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#11
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"Jim Ley" wrote in message ... Why not use the cash machines at the airport and then at the post office or similar? using the exchange at the hotels front desk seems to be a very good way to get an extremely lousy rate. If you can find them, that's great; in my experience, finding those locations outside the airport would be difficult for the average first-time tourist. Besides, at least in Japan the exchange rate at the hotel will not be significantly worse than what you get elsewhere. Bob M. |
#12
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Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for all your help, I really appreciate it! I have a very rough itinerary planned right now (I am still waiting to hear from the travel agency for finalized details, so I am not sure about travel times). Please feel free to comment! My main problem is the subways. I studied the maps like mad, and I still don't really understand them...! Day 1 arrive in Narita early afternoon. go to Hotel. wander around area of hotel that evening. Day 2 Tokyo AM: Tour-- We are supposed to cover Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace Plaza, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple and end up in the Nakamise Arcade - I am not sure how large the tour group is going to be. I wish we did the Tokyo Tower last, then we could skip it. I sort of want to see the Imperial Palace and Asakusa Kannon Temple. We have the PM free. I was hoping to somehow get to Ginza from Asakusa. From what I understand, I can take the subway? Then after Ginza, back to Hotel, which is in the Roppongi area. Can I take a subway from Ginza to Roppongi? Does this sound feasible? Day 3 Tokyo (free day) AM: would like to go to Ghibli Museum in Minatara. I have to get to Shinjuku station from Roppongi, I think. On the way back, I think I might stop by Nakano for anime shopping if time permits or I might have to skip and move onto Shinjuku or Shibuya or Harujuku in the evening. B/c I need to do one of those!!! However, this is all depending on whether I even get the tix to the museum. (you see I don't have nearly enough time to do all I want! I am torn!) I am wondering if I should abandon the tour day in Tokyo altogehter as Bob M. mentioned... would it be horrible not to see Asakusa Temple/Imperial Palace? I was a history major, but I also love fashion, cosmetics, and anime... Day 4 Tokyo/Kyoto- transit Shinkansen to Kyoto. Don't know which one (Nozomi or Kodama) yet, nor what time we depart, so it's hard to plan if we can do anything in the afternoon after getting to the hotel... will probably have the evening free, thought we'd roam Gion. At least I understood the map of Kyoto, and the bus routes! I really hope the sakura open when we are there! Day 5 Kyoto AM- tour again (Gold Pavilion, Nijo, Imperial Palace, Handicraft Centre) the PM is free. I think I will go on the tour, and since the last thing is the HC, we can abandon that if we want. We'll probably head to the Kiyomizu Temple in the afternoon and stay in that area the rest of the day. Day 6 Kyoto/Tokyo (our flight leaves from Narita, not Osaka-- so we lose a lot of time in transit!), stay overnight in Tokyo no plans yet... not sure what we can do with a half day. we are trying to get a evening Shinkansen, so we have the morning/early afternoon free in Kyoto. However, I thought maybe we should spend the last half day in Tokyo... so we should take the morning Shinkansen to Tokyo, so we can check out whatever we will miss. Day 7 Tokyo- Depart from Narita at 3:30 pm |
#13
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"My main problem is the subways. I studied the maps like mad, and I
still don't really understand them...!" If you ever need directions, just ask the subway staff - they're very helpful. Almost everything of interest to visitors is on either the Yamanote line (the circular one that goes around the city), the Hibiya line (grey) or the Ginza line (yellow) - don't worry about trying to find shortcuts, since crossing the city only takes a few minutes by any of the lines. "Day 2 Tokyo AM: Tour-- We are supposed to cover Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace Plaza, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple and end up in the Nakamise Arcade - I am not sure how large the tour group is going to be. I wish we did the Tokyo Tower last, then we could skip it. I sort of want to see the Imperial Palace and Asakusa Kannon Temple." Can you still drop the tour? It's easy to get to and explore the Asakusa Kannon Temple by yourself, and the market street leading up to it is very interesting - you might want more time in that area, which also includes many traditional Japanese craft shops. The Imperial Palace and most of the park surrounding it are closed to visitors except for two days a year, and the closest you can get the rest of the time is a distant glimpse of the Palace from one corner of that park, so I wouldn't really call it a must-see experience for someone on as short a schedule as you are. "Day 3 Tokyo (free day) AM: would like to go to Ghibli Museum in Minatara. I have to get to Shinjuku station from Roppongi, I think." Never heard of that museum. There two excellent museums in Tokyo