Guide in Tokyo
 

Due to some schedule changes I’ve suddenly got a long weekend off in Tokyo before heading back to Europe in two weeks.
Since it’s my first time in Japan I wanted to do some sightseeing – can someone recommend a guide in Tokio?

What are the must-sees and which area would you recommend to stay in?

Depending on the date of your stay, you might catch one of the summer festivals:

https://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/ha...-super-yosakoi

I would advocate doing without a guide. I think most of the people who participate in this forum have had a great time discovering Tokyo without the need for a guide.

For work I'll be in Nagoya - I'll be travelling to Tokyo on the 1st and departing on the 5th...

The guide I was mostly interested in for food - ordering from a Japanese menu (without Pictures) would pose insoumountable obstacle for me (not to mention finding the best hole in he wall spots)...

Highly recommend this book:
https://www.amazon.de/Whats-What-Jap...C+and+Enjoying

And if you want to "point and order" you could carry this (but I would not want to):
https://www.amazon.de/Yubisashi-Japa...+japanese+food

You can find some good restaurant and bar recommendations on websites like bento.com

Thank you for the reccomendation - you're right I would not want to carry the phrasebook around.
Unfortunately the other book has a delivery time of 1-2 months - hopefully I'll be able to find it at the airport

2 months? Ouch - Sorry.
You would probably find it at the Sanseido bookstore in Takashimaya department store at Nagoya Station. (Or Maruzen bookstore in the Oazo building in front of Tokyo Station).

Data sim does the trick for me and Google Maps - offline maps don't work in JPY. And if all fails there's always japan-guide.com and other internet sources. I no longer carry paper travel guides in Japan. Simply spent too much time there...

Gosh that's a long time! It takes only four days to get to Japan from Amazon in the US. It's usually carried in international bookstores and at airports though.

If you have an Android phone you might also find the Sushi Dictionary app helpful - the free version covers only sushi, but the (inexpensive) paid upgrade version covers all kinds of Japanese dishes.

For ordering, I've used the Waygoapp. It works with both Android and Iphone, does live translations, and works offline. As a point of reference, I used this app when I ate out with my Japanese friend. Her reactions to the menu translations ranged from sufficient to pretty good. We both noticed that it works best with printed text. Handwritten text gives the app some struggles.

When I saw your post I initially thought you were asking about guide services. Just in case you are interested, I recommend Tokyo Free Guide. Its a free local guide service in Tokyo. They assign you a local volunteer guide that matches your interest. You pay for transportation and food. I had good experiences from my guide, especially with food. I still contact my guide, now friend, for food recommendations whenever I pass through Tokyo.