Job Discussion Forums

[maryknight]

hi, i'm scheduled to arrive tokyo at 3:25 (may 10). i know i can take a train from the nar airport to downtown tokyo. if i decide to go cheap, does anyone know which youth hostel is most accessible? if i decide to be extravagent my first night, is there a hotel in the airport? thanks. i know i've asked for lots of help and i really appreciate the help i've gotten. i decided to see for myself, so i'm coming to japan for a couple of weeks.
mary

[PAULH]

[Sweetsee]

Hi Mary, thought you had already headed to Hokkaido, was I mistaken?

[Andru]

maryknight,

I've also read your subsequent posts/threads about your upcoming 2-week trip and I have some suggestions.

First, I agree with the other posters who strongly suggest heading all the way into Tokyo on the day you arrive. Staying near the airport only makes sense if you arrive very late in the day. Since you are arriving at 3:25pm, you should be through customs and immigration by 4:30-5:00 at the latest and will have plenty of time and daylight to get into Tokyo.

If you did stay near the airport, you'd basically lose about a half a day of time since much of your second day would be spent traveling to Tokyo then getting settled in somewhere - rather than simply starting your first day of explorations. You are going to find 2 weeks isn't a whole lot of time - especially for a first visit, and you're probably going to regret wasting one day.

THE cheapest and best way to get into Tokyo is on the Keisei Limited Express - only 1000 yen ($10). These are just regular trains, with flat noses and long bench seating along the sides. Don't bother with the plushy pointy-nosed Keisei "Skyliner" or JR's Narita Express (NEX) trains, unless you WANT to pay 2 to 3 times as much or you have a LOT of baggage (I always recommend traveling as light as possible, however). The Keisei Limited Express trains only take 15-20 minutes longer to get to Tokyo than the Skyliner or NEX. All the trains leave in the basement level of the airport, BTW.

Now, THE cheapest place to stay in Tokyo is not a hostel but a hostel-like hotel called the New Koyo (www.newkoyo.com). It's a share bath/shower/kitchen arrangement but you do have your own (tiny) room with a TV and aircon. At 2500 to 2700 yen per night, it is cheaper than any hostel.

To get there, get off at Ueno (the end of the Keisei line), walk over to the Hibiya subway line and go north a couple of stops to Minowa. Print out the map from the hotel's website and follow it. It's a little tricky since it is on a back street and not on a main thoroughfare - but in Japan, you better get used to walking the back streets (I think it is all part of the charm).

I mentioned that 2 weeks isn't much time, and I think you shouldn't stress yourself out and try to travel to the Kansai area too. There is PLENTY to see in and around Tokyo. If you want to see lots of temples and such, go to Kamakura (one hour south on the Yokosuka line) - and be sure to take the quaint little Enoden line. It not only stops at places like the Daibutsu but runs along the coast (you can get off near Enoshima island and walk over to it). And instead to taking it back to Kamakura, continue on the Enoden to Fujisawa and catch the Tokaido line back to Tokyo.

If you really want to travel farther outside of Tokyo, instead of getting a regular JR pass, get one of the cheaper JR East passes (JR is divided into regions). There is a special flexible 4-day pass that lets you travel any 4 days - and they do not have to be consecutive days. With it, you could make long day trips to places west and north of Tokyo, like Karuizawa, Nagano, Nikko, Sendai/Matsushima. You could also use it when you go down to Kamakura, but you should only use it on days you ride the Shinkansen, to really get your money�s worth.

I suggest that you promise yourself that this won't be your only visit to Japan, and that even if you don't end up living and working there, you'll come back and spend two weeks exploring Kansai and other areas south of Tokyo. There are probably flights direct to Osaka from the Pacific NW.

Within Tokyo, there are so many places to see, I won't even try to tell you about them here. PM me if you want my recommendations.

My final recommendation is to buy what I think is essential for survival in the Tokyo area: "Tokyo City Atlas - A Bilingual Guide" (Kodansha Int�l). Don't get it mixed up with their subway guide. This book is 6" x 8" in size, the subway guide is less than half that. I think the atlas is an amazing resource, and if you learn how to use it, you'll never get lost in Tokyo (actually, having a compass too helps), and you can actually use it to find addresses (something most Japanese seem baffled by).

[earthmonkey]

Mary, listen to that man!

Andru, I noticed that that was your first post on this forum. Keep it up! This place needs more positive people.

[gaijinalways]

Andru gave you a good tip. Trying to spread yourself too thin around a country on your first visit is a sure formula for misery (actually anytime, in my opinion). As to staying near the airport, I also don't recommend it as there is not that much to see near there.

The atlas he mentions about getting is useful, though not necessary. They also have some free literature at the airport as well.

I would also recommend going to Nikko for temples as well as Meiji Shrine and Asakusa Temple (both in Tokyo).

[Gordon]

Great post Andru, keep it up and thanks for that link too, looks like a decent place, not sure if a family could stay there though.

A great chain of affordable hotels in Japan is: http://www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/