itself that you might want to consider - the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which tells Tokyo's history, and the Tokyo National Museum, which is the premier collection of traditional Japanese art. "On the way back, I think I might stop by Nakano for anime shopping if time permits or I might have to skip and move onto Shinjuku or Shibuya or Harujuku in the evening. B/c I need to do one of those!!! However, this is all depending on whether I even get the tix to the museum." In the evening, definitely choose Shinjuku. It's the image of Japan that most people have in mind - neon, crowds, noise, action, and it's streets are full of revolving sushi restaurants, karaoke parlors, and traditional Japanese bars. If any of your days in Tokyo happen to be weekends, Harajuku and Shibuya have some very interesting people-watching opportunities - they are the center of Japan's youth subcultures. Harajuku also has a beautiful Shinto Shrine. On a weekday or at night, they're much less interesting. "I am wondering if I should abandon the tour day in Tokyo altogehter as Bob M. mentioned... would it be horrible not to see Asakusa Temple/Imperial Palace? I was a history major, but I also love fashion, cosmetics, and anime..." Maybe spend half a day in Asakusa? It depends on whether it's important to you to see the traditional side of Japan as well as the modern side. Since you're interested in fashion, you might want to check out the neighborhood Daikanyama, which has many independent designers. |
#14
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"My main problem is the subways. I studied the maps like mad, and I
still don't really understand them...!" If you ever need directions, just ask the subway staff - they're very helpful. Almost everything of interest to visitors is on either the Yamanote line (the circular one that goes around the city), the Hibiya line (grey) or the Ginza line (yellow) - don't worry about trying to find shortcuts, since crossing the city only takes a few minutes by any of the lines. "Day 2 Tokyo AM: Tour-- We are supposed to cover Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace Plaza, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple and end up in the Nakamise Arcade - I am not sure how large the tour group is going to be. I wish we did the Tokyo Tower last, then we could skip it. I sort of want to see the Imperial Palace and Asakusa Kannon Temple." Can you still drop the tour? It's easy to get to and explore the Asakusa Kannon Temple by yourself, and the market street leading up to it is very interesting - you might want more time in that area, which also includes many traditional Japanese craft shops. The Imperial Palace and most of the park surrounding it are closed to visitors except for two days a year, and the closest you can get the rest of the time is a distant glimpse of the Palace from one corner of that park, so I wouldn't really call it a must-see experience for someone on as short a schedule as you are. "Day 3 Tokyo (free day) AM: would like to go to Ghibli Museum in Minatara. I have to get to Shinjuku station from Roppongi, I think." Never heard of that museum. There two excellent museums in Tokyo itself that you might want to consider - the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which tells Tokyo's history, and the Tokyo National Museum, which is the premier collection of traditional Japanese art. "On the way back, I think I might stop by Nakano for anime shopping if time permits or I might have to skip and move onto Shinjuku or Shibuya or Harujuku in the evening. B/c I need to do one of those!!! However, this is all depending on whether I even get the tix to the museum." In the evening, definitely choose Shinjuku. It's the image of Japan that most people have in mind - neon, crowds, noise, action, and it's streets are full of revolving sushi restaurants, karaoke parlors, and traditional Japanese bars. If any of your days in Tokyo happen to be weekends, Harajuku and Shibuya have some very interesting people-watching opportunities - they are the center of Japan's youth subcultures. Harajuku also has a beautiful Shinto Shrine. On a weekday or at night, they're much less interesting. "I am wondering if I should abandon the tour day in Tokyo altogehter as Bob M. mentioned... would it be horrible not to see Asakusa Temple/Imperial Palace? I was a history major, but I also love fashion, cosmetics, and anime..." Maybe spend half a day in Asakusa? It depends on whether it's important to you to see the traditional side of Japan as well as the modern side. Since you're interested in fashion, you might want to check out the neighborhood Daikanyama, which has many independent designers. |
#15
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In article .com,
koneko wrote: Day 2 Tokyo AM: Tour-- We are supposed to cover Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace Plaza, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple and end up in the Nakamise Arcade - I am not sure how large the tour group is going to be. I wish we did the Tokyo Tower last, then we could skip it. I sort of want to see the Imperial Palace and Asakusa Kannon Temple. We have the PM free. I was hoping to somehow get to Ginza from Asakusa. From what I understand, I can take the subway? Yes, can be done on the same line too. Then after Ginza, back to Hotel, which is in the Roppongi area. Can I take a subway from Ginza to Roppongi? Does this sound feasible? Yes, again on the same line (no transfer). Enjoy your trip. jay Sun Jan 16, 2005 |
