Pureboy

Hi all,
This isn't the typical " just check search/pinned posts" layover post. I had to change the return flight of a work trip on short notice (Hi from Mumbai!) and will have a long enough layover to zip in and out.
I am scheduled to arrive at NRT on Air India at 8:45am Wednesday at Terminal 2. My baggage should be checked through to IAD. My flight out from NRT is UA 804 at 4:10pm from Terminal 1.

I need to store a rollaboard. I assume best move is to head to T1 after I arrive and store it on departures floor for easy retrieval? Or could store in Nippori or Ueno if possible? Any tips there?

My main goals to try and cram in are (in order of priority):

• seeing the Ghibli pop-up in “EDOCCO” at Kanda Myojin shrine hall (perfect timing before it shuts down!)
• going to a good Pokemon store/center to get Japanese cards and other goodies for my kids- they like cards they can't read- go figure (but really this overgrown kid totally gets it).
• sushi lunch- great & fast omakase would be awesome if I can give some input for the menu (no shellfish) but OK with kaiten sushi. Don't give a toss about Michelin stars or food-gramming. If I can't fit this in will stop in a conbini for onigiri anyhow.
• Bonus: if there are good tips on finding weird or pokemon-themed gachapon, I'm all ears.
• Trying really hard not to overthink it- so many things I could to see and do, and favorites to revisit! Buying presents for the kids helps give me a mission to focus on for the layover and it is fun for me too.

I understand this may be overly ambitious. I've been to Tokyo three times before and hope to take a big Japan trip (will be first time with kids) in a couple of years so this is just "bonus time." I'm going solo, am somewhat rustily conversant in Japanese so I should be able to move along fairly quickly.

So- were I to hit EDOCCO first, I think the best route from NRT would be Kesei Skyliner and transfer at Ueno? I'm now realizing that EDOCCO is basically in Akihabara so I'm assuming I can find some good Pokemon stores/stuff there? If I could hit a few of those and have lunch there or in Nippori or Ueno I'm guessing I'd majorly cut down on travel time. With a ticket in hand and no bag to check in, what time should I be heading back to NRT? Is there shower access in T1? Should I give up on this dream and just hang out in Narita town?

Thank you!

freecia

There's a Pokemon store in Tokyo Station https://www.pocketgamer.com/articles...hat-to-expect/ Someone more versed with N'EX and Tokyo Station layout would provide better instructions but it might make more sense to go with Keisei from NRT to Ueno, JR to Akiba and N'EX back to NRT. If you have enough time you might want to go to the new Nihonbashi Pokemon Center DX store (a few stations away from Akihabara) https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in...icle-a0002284/ https://www.insidejapantours.com/blo...nter-dx-tokyo/ which is also close to Tokyo station.

You can also stop in at Daimaru next to Tokyo Station for a quick sushi bento if you're running low on time (aka sucked into the black hole of character goods) and eat it on the way back to the airport.

LapLap

In your position I’d look through amazon.jp for pokemon toys and have them delivered to a convenience store some place you know that you will be heading to.

There are a lot of vendors who will have their goods delivered next day, but with three or four days you should be fine. The convenience store should be able to hold on to your item for ten days.

Can’t give you Pokemon specific advice, we did this with a Licca doll for a friend’s kid, a couple of Re-ment sets for mine and another child as well as some out of print books unavailable in the U.K. LapGirl has no interest in Pokemon and is over her Youkai Watch phase. But if you can identify a few things with online shops who will deliver to a combini, that’s a lot of running around taken out of your day. Might save a bit of money too.

LapLap

Come to think of it, Re-Ment have a slew of Pokemon sets.

???? ? ?????????
Click on the 7th bar down, in yellow labelled 「ポケットモンスター」シリーズ
You’ll find vendors on Amazon who will ship an entire set, often for rather less than acquiring them as blind boxes at an Akihabara store.

e.g.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/リーメント-RE-ME...ateway&sr=8-18
And
https://www.amazon.co.jp/リーメント-RE-ME...ateway&sr=8-23

Maestro Ramen

Challenge accepted.

• Stash your luggage at T2, it's the station "closest to town" so you will waste less of your precious time overall. Alternatively there are coin lockers at Keisei Ueno, so you could bring it on the train with you save you the extra shuttle. Locker is located here I cannot speak for availability so you chance having to carry your luggage with you.
• Take the Keisei Skyliner to Keisei Ueno, example schedule. Dep terminal 2 9:18 arrival 9:59 Think you can make that one?
• Walk to Ueno-Hirokoji metro station and take the Ginza line, to Suehirocho (just 1 stop). This will get you within closest walking distance of the Kanda shrine.
• Walk to Akiba station from the shrine and bask in admiration at just how many pokemon goods there are at every single shop every street corner. Finding what you want will not be an issue. Resisting temptation to miss your flight will be.
• For Sushi there are many many places but I will give you two personal recommendations near Akiba station. First one is immediately outside the denkigai (electric town) station gates so you dont have to stress out for time. It's located
  here.
  It’s a small, not fancy and not expensive kaiten, but it's pretty good. There may be queues at busy times.
• The second recommendation is also at electric town station exit, in a kind of department store next door called "Akiba-ichi" and on the 3rd Floor they have a delicious modern sushi store called ABURI. google maps is
  here
  .
• Realistically you will want to be back at NRT by 14:10 for peace of mind. Aim for the Yamanote line from Akihabara Station (dep: 13:09) to Nippori (4 stops, arr 13:16), then take the skyliner from 13:25 and you'll be back to T2 at 14:01, nice and comfortable. Remember that if you left your luggage at Keisei Ueno however, you'll need to change trains at Ueno instead (It's not that different but a bit more walk)
• If you can make the 9:15 train that will give you almost 3 hours there which is ok time to do what you want, even if you take a train later it should still be enough though a bit tight.

