Good meet up spot at or near Tokyo/Shinagawa Stations
Sep 18, 2018, 6:40 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Good meet up spot at or near Tokyo/Shinagawa Stations
Early next year, my wife and I will be flying into NRT. Since my in-laws will already be in Tokyo at that time, we were planning on meeting up at Tokyo Station before heading to Kyoto by Shinkansen. Obviously Tokyo station is huge...
What places might be a good place to meet in mid or late morning on a weekday? I originally considered the Shangri-La because I have some Golden Circle points available, but Piacere does not accept non-staying guests for breakfast (I dont know if the Lobby Lounge does).
What places might be a good place to meet in mid or late morning on a weekday? I originally considered the Shangri-La because I have some Golden Circle points available, but Piacere does not accept non-staying guests for breakfast (I dont know if the Lobby Lounge does).
Sep 18, 2018, 7:26 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
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If you want to meet over a mid-morning breakfast, cafes in Daimaru department store open from 10:00am. Kyobashi Sembikiya fruit parlor (3rd Floor) or Inoda Coffee (8th Floor), for example.
That puts you close to the Shinkansen entrance and should be easy to find, since there is only one Daimaru department store at Tokyo Station.
That puts you close to the Shinkansen entrance and should be easy to find, since there is only one Daimaru department store at Tokyo Station.
Sep 18, 2018, 8:47 am
#4
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Thank you for the responses - I'm open to outside the station if it is close by, and I'm open to inside the station if it's somewhere that we can find each other easily and we can have luggage with us (we'll be flying into NRT that morning, so I don't know how effective the luggage transfer service would be).
Sep 18, 2018, 11:37 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Central California
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Are you absolutely wedded to Tokyo station for the meet-up? Shinagawa station is a better place to start your shinkansen trip to Kyoto and can also be reached on the Narita Express train. Shinagawa is much smaller and easier to navigate and would make for an easy meeting.
Sep 18, 2018, 12:14 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota,USA
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Shinagawa is easier to navigate and has (I think) just one Starbucks, so that would be an obvious place, but if you must meet at Tokyo Station, Daimaru is pretty unmistakable, on the Yaesu side of the station near the Shinkansen ticket counter. As I recall from this summer's trip, once you have your ticket, there is no obvious place other than the platforms to sit down and have a snack or drink; for that, you have to go to the underground level, which is a labyrinth of stores and restaurants. But Daimaru is easy to identify and easy to navigate.
Sep 18, 2018, 1:54 pm
#7
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My favourite meet up place is “Pane e vino”. It’s at the Takanawa Exit at Shinagawa Station. Look for the elevators with the restaurant name on the doors - it’s long, lined with windows and overlooks the taxi rank down below.
Set menus are reasonably priced and the coffee is drinkable.
I guess this place has sentimental value now (has stayed in business for well over a decade), but I love being here and looking out of the window at the passers by. Makes me feel like I’m back. And they’ve always been able to accommodate my luggage.
Edit to add; returned in 2023 to find that major building works to the station had ripped out the Pane E Vino. Always felt so happy to be in that space.
Set menus are reasonably priced and the coffee is drinkable.
I guess this place has sentimental value now (has stayed in business for well over a decade), but I love being here and looking out of the window at the passers by. Makes me feel like I’m back. And they’ve always been able to accommodate my luggage.
Edit to add; returned in 2023 to find that major building works to the station had ripped out the Pane E Vino. Always felt so happy to be in that space.
Last edited by LapLap; Sep 7, 2023 at 11:24 pm
Sep 18, 2018, 9:07 pm
#8
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: YVR/HND/NRT/HKG
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Depends what you want to do. I personally have a thing for trains so I like to stay at the Tokyo Station Hotel, which is an easy enough place to meet. There is a restaurant on the first floor, but if you have luggage you can just sit in the small lobby and wait. Otherwise, Tokyo Station can be hard to navigate.
Sep 19, 2018, 8:00 am
#9
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Thank you for the responses - I'm open to outside the station if it is close by, and I'm open to inside the station if it's somewhere that we can find each other easily and we can have luggage with us (we'll be flying into NRT that morning, so I don't know how effective the luggage transfer service would be).
Sep 19, 2018, 7:18 pm
#10
Join Date: Sep 2004
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I often use luggage forwarding service from Narita to my home in the Kansai area (which includes Kyoto). Bags sent in the afternoon always arrive first thing the next morning, never later than 10AM. I'm highly confident that you could get your bags in the same time frame the next day in Kyoto. Luggage forwarding counters are just outside the customs exit. Very handy.
Sep 20, 2018, 12:37 am
#11
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my recommendation (since this is FT) is for you to put your inlaws at the Shang, so you can meet them.
for karma points too.
but surely the shinkansen waiting rooms is fairly unmissable too, given that they wouldnt let you in the wrong waiting room if you have tickets.
for karma points too.
but surely the shinkansen waiting rooms is fairly unmissable too, given that they wouldnt let you in the wrong waiting room if you have tickets.
Sep 20, 2018, 4:52 am
#12
Join Date: Jun 2005
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“Œ‹ž‰wb‚i‚q“ŒŠC
The "traditional" meeting spot for people taking the Shinkansen together is the "gin no suzu" (the silver bell). But I don't recommend it. The first time I looked for it, I confused people by asking for directions to the "giin no Isuzu" (the Representative's pick up truck).
Sep 20, 2018, 2:40 pm
#13
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I love the idea of putting them up there, but it's not a viable option. They already have a place that they're staying in, and they're not usually fond of going between hotels when they don't need to. That's why the Tokyo/Shinagawa meetup points are potentially useful.