#16
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Can you still drop the tour? It's easy to get to and explore the
Asakusa Kannon Temple by yourself, and the market street leading up to it is very interesting - you might want more time in that area, which also includes many traditional Japanese craft shops. The Imperial Palace and most of the park surrounding it are closed to visitors except for two days a year, and the closest you can get the rest of the time is a distant glimpse of the Palace from one corner of that park, so I wouldn't really call it a must-see experience for someone on as short a schedule as you are. I booked my entire trip as part of a tour package... but I think I can probably just go independent, right? They can't chain me to part of the group, right? =) When the Palace is open those two days... what exactly do the visitors have access too? Actually, when I am in Kyoto, I think the Imperial Palace will be open for the two days I am there! Although... no one lives there, right? Not sure about Tokyo's Imperial Palace's opening days... Thank you for the tips on Shinjuku, Harujuku, and Daikanyama too! |
#17
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Can you still drop the tour? It's easy to get to and explore the
Asakusa Kannon Temple by yourself, and the market street leading up to it is very interesting - you might want more time in that area, which also includes many traditional Japanese craft shops. The Imperial Palace and most of the park surrounding it are closed to visitors except for two days a year, and the closest you can get the rest of the time is a distant glimpse of the Palace from one corner of that park, so I wouldn't really call it a must-see experience for someone on as short a schedule as you are. I booked my entire trip as part of a tour package... but I think I can probably just go independent, right? They can't chain me to part of the group, right? =) When the Palace is open those two days... what exactly do the visitors have access too? Actually, when I am in Kyoto, I think the Imperial Palace will be open for the two days I am there! Although... no one lives there, right? Not sure about Tokyo's Imperial Palace's opening days... Thank you for the tips on Shinjuku, Harujuku, and Daikanyama too! |
#18
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Bob Myers wrote: One other place in Tokyo that you're not likely to see the equal of elsewhere is the Tsukiji fish market; I can't do it justice here, but you can find a good deal of information on the web. Just plan on being there EARLY in the morning (7 AM is none too early, and even earlier may be better), or you'll miss all the fun...:-) This sounds sort of neat! My only question... is it a bit... stinky? I get a little queasy from overly fishy smells, but I do love the watching this kind of action! My mom would really like this (she goes to early morning fish markets in other Asian countries, and doesn't mind fishy odors!) I would also put the Meiji Shrine somewhere into the plan as well. Can you tell me why you like this site better than the Imperial Palace? Thank you for all the info on the different shopping areas and on Kyoto. It was really great info! |
#19
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"koneko" wrote on Mon 17 Jan 2005 02:51:27p
very rough itinerary planned right now Our advice may change slightly based on exactly which days you are in Japan. For instance, the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (not "Minatara") is closed on Tuesdays! And the cosplayers in Harakjuku only come out on Sundays (just outside the entrance to the Meiji Shrine). Day 1 arrive in Narita early afternoon. go to Hotel. wander around area of hotel that evening. As you mentioned below, you are staying in Roppongi? You could use this evening to explore one of the bright-lights centres you mentioned - for example, there is a subway line (Oedo) that runs directly between Roppongi and Shinjuku. I suppose the Mori centre in Roppongi itself is OK, but I don't really know the district, having only been there for dinner - once. The subway + rail system in Tokyo seems overwhelming because there is so much choice. Note that the "train" system is run by Japan Railways ("JR") and is separate from the multiple subway lines so you can't necessarily go to the big "train station" (usually JR) in a suburb and expect the subway platforms to be right next to the JR platforms. But they'll be nearby in the station complex. The convenience of the subways is that they serve the smaller suburbs and criss-cross Tokyo in several places, saving much time. Just think of it as a big game of Snakes and Ladders and the subway map might be a bit easier to follow :-) Day 2 Tokyo AM: Tour-- We are supposed to cover Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace Plaza, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple and end up in the Nakamise Arcade You can indeed skip the tour (for which you have already paid a large premium, no doubt) and go independently, but if you want to see most of this anyway, may as well go along. You are unlikely