Tokyo Things to Do Tips by Wild_Orchid

Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) is a shrine dedicated to the the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji was the revered first emperor of modern Japan. He ascended to the throne in 1868 & passed away in 1912. The Meiji Shrine was completed in 1920, but was destroyed in World War Two & rebuilt.

Walking through the wooded, shady grounds towards the shrine, my soul felt at peace and my cares faded away. Outside the shrine, I bought some charms to bless my children and our family and to remind me of this special place.

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Address: Yoyogi Kamizono-cho, Shibuya-ku
Directions: Close to Harajuku JR station and Tokyo Metro station (look for the Meiji-jingu exit)

Close to the Yoyogi Park.
Website: http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/

Asakusa is one of the 23 districts of Tokyo and has the distinction of being the oldest in modern-day Tokyo that has been preserved well to this day. Asakusa is also known as the Thunder District because the God of Thunder lives here. Look out for this God when you are at the temple grounds.

The Sensoji Temple (700 AD) is well over a thousand years old. The temple and the adjacent Nakamise shopping area have been preserved well. It is lively all year round as it attracts many local tourists and also foreigners keen to have a taste of what ancient Tokyo must have been like.

The Sensoji is also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple (named so for the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) and is a must-see when in Tokyo. Apart from the shrine, it is also home to a five-storied pagoda.



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Address: Taito-ku
Directions: Served by the Tokyo Metro and Tobu lines.

Look for the Kaminarimon Gate with the huge red lantern (see pics)
Website: http://www.asakusashichifukujin.jp/

At this lively temple, there are always people thronging around the large urn at the middle of the temple courtyard. Curious to know what was going on, I enquired with the guide and I was told that the people believed that the smoke from the incense burning here would provide blessings and luck. After observing the rituals, I decided to join in and proceeded to wave the smoke towards me, and patted the smoke onto my hands and hair.

After that, I joined tourists to capture the magic moments on film.

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Phone: 03-3842 0181
Address: Taito-ku
Directions: Opens: 6.00 - 17.00 (6.30 in Oct - Mar) 365 days
Asakusa Station
The free Tokyo Metropolitan Government Map has good directions. Please obtain your free map from the TMG towers (see later tips) at Shinjuku.
Website: http://www.asakusashichifukujin.jp/

For a glimpse into Japanese teenage lifestyle and culture, take the JR train to Harajuku station. Upon alighting, cross the main street and look out for the entrance to Takeshita Dori, a narrow pedestrian street where you will find cheap and chic fashions, accessories such as sun-glasses, charm bracelets, earrings, trendy silver toe rings and knick-knacks.

You really cannot miss it - just look out for the crowds of 15-19 year olds streaming out onto the street from the station.

Want to purchase one of those cute short pleated school girl skirts, or a pair of army camoflauge pants, maybe even a gothic housemaid's costume in red and black leather - this is the place you would want to come to!

There are numerous side-streets and shops that are located at street level, at basement level and also on upper floors. Takeshita Dori is certainly popular with the 15-something crowd, and when I was there, there was a documentary or movie being shot (see pics).

Don't miss it!

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Address: Jingu Mae, Shibuya-ku
Directions: Tokyo Metro OMOTE-SANDO / JINGU-MAE

Where once there had been tea plantations (circa 1880), Shibuya is now a very leafy shopping & cultural district. It is home to the famous multi-storied bright yellow Towers Record shop, the famous silver roofed Shibuya 109 department store with roof top video studio store, and home to numerous other international fashion brands. What's the pricing like, you might ask - it's more certainly expensive than the same item in HK, Singapore or Malaysia, but take note, the customer service is always excellent, whether you are simply browsing or seriously shopping. Change rooms are large, clean and there's usually a seat to rest your tired feet.

I was here on a Sunday morning and the streets (around Meiji Dori) was really rather quiet, with a few families seated at their favourite Cafe enjoying a leisurely breakfast.

The statue of the faithful dog Hachiko can also be found here- at one of the main entrances to Shibuya JR station (the entrance if named for the dog).

For those with a bit more time, check out the TEPCO Electric Energy Museum (Denryokukan: open Thursdays to Tuesdays from 10 am to 6pm) - it has 8 floors of electrical gadgets for curious adults and children to handle and play with.

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Address: Shibuya-ku
Directions: JR / Tokyo Metro SHIBUYA
Website: http://www.welcome-shibuya.co.jp/

The TMG Building No.1 is the tallest building in Tokyo, with 48 stories that tower 240 metres into the sky. It has a twin tower named, surprise, surprise, TMG Building No.2!

Not nearly as tall as Malaysia's own Petronas Twin Towers, it was still worth a visit to the observatory which commands a sweeping view of Tokyo. The part I enjoyed the most was seeing the large green part of Tokyo that was the grounds consisting of Yoyogi Park, Imperial Palace and the Meiji Shrine. It was really a contrast to the rest of Tokyo. As you can see, Tokyo is not all tall buildings but also has well-preserved greenery and low rise residential areas.

