I will be going to visit a relative in Japan and will have 36 hours in Tokyo on my own. Any suggestions for must sees or things to avoid? I will be there early October. Thank you.

That's 1.5 days. Perfect, you will need no more time than that.

You accidently stepped right into an old inside forum joke.

Welcome to the Japan Forum - and Flyer Talk.

Without knowing your interests or demographic, it is difficult to suggest things to do. Assuming you are relatively mobile, on your own and have never been to Tokyo before, a few places come to mind. I'd recommend obtaining a Suica prepaid train/subway card to get around. If your 36 hours includes a trip to or from Narita Airport for arrival or departure, you can get a Suica+N'Ex card that includes the Narita Express airport train. If you are using Haneda airport, you don't need the N'Ex.

Is your 36 hours on your own at the beginning of your trip or at the end? How are you meeting up with your relatives? Will they get you to or from the airport? Will you stay with them or in a hotel? Lots of questions that impact advice we might give.

I'd suggest a visit to Asakusa Jinja (Senso-ji) Shrine in the older neighborhood of Asakusa; a visit to the Imperial Palace East Garden and palace viewing area; a visit to either Akihabara or Shikjuku for a look at the modern, fast-paced Tokyo and, if you want to see some really high-end shopping, a visit to Ginza. The Edo-Tokyo Museum next to the sumo arena in Ryogoku is very good, as are the national museums in and around Ueno Park in Ueno. Beyond that, your interests and desires come into play. Are you into nightlife or quiet, cultural places?

Others have ideas, too. Advice from me tends to be for tame, quiet places of cultural, artistic or historical interest (I'm kind of old and a bit dull.) For drinking and carousing, we have several regulars who can fill that bill.

I don't agree with too much of that. But the only thing I want to say is that Shibuya beats Shinjuku by a mile for fast-paced, modern, young Japan.

Yeah, we all know you don't agree with much I have to say. I do, however, agree about Shibuya.

i don't understand the need for sarcasm every time someone asks one of these questions. maybe they don't have the budget or time to spend 30 days as some of you do.

responses like this detract from an otherwise great forum.

Someone doesn't like sour Pickles...

It's an acquired taste...

OK, here is a non-sarcastic response to the original question.

You are recommended to use the search function to see what has been discussed about this same question many times in this forum. FT not only functions as a time delayed message site (when 2 or more users banter in a forum) but also as a database of all of those conversations from the past. Search allows you to type in key words and find a veritable wealth of info without seeking to have people repeat themselves.

Your travels are yours to own and research and then in the spirit of camaraderie when the readily accessible information does not suffice, it is generally the case on FT that people will very gladly offer information. Based on your post count I am guessing you are a relatively new user although you may have been reading without posting for longer, I simply do not know.

Pickles and a bunch of us have been long enough to see the same questions asked again and again without any real effort being expended to search for existing answers. It does get a bit tiresome to be honest and citing the joke is a lot better than being outright unpleasant to people who appear to not want to do their own research.

Well said.

Domo domo.

When I originally did a search I must have done a general search and not one specific to this forum. What was brought up was more in regards to hotels and flights, which I have covered. I was hoping, and should have been more specific, of the "great" tourist traps to avoid and unknown treasures. I completely understand 36 hours is almost nothing in a city that big, but it's an extended layover and all I could allow on my travels. There are other travel sites I am using to do my research, but I knew this was a good resource of people who have been there/done that and could lead me in the right direction.
I will be flying to Tokyo after visiting family in Okinawa for a week (new nephew to see), staying at the Westin, and on my own for all transportation and activities. Nightlife-wise, after looking through a couple of threads I can see Kabukicho may not be ideal for a woman traveling alone. Any other suggested stay away areas?
abmj-jr--Thank you for the cultural suggestions, I hope to hit some cultural during the day and some nightlife Thursday/Friday night.
I apologize for walking into the middle of a joke, but do appreciate any assistance you can offer.

check out japan-guide - kanto region and tokyo and area. have a read and then come back with some clarifications of what to do etc.

i will make it even easier...[click me - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html ]

Given that you might want to consider checking out the Ebisu area near your hotel. For "nightlife" the area has a bunch of restaurants, bars, etc. -- not really any dance clubs or that sort of thing, but those places tend to be dodgy in Tokyo anyway...

+1. You'll get good (or at least a lot of) advice if you ask specific questions.