Four whole days in Tokyo. What to do?

[JadeOrchidSong]

I am planning our family vacation. In mid May we will go to Tokyo. It will be six days altogether including the first day for arrival and the last day for departure.

What can we do for the three full days there? A day train trip away from the busy city would be nice. Ideas, please!

Edited February 9, 2016 by JadeOrchidSong

[waa510]

What kind of things does your clan like to do? Where are you staying? That would help me out with recommendations. The incredibly oppressive heat will be starting around then so please plan clothes-wise accordingly. Wear very light clothes and really good walking shoes. The is unlike anything I've ever experienced, even having lived in TX and VA! You will also walk at least 13,000 steps a day while sight-seeing. Relatives who are usually sedentary lost 7 pounds in less than week visiting us. ;)

 

Day trips from Tokyo that we've enjoyed: Going to Kamakura to see the great Buddha. Hakone is closed right now (sulfur eggs) b/c of increased risk of volcanic activity so if you see that listed on-line, you'll have to nix it. Some of the shops are open (like 4-5 of them) but the pirate ship and cable car are a no-go. It's been closed since about May of last year so not sure if it's opening up anytime soon. If you all enjoy hiking whilst seeing shrines, feeding monkeys and eating at delicious restaurants along the climb, Mt. Takao is also fantastic. It's the easiest climb of the mountains nearby. Yokohama is also great, with Chinatown, Cup Noodle Museum and Ramen Museum ( go to the Ramen museum during the week if you go..you can try lots of different kinds of noodles). I would also spend sometime checking out the various shrines and castles. (I'm a fan of the one in Odawara). That area of Japan also has a ton of animal cafes where you can pet and play with animals you may not ordinarily be able to interact with (like owls) The romance car tends to cut off about a 1/2 hour of train time from a trip. You can also make reservations online (I can send you the link) in English which is hugely helpful if your Japanese skills aren't too developed yet. :) You'll need lots of cash (yen) when you go anywhere. Many, many places do not take credit cards. 

 

Are you going to have a car or will you just be using the train?? That's going to inform my recs too. :) Feel free to pm me with more specifics of what you'd be looking to do and see and I can come up with more exact stuff. 

[JadeOrchidSong]

We like gardens, hikes, outdoor stuff. Ds13 used to be obsessed with bonsai. We will visit one museum. Which do you rec?

Waa510, we won't use a car. We'll just walk everywhere. :-)

Edited February 9, 2016 by JadeOrchidSong

[waa510]

Hmm..OK, let's see. 

 

Mt. Mitake is beautiful with waterfalls and tori and unique bird statues (it probably has something to do with all the birds in the area). We (hubby and I) enjoyed this one but the kids got very tired. Also, the cable car might still be out so that adds some time to your climb. I can have Dh check with his Japanese secretary if Mitake's construction is finished or not and let you know. Again, Mt. Takao is a great experience with lots of different trail options depending on climbing ability and what you'd like to see along the way. My kids are young, so feeding the monkeys was a highlight for them. The path we took also had a few shrines along the way to the top so that if our kids crapped out, we'd still have been able to see some fun things. I believe there is a path with waterfalls. I'll check on that. The main shrine at the top is amazing though. The statues surrounding the shrine are interesting. They remind me of head statues from the Olmecs. Also, it's very interesting to see the Shinto vs. Buddhist shrines so I'd make it a point to see both while here. 

 

Yoyogi Park is a fairly famous park in Tokyo that always has some kind of cultural festival or musical performance going on. The Meiji Shrine is right by it as well..a really nice one. You get there from Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line. The Meiji Shrine can get crowded on the weekends. A friend of mine has seen a wedding procession there once in traditional dress. Apparently they happen frequently on the weekends but we've never caught one. 

 

For a beautiful garden, we really like Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden a little walk away from Shinjuku-gyoenmae Station. It's gorgeous that time of year. You can also ask for an English map so you can get some good descriptions of the different plants and structures built there, but there is English signage too. There's a traditional tea house there (you can pay to be served a little tea cake and tea..I don't remember it being expensive) and a tiny fee (I think 200 yen?) to get into the garden itself. There's also a greenhouse. 

