Tokyo
We love Tokyo. We've been going there almost every year for the last six years. There are so many things I love there: the food, Ghibli Museum, the cleanliness of everything, the huge toy stores, cute clothes, serene temples, ... We are also very fortunate to have good friends there who show us around, take care of us during our visit. Since we go there so much, our friends in the US often asks us for travel advice when planning their own trips to Tokyo. We've put together the following guide for our friends. It contains our experiences and is meant to be used as supplemental material to traditional travel guides.
Where to Stay
Ginza . Another favorite hangout of businessmen after work. By definition of oden, you get healthier food choices here, and lots of variety. Lots of different types of fish cake, skewers, etc. Yummy stuff!
Address: 8-6-19Ginza Chuo-ku Tokyo (map)
Phone: 03-3571-0751
Weekdays: 17:00-24:30
Saturday: 16:00-22:30
Sunday: closed
5. Ninja: Ninja is a themed restaurant with new wave Japanese food. It's one subway station (from Shinbashi station to Akasaka station) from Dai Icih Hotel. Upon exiting the Akasaka station, cross the street and turn left; you should see the somewhat hidden door on the right before heading up the slope on the turn. It is on the pricey side though but certainly very interesting environment and food.
The reception area is a few steps down from the entryway in a room with no doors. When your table or room is ready, an experienced ninja comes out from a hidden door and lead you through a secret passage way to get to your table or room. Another ninja (your wait staff) produces a ninja scroll which contains the menu. In the middle of your meal, another ninja comes in and performs a little magic show. It's an all around fun experience. If they still have it when you go, get the "Jack in the Box" dish.
6. Jangara Ramen: This place is pretty popular ramen shop. There's one branch of this restaurant off the Akasaka station (get off the station, come up to ground level, cross the street, turn right to walk down the street, and it's about 5-10 minutes' walk).
7. Kinsen: My favorite type of Japanese cuisine is probably kaiseki cuisine. Kinsen is one of the places my friends took me to that I liked. It's not far from Dai Ichi Hotel. There are a bunch of kaiseki restaurants inGinza also so you can always browse around.
8. Zipangu: A fushion Japanese tapas cuisine. It's also in the Akasaka plaza (same as Ninja) and very easy to get to. Food and environment were both very good! The sea bream dish was excellent!
9. Tea house Tsujiri -- Great dessert/in between meal type of place, famous for their green tea sweets. On the weekend, you'll see long lines of locals waiting for a seat in the tea house next to the shop. We’ve been here a couple of times now and it was absolutely delicious! I really liked the green tea soba. Their desserts are very yummy too. And if they have it (it’s seasonal), you should try their green tea chocolate. They have two types, both very yummy. This place is also walking distance from Dai Ichi Hotel, you basically walk one station’s distance towards Shiodome; it's located in a shopping mall named Caretta Shiotome.
It is only 8-10 min walk from the Dai Ichi Hotel to Tsujiri. Caretta Shiotome is located at the center (a read mark) of this map; there are two hotel marks on the upper left, which are Hotel Daiichi Tokyo and Daiichi Annex. The easiest route is to first go to JR Shimbashi station, then walk through the station and enter into the subway Shimbashi station (underground); fro
m there you can walk to the Shiotome station underground. Caretta Shiotome is right near the Shiotome station (map).
10. Minamoto-no-munechika (pronounced like "Mi-Nah-Moe-Toe No Moo-Nei-Chee-Kah"): This place is at Mitaka, so be sure to go here the day you go to
5. Onsen: Ahot springs
1. Omotesando: Wonderful area with shops like LV and LaCoste along the Omatesando street. Inside Omatesando Hills (a mall on Omatesando, opened a couple of years ago) is a shop with pet couture. There were also a few ramen places around. It’s really easy to get there; just look for the subway station named Omotesando.
2. Roppongi-Hills: Another hip area for shopping. You can literally get lost inside the mall.
3. Venus Fort: Close to the hotel, a short monorail ride away in the direction of Odaiba.
Getting Around
1. Hato Bus: We were able to get around pretty much just on subway. My friend had suggested this tour bus company before though we haven’t tried it. Check it to see if it’s something that interests you.
2. Subway: We were pretty much able to get around with the Orange Ginza line the whole time.
3. JR: Make sure you differentiate between Subway & JR. It’s easy to confuse them and buy the wrong ticket (we’ve done it!) but I hear they now have visitors transit day/week passes across different transportation types so it may be easier. JR is the train. I think there may be even different train companies. If you travel outside of Tokyo to farther destinations such as Kyoto, check out the JR pass.
