llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Sat Mar 15, 2025 5:51 pm Tokyo recommendations? Will be there for about 5 days with 3-year old in tow, so looking for a sort of area that is probably not Times Square level insane but is still easy enough to get in and out of. Even the adjoining areas outside Tokyo are ok for the right place. Best option right now seems to be Shimokitazawa and then taking the train out for different excursions.

Good food, arts, bands when I can sneak away for a bit, record stores, other shopping or browsing, I guess… we know how this goes. Family friendly-ish, I guess, but we’ll be getting off the plane and going start to fkn Disney, and are then working some kind of Ghibli tour in there already, which is about all the kid-specific stuff we’re going to do outside of visiting parks or little shops or libraries or whatever. It’s cherry blossom season afterall!

Edit: also got some great, more music centric advice in the Tech Room, so cross-post, sorta.

Shimo is great. Busy.

Last time we stayed near the Meguro and Ebisu JB stations, southwest of the Westin Tokyo on the other side of the tracks.
The renter called it Mita, but I'm not so sure it was actually Mita.
It was very quiet, residential, but pretty short walks to the stations and super easy to get around in the age of GPS and train apps.
Some good food around there--ramen, a top tonkatsu place, etc.

I advise sorting the train sitch before you go with cards and all that.
We got JR Green rail passes, but we went to Kyoto and Kobe--it would be overkill for being in Tokyo alone, I think. I dunno.
There's the SUICA and PASMO cards--i think those are the best bet, but it's been a while.

We ate a lot of sushi, but didn't go anywhere fancy, just whatever was around. I think with sushi a 6 out of ten there is basically about as good as you can get in the US without spending $300 apiece or something dumb like that, so it's all pretty terrific.

The Ghibli thing is fun.
We spent a surprising amount of time in Harajuku--the main strip is what it is, but off that there's a bunch of crazy little stores that were fun to knock around in.
Ameyoko market in Ueno is fun and not expensive.
I would not bother with Ginza, with an exception for Dover Street Market if you like cutting-edge streetwear--it's like a museum of fashion that is zero percent old stuff and 100% future-forward. The Comme Des Garcons flagship is in Aoyama, worth a look, super rich nabe, but more interesting than Ginza.
Tsukiji outer market is not particularly touristy but there are a lot of tourists who go there, if that makes sense--knockout street food, not cheap though.

My general advice is to make a detailed plan and then be willing to bail on the plan if you run across something fun that derails it. This will happen.

I'm flying into Milan May 30 for two nights, before a 10 day work trip starts and that's all handled by someone else.

Anyone have hotel recommendations?

llllllllllllllllllll wrote:Tokyo

Additional notes:

Nakameguro would be amazing w/a kid, as something to do by day, if not as a place to stay. The Meguro river flanked w/cherry blossoms would be a perfect place to take a walk w/a young child. Kids love water, right? The area itself is kinda trendy and high-end, but relatively serene and very picturesque, although cherry blossoms here might bring out a crowd (and rightfully so) on weekends. Lots of fancy coffee and limited-edition sneakers for sale. I preferred it for an aimless wander along the waterway, though. Can also recommend a superb restaurant called Craftale, which offers (sorta) bargain-priced tasting-menu meals (Japanese- and New Nordic-influenced French, although this may not be particularly child-friendly and you may not wanna blow the funds).

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Odaiba could also be a fun place to take a kid. It was once a sort of bayside "city of the future" situation on an island, but it now looks weirdly quaint and quirky. There's a lot of shopping, but also a monorail, weird architecture (Fuji TV headquarters), a massive Claes Oldenburg-designed red-handled saw sticking out of the ground (Tokyo Big Sight), a Statue of Liberty replica, and views of the Rainbow Bridge. You can also get here by water bus.

Speaking of which, the water bus to Asakusa (where you should absolutely visit Senso-ji, the oldest temple in Tokyo) would also probably entertain your family, if the weather is nice. Low-cost way to cruise around central Tokyo and check out stuff like the deeply strange Asahi building (w/the golden flame design) from afar. Touristy, yes, but well worth it. Broadly speaking, Asakusa and Ueno are the traditionalist part of Tokyo compared to the more recently developed Shinjuku, Shibuya, etc. But this distinction is blurrier in modern times.

Chofu, once an exurb west of the city, could also be a nice afternoon trip. You've got the Buddhist temple Jindaiji, great soba to eat (Jindaiji soba), Fundaten shrine, a whole lot of cherry blossoms, and an association w/yokai (spiritual animals and critters; you'll see them depicted on the main shopping street) b/c the manga artist Shigeru Mizuki lived here. Hardly rural, but definitely a more country vibe that central Tokyo.

Nice parks everywhere: Yoyogi (duh), Inokashira in Kichijoji (also a neighborhood worth considering for a stay), and maybe consider taking the kid on a stroll around the walls of the Imperial Palace.

In terms of JR rail passes, I wouldn't necessarily bother w/one if you're just staying relatively local to Tokyo or even if you're not. They used to be an incredible deal for foreign visitors, but the costs have gone up roughly 70% as of 2023.

For the first time since the '90s, I'm not buying one b/c the savings aren't there anymore unless you take a ton of shinkansen (bullet train) trips.

Dunno if it's still on offer, but there is, or at least was, a heavily, heavily discounted unlimited Tokyo subway pass for visitors. You should definitely look into this if you plan on zipping around to different parts of the city.

andyman wrote:

OrthodoxEaster wrote: Sun Mar 16, 2025 12:22 am Have fun. I'll be in Japan in April, but down south, in Kyushu, eventually making my way to Osaka at the end of May. (Would love some recs for down that way myself, if anyone has 'em!)

