I know there's a currently active thread about a 10-hour layover at NRT, but I have a 13-hour layover at HND (arriving at 13:55 on a Wed. and departing at 1:00 the next morning) and am wondering if that changes folks' recommendations. I've never been to Tokyo (we were 5 minutes from landing at NRT in March when the earthquake hit; after spending 5 hours on the tarmac at a US Airforce base, followed by a night sleeping on the floor at HND, we ended up spending all of our time in Osaka and Kyoto), so I'd love to go into the city (preferably exploring the city and mingling with the people rather than going to a museum or the like). What do you recommend?

I make that an 11.5 hour layover.
First decide where you want to be at dusk. Up high is a memorable experience at this time of the day, so you'd head for Shinjuku to be at the top of the Tokyo government metropolitan tower to see the city change from day to night (and perhaps catch Mt Fuji) or you might like to see the neon switch on closer and be walking around Ginza this time. From then until you have to head back, it's compulsory 'play' time for many workers so the bars and izakaya districts will be heaving. You could easily stay in Shinjuku or spread out from Ginza to Shimbashi or Tokyo station or you could head to Shibuya if you like to hang around younger people or Roppongi if you want to find lots of people to interact with in English.
Alternatively you could try a public bath or spa, there's a whole thread on Tokyo Onsen in the forum. I only know the ladies' sides but they are generally very social so a natural place to interact with non-drunk locals.

Do a full circle tour of the Yamanote line (or get through as much of it as you can), getting off the train at each station (without exiting the ticket gate) and explore the insides if the station. You'll only need about 5 minutes for a place like Uguisudani, but allow an hour or so each for the bigger stations like Tokyo, Shinagawa, and Shinjuku. You won't lack for places to eat, just the time to try it all.

You'll get to interact with plenty of people along the way...

Thank you for the wonderful idea! Travel a lot, will be in Tokyo shortly, and never thought of this before!

Welcome SanFranDan!
There's a well documented alternative known as the Yamanote Challenge where those taking part walk the entire Yamanote line circuit gathering evidence from each of the stations to show they visited.
A fairly fit person will take around 12 hours to walk between all 29 stations.

Some of the stations will have an ink stamp somewhere so if you take a pad of fresh rubber stamp ink to use (the ones at the stations often run dry) you can collect a series of seals. Commemorative stamps appear all the time, they are often called "stamp rally" should you need to ask for them - helps if you have an example already to show when enquiring.
Not on the circuit but Ryogoku station has yielded my favourite stamps so far.

Just checked by plugging yamanote line stamp rally into google and it shows there was a Pokemon theme going on in 2011
http://www.webmtabi.jp/201108/pokemo...e-line_en.html
More info here:
http://my.opera.com/Nplus/blog/show.dml/400692
I don't think most of the participants walked...

Perhaps a less fit person could start the circuit at Yurakucho on a rented bicycle from Muji:
http://www.mujiyurakucho.com/renta/index.asp

(Or perhaps they'd just potter around marunouchi, ginza and yurakucho).

Not even 11.5. That'll learn me to do math in public!

Yep, I got it wrong too, should have wrote 11 hours and 5 minutes.

After initially suggesting that you might just like to mooch around Marunouchi, Ginza and Yurakucho and the surrounding areas this thread ended up arousing a sense of deja vu:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan...ride-free.html

Turns out that since then you can actually buy an alarm clock with the Yamanote Line jingles - I think they have at least two models now. About 7,000yen each.
http://www.mediatinker.com/yamanote2...es/009812.html

I would probably get a day room at a good hotel to be able to relax in comfort. For me a swimming pool and good spa facilities would be a requirement. Then I would walk around for a while in the area of my choice, and have a nice meal at my hotel or at a good restaurant in the vicinity.

I would not try to see or do too much in such a short period of time. Save that for a time when you can stay longer and enjoy a proper introduction to Tokyo.

I'll relax when I'm dead!

I love this suggestion!

I have not been to Tokyo but to transit.

So all suggestions are attractive.

Mike are not hotels in Tokyo very expensive ? Would the " Drawer Hotels" serve the purpose if you have one with public baths etc ?

The capsule hotels are mostly for drunks who have stayed out past the last train.

You can get a plain, small, but totally acceptable single room with bath for US$100 or less at a so-called "business hotel," of which there are several chains.

Go to the Meiji Shrine, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi (if you want to hang out with expats).. definitely doable in 13 hours if you stay on the move and maximize the subway system.