Trapped in Tokyo

Coming from a Western country, I think the city itself is the main highlight. Just spend some time walking around, looking to the Pachinko or the Love Hotel neon lights, or experience a truly Japanese meal for less than ¥1,000. Forget your Western way of thinking and dive yourself into this exciting city.

Quick Tips:

Tokyo is a cluster of cities rather than a single city. The main attractions are usually far away each other, so probably you will spend a lot of time using the extensive (and complicated) public transportation system.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you got the JR Pass, the best way to get around is using the JR lines. There are plenty of them in Tokyo, and they stop at almost all the hot spots.

The Hilton was our choice after our arrival. We booked it since rates were reasonable (¥30,000 per night for an executive room) and it was a safe bet. Although there are newer and more spectacular hotels (i.e. Park Hyatt), the price-quality ratio was still very high. We were offered a room in the 34th floor with superb views, a free breakfast buffet, and free access to the bath and spa facilities. The later were extremely valuable after an 18-hour journey. If you have never been in a Japanese bath (called sento or onsen), try it at least once.

When you imagine a Japanese hotel, probably one of the first images is a capsule hotel. The Green Plaza Shinjuku is one of them. Conveniently located close to the Shinjuku station (probably one of the world's busiest), it offers one capsule and the use of the Japanese spa area for ¥4,300. Customers are almost exclusively Japanese businessmen, but they accept foreigners. In addition to the right to sleep and the spa area, there are several other facilities, including a bar, an Internet corner (¥100 for 15 minutes), and massages (¥6,000 for a 1-hour complete massage). If you are a male and don't have tattoos (not allowed there), you should definitely try at least one night in a capsule hotel.

If you have seen "Lost in Translation," you will probably remember it. It is conveniently located on the first floor of a building in the center of the Shibuya area, one of the busiest (if not the busiest) of Tokyo. This Starbucks is very popular for its magnificent views, so getting a table there means having to wait several minutes, since there is always a queue. One thing that disappointed me a little bit is that they do not allow you to take photographs of the outdoors. Prices are reasonable (a cappuccino costs less than ¥300), and it’s even cheaper than other alternatives. Despite the queues and the impossibility of spending too much time there (they invite you to leave the table once you finish), I still recommend taking a cappuccino there.

Akihabara Electric City is a cluster of electronic goods shops located around Akihabara station. Don't expect ultra-low prices there: the days of the cheapest cameras were gone, and you'll even find better prices in other areas. Although there are a big number of shops, I expected a higher quantity and more variety. It reminds me of the kind of shops we found during our shopping journeys to Andorra when I was a kid. Osaka's electronic city (called Nippombashi) probably offers more variety and better prices. Despite this, I still suggest to visit Akihabara, especially at the beginning of the evening.

Hakone is a spa resort located in a mountain area close to Tokyo and Mount Fuji. Don't expect a glamorous spa like Baden-Baden or Karlovy Vary. Rather, it reminded me of the typical town you can find in the Catalan Pyrenees. Hakone is mainly a destination for interior tourism, but for a foreigner, it is interesting to see how Japanese spend their weekends. In addition, Hakone can be the perfect place to experience the onsen (hot springs). Almost all hotels have their own private onsen, and there are some inexpensive hot springs open to the general public, too. Hakone can be accessed by railway. If you depart from Tokyo and don't have a JR pass, the best option is the Odakyu railway.

Kamakura is a very popular beach resort located at 50kms from Tokyo and accessible through frequent trains (Yokosuka Line). The journey should not take more than an hour. In addition to the beach, it contains what is probably the most well known giant Buddha in Japan (the other one is in Nara), plus a significant number of relevant temples and shrines. Most of these are located in the neighborhood and should be accessed through the JR station of Kita-Kamakura. To reach the giant Buddha you should drop at Kamakura and take a small train call Eno-den. After three stops (and 190 yen) you'll reach the Hase station. Drop there and follow the crowds through the park where the Buddha is located. The admission fee is just 200 yen. Going back to the station you'll have the chance to visit the Hase-dera, a buddhist temple where there is the biggest wooden statue of Japan representing Kannon. If you're spending several days in Tokyo, this is probably one of the day trips you should not miss.