Excursions
1.Kamakura 
2. Hakone: Another place I've heard that's good to visit is Hakone - if you likehot springs
Where to Stay
Dai Ichi Hotel Annex: The hotel is similar to western hotels, just slightly smaller. Price is reasonable and the location is awesome. Transportation is very convenient: subway/JR entrance right under hotel, there's an airport limousine bus that stops right at the Dai Ichi Hotel next door (easy to get to/from the airport – they will help you with luggage since they’re the same company), and there are many shops/restaurants within walking distance. Note that the limousine bus stops running pretty early (around 7 or 8 p.m.) so if by the time you arrive Narita airport and the limousine bus has stopped running, just take one of the trains to Tokyo station (or whichever station that’s closest to Shimbashi station) and cab to the hotel. If you are able to get to the Shimbashi station, you can walk it. For the trip back to the airport, have the front desk schedule the airport limousine bus for you. The station by the hotel is one of the hub stations so it's really easy to get to many places. I'd recommend comparing prices between the hotel web site and expedia/travelocity/etc. I've found it cheaper at the hotel web site sometimes and at online travel sites, such as expedia/travelocity, cheaper sometimes.
Next door to Dai Ichi Hotel Annex is the main Dai Ichi Hotel. Nicer and slightly more expensive. Appropriate for more people sharing a room.
Where to Eat
Listed in no particular order below are restaurants we’ve visited in Toky o 
1. Zen no Ya 然の家: Right across Dai Ichi Hotel is the raised subway/train tracks. Underneath the tracks are some restaurants. If you cross the street from the hotel, turn right, walk to the intersection (without crossing the street), turn left, and you'll see a tunnel walkway into a few restaurants on the left. One of them (the 2nd one in, I think) serves izakaya food (Japanese pub food). We ate there one night and enjoyed it. The restaurant decor is interesting (probably your typical after work hang-out type place in Tokyo 
xpensive. Beware though of a smoky environment.
xpensive. Beware though of a smoky environment.
2. Daiwa 大和: Sushi bar in the Tsukiji fish market. You can get to Daiwa by either taking the subway (but need to transfer) or a cab. It’s pretty close to Dai Ichi Hotel so the cab fare should be cheap. Try to get there early (like 6 or 7 a.m. if you can). Expect to be in line for 1-2 hours, get squished/packed like sardines with other locals and tourists (some may even have their luggages with them!), and eat for only like 20 minutes. They don’t take credit card if I remember right, so bring cash and expect to pay a little under $100 (I forget if that’s per person or for two people). Just get the chef's special (“omakase” in Japanese), it's a nice assortment. But also get the uni if it's not within the chef's special (probably isn't)...it's absolutely delicious (and I don't even eat uni here).
On the map of the Tsukiji fish market area, A1 on the map is a subway exit but you'll probably arrive on one of the big streets on that map.Daiwa is in that blue area of the map. It's in the #6 building stall (blue area) on the list map.
3. Ten-Ichi 天一: Famous tempura bar chain. We go here every time we go toTokyo 
4. Otako Ginza: Our friend Patrick took us to an oden bar in 
3. Ten-Ichi 天一: Famous tempura bar chain. We go here every time we go to
Address: 8-6-19
Phone: 03-3571-0751
Weekdays: 17:00-24:30
Saturday: 16:00-22:30
Sunday: closed
5. Ninja: Ninja is a themed restaurant with new wave Japanese food. It's one subway station (from Shinbashi station to Akasaka station) from Dai Icih Hotel. Upon exiting the Akasaka station, cross the street and turn left; you should see the somewhat hidden door on the right before heading up the slope on the turn. It is on the pricey side though but certainly very interesting environment and food.
The reception area is a few steps down from the entryway in a room with no doors. When your table or room is ready, an experienced ninja comes out from a hidden door and lead you through a secret passage way to get to your table or room. Another ninja (your wait staff) produces a ninja scroll which contains the menu. In the middle of your meal, another ninja comes in and performs a little magic show. It's an all around fun experience. If they still have it when you go, get the "Jack in the Box" dish.
6. Jangara Ramen: This place is pretty popular ramen shop. There's one branch of this restaurant off the Akasaka station (get off the station, come up to ground level, cross the street, turn right to walk down the street, and it's about 5-10 minutes' walk).
7. Kinsen: My favorite type of Japanese cuisine is probably kaiseki cuisine. Kinsen is one of the places my friends took me to that I liked. It's not far from Dai Ichi Hotel. There are a bunch of kaiseki restaurants in
8. Zipangu: A fushion Japanese tapas cuisine. It's also in the Akasaka plaza (same as Ninja) and very easy to get to. Food and environment were both very good! The sea bream dish was excellent!