Best of all, it's free: One of the few things in Tokyo that IS free. Don't miss it!
Handy Tip for Tourists: Do pick up the Welcome to Tokyo TOKYO Handy Guide from TMG, or Haneda Airport Terminal 1F or at Keisei Ueno Station (in front of the ticket gate). It contains useful information on all the best places to visit and transport tips as well. Yes, it's in ENGLISH!
Open year round. Closed 29-31st Dec & 2-3 January. Re-open on Jan 1st to view the first sunrise of the new year.

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Phone: 03-5321-1111
Address: 2-8-1 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Directions: On the Tokyo Metro - Nishi Shinjuku station
or take the JR line to Shinjuku and look for the Tokyo Metropolitan or Western exits
Website: http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/

The Tokyo Bay area was the result of landfill activities around the river. The man-made island of Rinkai Fukutoshin (served by the Rinkai monorail line which loops around the island), better known as Odaiba, is home to Tokyo's architectural innovations.

There are a number of interesting tourists attractions here. Among them is the futuristic Fuji TV building (near Daiba station), Museum of Marine Science (opens daily from 10 am to 5pm) and the large grey Telecom Centre, and the Museum of the Future (opens daily from 10 am to 5 pm, closed on Tuesdays)-which showcases Japan's hi-tech achievements.

There is also a beautiful pedestrian Rainbow Bridge (illuminated at night it is very pretty) from which you can see the Statue of Liberty, a large Ferris Wheel (said to be the largest in the world), which is located in Pallette Town, which has shopping, cinemas and amusements for the whole family. (The mall at Pallette town is written up under my shopping tips). The main Toyota car showroom is also located within this mall.

For those who have more time, instead of taking the monorail or JR line, you could also do a river cruise here.

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Address: Daiba, Minato-ku
Directions: Rinkai Monorail Line
Yurikamome ODAIBA-KAIHIN-KOEN
Opposite the JR Shimbashi Station on the Yamanote Line

My first evening was spent at Roppongi Hills, a trendy new development opened in 2003.The Mori Tower with its 54 floors dominate the skyline & houses an Art Centre. Adjacent to the Mori Tower are a few more buildings occupied by shops and restaurants, as well as the luxury Grand Hyatt Hotel (see second pics).

I was there in the evening & had coffee & ice-cream at the Mori Garden, a traditional Japanese garden given a modern touch. Just next to the garden is the TV Asahi building & it was there that I bumped into the famous TV star Doraemon, who’s one of my children’s favourite TV personality. (see third pics)

Behind the Mori Tower runs the Roppongi Keyakizaka Street with more cafes and luxury brand shops such as Louis Vuitton.

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Address: Minato-ku
Directions: Tokyo Metro Roppongi
and
within walking distance of JR Akasaka station

Brightly lit pachinko parlours are found all over Tokyo. Inside their loud & somewhat smoky interior, you’ll find rows of people (mainly men) sitting fixated in front of machines as they play with their balls.
The machines are a cross between a pinball machine & a slot machine.

To play the game, you insert money into the machine to get a credit of the steel balls. The aim of the game is to have the balls fall from the top of the machine into special holes at the bottom. The balls seem to fall like an endless stream of water, which sets the player into somekind of hypnotic trance. The balls then bounce around a network of nails as they do so, and it is purely by chance whether they fall into those holes – most don’t. When they do, you’ll get a bonus of more balls to play with plus it activates the slot machine feature & three identical pictures will give you even more balls.

If you win balls, you can exchange them into goods that are available at the parlour. But as gambling is illegal in Japan, you can only exchange those goods for cash at a "secret" location outside, away from the parlour. (darn if I know where to make the exchange!)

I popped in to have a look around and was momentarilly mersmerized by the smoke, noise and lights reflecting of the steel balls. Came to my senses a few minutes later, and so no, I didn't actually stop to play ball!

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Address: All over Tokyo
Directions: This one was at Shinjuku, near the big Cinema near Times Square area.

Getting to Disneyland or Disney Sea Tokyo is really very easy from either Tokyo, Shinjuku or Narita Airport. From Tokyo, it takes about 45 minutes.

You can use the JR Keiyo line to Maihama station, and switch to the Disney resort Line. This little circular loop, covers about 5 km and 4 station stops.

For those going to DisneyLand, there is no need to get onto this internal monorail, as it is only a short walk from JR Maihama station to the Disneyland entrance. However, for those opting for Disney Sea, it is advisable to pay 200 yen to get you there.

Before you go, do click on the picture to check out the unique Mickey Mouse shaped windows and hand straps. You won't be able to stop yourself from smiling all through out this very short ride!

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Phone: 045-683-3333
Address: 1-1 Maihama, Urayasu-shi, Chiba-ken
Directions: take the JR to Maihama Station and switch to the Disney Resort Line.
Website: http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/drl/index_e.html