Four Nights in Tokyo

1. Very easy. Just take a Keisei limited express from the airport station direct to Ueno. Around twice hourly, 1000 yen, 75 min. No need to waste money on Skyliner - you only gain about 10 min and pay extra 920 yen.
   2. That's a very wide question. Depends on what you are interested in - historical sights, museums, arts, shopping, nightlife, sports, theatre, hobbies etc. Tokyo probably has the widest selection of eating places at all price levels anywhere in the world. It depends on what you are looking for. Give us more ideas and we will advise further.
   3. Not really. Typical subway fare within Central Tokyo is 160 to 190 yen, and a day's unlimited pass costs 710 or 700 yen (for one of the two systems). So you need to ride at least 4 to 5 times before you start to save money. Better to get a Suica card from JR station and store credit on it - this way you only need to touch the pad at entry and exit gates for the correct fare to be deducted, even if you change lines. It's valid on virtually all lines, JR or others, and many of the buses too. There is no discount as such and there's a 500 yen deposit, but convenience makes it worthwhile. I now use it all the time when I'm in Tokyo.

i recommend to eat around Ueno Station, there are some nice and cheap noodle bars and stuff there

If one goes to Ueno ya must check this out :

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3012.html<BR><BR>Dont miss the old style yakitori places in Yurakucho, sitting outside as bullet trains whizz by above.

Also try the NS Biru building in West Shinjuku. Its a massive atrium, about 20 floors, and the top two are filled with very reasonable eateries and bars. The fantastic amazing view at night is free!!

Agree with #2, Ueno have great and cheap food places around JR Ueno station, called Ameyokocho, good insight into Japanese markets where fresh produce and fish is sold. Further down the lane are some reasonable sushi Kaiten restaurant, average price 115 yen with the better quality sushi going at 315 yen, Ramen noodle places usually around 600-700 yen. Besides food, it has some bargain places for clothes and shoes.

Thanks very much all of you.

re #1 - I appreciate that the question was very open. Basically we will be looking to see as much 'must-sees' as possible during our time in Tokyo. I already have a few sights pencilled in, such as Ueno Zoo and the main temples, as well as the national museum. We won't be going for raging nightlife or anything but we like a nice chilled meal and a few drinks (don't we all!) and hope to meet some like-minded people along the way. Personally I am more interested in the historical sights but my girlfriend will be less interested in these and be more interested in the zoo, nice parks and good food! I had hoped to be able to see some Sumo wrestling but I understand we miss the tournament when we're there, which is a shame.

No sumo tournament - only in 'odd-numbered' months (Jan, May and Sept at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan). You will find the nearby Edo Tokyo Museum informative and fun, showing what Edo (Tokyo) looked like in the past. Go to Harajuku and Omotesando on Sundays to meet Japanese youths in outrageous dress and make-up, as well as street performers. Shibuya and Shinjuku provide more of the same, as well as more shopping and entertainment. Go to Ginza for cutting-edge and expensive shopping, and Akihabara has become a must-stop for anyone interested in IT, consumer electronics, photography (also Shinjuku) and anime. Good restaurants are scattered all over Tokyo, so use a guide like Tokyo Metropolitan to narrow your choice. Odaiba (on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay) provides some futuristic entertainment, more shopping and eating possibilities. Roppongi attracts a lot of resident and visiting foreigners to its many bars and restaurants, but I'd rather go to nearby Roppongi Hills and Azabu Juban for more interesting selections. There is only a limited amount of historical sights left in Tokyo, as most were destroyed in earthquakes, fires and in wartime bombing. Asakusa's Senso-ji can be called a spiritual home for Tokyoites, as is the vast Meiji Jingu (enshrining the Emperor Meiji who brought about the Westernisation of Japan in 19th century). And you can get up early one weekday to go to the lively Tsukiji fish market. Tokyo sadly lacks open space, but Hama Rikyu garden near Tsukiji has a pretty Japanese garden and tea room.

Try some eel (unagi), there's an eel restaurant right across from Ueno park, you can get an eel bento with tempura (or sashimi) for something like Y2000-Y2500

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Tokyo sadly lacks open space<hr></blockquote>

I don't particularly agree with this.

I didn't realize about the Keisei limited express, agree it's worth 10 minutes to pay half the cost of the Skyliner...

I always take the Keisei Limited Express. If you get on at Ueno on the way to Narita you're pretty much guaranteed a seat, and only 1,000 yen!

While Tokyo isn't exactly famous for its parks, there is Yoyogi Park, Shinjuku Gyoen, lots of other small parks tucked into various places around the city- I like Hibiya Koen and Kitanomaru Koen next to the Budokan, and of course the huge open space in front of the Imperial Palace as well.

Hi

My wife and I spent 5-6 days in Tokyo a couple of years back and I have posted a trip report with pictures on my homepage. I have also made an interactive Google map that shows the location of some of the attractions that we visited. We used the subway a lot to get around town and that was fast and efficient :-) Well, take a look at the trip report and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions :-)