9. Tea house Tsujiri -- Great dessert/in between meal type of place, famous for their green tea sweets. On the weekend, you'll see long lines of locals waiting for a seat in the tea house next to the shop. We’ve been here a couple of times now and it was absolutely delicious! I really liked the green tea soba. Their desserts are very yummy too. And if they have it (it’s seasonal), you should try their green tea chocolate. They have two types, both very yummy. This place is also walking distance from Dai Ichi Hotel, you basically walk one station’s distance towards Shiodome; it's located in a shopping mall named Caretta Shiotome.
It is only 8-10 min walk from the Dai Ichi Hotel to Tsujiri. Caretta Shiotome is located at the center (a read mark) of this map; there are two hotel marks on the upper left, which are Hotel Daiichi Tokyo and Daiichi Annex. The easiest route is to first go to JR Shimbashi station, then walk through the station and enter into the subway Shimbashi station (underground); fro
m there you can walk to the Shiotome station underground. Caretta Shiotome is right near the Shiotome station (map). 10. Minamoto-no-munechika (pronounced like "Mi-Nah-Moe-Toe No Moo-Nei-Chee-Kah"): This place is at Mitaka, so be sure to go here the day you go to
Places to Visit
1. Hakuhinkan: I think this is the biggest toy store in Tokyo
2. Ghibli Museum: If you enjoy Miazaki classics such as Totoro, Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle, you must check out Ghibli Museum. You have to get advanced tickets in order to go to this museum though as they like to limit the # of visitors in the museum in order or provide a positive experience for all visitors. You can get advance tickets either via the JTB in the US or via Lawson markets in Tokyo Tokyo 
of weeks for processing/delivery time. Photos are not allowed indoors, but OK outdoors. To get there from Dai Ichi Hotel, take the JR Chuo Line and get off at the Kichijoji station.
3. Tsukiji fish market - Worth the visit! They’re moving in 2008, so visit while you can! When you go, drop by Maruyamanori Jugetsu. They have the most delicious green tea truffles and I love their green tea too.
4. Yasukuni Jinja 靖国神社 & Chidorigafuchi: Yasukuni Jinja is a Shinto 
shrine located in Tokyo, Japan, dedicated to the spirits of soldiers andothers who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. This area is a great place for cherry blossom viewing in the late March/early April timeframe. On Chidorigafuchi, they have lights turned on at night, allowing a night view of beautiful cherry blossoms. Around the beginning of cherry blossom season (end of March), Yasukuni Jinja has a festival that takes place in the street leading to the temple. Many food stalls, some flower stalls, and tables fill the street & accompanying area. We haven’t eaten there (cuz we were always stuffed by the time we went), but the fo
od looks interesting!
shrine located in Tokyo, Japan, dedicated to the spirits of soldiers andothers who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. This area is a great place for cherry blossom viewing in the late March/early April timeframe. On Chidorigafuchi, they have lights turned on at night, allowing a night view of beautiful cherry blossoms. Around the beginning of cherry blossom season (end of March), Yasukuni Jinja has a festival that takes place in the street leading to the temple. Many food stalls, some flower stalls, and tables fill the street & accompanying area. We haven’t eaten there (cuz we were always stuffed by the time we went), but the fo
od looks interesting!5. Onsen: A
6. Tokyo
7. National Museum of Japanese History: If you have time to kill around the airport, you can store your luggage at a locker, and head to this museum very close to the airport. It’s one station away in the city of Sakura 
...check out more places to visit such as Akihabara (electronic town) , Imperial Palace, Asakusa (where the big raimon lantern is), Tokyo Tower, etc.
Where to Shop1. Omotesando: Wonderful area with shops like LV and LaCoste along the Omatesando street. Inside Omatesando Hills (a mall on Omatesando, opened a couple of years ago) is a shop with pet couture. There were also a few ramen places around. It’s really easy to get there; just look for the subway station named Omotesando.
2. Roppongi-Hills: Another hip area for shopping. You can literally get lost inside the mall.
3. Venus Fort: Close to the hotel, a short monorail ride away in the direction of Odaiba.
Getting Around
1. Hato Bus: We were able to get around pretty much just on subway. My friend had suggested this tour bus company before though we haven’t tried it. Check it to see if it’s something that interests you.
2. Subway: We were pretty much able to get around with the Orange Ginza line the whole time.
3. JR: Make sure you differentiate between Subway & JR. It’s easy to confuse them and buy the wrong ticket (we’ve done it!) but I hear they now have visitors transit day/week passes across different transportation types so it may be easier. JR is the train. I think there may be even different train companies. If you travel outside of Tokyo to farther destinations such as Kyoto, check out the JR pass.
Excursions
1.
2. Hakone: Another place I've heard that's good to visit is Hakone - if you like
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