 

If you go to Ueno, there is a great park, zoo, shrine and a huge clump of museums over there. Near the shrine, there are often older Japanese men feeding the birds on suet sticks or with Japanese sweet rolls. My girls have loved doing that with the guys for quite a while. They think American kids are the most adorable humans alive so they often fall over themselves to share their stuff with us. However, we've only been to the Science Museum in that area, and the zoo. Japanese zoos can be very depressing as the cages can be very small and the animals can sometimes look ragged. Their museums are usually really cheap per person. The Science Museum reminded me of the Natural History museum in DC..it was really fun. Your boys might like the Japanese Sword Museum, actually.. We've never been but friends of ours have and their boys enjoyed it. I believe it's in Shinjuku area?? 

 

OK. That's enough to throw at you for now. ;) I'll keep pondering on what we've done and enjoyed and add stuff later. I should really have kept/keep a blog so I can remember all the places we've gone! ;)

[displace]

I am sooooo jealous! :). DH and I went there and we loved it so much we want to move there (only half joking). We were only there a couple days and saw mostly traditional Tokyo things - Tokyo tower, fish market, sumo match, shrines, forts, gardens

 

Side trip to Kyoto to see geisha shows, more gardens, small business homes tour.

 

I'd recommend trying to stay longer if possible, because of the travel for two full days. We went on a side trip before a long trip to China but I'd love to go back. Enjoy!

Edited February 9, 2016 by displace

[Ravin]

I'll second Kamakura. Also Yokohama. Avoid any hotels that sound like they have fun "themes".

[JadeOrchidSong]

To clarify, we plan for six days for this trip, first day is for getting to Tokyo from Beijing and sixth day is for flying all the way back to MN.

I called my family in China and told them we would visit them in May and then go to Japan for a few days. My niece wanted to go to Japan with us bringing along her 4-yr-old and 6-mo-old daughters and her mom in her 60s. She wants me to do all the logistics and be the guide. I don't think it will work. This is my own family's vacation. :-(

[EmilyGF]

What to do? Make me incredibly jealous!

 

DH would be in Tokyo right now (for work) except that I'm due to have a baby in a few days. He spent a one-day layover there and fell in love with the city. Have a great trip!

 

Emily

Edited February 9, 2016 by EmilyGF

[YaelAldrich]

I'll second Kamakura. Also Yokohama. Avoid any hotels that sound like they have fun "themes".

Unless the hotel has themed sento (hot baths, but themed places have cold, warm, coffee, wine, electric baths as well).  You all need to be  comfortable with (single gender) nudity to enjoy this.  If you are and like seeing more of "real" Japan (and follow the rules), this is a fun activity.

[YaelAldrich]

If you are looking for a guide, let me know.  I have a good friend who takes people places.

[waa510]

I'll second Kamakura. Also Yokohama. Avoid any hotels that sound like they have fun "themes".

 

 

Yes, the fun theme hotels are usually love hotels. I'll let youtube explain....nsfw or kids...

[MasaMama]

I second Kamakura. The Buddha and bamboo path are wonderful. Also, a little beach is a bonus.

 

 Again, Mt. Takao is a great experience with lots of different trail options depending on climbing ability and what you'd like to see along the way. My kids are young, so feeding the monkeys was a highlight for them. The path we took also had a few shrines along the way to the top so that if our kids crapped out, we'd still have been able to see some fun things. I believe there is a path with waterfalls. I'll check on that. The main shrine at the top is amazing though. The statues surrounding the shrine are interesting. They remind me of head statues from the Olmecs. Also, it's very interesting to see the Shinto vs. Buddhist shrines so I'd make it a point to see both while here. 

 

Yoyogi Park is a fairly famous park in Tokyo that always has some kind of cultural festival or musical performance going on. The Meiji Shrine is right by it as well..a really nice one. You get there from Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line. The Meiji Shrine can get crowded on the weekends. A friend of mine has seen a wedding procession there once in traditional dress. Apparently they happen frequently on the weekends but we've never caught one. 

 

I've never had a chance to climb Mt. Takao. But, if you can splurge, you might want to check out "Ukaitoiyama" Japanese restaurant.  http://www.ukai.co.jp/english/toriyama/ I went there years ago... The atmosphere is traditional Japanese. 

 

If you are going to Yoyogi or Harajuku area, you might also want to go to Shibuya.  My 8 year old son loved the Shibuya scramble crossing. If you watched the movie "Hachi", the Hatchi statue is very close to the crossing. Then, only if you have more time, Honda show room is a couple subway stations away from there. You can see Asimo the robot in action.  http://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/tokyo/sights/other/honda-welcome-plaza-aoyama They do a very short demonstration. My son liked it along with all the cars he could get in. But, to me it wasn't a WOW experience, though. 

 

I hope you enjoy the trip!