28 Hours in Tokyo - Got Suggestions?
 

So I got 28 hours in Tokyo - based on typical UA hub times, arrive at 2PM, departure at 5PM the next day. What are the top things to hit in this time frame? Food, places to see, be and check out. I'd love some form of neat sushi place to go to. Headed out later this week. I didn't see any other posts with a "short itin" type schedule in the forum.

Unless you already know the place, I'd say this is not easy. The best I can recommend is if you can get a book on the place (I found Lonely Planet quite useful) and English maps of the subway/rail system and plan your activities well in advance then you might find this quite rewarding. Worse case scenario is either you can't find that special place to eat or the place you want to eat at is full in which case there's always a MacDonalds, KFC (or even a Wendys I just about managed to avoid eating at in East Shinjuku).

Places you must go: East Shinjuku at night (think Japan, think Neon, this is one Neon place), Ginza for expensive shopping during the day.

For a bit of culture, Asakusa (with temple) is also worth a visit (and easy to get to from Ginza).

I've only spent a few days there so I'm sure others here could come up with better recomendations.

Regarding the local transport system - I went cross eyed trying to read the maps but once you "throw" yourself at it, it's remarkably intuitive to use.

For a 28-hour stay I recommend you take a look at a guidebook for Tokyo, pick two or three things you'd really like to see, and go for it! That and make sure you're up early to make the most of your second day.

I second the suggestions for Shinjuku - my camera didn't even try to use its flash at night http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif - and Asakusa (not to be confused with Akasaka which is a business neighborhood). At Sensoji Temple in Asakusa there is a row of stalls where you can buy numerous inexpensive trinkets to hand out to people back home while you regale them with tales of your visit to the Orient. Watch out, though - the stalls close early (around 5 PM I think). To get the full Asakusa experience you must enter the temple grounds through Kaminarimon Gate - look for the huge lantern. For the more sophisticated Japanophile, nearby Kappabashi Dori is where all that fine Japanese plastic food comes from, but beware: Good plastic food is expensive.

If you're into technology then you'll want to check out the stores in Akihabara, which you can reach by taking the JR Yamanote Line to Akihabara station and following the signs for "Akihabara Electric Town". Here you will find all the latest gadgets and gizmos, including toilet seats.

As for sushi... well, it's like trying to pick out a pizza place in New York. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif If you're up early you can check out the Tsukiji Fish Market; the surrounding streets are reputed to be rife with good sushi places. One Japanese gastronomic experience you should have is going to Circle-K or am/pm - one of these on every street corner in Japan - and trying some of the local snack foods on offer. My favorites include melon breads (mmm... melon breads) and chicken and onion chips. That and a bottle of Pocari Sweat should do you just fine. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Now, the public transport system in Tokyo has only one catch for the unwary gaijin. While there is usually an English-language map around, and there is always English signage, the map you use to figure out how much fare to pay - it's based on distance - usually does not have romaji characters. To figure it out you need to either know how to locate your destination station by looking at a diagram of the lines, or carefully study the Japanese characters for your destination, or both. For most journeys within central Tokyo you'll pay either the lowest or second-lowest fare, so don't sweat too much.

[This message has been edited by Factotum (edited 07-21-2003).]

All of the above is true. But there is an important work-around to the complexities of purchasing the correct ticket for each journey: buy a "stored value" ticket. These tickets are not valid for a particular journey, but for a specified amount of money. That is, you buy a ticket for a set price, and re-use the same ticket for multiple journeys until it has no remaining value.

The JR lines offer such a ticket that's called an "IO card" (pronounced "e oh kaado"). The two major subway lines offer a combined card called the "SF Metro Card" (pronounced "essu effu metoro kaado") that is valid on any line of the municipal or private Toei subway lines. If you can't figure out how to work the vending machines, go to any manned window, say the above phrase, and put out your money (such as a 1000 yen bill), and they'll know what you mean, even if they don't speak English.

The benefit of these fare cards to the foreign visitor is that you don't have to worry about calculating the exact fare for each journey. You just insert the card into the wicket as you enter the departing station, and again at the arriving station, and it returns the ticket to you with the proper fare deducted automatically. Not only do you not have to determine the proper fare for each journey, you don't even need to buy a ticket for each journey.

The downside to the tourist is that you will most likely end up with a ticket with some residual value after all is said and done. You can save this for your next visit http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif. In any case, since the original ticket cost only 1000 yen, or US$8, you might be out a dollar or two when you leave. In my book, this is worth the convenience, and you end up with a nice souvenier.