Going to Japan as part of Honeymoon soon. Know of any good spots to go?

Hey all,

I'm getting married in mid-June and as part of the honeymoon I've asked to go to Tokyo, Japan for 3 nights. We're staying at the 'Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku' and with my - extremely - limited Japanese vocabulary I'm not sure where's the best places to visit. :shrug:

My wife-to-be is allergic to fish, egg and beef, so if anyone knows how best to avoid those ingrediants in restaurants (or which chains offer menus in english), that'd be greatily apprecited.

I'm defanitely going to drag her through Akihabara (one of the main reasons I'm going!), but where else is - reasonably - easy to get to from our hotel's location?

All and any advice would be gretaily appreciated! :thumbsup:

Andrew

 

My favorite neighborhood in Tokyo is Ginza. If you're getting a day in aki, your wife should get a day in ginza.

The old, original Tokyo train station is right on the edge of Ginza, so you can start by taking the subway there. It's a beautiful old building. I would then recommend going right to the Sony building which is 8 (or more) stories tall of all things sony and should be fun for anyone, gamer/geek or not.

Then, I would walk a block or so over to visit the Tokyo International Forum, which is free to enter and is one of the most amazing architectural sights in all of Japan - it's my favorite building in all of Asia, actually. There's not much to do there, but you should walk in and make your way up the walkways on the edge - you can go all the way to the top of it if you like.

The Imperial Palace is within walking distance, so that could be the main activity for the day - walking around the old grounds, etc.

Finally, Ginza is the fashion district in Tokyo, so while I can't remember the name of the main street with all the shops, etc., you should go there after the sun sets - they close off the road to traffic and everyone just walks in the street, etc. and all the shops are open.

If you want to eat at a nice (not too expensive) place with english translations and international-friendly staff, go to the Dentsu building (huge monster skyscraper on the far edge of ginza) and go to the top floor. There are a few restaurants on the top floor that are nice places to eat.

In fact, down underneath the Dentsu building, in one of the courtyards formed by another big skyscraper, is an Irish pub, although I have never eaten there.

I would think your wife would like Ginza ...


ALSO: I recommend you do your akihabara time at night. It just seems more authentic somehow - more what you always though aki would be like. Who wants to root through old electronics when the hot sun is out anyway ?

 

It does depend on what you want to do, Ginza is a nice place to visit as stated, it also has a large number of galleries too, and it's a short walk to the imperial palace too, you can also visit then Ueno park which has a number of musuems, galleries and a zoo then you can go to Asakusa for the Asakusa shrine, there is also a quaint little theme park close by which is very old fashioned.

To get to Akihabara just talk the Chou-Sobu line from Shinjuku to Akihabara, if you take a Chou rapid train then get off at Ochanomizu and either walk the 10 minutes to Akihabara (it's a nice walk in the Summer), jump on the next Chou-Sobu line train or just go to Kanda station where you can get on the Ginza metro line (see below). You might want to go to Suidoubashi station and visit the Tokyo Dome, there are two theme parks there which are nice to spend a little time at.

If you walk down the main Akihabara road you will get to Suehirochō Station and you will join the Ginza line which will take you to Ginza, Ueno and Asakusa.

If you like anime too, then just on the Chou - Sobu line and visit Nakano too and you'll be able to visit Mandarake and see how expensive rare games are.

You could also go south to Harajuku, where you can see lots of interesting fashion and walk around the nice Yoyogi park or go one stop further and go to Shibuya (also a Mandarake there too).

As for food, if you wife is very allergic to fish then treat Japanese food with caution as you'll be surprised on how much dried fish is added to food. Just don't be an western tourist and go to Kentucky Fried Cat or McMurders (if you must have a burger go to Mosburger or something).

 

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated! :icon_bigg Sounds like Ginza is the place to take the missus-to-be, so that those train station tips (and Akihabara night time tip) will be lodged in my brain.

I realise how difficult it'll be to not get fish-based meals in Tokyo, but I have no plans on being too Western. It'll - probably - be the only chance I'll get to go to Japan, so I plan on making the most of the culture there and trying out my limited Japanese. :dance:

I just need to make sure that I don't land the (then) Wife in hospital as that'd be a bit of a downer on the honeymoon and ruin the other 3 stops we have planned! OH:

Andrew

 

I want to strongly anti-recommend this. The Imperial Palace (at least the parts of the grounds you can walk through) is now just a deserted, paved, empty park with no human touches. There's a garden of trees and ponds and such which would probably be nice when you go, and a tiny museum, but that's it.

As for Ginza, I actually stayed there last time I went, and unless you're planning on shopping in ultra-high-end stores there didn't seem like much of a point. Besides, unless you like getting ripped off, you shouldn't be shopping for anything in Japan unless you're looking for something that literally is available nowhere else.