to be attacked by Godzilla at Tokyo Tower :-) On a purely selfish note, as you come down from Toyko Tower, a couple of the floors of the podium are shopping arcades. Mostly crap souvenirs, but there is a "Donguri Kyowakoku" store there, which sells all manner of Ghibli goods - the store's name means "Acorn Republic" or some such, which of course is a Totoro reference. If you can wheedle 15 minutes in the store from the tour guide, it's got stuff which even the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka doesn't carry - official products of course, but the store in the Museum is rather small - and crowded as heck. You can easily spend 20 minutes in the Museum just queueing up. Beleive me, I've spent (literally!) far too much time there (^_^); For the second half of this day, you could still see Ueno Park and the surrounding shopping areas as someone else already mentioned, plus Ginza or Akihabara. They are all located on the same side of the city, only minutes from each other by train or subway. Day 3 Tokyo (free day) AM: would like to go to Ghibli Museum in Minatara. "Mitaka" :-) (Personally, I prefer to say it's in Kichijoji because that gives it a cosier feel, but it's probably technically in Mitaka). If you *do* get tickets, I think the valid entrance time is actually time-stamped to a specific half-hour. That will dictate to some extent what you can do beforehand, and the earliest you can hope to leave. For a first time, I would budget a minimum of 3 hours in the Museum. It's small, but you should savour it all. And especially the mini-theatre in which is generally shown a short film made only for the Museum (the actual film being shown rotates, so I don't know what wil be on in April). I really would recommend Nakano afterwards though :-) Bob M. mentioned... would it be horrible not to see Asakusa Temple/Imperial Palace? I was a history major, but I also love fashion, cosmetics, and anime... Mmm... if you are going to see the Imperial Palace and the temples in Kyoto, you *could* skip these. In Toyko, you will only see the East Garden because the actual Palace area is only open a couple of days per year. The gardens are OK and there's one or two small historical sites. Same for Asakusa Kannon (the one with the huge iconic lantern at the entrance). But really, you've paid for the tour already and it's only taking up one morning. And you can still use the last half of "Day 2" in Tokyo to do some independent sightseeing Day 4 Tokyo/Kyoto- transit Shinkansen to Kyoto. Don't know which one (Nozomi or Kodama) yet, nor what time we depart, so it's hard to plan if we can do anything in the afternoon after getting to the hotel... will probably have the evening free, thought we'd roam Gion. Sounds like a good idea :-) If you get there just after lunch, I'd say head out to Kiyomizudera straight away, and then Gion (it's pretty close by) in the evening. Day 5 Kyoto AM- tour again (Gold Pavilion, Nijo, Imperial Palace, Handicraft Centre) the PM is free. I think I will go on the tour, and since the last thing is the HC, we can abandon that if we want. We'll probably head to the Kiyomizu Temple in the afternoon and stay in that area the rest of the day. If you've already managed to see Kiyomizudera the previous afternoon, I'd try to squeeze in a visit to the Heian temple and especially the gardens around the back for an additional fee. It's reasonably close to the HC. Day 6 Kyoto/Tokyo (our flight leaves from Narita, not Osaka-- so we lose a lot of time in transit!), stay overnight in Tokyo no plans yet... not sure what we can do with a half day. we are trying to get a evening Shinkansen, so we have the morning/early afternoon free in Kyoto. However, I thought maybe we should spend the last half day in Tokyo... so we should take the morning Shinkansen to Tokyo, so we can check out whatever we will miss. Maybe an early shinkansen to Toyko to see whichever one of Shunjuku/Shibuya/Akihabara you missed in the first half of the trip? Day 7 Tokyo- Depart from Narita at 3:30 pm That is one heck of a trip :-) By the way, where are you travelling from? That jet lag might hit on the morning of "Day 2" and you might appreciate being led around by a tour guid while in a semi-dazed state rather than having to navigate an unfamiliar city on your own:-) -- Chris Concatenate for email: mrgazpacho @ hotmail . com |
#20
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"koneko" wrote on Mon 17 Jan 2005 02:51:27p
very rough itinerary planned right now Our advice may change slightly based on exactly which days you are in Japan. For instance, the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (not "Minatara") is closed on Tuesdays! And the cosplayers in Harakjuku only come out on Sundays (just outside the entrance to the Meiji Shrine). Day 1 arrive in Narita early afternoon. go to Hotel. wander around area of hotel that evening. As you mentioned below, you are staying in Roppongi? You could use this evening to explore one of the bright-lights centres you mentioned - for example, there is a subway line (Oedo) that runs directly between Roppongi and Shinjuku. I suppose the Mori centre in Roppongi itself is OK, but I don't really know the district, having only been there for dinner - once. The subway + rail system in Tokyo seems overwhelming because there is so much choice. Note