walter82

All we have to see is the panda! Thanks for the tip on the pre war village that sounds interesting.

MSPeconomist

pudgym29

The first bit of advice I suggest is to look beyond the J.R. lines. There are transportation deals for other train operators in Tokyo.
The second advice for you and your kid is to go to a spot which has not yet been mentioned in this thread: Harajuku and or Akihabara {Akiba}. Both of your eyes and mouths may open when you see the costume players on the street.

LapLap

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But you are a hit and run poster here. You continually dish out this advice yet never ever ellaborate or answer any questions about such an approach.

What day are you suggesting for a visit to Harajuku? It’s been many, many years since I have personally seen any costume players there, I’d be interested to know how I should go about finding them when I go back with my own kid (last time she was there all she saw from her vantage point were tightly packed hoards of nylon chiffon draped botttoms, calves and ankles in the enormous end of March scrum.)

kaka

but both of them are ON the JR line. besides roppongi i fail to think of anywhere where you're truely away from the JR line and is worth visiting (ok, HND hanger too since we are on FT. then?)

ksandness

The heyday of the Harajuku costumed groups was the 1980s, early 1990s. I went there on my last trip (meeting a friend for Sunday lunch after she attended services at Tokyo Union Church), and while it was crowded with mostly young shoppers, there was only a rather pathetic looking group of about five 1950s-style greasers dancing near the entrance to Meiji Shrine. Nothing like the multiple imaginatively costumed groups that I used to see there. There was some interesting street fashion on members of the youthful crowd, but it was all on an individual basis.

LapLap

Exactly!
I think you're more likely to find cosplayers in Central London than Harajuku nowadays.
For anyone genuinely interested in contemporary fashion, just hang around the Bunka Fashion college in Yoyogi when the kids are there. Many of them look fabulous.

FlitBen

There's Skytree, although I'm not sure it's worth a visit for everyone. The section to Odaiba's Teleport station isn't covered by JR passes, otherwise it's a single connection from Yamanote line stations.

lobsterdog

I've found that the Design Festa event, held twice a year in Tokyo Big Sight, is a good place to see hundreds of cosplayers all in one place. And of course there are also specific conventions devoted to cosplayers, but Design Festa is more interesting overall. Any advice to see cosplayers in Harajuku is many, many years out of date.

LapLap

My own favourite are the specific days in October when the Disney Parks allow guests to wear Disney (and Star Wars) themed cosplay.
Unless you are fully familiar with anime and manga, the regular cosplay events and conventions can be rather baffling. And many of the cosplayers’ exquisite “soft skills” (mannerisms and acting) can’t be appreciated. When cosplayers take over Disney, the experience can become really immersive as participants are more likely to be familiar with the Disney and Star Wars movies.
In short, it is amazing to see cosplayers, but (IMO) it gets really special when you have the chance to interact with them.

Those who are already huge fans of anime will already have a decent idea about how to go about meeting fellow enthusiasts - or I would hope they do. Big cities such as London have local cosplayer groups and they all have Facebook pages and social media contacts. Any of these groups would be able to provide help for anyone with specific interests looking to explore these in Japan.

ksandness

MOST of the best means of transportation in Tokyo--the subways, in particular--are not covered by the Japan Rail Pass. However, you can use a Suica smart card on all of them, and on the JR trains. If your trip is confined to the Tokyo area, a JR Pass is a waste of money, and you'll do much better with a Suica or Pasmo smart card, both of which cover pretty much the whole Tokyo-Yokohama-Chiba region and offer a slight discount on each ride.

roberto99

Hey, I saw the greasers dancing there on a Sunday maybe 5 years ago too!

FlitBen

Yea, a Suica/Pasmo card should cover most Tokyo visitors' transit needs. I got a Pasmo to supplement my JR area pass. After the day's long trips, the latter was good for circling between Tokyo and other well-situated stations such as Harajuku, Shibuya, and Akihabara.

JR particularly works for us since we like to stay near Yurakucho Station as a base for exploring the region. We'd also catch the Keisei trains running the corridor between NRT/Keseinarita, Higashi Ginza, Gotanda, and Nishimagome/HND.

Most major networks seem to cluster or funnel through the central ward and all have their strengths. During the weeks we spent at my relative's apartment along the Asakusa line, Oshiage/Skytree and even Odaiba became easier to reach.

yyznomad

Exactly. If I'm going to get outside of Tokyo and do Shinkansen and other JR local routes, I'll get a JR Pass. Otherwise, I'll just use my Suica card in Tokyo. I love flying into HND and taking the monorail straight into the Yamanote line.

kaka

whats monorail better than KQ when without the train pass?
It's slower, more walk, and more expensive...
am i missing something!?