codex57

As a first timer who just got back, Tsukiji was very underwhelming.

The area around Shibuya Station and Harajuku/Omotesando blew my mind. Take them there. Shinjuku at night too.

Tokyo Station area and Ginza weren't as impressive as I expected. Pretty meh.

evergrn

Agree with all that. Can't go wrong with Shibuya, Harajuku/Omotesando area for the first-timer.
I personally gravitate towards the west side of Tokyo. Shinjuku and Ikebukuro offer endless things to do/eat, and Shinjuku is constantly undergoing transformation. I don't spend time in Shibuya as much but, when I do, I still really enjoy the place for the ambiance. Although these aren't areas one would go on the 1st or 2nd trip to Tokyo, I really like Kichijoji, Jiyugaoka and bunch of other places along Tokyu train lines.

ksandness

I agree with those assessments. I don't understand why the Tsukiji fish auction is such a big deal, except that it's something that jet-lagged tourists can do if they find it impossible to sleep through the night. (Hint: Don't sleep on the plane.)

You can always tell the people who haven't done their research before coming onto this forum because they mention seeing "Mount Fuji and the Ginza." Ginza is impressive only if you've never seen a street of expensive stores and restaurants, although there is the new Kabuki theater, and there are some interesting shops on the side streets. But then, there are interesting shops on the side streets in just about every major commercial district.

The area around Tokyo Station is Generic International Business Land, but the last time I was there, the old brick part of the station had just been renovated after a long period of neglect, so it was fun to see what they had done.

My favorite thing to do in Tokyo is pick a named street (Chuo-dôri, Waseda-dôri, etc.) and walk its length or pick two stations that are relatively far apart (Ikebukuro to Shibuya on one trip) and plot a route for walking between them. I always find something interesting.

samwise6222

Thank you all! tbh, I never got the attraction of going to Tsukiji at 3AM and lining up at Sushidai - but hey, when your boss says he wants to go, you go

I used to work by Kyobashi station commuting 40 mins on Yamanote - but that was many years ago - and yes - there was nothing worth seeing near Tokyo Station then.

jonsha

I'll just say...please stay either in Shibuya or Shinjuku. You'll enjoy those areas much more than being near Shinagawa or Tokyo Station (which are just boring business districts). Best thing when you visit a country is to experience the real culture. Regarding Shinjuku, just realize that the area is just boring offices on one side of Shinjuku station. The other side (eastern side) is where all the fun stuff is.

evergrn

I stay from time to time in Shinagawa, and there are good reasons for folks to stay there. It is very convenient transportation-wise (bullet train, HND, NRT, to many other parts of Tokyo). There are some decent hotel options with typically better cost performance than Marunouchi, Shibuya, even Shinjuku. If you need your hotel to be in a lively neighborhood, don't stay in Shinagawa. If you're okay with short train rides, then Shinagawa is fine. And as much as people criticize Shinagawa location-wise, there are far more things there (not to mention convenient) than if you were to stay at many other hotels in Tokyo (IC Tokyo Bay, Conrad, Sheraton Miyako, Chinzanso, ANA IC).

I guess it depends on what you're looking for. I'm not a huge fan of Kabukicho (although sometimes it's fun) or even Sanchome area. Some do like that, though. I like the station complex itself and the area south of it. The northwest side has clusters of great ramen shops and bootleg/used CD shops.

sorro

To get a real “Japanese experience” I highly recommend staying in Shibuya or Shinjuku. They’re close to everything and the ability to walk out and see the energy of Hachiko or Kabukicho is really fun. Shibuya has a ton of construction and it can be confusing, but it’s a blast. These are all better than the relatively buttoned down areas of Shinagawa or Tokyo Station. With Tsukiji, I did the inner market 3 years ago and was pretty disappointed, but then did the outer market 2 weeks ago and it was a lot of fun.

ksandness

Yes, it's the best place to stay if you arrive at NRT or HND relatively late in the day and want to get a good night's sleep before heading to points west early in the morning.

If you're not on a JR Pass and can take the Nozomi, you can, as a jet-lagged traveler who can't sleep past 5:00AM anyway, take a 6:00AM train from Shinagawa and arrive in Hiroshima in time for your mid-morning coffee break. If you are on a JR Pass and limited to the Hikari and Kodama trains, you can take a 7:00AM train from Shinagawa and arrive in Hiroshima in time for lunch.

volra

Thank you

Suzzin

We are going to Tokyo for the first time, and have 4 nights/3 days there, flying in to Narita, out of Haneda. This thread has been great, we were looking at the Conrad or the Hilton Tokyo. It sounds like the Hilton would be in a better area? I know it didn't come up on your list of recommendations, but we have Diamond there and would like to try to get any benefits. We are also Platinum with IHG, so that would be an option although that status doesn't seem to get us even a free breakfast. What would you suggest for first-time tourists (we are also old, so the bright lights late night party scene is irrelevant) (well, not too old, we have a 15 year old son!).

hanajiro

walter82

Similar dilemma to original poster which hotel and area? We arrive in Tokyo after a ski trip in Jan for 3 nights. Evening arrival into HND (7.00pm) and departure from NRT (7.00pm) 4 days later. Partner and 6 yo in tow who have not been to Tokyo. Only priority is visit to the zoo to see Pandas. We don't want to stay near theme parks. My thought is a limo bus on arrival that will get us and luggage to a hotel doorstep and then the train to NRT on the way out using cab (or hotel shuttle) to get to the station. Any suggestions? I want to make it easy for them and price is not a primary consideration.

Suzzin

We ended up staying at the Hilton Tokyo and are pleased with our choice. It's on the limobus line, which made to and from the airport simple. It's in a relatively quiet area, so sleeping and wandering were easy, but just about .5 miles from the gigantic Shinjuku station and shopping. There's an underground passage (an underground city, really!) that goes from the Hilton to Shinjuku and a few other train stations, we didn't explore how far it went but I'm thinking it goes for miles. That came in handy when we were there as there was a typhoon moving through. We actually missed the bulk of the storm while we wandered around underground. If you have status they are very friendly to Diamond members, we got a warm welcome, an upgrade, and several gifts on checkin. Unlike the Conrads that we stayed in (not in Tokyo, but in Beijing and Bangkok) they don't charge extra for kids for breakfast or the lounge. The breakfast in the lobby restaurant is spectacular!!

walter82

Ah yes breakfast for a fussy 6 yo is important!

ksandness

If you stay in Shinjuku, it's easy to take the Yamanote Line (silver train with a green stripe) to Ueno, the location of the zoo. It's kind of a sad zoo, however, since the animals are in rather small enclosures. The rest of the park is interesting, though, and your six-year-old may enjoy the hands-on Sh*tamachi Museum on the south edge of the park. It is a museum of prewar life and contains detailed mock-ups of stores and residences from that era, including having ordinary household items and clothing in the drawers and closets.