Hmm, my recommendations:
- Seconding the Ueno Park/Tokyo Dome City area; good place to do some tourist-ing. There's a tall public building somewhere around there where you can walk in, go up to the top and see a good view... but I forget the name of it :banghead:
- It might sound like a downer, but one of the absolute nicest places in Tokyo is the gaijin sections of Aoyama Cemetery - in my opinion it's a must.
- If either of you are into Japanese books or manga, definitely check out the Ochanomizu/Jimbocho area, which has a big used-book district
- A really nice place to just walk around a bit was Kunitachi, a sort of university town in Tokyo which can be gotten to by taking the JR west from Shinjuku or some such
- If you're in the mood for mall-ing, try Sunshine City, Ikebukuro; or Decks and Venusfort in Odaiba
- You might check out the infamous Yasukuni Shrine war museum in Chiyoda if you're into that sort of history stuff.... AND they have flea markets on Sundays :lol:
- Anti-recommending Shibuya unless you just want to see the stereotypical "Ultra Modern '90s Japan"

Anyway that's all I can think of at the moment...

 

Wow, you are so ridiculously fucked it's not even funny. I don't eat any meat other than seafood, but I can tell you even I get a little worried with roughly (fuck, I can't believe I'm about to say this) 16 years of the language under my belt. Sounds like chicken and rabbit food is your only option? I would recommend yakitori restaurants. There's quite a few California Cuisine type places that are good, and have English speaking staff. Fujimama's in Harajuku is worth checking out. You can count the vegan joints in town on both hands. You can throw a rock and hit an Italian joint, so that'll probably be easy as well. I would recommend learning the Japanese for the words she's allergic to, "does it contain", and "allergy". Also be prepared for retarded answers. I was once told my pasta didn't have "meat" in it... even though there were shards of bacon in there. "It's bacon, not meat".

Shit to do:
-You're on your honey moon -- try out a love hotel
-Shinjuku Gyoen: You're walking distance from it, and it's gorgeous.
-Meiji Shrine + Yoyogi park. Everyone does this. Go on a Sunday and catch the loli freak show at the front gate, and the 50's greasers doing the twist around the corner.
-Aoyama Cemetry++ -- a great site, and there's rarely many people there.
-Shibuya is worth going to on a weekend for 1) Scramble Kousaten, as anyone that's been to Japan needs a picture of 2000 people crossing the street at once, and 2) the bizarre fassion and shitloads of it. It has some of the best bars in town and fine dining as well if you know where to look. You will have to dodge some scum though.
-Lunch/Brunch at the Park Hyatt Deli in Shinjuku. It's about a 1k walk from the Tochou (Metropolitan Building). I have to take an extra pair of underwear when I go as I spontaneously ejaculate. Half of their menu will suit your wife's very demanding food needs as well. It's definitely not a cheap lunch, but it is definitely the best one in town. I'd take this over Nobu's lunch any day.
-A rush hour train. 8:30 AM would be the best time. From Shinjuku, I would take the Keio line to Meidaimae (3 stops), then take the Inokashira to Shibuya (this is the crowded part) then the Yamonte either back to Shinjuku, or some area where you want to go.
-Kamakura, but you only have 3 days in Tokyo? Might want to skip this.

My non-recommends:
-Asakusa: You're miles away from it, and it's really lame (and ugly)

 

I think that was just a commentary on the relative quality of their bacon :lol:

 

Make sure you visit Shinjuku at night though, there are also lots of nice traditional bars / restaurants (->Izakaya) around if you look between the Karaoke and amusement stuff.

 

I hope your misses to be likes games too, as updating your game collection during your honeymoon doesn't sound very romantic

 

If you are dragging her through Akihabara, for god's sake allow her some shopping time or your marriage could be ending rather soon. I cannot think of a better place to shop in that Japan so unleash her in,

Marui (shinjuku/shibuya)
Isetan (Shinjuku)
109 (shibuya, if she likes that kind of thing)
Harajuku (takeshita street - for cheaper things)

All the above have a lot of assistance for foreign people with no Japanese.

EDIT, got to loft as well, every foreign girl I know falls in love with loft.

 

Make sure you know what dishes are a no go, as Japanese people aren't that keen on realizing what actually contains meat and what not. I met a guy with a similar condition while in Fukuoka and they tried to get him to eat okonomiyaki (fish ingredients) and Tonkotsu ramen(meat) after he had told them he couldn't. If you take a lonely planet with you, I know there's atleast 3 vegan restaurants listed which might be a good choice.

 

Someone I know has an allergy for sesame seeds, big problem as sesame oil is widely used in foods in Japan.
Still, she got around fine with a simple Japanese text asking staff for food without sesame oil. She even said Japanese people take the matter more serious than most people in Europe. They even prepared her special dishes.

Sure, there might always be ignorant people, but if you take the time to prepare a small text in Japanese (not English), there shouldn't be any problems.