When preparing the trip to Japan, some people wonder if purchasing a JR Pass is a good investment or not. My particular advice is that it depends on the kind of travel you’re preparing. If you plan to use the Shinkansen (bullet trains) and go farther away from Kyoto, the answer is to definitely take it. If you are intending to stay around Tokyo and make short journeys (such as visiting Nikko or Yokohama), I’d say not to buy one.

Another advice I give you is that you should carefully check a map of Japan prior to take any decision. Although the islands that compose Japan are small compared with the Asian continent, distances are not negligible. For instance, Hiroshima is 900km west of Tokyo. Even with the Shinkansen (bullet train), that means that the journey will take you at least half a day. So you should plan well in advance what you want to see and do in Japan. If you have 2 weeks, one idea is to purchase a JR pass for a week and use the remaining days to visit Tokyo and the surrounding area. If you only have a week, the JR Pass is still a good option if you plan to stay only a couple of days in Tokyo.

Don’t worry if you can only stay in Tokyo, since you will not loose the true essence of Japan. There are plenty of places worth to see around Tokyo that can be reached in less than an hour by train and for less than ¥2,000 per return journey. Train fares are reasonable for short rides, especially since most of the trains are local ones and thus are not overcharged nor you need to reserve your seat. Nikko, Mito, Narita, Yokohama, and Mount Fuji area are great places close to Tokyo that will perfectly replace Kyoto, Okayama. or Osaka.

One big disadvantage of the JR Pass is that it is not valid for the fastest Shinkansen in the Tokkaido-Sanyo section (called Nozomi). This means that you cannot take the fastest trains and the available trains per day is substantially reduced, especially if you are coming from Tokyo and you’re planning to go far away from Osaka. Finally, remember two things: the JR Pass is valid for the Narita Express (this will save you around ¥2,900 per ride), and that with a valid JR Pass, you can use the Tokyo and Osaka’s extensive network of JR city lines.

One of the easiest things one can do in Tokyo is eat. Eating in Tokyo is generally cheaper than the average capital of a developed country. Lunch will not cost you more than $10, and you can perfectly dine for less than $15. This does not mean that there are not expensive restaurants. In fact, there are lots of them, and prices can be up to ¥10,000 to ¥15,000 per person. But there are myriads of places in which you can eat cheaply.

An interesting option for lunch is going to a noodle restaurant. There are plenty of them around the main streets and stations. The menu is quite limited (noodles plus vegetables and some meat), but you will not be hungry and it will cost you less than ¥800 to ¥1,000. Generally, all these places provide you with free tap water (generally with ice), and some of them with complimentary green tea.

Don’t be worried with the language barrier. Almost all places exhibit what they offer (including the price) on the front door using plastic reproductions. In case of doubt, you can show the waiter what you want to eat. In several places, this process is even simpler: you pay first on an automated ticket machine and then you deliver your ticket and take a seat.

If you are using the Shinkansen, you can rely on ekiben. Ekiben is a lunch set specially designed to take outdoors. Generally, it will cost fewer than ¥1,000, and it includes what you need for a full meal. You can purchase your ekiben in the shops near the station and take it during your journey (there are no restrictions). In fact, most Japanese do it and avoid purchasing the lunch sets offered in the train, since they tend to offer worse quality than the ones you can buy outside.

Needless to say, Japan is one of the cleanest places on the earth I’ve ever seen. Ekiben boxes, for instance, have "best before" dates that go no longer that the evening they were delivered. Restaurants are usually clean, and they generally cook in front of the customers.

Taking a coffee is expensive for Japanese standards, but not for European. A coffee will cost you between ¥250 and ¥250. It can be the case that a coffee and a cake will cost you the same as a full meal. I suggest going to a café only if you are a coffee addict (in that case, you better go straight to Starbucks), or if you want to see for yourself what the Japanese understand as an "exotic experience."

My advice is to try to avoid as much as possible the usual fast-food stuff. In fact, you will see very few McDonald’s, Pizza Huts, or Kentucky Fried Chickens. These places can be interesting only if you are bored with Japanese food. You will not need them in any other case.