First time ever in Japan. Have been through NRT many times but that's about it.

It all started with the Expedia/Hilton mistake. I booked 4 nights at the Tokyo Hilton without any specific plans or thought, but at $12 all in for the 4 night stay there really was no reason to plan ahead . Then Expedia and Hilton confirmed my stay. Just recently AA came out with a nice fare but it required a 6 night stay, so I booked the Hilton Tokyo Bay at a regular rate for 2 more nights.

So please, any suggestions, advice, hints would be greatly appreciated. I have some specific qestions too.

1. Easiest way to get from NRT to Tokyo Hilton?
2. ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' TH to the Hlton Bay property?
3. '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Bay to NRT?

Should I get some kind of a train pass for the 6 day stay?

My interests include but are not limited to:

History
Museums
Photo ops (buildings, nature and interesting people scenes)
shopping for gadgets
jazz/blues type clubs, martini bars
Maybe a day trip or 2 - I will be coming back to Osaka in few months, so day trips should be north or west of Tokyo).
Anything else?

Open to just about anything interesting. Really want to get the most out of this short trip to Tokyo.

Thanks!

The next few lines are completely focused on Shinjuku because there and Shibuya ( and some places in Marunouchi ) are the only parts of Tokyo I'm more familiar with:

Jazz etc.: If you dare, the Golden Gai area of Kabukicho ( Shinjuku ) has lots of places with interesting music and people For martinis, either the New York Bar & Grill or the Peak Lounge at the PHT or the Opera City complex top floor bars a few blocks further west.

Forget the Hilton Tokyo Bay unless you want to visit Disneyland.

I liked the Tokyo Hilton.

Get on a Nirita express train to shinjuku they go ever half hour I think. Ask at the JR desk as some Nirita express trains go to Tokyo Central and stop, while some then go to Shinjuku. The Shunjuku station is about a 1/4 of a mile from the Hotel. The Hilton has a free shuttle that can pick you up, or there is a some what underground walk way that gets you almost there.

Enjoy!

I agree with the previous post. Unless you have an interest in Disneyland or Disneysea, consider dumping the Tokyo Bay Hilton and switching to a better location for your last 2 nights. The TBH is way the h*** and gone out of the way and not convenient to anything except Disney.

JR

A Japan Rail Pass is not recommended unless you're traveling pretty far afield and your day trips are at least as far away as Kyoto. You can buy a debit card called PassNet (available from the ticket machines marked "SF" in any subway station in denominations up to 5000 yen), and it's good on both subway systems and all private rail lines in the Tokyo-Yokohama area and beyond. You don't save any money, but the convenience can't be beat, since the fare is automatically deducted as you pass through the turnstile, and the turnstile displays how much is left on the card.

For sights and activities, both the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide city guidebooks are fine, and the Insight Guide to Tokyo will whet your appetite with its gorgeous photographs.

My favorite offbeat museum is the ....amachi (Shtah-mah-chee) Museum near Ueno Park. It's a hands-on museum of prewar Tokyo, with mockups of houses and stores furnished with actual period artifacts. That same day, you can go into Ueno Park, to the National Museum, which has rather old-fashioned displays of archeological finds and pre-modern art.

Most department stores have art galleries. Check the English-language press for dates, times, and topics. In fact, check the English-language press for all sorts of events, including festivals that might be going on during your trip.

EASIEST way to get to the TH from NRT and to get from Tokyo Bay (which, I agree with the other posters, is in a lousy location except for Disneyland) to NRT is to take the "Friendly Airport Limousine" which is a bus, not a limousine, and is not exceptionally friendly. The hotel can book your return trip.

Easiest way to get from the TH to the TokyoBay Hilton? There isn't any. Taxi will be quite pricey, at least Y10,000, maybe noticeably more, in my opinion. The way using public transportation that involves the least walking is to take the JR Rinkai train line from Shinjuku station to Shin-kiba station, then transfer to the JR Keiyo train line to Maihama station where Tokyo Disneyland is.

Rinkai line trains run about every 20 minutes during the day and leave from track 1, 2, 3, or 4 (it varies) at Shinjuku station. Enter through the minami (south) entrance or the shin-minami (new south) entrance.

Two day trips always worth doing:

Nikko (summer retreat for the shogunate) and Kamakura (big buddha, etc).

You can find lots of info on these places online and in guidebooks. You will not be disappointed.

To RichardInSF's point, there is no really easy way to get between the two hotels. And of course, unless you want to pay to go to see Disneyland where everything is just like LA, only with Japanese commentary, there is no reason to head to Maihama at all.

I strongly recommend booking another hotel in the Shinjuku area for the last two nights. That would make the taxi ride affordable, and most likely the second hotel would also have the Limousine Bus service. Unless you like lugging your bags up and down stairways through railways stations, this is always your best NRT transport option.

Thanks for the great advice!

I was hoping to get 2 stay credits with HHonors, but it's looking like I should just forget it.

Golden Gai - I did read few things about it and it sounds like a paradise for photographer. OTOH, there are some, although not very strong, warnings. Which side should I believe? and if photography is not the thing to do, is it still ok to go and have a drink?

A day trip to Fuji - is it touristy, is it worth it?

I really do appreciate any and all suggestions so please don't stop.

Thanks!!! ^

I really agree on the Limosine Bus to get from Narita to your hotel. It is not as cheap as the train, but pretty reasonable. About $30 US as I recall, or about the same as two and a half glasses of iced tea in the lobby of any of the nicer hotels in Tokyo.

Depending on the time of year, Fuji may or may not be visible, no matter how close you are. In the winter, you can frequently see it from Tokyo. In the summer, you can sometimes pass within ten miles of it and not see it at all.
The official climbing season is July and August, but it's a real mob scene.

If you go to a Japanese style bar ( nomiya ) alone, please remember that you are entering the living room of most other patrons. Perhaps you could go there a few nights in a row and even buy a bottle of your favorite poison for them to keep in store for you ( bottlekeep ). If the chemistry looks right after a few visits then taking pictures is also much easier.

If the atmosphere doesn't feel right when you enter, better just excuse yourself and head for the next bar. Not all places serve non-Japanese while several cater for the GLBT community.

My virgin foray into this area was back in 1999 when a Japanese salaryman friend got drunk enough at dinner to take me to his sacred jazz dive there. Followed up by a couple of Kabukicho hostess karaoke joints and a Chinese massage ( of the clothed and serious kind ) at 7a.m. I've been totally hooked on Shinjuku ever since.