villages nestled in bamboo forests and rice fields, old wooden farmhouses with traditional "Kura", a great temple, a great museum. In one of the villages near Narita, three priceless Samurai homes have been restored to their former beauty. Stay in Narita, commute into Tokyo, and you can live some of the old and the new Japan.