Japan is so damn dense that even having spent 2 weeks there I'm not sure I can recommend much, as I just wandered around dumbfounded. I can say that the Shimanami Kaido cycling trail between Onomichi and Imabari was a highlight (you rent a bike and do it in one or two days, dropping the bike off at the end).
Both Osaka Castle and a day trip to Himeji castle (where Kagemusha was also filmed) were absolutely worth it too.

Thanks. This sounds lovely, but our trajectory has us going up the San'in Coast side (via Hagi, Matsue, the Oki islands, and Daisen) to get from Kyushi to Osaka. So it's on the opposite side of the Honshu. Plus, we'll probably be beat from six weeks of hiking in Kyushu and (hopefully) climbing Daisen. Might check out Himeji if we need a daytrip from Osaka, as I've only breezed thru it on the train. Appreciated.

eephus wrote: Sun Mar 16, 2025 10:59 am

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Sat Mar 15, 2025 5:51 pm Tokyo recommendations?

I advise sorting the train sitch before you go with cards and all that.
We got JR Green rail passes, but we went to Kyoto and Kobe--it would be overkill for being in Tokyo alone, I think. I dunno.
There's the SUICA and PASMO cards--i think those are the best bet, but it's been a while.

I agree with FM eephus to figure it out before you get there. I recently had to do so myself.

SUICA has a dedicated app.. but it's all in Japanese. Couldn't find an English option.

BUT... if you have an iPhone, you can add a SUICA card directly to your Wallet app. In English. Charge it up with one of your own credit/debit cards. And then you just use your phone to pay train/subway/monorail/etc. charges. Much, much easier than trying to figure things out when you are there, at which time your only option might be cash.

Fwiw I just grabbed cash from an ATM and loaded a suica card. The machines were all in English and I had very little trouble.
Buying tickets through an app can sometimes be difficult as some stations only serve certain train companies, so I just asked a station worker using Google translate whenever I got confused and it was totally fine.

andyman wrote: Mon Mar 17, 2025 6:38 am Fwiw I just grabbed cash from an ATM and loaded a suica card. The machines were all in English and I had very little trouble.
Buying tickets through an app can sometimes be difficult as some stations only serve certain train companies, so I just asked a station worker using Google translate whenever I got confused and it was totally fine.

There's also a PASSMO/SUICA app that just connects directly to your Apple wallet if that's a thing you use. I'll be using that rather than the individual card since you can set it up to just self-replenish and it's less to keep track of when traveling.

This app is also a lifesaver if you're trying to suss out some more involved train rides on the fly - Japan Transit Planner. This was recommend to us by my girlfriend's cousin who lives in Yokohama and it's bonkers great. Even gives you the platforms that you need to be on. Hugely helpful.

Great seeing so many PRF folks throwing down out there. We'll be there in 3 weeks - Tokyo/Hokkaido/Kumamoto/Hiroshima/Yokohama in 10 days. Stoked!

four_oclocker_2.2 wrote: Mon Mar 17, 2025 10:26 am Tokyo/Hokkaido

Very cool.

See above for copious Tokyo stuff, obviously.

Where in Hokkaido? I can give a handful of food recs for Sapporo and maybe Hakodate—if you need 'em. Also been to Asahidake (onsen and unreal hiking in the snow), Rebun (more hiking and lots of uni), Rishiri (same), and Wakkanai (just for an evening/night, awaiting a ferry), in the unlikely event that you're heading way north.

four_oclocker_2.2 wrote: Japan Transit Planner. This was recommend to us by my girlfriend's cousin who lives in Yokohama and it's bonkers great. Even gives you the platforms that you need to be on. Hugely helpful.

Thanks. That actually may come in handy for our impending trip.

With all the Japan talk: is it true that Kyoto is a bit overrun these days? Visiting a more traditional city seems like a must for a first timer, but seeing temples with hoards of people doesn't sound appealing. Kanazawa looks similar and possibly less discovered.

Thanks for the save, OE and everybody!

Managed to find a rental in Koenji conveniently located near the train station. Nakano and the other area FM eephus mentioned were not really an option because I waited way too long to get that sorted… was finishing up two full 2 8-week courses at school before the trip and didn’t really have the bandwidth so just figured it would work out somehow.

Really hate that we’ll only have a few days on our own but after that it’s beach week in the Philippines.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Thanks for the save, OE and everybody!

Managed to find a rental in Koenji conveniently located near the train station.

My pleasure. And Koenji is great. I hope you like it. Hipper than Nakano, for sure. But less self-conscious about its cool than Shimokita, in my opinion. (My views on this are stuck in 2018, granted.)

penningtron wrote: With all the Japan talk: is it true that Kyoto is a bit overrun these days? Visiting a more traditional city seems like a must for a first timer, but seeing temples with hoards of people doesn't sound appealing. Kanazawa looks similar and possibly less discovered.

Have not been to Kyoto since the 1990s, so no idea. Heard the same as you've heard. In fact, I'd say more than "a bit" overrun.

Kanazawa was ok in 2018. Not a bad place at all, and pretty enough. But to be honest, I wasn't sure what the fuss was about. It seemed a little too full of foreign tourists for what it had to offer. It has a little bit of the Kyoto vibe, but hardly the wealth of temples, shrines, and culture. (Or maybe it's me?) In many other ways, it was also just another Japanese secondary city. Not a boring place, mind you, but not a highlight either and less charming than you'd expect. The markets were cool, as was some of the food (memorable but very inexpensive restaurants specializing in conveyor-belt sushi [gizzard shad rules!], motsu nabe [offal stew], and fresh sardines). It was fine, but nowhere near as lovely as say, the less-known-abroad Matsumoto.