And here's a few recommendations:

- Japanese traditional garden 'Rikugien' in Komagome (try the tea house)
- If you are into traditional Japanese foods, try Ningyocho/Suitengumae (near Nihombashi). Loads of tea shops, Japanese sweets, 'Ningyo-yaki'/'Tai-yaki',... ;-)
- If you plan on going to Asakusa, avoid the main street (mainly cheap stuff for tourists) and head into small streets where you will find nicer shops.

 

Good idea to take a sheet of paper with you which explains your soon-to-be wife's condition and what she cannot eat translated. That will save you a lot of grief I think. You don't want to worry about that, or have her be sick while in a foreign country on the honeymoon.

 

Cheers for all the input everyone, seriously apprecited! :thumbsup::nod:

To be fair, we're going on a RTW trip and Japan is the first stop of 4 (Brisbane, LA and San Fran' being the last 3). Tokyo is 'my' choice, so she's very much prepared for me going into electronic/gaming shops (but I do also plan on checking out as much traditional Japanese culture as possible). She's not stupid, but she's cool with it, as Brisbane is her choice of stops, so we'll go wherever she wants to on that. :icon_bigg (Besides, if you think I'm going to fly however long it takes to get to Tokyo only to 'stay in bed' , then I'd need a hard slap! ;-)).

Really, really good idea about having the allegies written down in Japanese beforehand, that'd save a shitload of hassle without a doubt (my Japanese speaking knowledge is very limited, very basic phrases). I really don't want to have to stick to more western restaurants (she mainly eats chicken tbh), so I'll check out a lonely planet pocket guide and take it with me as back up. :icon_bigg

Some excellent suggestions on where to visit, so I'm very glad I posted this thread here, it's been - by far - the most useful of any of the forums I've asked the same question in! ray:

Andrew

 

Some other useful things to note.

Hyperdia is a great little website to work out routes, times and prices around Japan

Metro, JR and Private lines in the Tokyo metro area. Only a small part of it is useful, however most Metro maps won't show the Yurikamome monorail (Odaiba / Tokyo Bay area) or any routes out of the Yamanote area.

Google maps does have a good map of Tokyo with most important things in English

Guide to the Suica card, a prepaid rechargable card system that will get you through ticket barriers quicker and you won't have to mess around with coins to buy tickets, more importantly you can use the Suica card in convience stores (generally everywhere) and at drink vending machines in the station. You can buy a Suica card at the Airport too, just go to the blue vending machine and press the English button.

To get from Narita to Shinjuku you can take the

JR NEX Y3110, 1hr 25 minutes (approx), 0 changes, reserved seat and luggage space

or the

Skyliner to Nippori (Y1920) and the Yamanote Line to Shinjuku (Y190), Y2110, also 1hr 25minutes (approx), 1 change... reserved seat on Skyliner and normal train on the Yamanote.

or if you want to be cheap

Keisei Line Limited Express to Nippori (Y1000) and then the Yamanote line to Shinjuku (Y190), Y1190, 1 hour and 36 minutes (approx), 1 Change, normal seat but if you aren't travelling at rush hour (after 10am and before 4pm) then it's not too bad.

A lot of places in Akihabara won't open until 11am and close around 8pm, so there is little point going there too early, on the weekend it's super busy. In fact a lot of shops don't open until 10am but are open late, some places won't open until 12 so do some research first.

Make plans of where you want to go, Hyperdia should give you a idea of travelling times between places and google maps will show you where they are.

 

Take a notepad too, and do a nice loop around. Too many times I've seen something in one place, and then seen it way cheaper in the enxt.

 

I hear the g-spot is pretty nice, this time of year. [sorry, I'm still in my first year of marriage :icon_bigg]
-ud

 

The day is drawing near, by this time next week I'll have the ball and chain - metaphorically - chained to my leg forever! :noooo: :lol:

Going to sort out a few things via the links on this page and plan (as best as possible) the 3 days in Tokyo. Would anyone here be helpful enough to write the Japanese for: "My wife is allergic to fish, eggs and beef!"? (Or whatever phrase best works for the same effect). I'd be eternally grateful! ray: Even just the Romanji would be helpful, as I'm sure they'd be able to read that.

So yea, in 8 days time I'll be in Tokyo, can't f'ing wait! :033::033:

Watched some videos of the Super Potato store in Akihabara today, I reckon I'm going to have to show some serious spending restraint... :crying:

 

Hmmmmm..... it's a shame you have only 3 days and in Tokyo at that.

Hakone when not peak season can be a delightful place and the onsen around Gora are wonderful. I'd say pick the best hotel you can afford and enjpy the 3 days as best you can.

Is this near the end of the honeymoon? I'd be killed for suggesting Akiba on my honeymoon but then it's only 20 minutes from where we used to live.

Here's some useful info on love hotels, maybe you can find a fun theme?

http://www.tokyo.to/backissues/apr00/tj0400p6-10/