jtm1631

As I have posted here in other threads, my wife and I are going to Japan for two weeks in May. It will be the first trip for both of us and a trip I have wanted to make for 25 plus years.

We will be spending some time in Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and a couple other locations the first week. Mostly based from Kyoto. The final 6 nights will be in Tokyo. The more I look into and research things the more bogged down I get. In my business we call it paralysis by analysis. In other words, I'm in the weeds.

I'm starting to revise my thoughts for planning an "itinerary" for the days in Tokyo. While there are certainly things I want to see in Japan, I more just want to experience Tokyo. Instead of planning days by ticking of this shrine or that museum, I'm leaning towards a much more open and general "plan".

My thought is to just list some neighborhoods that I know I will want to see. Then, we will hop on the subway or walk to an area and just explore. I think if we just wander through neighborhoods we will come across some of the places we wanted to visit. Some we will miss but will give us a good reason to come back.

Normally when I visit a new country I have specific places and museums and historical locations I want to see. With Japan we certainly want to go to Hiroshima but other than that, I just want to explore.

Is it a crazy plan, or lack thereof?

evergrn

I think that's totally fine. Different people have different ways of enjoying and exploring Tokyo. To me, the most sensible way of enjoying several days in Tokyo is to not really plan anything ahead of time (asides from knowing to avoid rush hour trains, Disneyland on weekends, outdoors on rainy days). Just have a list of interesting neighborhoods picked out as you say, then each morning let your whim take you to one or two of those each day. Then you walk around, browse around, see what great food you come across, just hang out. You may have high hopes for Asakusa only to feel like heading back to the hotel after a few hours. Then you may go hang out in Kichijoji another day and find that the entire day has passed before you knew it.

slawecki

this is your trip of a lifetime that you have wanted to make for over 25 years. take cabs from one place to the next. will not add that much to the trip cost, and one can go to twice as many places, and not get exhausted.

RichardInSF

Tokyo is not a city of world-class tourist attractions. The Rainbow bridge doesn't match up to the Golden Gate bridge nor is Sky Tree memorable like the Eiffel Tower. For me, Tokyo has always been a city of ever so many unexpected small delights, and these are best seen by walking around, often with no particular destination in mind, just as you are planning to do. So I think you've got absolutely the right idea in mind. I say this as someone who has been to Tokyo 50+ times.

You might, however, consider buying one of the small number of guides that give walking tours. Just be fully prepared to divert from the plan if you see something that interests you. If you get lost, don't worry. Sooner or later you will hit a rail or subway station. If not, most bus routes eventually pass one. And at no time, day or night, will you ever be in any physical danger; in that regard, Tokyo is a very safe city.

And incidentally, contrary to the advice in the post above, I see no need to take taxis anywhere unless you are totally lost and don't see a bus stop or are arriving/departing with baggage.

evergrn

I agree. No need to take taxi in Tokyo for the most part. Taxis in Jpn are very expensive, like US. It will add up fast. I only take taxi in Tokyo if I'm not near a train station or there's no fast way to get to a place by train, and I'm in a hurry or the weather sucks. Also I never ride in a taxi for more than a few km in Tokyo. Taxis come in handy more in Kyoto, where trains aren't as convenient/extensive.

Talking about a leisure trip. Everything changes when someone else is paying for transport.

LapLap

There is one problem with your plan.
Although I agree in principal with your intended approach, you should still follow RichardInSF's suggestion of local guides and walking tours which you can venture from at will.
The reason is that Tokyo diesn't share the same architectural "vocabulary" as other places you've been to and you won'5 be able to pick up on written signs or cues either.
The problem is that you often won't be able to pick up on interesting discoveries just by passing by them.

Aventine

Get a Tokyo subway pass and get off at selected stations and branch out from there. Taxis are great if you're in a hurry but you don't get to see much.

LapLap

"Get a Tokyo subway pass" - Apart from the yurikamome pass, or one of the combination deals (such as travel to/from NRT plus subway pass or Gurutto Pass plus subway pass) I don't know one that offers value for money. A Suica or PASMO card is all that's required.

jtm1631

I appreciate everyone's feedback. We already have a list of some neighborhoods going and I'll start looking at information about those areas to get an idea of buildings/shrines/parks that we should make sure we explore.

We definitely have YaNeSen on our radar. We are going to a baseball game at Tokyo Dome one night so trying to decide if we should explore that region on that same day. Only concern would be the length of the day and definitely needing a break at some point but maybe one of the area parks will serve that purpose for us.

I was also looking at the idea of a tour. My thought was even if we try and get a tour the first day to get our bearings we can then go back and explore areas of interest in more detail.

Does anyone have any recommendations for tour they have done or know about?

5khours

I'd think about Jingu Stadium instead of the Dome. Rain is a risk, but it's much nicer watching a ball game out of doors.

kalderlake

I purchased tickets in advance for the things I had to see--Sumo and baseball--and also starred a bunch of things I was interested in in Google Maps.

Then as I navigated around the city I could see what was nearby and decide if I wanted to visit or not.

It's a great city for walking and wandering--things to see and do everywhere.

And if you decide you want to switch neighbourhoods, the subway is always nearby and easy to use.

RichardInSF

Most Japanese bus tours are highly regimented and completely inflexible. You'd do a lot better if you stepped up and paid for the services of a good guide, which would allow you to modify things on the fly if you so desired. I can't recommend anyone because I've never used a guide in Japan, not even on my very first trip.

I hope your visit in May doesn't include the first week of the month which is called "Golden Week." Things can get quite complex to arrange during that period. If it does include that period, better start figuring things out in detail immediately.

Few destinations reward advance preparation as much as Japan does. Do your homework, you'll really add huge value to your trip that way.

FlitBen

We rode the sky hop bus during sakura season a few years ago and really enjoyed the routing flexibility and breezy views. We freely swapped between the Odaiba and Asakusa/Skytree routes but rarely 'hopped off', we mostly rode around at first to familiarize ourselves with the various districts. The canned audio guide did have some interesting moments. Odaiba route was particularly nice for spotting places around Ginza and Venus Fort.

Sky Hop Bus Timetables and route details/ Bus, Night Bus, Booking in Japan / Willer

jtm1631

No Golden Week for us, we arrive on May 13th. We have been reading up on things over the past few months so we definitely are not going in blind. I will contact the hotel concierge and ask if they have any recommendations for guides we can contact.

LapLap

I've never been drawn to tours particularly, but there is one that interests me.
2 Shinjuku, the center of Tokyo! Learn about Japan's trends in department store basements and while shopping / Official Tokyo Travel Guide GO TOKYO
Particularly the guided visit to the Isetan Food Court.
I'm considering signing up my mother and a cousin of hers for a visit next Spring.
May even do it myself in a few weeks time.