May be it is just us, but after walking a lot, we would rather take the shuttle. The less walking we need to do to get from one place to another, the better we are off, doing a favor to our swellon feet ! Within each district, say Ginza or Shinjuku or Hibiya or Harajuku, you walk enough among scenes and shops. Also you walk a lot even within JR station or subway station, just to get from platform to platform or to find your correct exit. lots of stairs to go up and down too. Trust me. We seriously think that may be the reason why you hardly find any fat people in Japan - They do enough exercises in their daily lives simply by communting.

Also August in Japan is brutally hot and humid. Walking may not be a good idea to get around. ;-)

We used the moving walkway once, from Shinjuku station to Tokyo Metropolitan Government building by following the "Metropolitan Government exit". It exits out to the ground level a block or 2 from Keio Plaza. However, the 2nd time we tried to find it at the Shinjuku station, we were lost, and unable to find it. We stayed at Park Hyatt, and then Century Hyatt, between our trip down to Kushu. Century Hyatt is literally accross street from the Metropolitan Government building. Park Hyatt and Century Hyatt are accross a short street from one end to the other end at a diagonal fashion. Do go up Metropolitan Government Towers at least once during the day and once during the night. Park Tower (where Park Hyatt is in) at night is amazing when viewed from North Metropolitan Observatory Floor. When we went, only the North Tower was open, South Tower was under renovation and would reopen in May. Make sure you go up BOTH towers as the views would be different. The Tokyo Tourism Office is at the basement of South Tower. They have a wealth of information. However, since your trip is months away, you should send an e-mail to Both Japan Tourism office and Tokyo Tourism Office (they have oversea offices in U.S. and U.K. and many other countries) and request them to send you Japan Map, Tokyo Map, Kyoto Map, Metro and Train map, or whatever information you may feel needed. They both have terrific English websites. do a google search you will find it. We did, and we got all the information we need before we left. We did not need to find our way to try to get information or try to go places. Internet is a wonderful tool.

We missed the NS building. was meant to do that but ran out of time and actually forgot about it.

One more thing, most Tokyo first class hotels would store your luggages for you when you are out to do side trips. We stayed at Crowne Plaza at Ikebukuro on a PL bids for our first 3 nights. Then we got up quite early (in order to beat the rush hour commuting traffic), at 7:30am we were at Park Hyatt and left with them our 2 rolleraboards. We then went down to Kushu with one backpack for 2 days before returning back to Tokyo for one night stay at Park Hyatt (it was an award stay, we were unable to get the more desirable date). Then we left our luggages with ParK Hyatt again and left for Osaka where we stayed at Hyatt Regency Osaka for 2 days. When we returned to Tokyo we checked-in Century Hyatt, and our luggages were waiting for us at Century Hyatt. The services at Hyatt are friendly, courteous, and extremely efficient. Park Hyatt is probably one of the best hotels in Tokyo, but unfortunately it is way too expensive if on our own dime on regular rate of 45,000 Yen. However, there is a corporate code being posted at Hyatt thread, that would bring the room rate down to 36,000 yen or so, and bring the Grand Hyatt at Roppongi Hill to 33,000 yen or so. Grand Hyatt at Roppongi Hill is the newest and hottest property in town. But we prefer to stay at Shinjuku area than at Roppongi area, especially on our last day of stay. At Shinjuku it is much easier to get to NRT via either NEX or Limo. We prefer NEX (not to worry about traffic). And if you get JR Pass, it is included. Plan to arrive 2 hours before your departure time is plenty enough. The departure hall has a big shopping arcade and an open air observation deck surrounded by fast food restaurants. One can watch all the 747's coming and going at NRT.

Also hotel tax is 5% in Japan. All first class hotels charge 10% service charges on top of that, as well as 200 Yen pp a day ? if your room rate is above 15000 Yen ? not sure exactly how it is computed but it is another charge, though relative small.

One more note on hotel, if you dont mind to stay at Ikebukuro, one can bid on PL (in Shinjuku zone, as PL cheatingly combine Ikebukuro and Shinjuku together and calls it Shinjuku zone) and usually can win Crowne Plaza for about US$90-95 bid. Add PL fee and tax and 10% hotel service fee (all shows up as a lump sum under tax and services fee), it usually comes to $110 to $120 inclusive. Hotel is right next to JR Station, when exit from the south exit, you walk thru a big shopping plaza and hotel is right accross street at the corner. Lots and lots of restaurants and shops on the east side of JR Station. Nice and clean hotel. PL room though, is rather small semi-double room. One bed which is larger than double but smaller than Queen, placed against the wall. just enough space for a very functional desk with lots of drawers and 2 chairs, a small coffee table, a TV and that is it. Extremely small closet but should be enough for a few days stay. Very small but very functional bathroom. The bathtub faucet is very modern, electronically control for water volume and temperture setting, similar to those you found on a cruise ship cabin. This hotel is an alternative if you think about the costs. It is very easy to go to other places from Ikebukuro via JR Yamamote line or several subway lines. NEX though, does not go to Ikebukuro. To go to Ikebukuro from NRT, one can take Keiso's Skyliner or the 50% cheaper Limited Express, from NRT to Nippori, then switch to JR Yamamote line from Nippori to Ikebukuro. Piece of cake.

