Week In Tokyo in December
 

I am planning a trip to Asia with my college aged dauthter right before Xmas. My question is, seeing that the temperature will be cool if not cold this time of year, and this may limit some of the things to see or do, would 6 days in Tokyo be too long?

Which Xmas? This Xmas of 2007? If so, then it won't be too cold to see Tokyo, might see some snow as well. 6 Days in Tokyo in the winter might be a bit long given the climate being in the cold zone. However others have better ideas and will pitch in to this thread. :)

Sanosuke!

If you're from St. Louis, Tokyo will not seem excessively cold to you. It may even seem warm, since the winters tend to be dry. Expect highs in the 30s to 40s Fahrenheit.

I don't have a guidebook at hand, but there are festivals at this time of year (there's always a festival somewhere). Views of Mount Fuji are good in the dry air. Museums, shopping (enjoy the quirky Japanese take on Christmas), and performing arts (Kabuki?) are as good in the winter as in the summer. Enjoy roasted yams, roasted chestnuts, and plenty of hot tea.

The Lonely Planet and Rough Guide guidebooks are both full of things to do, most of which are equally good winter and summer. I must admit, though, that the gardens won't be at their best. :)

Personally, if I were given a choice of Tokyo in December or Tokyo in August, I'd take December any day!

I personally enjoy winter in Tokyo--it's generally warmer than NYC, and blue skies to boot. I don't think 6 days is too long at all, particularly if you want to take any day trips.

Only downside I can think of to visiting in December is the static (as the air is so dry)

I was there December before last and remember travelling down to Kamakura on Christmas day where we sat on the beach in bright sunshine watching the kites (huge birds) circling above our head. Snow doesn't usually come until later in the month.

For me, 6 days isn't even close to being long enough. Don't be surprised if you're already planning your next visit before you leave.

Tokyo will richly reward you for any research you do beforehand. Unlike most European cities where it's easy to simply stroll around and encounter all kinds of unexpected treats and surprises, Tokyo is a bit more 'tight lipped' about its own delights. The equivalent to that wonderful restaurant you just happened to walk past in Vienna might be signalled by a poster board in Japanese characters on the 7th floor of a tall building in Tokyo - with access provided only be an unpromising elevator. Sometimes a museum is undistinguishable from an office, or from someone's home, or you may never realise that there was an art gallery within the department store you visited.

You've a lot of time to investigate. And there are lot of very informed people here who would be delighted to help you get the most out of this amazing city.

This is very encouraging and just want I wanted to hear. Thanks to all for your feedback!

In addition, you might get lucky and experience an unusually warm winter like this one is: today's high is 49 degrees Fahrenheit in Tokyo, and the rest of the week is around 50 as well. :)

We were in Tokyo for a first time visit in Dec 06 (from the 18th until 25th) the week we spent there wasn't even close to enough time to see/do everything we wanted to :) Weather was great, no rain, a little chilly, but nothing a decent coat won't resolve. We had little kids with us so had to do some amusement parks, which are best visited during the week rather than weekends by the way. You will have a great time!

December is a fine time to visit Japan. Mr. Megatop and I spent five days in Japan, staying in Tokyo, in December 2005. In 2006 we did Beijing, but I'm already planning our return to Japan for December 2007.

In 2005, we stayed in Ginza, covering Tokyo from there. With four full days in Tokyo, we saw quite a good bit of ground and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. On Christmas Day, we took the Nozomi Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto for a day of sightseeing, then took the train back that night. We were not attempting to "do Kyoto" in a single day; the purpose was to take the train, and having Kyoto as the destination was a (huge) value added. Well, we loved Japan in general and were very much charmed by Kyoto. While the weather presented no issues in Tokyo, Kyoto was particularly beautiful in the crisp and clear December air. We didn't see any snow in Tokyo, and Kyoto had only a few remants of snowpiles on the ground, but the shinkansen did pass through some beautiful snow-covered fields en route. Though I don't have another time of year to compare it to (e.g., springtime), I consider December the perfect time to visit Japan.

This year, I'm tentatively planning on flying in to Narita, staying two days/one night in Tokyo, then going down to Kyoto by shinkansen; five days or so in Kyoto, with time for a side day-trip to Nara; followed by two days in Osaka, with a flight out of KIX.

Deleted - I can't remember in which year things happened anymore.

But I'll bet you've got better heating in St. Louis. This is not a problem in modern hotels and such, but if you visit a ryokan in midwinter be prepared to freeze your butt off. Of course, heated toilet seats and hot springs were invented for warming them up again, and the Japanese recommendation of taking a dip at least three times a day will suddenly make a lot more sense...

No contest!

I tried a Japanese anti-static spray but didn't have much success with that.

I'll be stocking up with these lovely gadgets next time I'm in town
http://www.hands-net.jp/shop/categor...egory=40050601
静電気対策用品 (from Tokyu Hands)

I'm particularly interested in the vibrating devices. You use them to earth yourself by gripping them and discharging yourself on a surface before touching it. The downside to the LCD models is that you might need to look at the viewer to see if your static discharged itself by powering the display. With the vibrating model you should know without glancing that it worked and you no longer need to fear a static shock.

I thought this was a family forum, not some watery Craigslist?

I see this thread might go the same direction as the Lonely in Tokyo thread, with a gentle admonition from Randy Peterson to keep the discussion on topic.

My preference for winter visit would be Kyoto, Noto Hanto, Kamakura and Nikko. I visited winter Kyoto as a teenager and it was devoid of the dusty feeling of a summer visit. All the gardens have this extra cleanliness and tranquility.

Noto Hanto is good for winter as the Kenrokuen garden in Kanasawa is famous for snow scenes. All the trees are supported for heavy snow. Many locals visit in traditional garb for photo sessions. At the hotels and ryokans especially in Wakuraonsen, you can enjoy outdoor pool while the snow is falling. Winter is also the season for local kani (crab) and usually breakfast and dinner are included in the room charge.

Kamakura visit in the winter will give you much more elbow room and the shops and restaurants will have more time for you. The beach at Enoshima will be free of vendors and return to its natural state until next spring.

The upper lake area of both Nikko and Hakone will be too cold but the lower valleys should still be reasonable. Of the two, Nikko have much more to see on foot.