that the "train" system is run by Japan Railways ("JR") and is separate from the multiple subway lines so you can't necessarily go to the big "train station" (usually JR) in a suburb and expect the subway platforms to be right next to the JR platforms. But they'll be nearby in the station complex. The convenience of the subways is that they serve the smaller suburbs and criss-cross Tokyo in several places, saving much time. Just think of it as a big game of Snakes and Ladders and the subway map might be a bit easier to follow :-) Day 2 Tokyo AM: Tour-- We are supposed to cover Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace Plaza, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple and end up in the Nakamise Arcade You can indeed skip the tour (for which you have already paid a large premium, no doubt) and go independently, but if you want to see most of this anyway, may as well go along. You are unlikely to be attacked by Godzilla at Tokyo Tower :-) On a purely selfish note, as you come down from Toyko Tower, a couple of the floors of the podium are shopping arcades. Mostly crap souvenirs, but there is a "Donguri Kyowakoku" store there, which sells all manner of Ghibli goods - the store's name means "Acorn Republic" or some such, which of course is a Totoro reference. If you can wheedle 15 minutes in the store from the tour guide, it's got stuff which even the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka doesn't carry - official products of course, but the store in the Museum is rather small - and crowded as heck. You can easily spend 20 minutes in the Museum just queueing up. Beleive me, I've spent (literally!) far too much time there (^_^); For the second half of this day, you could still see Ueno Park and the surrounding shopping areas as someone else already mentioned, plus Ginza or Akihabara. They are all located on the same side of the city, only minutes from each other by train or subway. Day 3 Tokyo (free day) AM: would like to go to Ghibli Museum in Minatara. "Mitaka" :-) (Personally, I prefer to say it's in Kichijoji because that gives it a cosier feel, but it's probably technically in Mitaka). If you *do* get tickets, I think the valid entrance time is actually time-stamped to a specific half-hour. That will dictate to some extent what you can do beforehand, and the earliest you can hope to leave. For a first time, I would budget a minimum of 3 hours in the Museum. It's small, but you should savour it all. And especially the mini-theatre in which is generally shown a short film made only for the Museum (the actual film being shown rotates, so I don't know what wil be on in April). I really would recommend Nakano afterwards though :-) Bob M. mentioned... would it be horrible not to see Asakusa Temple/Imperial Palace? I was a history major, but I also love fashion, cosmetics, and anime... Mmm... if you are going to see the Imperial Palace and the temples in Kyoto, you *could* skip these. In Toyko, you will only see the East Garden because the actual Palace area is only open a couple of days per year. The gardens are OK and there's one or two small historical sites. Same for Asakusa Kannon (the one with the huge iconic lantern at the entrance). But really, you've paid for the tour already and it's only taking up one morning. And you can still use the last half of "Day 2" in Tokyo to do some independent sightseeing Day 4 Tokyo/Kyoto- transit Shinkansen to Kyoto. Don't know which one (Nozomi or Kodama) yet, nor what time we depart, so it's hard to plan if we can do anything in the afternoon after getting to the hotel... will probably have the evening free, thought we'd roam Gion. Sounds like a good idea :-) If you get there just after lunch, I'd say head out to Kiyomizudera straight away, and then Gion (it's pretty close by) in the evening. Day 5 Kyoto AM- tour again (Gold Pavilion, Nijo, Imperial Palace, Handicraft Centre) the PM is free. I think I will go on the tour, and since the last thing is the HC, we can abandon that if we want. We'll probably head to the Kiyomizu Temple in the afternoon and stay in that area the rest of the day. If you've already managed to see Kiyomizudera the previous afternoon, I'd try to squeeze in a visit to the Heian temple and especially the gardens around the back for an additional fee. It's reasonably close to the HC. Day 6 Kyoto/Tokyo (our flight leaves from Narita, not Osaka-- so we lose a lot of time in transit!), stay overnight in Tokyo no plans yet... not sure what we can do with a half day. we are trying to get a evening Shinkansen, so we have the morning/early afternoon free in Kyoto. However, I thought maybe we should spend the last half day in Tokyo... so we should take the morning Shinkansen to Tokyo, so we can check out whatever we will miss. Maybe an early shinkansen to Toyko to see whichever one of Shunjuku/Shibuya/Akihabara you missed in the first half of the trip? Day 7 Tokyo- Depart from Narita at 3:30 pm That is one heck of a trip :-) By the way, where are you travelling from? That jet lag might hit on the morning of "Day 2" and you might appreciate being led around by a tour guid while in a semi-dazed state rather than having to navigate an unfamiliar city on your own:-) -- Chris Concatenate for email: mrgazpacho @ hotmail . com |
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