Top 10 Tokyo - Eyewitness Travel

I visited Tokyo, Japan on vacation for the New Year's holiday this year. I had a great time, but had a not so great time finding travel information online and at the library. Of course, I meant to go to a bookstore, but with Borders and other bookstores constantly closing and a busy work schedule, I did not have time to make it before my trip. Instead, I reserved a few books from the library. One of them was Top 10 Tokyo, and it was not available until I returned from my trip.

I reviewed the book to see if it would be helpful for when I return to Japan. I do not think it would be very helpful, and did not miss much by not bringing this with me. The book is basically lists with a few pictures, and this is good to generate ideas on where to visit, but it does not provide enough detail on each location to make decisions. For example, it could describe the distances more effectively to help travelers choose where to visit, and list more than 1 or 2 sentences about the location. Some of the web addresses were also invalid when I tried to look them up.

The book has a fold out map, and I expected a detailed map that would help the average tourist. Unfortunately, it is just a basic map with not a lot of clear detail. I found better maps online. However, a warning to other travelers, the online information or answers provided in forums like Yahoo Answers may not be accurate. In particular, I asked on Yahoo Answers if bars/clubs were open on New Years, because most online sites say that it is not good to travel to Tokyo during New Years because it is a popular holiday for Japanese to leave the city and visit their hometowns. The answer I received was that no, bars/clubs would not be open. This was not true, there were tons of bars/clubs open with events for the New Year. Also, I was informed that most places would be shut down and trains packed to the limit so it was not a good idea to go to Tokyo for New Years. This also was not true. Only about 1 out of every 4 places was closed for New Years holiday, and most only on New Years Day. The trains were not packed to the limit and I was able to take the subway everywhere.

Train travel was easy, but walking from the train stop to destination was always a challenge. Most of the websites only provided an address without directions. You also have to use Google Translate in tandem with Google Maps, because even if you type directions in English the responses are in Japanese characters. This is a known issue with Google Maps for Japan. If you type in the address to Google Maps, then copy/paste to Google Translate to Translate to English, you can get directions for the train stops, but the walking directions are not helpful at all. Some of the streets do not have street signs, and if you ask people on the street for directions most of the time they are not familiar enough with the location to give directions. It is common to ask policemen for directions because policemen know the most about their precinct, and policemen were always helpful and friendly and able to give directions.

So my recommendations for Tokyo travel information are:

- Google websites for ideas instead of spending money on books. I think that after the book is published, there is a risk that businesses will change addresses or close, so the book might not be up to date anyway.

- If you are lost, ask the policemen for directions, do not be intimidated, this is part of their job.

- Do not panic if you are lost, embrace the numerous options in the city. If you cannot find a destination, try to find a similar place that is easier to get to.

- Do not expect everyone to be fluent in English and learn a few Japanese words/phrases. Most people I spoke to did not speak English fluently.

Here are my favorite locations to visit in Tokyo:

- Neko JaLaLa Cafe: This is a cat cafe and is a good experience if you like cats. I wish we could open a cat cafe up in Chicago!

- Meiji Shrine: This is near the Harajuku stop on the JR Yamanote Line and is easy to find. At midnight on New Year's eve the bells are rung 108 times to cleanse you from evil. The area was packed with millions of people and there are street vendors that sell food and sake and of course vending machines.

- Harajuku neighborhood: Walk around and look at shops and people watch.

- Daiso in Harajuku: This is similar to Everything's $1/Dollar Tree stores, where you can get wonderful Japanese souvenirs for 100-200 yen. Unless you are looking for something specific, you can usually purchase the same items at Japanese stores in the US stores or online. It was also very expensive compared to the US, so I got all my souvenirs at Daiso.

- Ginza : This is an expensive shopping area but good just for window shopping and people watching.

- Akihibara: This is the electronics district and has lots of cool anime and manga shops. I also enjoyed watching people play pachinko at Big Apple.

- Shibuya: This is the best location for nightclubs.

- Shinjuku: This is the busiest train stop and also a good location for nightlife. See my hub for the Shinjuku Shark series for more info.