Someone mentioned about Westin Tokyo Bay - yes, it is a beautiful property, so as the Hotel Nikko and Le Meridian at Odaiba. However, staying there means you are defintely required to shell out $500-600 Yen roundtrip daily communte on the above ground train which is not part of the JR system and you cannot use JR Pass.

Personally we feel staying in Shinjuku or Ginza means you can return back to your hotel frequently during the day if you are tired of shopping around and need a rest. Or you can return to your hotel after a long day, take a shower, and then head back out again. Staying far out at Tokyo Bay may mean you have to stay out for a very long day and evening and then return to your hotel at late night.

Yeah, if you have to travel during Japan's peak season, then you probably do need the Green Car which is much more expensive than the ordinary car, thus guarantee you will have seats.

You should go to JR East website to check on fares between Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. to determine which one, buying a JR Pass or buying a one-way ticket to those places, is more cost effective to you.

Keep in mind KIX charges departure tax. NRT I do not know. The conceige at Century Hyatt told me it does. But I called AA ticket office to enquire if our tickets already include the departure tax and was told yes, we dont need to pay again at airport. As a result, we cleaned out all our Yens at Century Hyatt when we checked out. The hotel let us pay by both cash and credit card. However, I heard KIX airport tax is always an stand alone item you pay when you depart. So if you use KIX, keep that in mind.

Just back from the Freddie's, I will be in TYO May 2nd until 4th or 5th. It would be nice meeting some flyertalkers there, mabe for lunch or dinner at the Park / Grand Hyatt where Ill be staying - just mail me (mind: I do not speak any word of Japanese).

The Y200/day charge is a Tokyo CITY hotel tax on, I believe, hotel rooms over Y15,000.

There is a departure tax from both KIX and NRT, however, in all cases, it is now included in the ticket. I believe KIX is actually charges a bit more, but it's worth seeing the slowly sinking artificial island of KIX anyhow!

I think Ikebukuro is pretty boring by Tokyo standards and personally wouldn't stay there if it was my first trip to Japan.

Yup. When we were in Osaka, my husband wanted to see KIX because he has watched a documentry about it and he, too, wanted to see the sinking artifical island. So we use our JR Pass to make a round trip to KIX to check it out. Unlike NRT, there is no observatory deck at KIX though. I think the observatory deck at NRT is pretty cool.

I think some NEX (Narita Express) go to Ikebukuro. (They are extentions of those going to Shinjuku.)

Pedantic nit: Ikebukuro is actually before Shinjuku, but most Shinjuku-bound N'EXes don't stop there. Ikebukuro is a good, cheap-by-Japanese-standards to place eat and drink yourself silly, but then again, you can do that pretty much anywhere in Tokyo. One thing to see if you go there is the Toyota showroom, complete with the infamous smell-o-tronic vibrating movie theater (free!).

Are you sure you mean Ikebukuro or did you confuse it with another big station like Shinagawa? The Narita Express goes around the south of Tokyo after it leaves Tokyo station to get to Shinjuku, which means that it definitely does NOT pass Ikebukuro before reaching Shinjuku.

That smell-o-vision thing sounds fun and silly, however, how can I find it? I might go look when I am next in Tokyo in a few weeks!

There are a few Nartia Express trains that stop in Ikebukuro but they are not very frequent. What happens is the train splits into two sections at Tokyo, one section heading to Shinagawa / Yokohama while the other section loops around to Shinjuku with its final destination at Ikebukuro. I have takien this many times to get to the Crown Plaza Metropolitan (by the way, I recommend that you not use PriceLine to get rooms here... just call the hotel direct if you have status with Intercontinental and you will still get a rate of about $100 + tax but at the same time earn points).

Whoah! I stand corrected, I did not know that; I always thought the Shinjuku-bound N'EXes split off before Tokyo. Ikebukuro is between Nippori and Shinjuku so geographically it would seem to make a lot more sense for it to go counterclockwise... http://gojapan.about.com/cs/transpor...jryamanote.htm

Right here; the "AMLUX Theater" is what they call it. Poke at the Access button for directions (or just head for Sunshine 60).

Although these days I'd probably opt for the Toyota Megaweb in Odaiba instead, which compensates for lack of smell-o-vision with the ability to test-drive a real car. Odaiba also has lots more other quirky places to explore than Ikebukuro, eg. the utterly bizarre Venus Fort, Little Hong Kong, the Fuji TV studios...

there are a few NEX go to Ikebukuro but quite infrequent schedule.

Toyota showroom : http://www.amlux.jp/english/floor/f1_f.shtml

There is a much bigger one at Odaiba. http://www.megaweb.gr.jp/English/index.html

definitely worth a visit.

Been to the one in Odaiba several times, it's amazing that something that huge is justified simply to show off the cars, but Toyota knows marketing, so I guess so! Odaiba does have some weird stuff, I once watched a live promo show there for the Japanese equivalent of WWE.