Tokyo Travel Overview: There is one major train from the airport to the main train station in Tokyo, Shinjuku station.
Once in Tokyo, the local line is a literal circle, called the Yamanote Line. This will take you to hotspots, like Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinegawa. It’s the GREEN line. And it either goes clockwise, or counter clockwise.
The card to use is called the SUICA card to get on the GREEN line. Easy.
The bullet train needs the JR Rail pass, and will take you to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima etc.
March 7th Day 1 Tokyo
OK everyone lands around 2:45 PM by the time we get out of the airport to the hotel we check into in our rooms. It’ll probably be around 6 PM so we should take the first night to explore the area we’re staying in get dinner and rest early.
5-6pm check-in to Via Inn Shinjuku
We check out in 3 days so settle in.
I say stock up on toiletries and snacks at these Grocery and convenience stores, right down the street.
7pm Dinner in Shinjuku area or Sleep
Walk around shinjuki, explore the pachinko gaming slots, the stores, shops
Options for Dinner - conveyor belt sushi
Or
Ramen
10pm piss alley bars
March 8th Day 2 Tokyo
This is the first night after sleep. Rest in, everyone gets breakfast on their own. Meet at the train station because we are all going to Meiji Shrine.
8-10am Breakfast on own.
Here are convenience store options, very close.
10:30 - 11AM Meet up at the Via Inn Lobby. We will take either the subway or taxis to Tokyo Tower
10:30am - walk to Shinjuku Station JR Rail Office
Everyone must bring their passports and go in person to get our JR Passes. Anna will have the exchange voucher, and we will use this to exchange for our 7 day JR Pass, which you can use for the bullet trains from Tokyo - Kyoto, along with select subways in each city.
At the office, you will be asked to present your passport and which day you’d like to activate your pass
Lucey / Don / Joe - you will activate your pass on the day we go to the office (March 8th)
Kaelyn / Anna’s mom + dad - you will activate your pass on March 9th
Anna / Sean - we will activate our pass on March 10th
While we’re at the JR transit office, we will get everyone Suica transit cards. This will allow you to pay for public transportation all over Japan if your JR pass isn’t covered (which is most metro subways, buses, etc. Suica cards can also be used to pay for other things such as shopping, just look for the logos below to see if a place accepts this form of payment.
If you run out of funds on your Suica card, you can top off at any train station (note that these kiosks will be CASH ONLY). If you have a bunch of money left on the Suica card by the time you leave, you can return the card to any JR transit office and get a refund
11am: Tokyo Tower
https://goo.gl/maps/n2GnFajjrqmpywPm8
Standing 333 meters high in the center of Tokyo, Tokyo Tower (東京タワー) is the world's tallest, self-supported steel tower and 3 meters taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower. A symbol of Japan's post-war rebirth as a major economic power, Tokyo Tower was the country's tallest structure from its completion in 1958 until 2012 when it was surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree. In addition to being a popular tourist spot, Tokyo Tower serves as a broadcast antenna.
Meet at the base/ticket area of Tokyo Tower at 1pm
1-2pm: Explore harajuku: Food & Shops
Harajuku is a neighborhood in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan, known for its fashion and street culture. It is particularly famous for its Takeshita Street, a popular shopping destination for teenage fashion and accessories. Harajuku is also home to Meiji Shrine, which I just mentioned earlier, as well as several other historical places such as the Yoyogi Park, Jingu Stadium and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. It's a popular spot for tourists, but also for Japanese people to enjoy themselves.
Harajuku Gyozaro specializes in mass producing pan-fried and steamed Gyoza. I see this shop as more of a quick stop or a snack place, although with enough Gyoza pieces you could definitely make a meal out of it! This shop has been around for a long time and they've been dishing up Gyoza for years. It's a simple food to prepare, so the cook time and turnaround is pretty quick. If there's a queue, it goes by fairly quickly. What I can say is that the price is astonishingly cheap. 6 Gyoza for 340¥. Extremely affordable.
3-5PM - Break - Return to Via Inn to Rest & Relax or continue exploring.
Optional: Dominique ansel dessert
7:30pm Shibuya crossing
Shibuya Crossing is a popular, busy pedestrian crossing located in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan. It is said to be one of the busiest intersections in the world, with thousands of people crossing the street at any given time. The area is also known for its shopping, entertainment, and nightlife.