Make haste, and enjoy

Pureboy

LapLap

No need to choose. Do both.
Order what you already know is wanted and you are free to keep your eye out for those delightful and enticing random finds. Makes visiting stores way less stressful knowing that the key purchases have been made.

It’s Tokyo, there’s ALWAYS something in the shops you’ll want to buy.

paperwastage

Yes, PP doesn't have good lounges in Japan

tearex

Hello fellow pokemon nerd.

The penultimate Pokemon store is the "DX" located at the top of Takashimaya in Nihonbashi. There is a store in Tokyo station B1 (as well as some other locations), but the Tokyo station one is substantially smaller. If you can go to one, I recommend the DX. Both locations have gatchapon, although the DX one has more. At Tokyo Station, next to the store, there is a separate hallway full of gatchapon (mostly non-pokemon related) lining the wall. The gatchapon include Japan-themed pins for various locations in the city - so you will find many Kanto/Tokyo related ones. If you return to Japan in the future and travel around, you will find a different set of pins in those locations.

The stores also do duty free - the DX store is "easier" because you can just do it right at the register (minimum Ą5000 pretax/Ą5400 post tax) and you don't have to pay the duty and later get the refund. At the Tokyo Station location, you have to first register/get a pamplet at a kiosk on F1, then do your shopping (incl paying tax), then apply for the refund and get cash back.

The Pokemon themed cafe is also at the DX location, but requires advanced reservations online, and they typically get booked pretty quick.

tearex

IMO, applying for a Suica/Pasmo may cost you some time. I suggest trying to acquire one before your trip at a slight premium (such as via Voyagin or some other service), where you can either pick it up or get it shipped to you ahead of time.

NRT has ATMs to acquire yen, just use your debit card. The 7-11 ATMs tend to be international debit card friendly. In T1, they have them on the arrival level, near the escalators. These ATMs are also sometimes found in the train stations as well, but can be hard to find.

freecia

This should probably go on the good advice for first time visitors to Japan thread. If the purchases are just around 5,000 yen it may not be worth the tax refund vs time. Most hotels will accept packages and combini delivery is also possible for some stores. More stores are offering in-store pickup, too https://mainichi.jp/english/articles...0m/0na/006000c

Amazon JP in English mode is probably the easiest for those who don't read Japanese or lacking Google Translate patience. Pickup at Lawson might be the simplest for layovers, AirBnB, and hostel/capsule guests as you just show Lawson clerk a pickup barcode instead of having to navigate a Japanese kiosk https://medium.com/@lazypatric/order...i-adac3ad98c45 https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/help/cus...deId=202106470

I still harbor resentment for a 1 hour tourist checkout line at Biclo when I submitted my order online for in-store pickup (in English. I should have had it free same day delivered to my hotel in Tokyo via JP website) which they said was actually a bit quicker than normal. The other Bic's don't usually have such a long wait to check-out tax free. I still have a few in-person-mostly items on my shopping list for food omiyage but should really suck it up and sign up for my commonly shopped JP stores, especially since I now have a Japan Trusted Traveler card. It can be a bit hit or miss for tax free checkout training with the visitor card vs passport + Visa sticker https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30806765-post245.html

roberto99

Please do NOT go to Akiba Station!!!!!

It is in Antwerp Belgium!!!

Perhaps AkihabaraStation is a better choice.

RichardInSF

Given that you can buy PASMO/SUICA cards from many ticket vending machines, which can easily be set to English mode, I don't see any material time cost. Seems a whole lot less hassle than buying in advance from Voyagin which still requires going to a pickup point (and possibly waiting in line) on arrival to get it. Also, Voyagin charges an extra fee and the vending machines don't. You do need JPY., but there are ATM machines for that.

LapLap

With regards to PASMO/SUICA, the real PITA will surface when Pureboy returns with the Purekids and wants to buy child versions (50% off travel) for them.
We have been using the same junior fare SUICA card for LapGirl - looks like any other but has “小” printed on the top and her name on a corner - for the past couple of visits. We had to take her passport and have it done at a service centre, we used one at Tokyo Station. Took a fair whack of time. MrLapLap’s father keeps it at his home in Tokyo so we don’t forget it and have to go through the process again.
It’s for kids aged 6 and over and before they reach 12. Without it one is obliged to buy tickets for every journey.
LapGirl really enjoys the bird chirp noises when using her child card at JR ticket gates.

Maestro Ramen

I believe that Akihabara may be the name by which people who are out of touch with the current trends call Akiba

Did not know about the one in Belgium though. Do they have good maid cafés?