The crossing is right outside the second busiest station in the world, Shibuya station, which has about 3 million passengers a day, and Shibuya is a very popular area with something for everybody, although it’s especially popular with young people, there’s a huge amount of bars, restaurants, cafes, clothes shops (everything from luxury brands to cheap teenager oriented clothing) every other kind of shop you can imagine: skincare, drug stores, toy shops, gift shops, department stores, ikea, anime related shops, home centers, etc. as well as karaoke, soaplands, girls bars, clubs. A lot of people work there, and a lot of people go there for fun, shopping, drinking, etc.
Meeting Point: stone doggy
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5tWhK3iutTWQTKek8?g_st=ic
SHOPPING SUGGESTIONS
https://goo.gl/maps/Pmpj7K9WYusq9rXH7
10PM Return to Via Inn
March 9th: Day 3 Tokyo
By now you're either really full of food, feet might hurt and you may be jet lagged. Skip a couple meals because we're going to the world renowned Japanese fish market today.
8-10am Breakfast on own. again.
Here are convenience store options, very close.
10:30 - 11AM Meet up at the Via Inn Lobby, Take Taxis to Tsukiji fish market
10:30am Tsukiji Fish Market
Tsukiji Fish Market, also known as Tsukiji fish market, was one of the largest wholesale fish and seafood markets in the world and was also one of Tokyo's most popular tourist destinations.
11 - 1pm Free for all - Squid Food stalls, sushi stalls, explore explore.
Recommendations:
Beef Wagyu Skewers, Squid Seafood. Watch out for long vendor lines.
Now the agenda splits.
optional
11am: TeamLabs Planet
https://goo.gl/maps/P9TohhPWBLEUMrm19
This is an exciting, unique and bordering on mind-blowing experience. Stunning. Engages your senses on multiple levels. I have never experienced anything like this before. Well worth a visit. Queues are long but to be expected. Make sure to wear shorts, you'll see why but if you haven't got any they'll supply them for you. Would have preferred a bit longer in each room but given how popular it is I can see why time is restricted, a victim of its own success
1PM: Tokyo station - underground city
https://goo.gl/maps/Jt2TewVk4an8ad7G8
The main building is stunning, western red brick constitution. Just been refurbished to it's former glory. Night skyline is gorgeous. The station itself is absolutely massive, connecting all kinds of trains. Hub for the whole country. You can spend days here for shopping and eating. Very easy to get lost in the underground mall.
1PM: Ginza Neighborhood
https://goo.gl/maps/gc8H1DRCuBarnD5BA
One of the city’s top shopping districts, Ginza is packed with upmarket boutiques and ritzy cocktail and sushi bars. Fine jewelry is sold in the 1930s Wako Honkan department store, while ultramodern Ginza Place specializes in high-tech electronics. On weekends, main drag Chuo Dori becomes a stylish pedestrian promenade. Traditional Japanese dance and drama is staged at the landmark Kabuki-za theater.
https://goo.gl/maps/QrR5xXHcg7P73whb6
Tokyo Skytree is a must go place if you are visiting Tokyo! Really cool area lot of cool stuff to see and do around sky tree lots of gift shops and a mall too. The Skytree itself is awesome usually there is a little bit of a wait 30-60 minutes to go up but it is worth the wait. Maybe if you go on a weekday it might be better I’ve always gone on weekends. Very fun trip and thing to do. Awesome view of Tokyo and on a clear day Yokohama as well. Very awesome pictures and shows how big Tokyo really is which is very impressive, it seems like buildings keep going as far as you can see. Very cool definitely go to the top of you ever get a chance very fun and awesome views of Tokyo.
4PM-5pm: Sensō-ji Temple (NExt to skytree)
https://goo.gl/maps/Xas8E4s31RQGSuQs9
The iconic Senso-ji temple where locals and overseas visitors all flock to pay their respects and marvel in this glorious temple complex. An abundance of people making wishes and seeking knowledge.
Great for night markets, beautfiul lights and shops light up at night Senso Ji
6PM - 9PM Anna's Bachelorette Party
9PM - Midnight - Pack for the trip to Kyoto tomorrow
Kyoto March 10th Friday 2023
EVERYONE GOING TO KYOTO Together. Everybody meet at XX in the lobby. We all go to the Train station together.
The general gist of Kyoto: Day 1 we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto and enjoy the bars. Sean and Anna check-in to the Park Hyatt. We go to Kyoto bars and that strip for a group dinner. Night time activities will follow, and guests can join at Park Hyatt bar at night.
Park Hyatt checkin
Kyoto March 11th Saturday 2023
This is the first full Kyoto tourist day. Full options of itineraries are below
Lodging: Kyoto Four Seasons
Clicking that above link will bring you to the full wedding schedule of activities. This is it!
Kyoto March 13th Monday 2023
Parties split
March 14th
