tokyo

[fabulosity]

Hey ladies! I'm not sure where the Japan thread went but I need help with my tokyo itinerary. will be heading there Jan. 18-22. been to tokyo twice already so this is probably gonna be mostly a shopping trip. Any recommendations on places where i can buy these items?

stuff i wanna buy: garcia marquez bags
boots
hard shell spinner luggage
cosmetics (chacott, rmk, kate, canmake, etc.)
sanrio goods
palty hair dye
transparent umbrella

Any suggestions on other must buy items?

Also, i need your thoughts on what to do early in the morning besides tsukiji, too touristy for me.

was planning to play pachinko, check out miraikan in odaiba to see asimo, hit the department stores like marui, tobu, seibu, laforet, shibuya 109, etc.
and any other unique things to do/attractions to check out in tokyo?

TIA 

[V_for_Victoria]

Shiseido and Shu Uemura would also be good buys.

If I were to go back to Tokyo, I'd go nuts on the food, haha. Mos Burger, Tenya, and all the French patisseries. For some reason, Tokyo has a lot of them.

[hannabishi]

^There's a transparent umbrella in Daiso. If you're a big fan of cosmetics, Tokyo is the place to be.

[fabulosity]

noted

thanks y'all! btw, I'm having a tough time searching for stores in tokyo that sell luggages... any ideas as to which place got the largest selection of luggages in tokyo?

i'm also contemplating on buying a buberry blue label bag, any thoughts about this?

any suggestions on must buy electronics in japan?

thanks guys!

[Diane]

is Tokyo near Osaka? if from osaka how much would it cost to be in Tokyo? bullet train ba?

[hannabishi]

Nope. It's far. I think it's about 2-3 hours by Shinkansen (train). The fare for one way trip is around 13, 500 yen which is around less than PHP 7, 000 depending on the current exchange rate.

[hulawho]

^is there a cheaper way to go to tokyo from osaka?

[wat_evah]

mahirap ba makakuha ng japan visa? tourist [textspeak!] sana 

[greyzie]

^is there a cheaper way to go to tokyo from osaka?

hi, sis! highway buses are a lot cheaper...
you can check this out:
http://willerexpress.com/bus/pc/3/top/;jsessionid=0B6B4BCD841EAAE447D95A25D4B8A166.ap22bus2

[chinita8]

sis fabulosity, where are you staying at in Tokyo? any hotel accomodation you can recommend? Not too expensive but not too cheap either? this will be a vacation trip for me and hubby kasi.

since you've been there twice already, i hope you could suggest some "must see" and "must-go"  spots, landmarks, shopping havens, restos?

couldn't find the old Japan thread too ... sayang, that was so informative. where could we find threads that we want to resurrect kaya?
 

[fabulosity]

hi chinita8! this time, i'll be staying in shibuya excel but it's a bit expensive. though the tokyo metropolitan hotel in ikebukuro is an excellent alternative. subway is a 3 min. walk and shopping options are endless, and restaurants are plentiful.

must see places: harajuku on a sunday- a lot of cosuplayers showing off their duds
akihabara-electric town-especially if your a techie or if you wanna see otakus/otomes (geeks who are obssessed with anime/manga)
imperial palace garden
asakusa temple at night
odaiba-check out miraikan (museum) to see asimo (robot) and so much more high tech stuff

must do:day trip to fuji/hakone- being able to ride the shinkansen was fun!
tokyo disneyland or sea (only if you haven't been to the disney world in orlando coz you would be disappointed. a good alternative is the sanrio puroland)
tokyo tower(only if you haven't been to paris. nice views of tokyo. check it out during the night. nightlife abound in roponggi)
go to a maid cafe/butler cafe-just for the experience!
shop til you drop in ginza, shibuya, ikebukuro, and omotesando-especially the japan exclusive brands like garcia marquez, cecil mcbee,burberry blue label, etc. chacott cosmetics, sanrio(they only sell stuff made in japan),comme des garcon, samantha thavasa, etc. (btw, for cosmetics, try the deparment stores for brands like rmk and matsumoto kiyoshi drugstore for the cheaper ones)
tobu and seibu department stores in ikebukuro-largest in the world
play pachinko!
eat sushi at tsukiji market
namjatown in sunshine city ikebukuro-gyoza, ice cream, and crepe theme park

hope this helps!

[Frenzied]

wow fabulosity! Thanks for all the inputs, I've been meaning to go to Tokyo. I have a friend who is based there so at least I can already save on accommodation!

[fabulosity]

glad to help!

y'all would enjoy tokyo!

other things that come to mind:
onsen (if you don't mind being on your bday suit)
kaiten sushi (I know it sounds cheesy but heck, it eliminates the language barrier, its cheap, and its fun!)
see an actual anime voice recording at the tokyo anime center in akihabara
cook your own okonomiyaki at a DIY resto
visit the ghibli museum
see and try the latest gadgets at the sony showroon at ginza
checkout and splurge at the fabulous depachikas (this is where you'd find the infamous $100 watermelons)
marvel at the buildings along omotesandoharajuku (love prada, comme de garcon, bape, etc.)
stay at a love hotel in shibuya (for couples only), even for a night

and I haven't scratched the surface yet! there's still so much to see!

can't wait for january!

[Frenzied]

^ i think I saw those love hotels when I watched  one of the shows of the osbournes. what's the name of the girl? Basta she worked there and super nandidiri siya hehe

[chinita8]

^^^^thanks sis! fabulosity ... you were such a big help. i knew i asked the right person. 

[coldsiren]

my friends and i are planning on visiting tokyo next year. we'll be getting a 4days/3nights tour package.

on the 2nd day of our vacation we'll be visiting these places based on the package that i saw: Tokyo Tower Observatory, Imperial Palace Plaza, Asakusa Kanon Temple, Nakamise Shopping Arcade and Tasaki Pearl Gallery.  Drive through Akihabara, Ueno districts, Ginza.

based on the package we have 2 afternoons free, 1 morning free until early afternoon and 1 day free. 
what else could we do there? where could we could?
how much should our daily budget be?
would US$100.00 a day be enough for food and transportation?

btw, is it easy to secure a tourist visa? my friend and i have travelled only in asia. while our other friend travels a lot (US, UK, Brazil, India, Australia etc) and i have a feeling that getting a visa would be easier for her since she's been around.

[fabulosity]

i've suggested several sights to check out and things to do ^

as for your budget, first of all, is the 100 bucks per person? if so, it can be doable...
figure about 20 USD for transpo (give or take, only if you're taking the subway and depends on how much you want to cover in a day) 10 bucks for breakfast, 20 for lunch, 30 for dinner, and 20 for misc. snacks...

i highly suggest purchasing a reloadable card like the suica or pasmo. would save you a lot of time!

as for tourist visas, the other ladies may be of help...

[coldsiren]

yes, the $100.00 is my daily budget per person. we'll be having our daily breakfast at the hotel cause it's part of the tour package.

20 USD for transpo, 10 bucks for breakfast, 20 for lunch, 30 for dinner, and 20 for misc. snacks...

 
is this for 3 persons already? thank you.

[fabulosity]

i think for 3 pax with 100 bucks, even if the breakfast is incl. in your tour package, you can only afford transpo and a modest lunch and dinner, most likely at a fast food chain, ramen place, etc. but if it's going to be 100 bucks per pax, very doable.

[coldsiren]

^^ thanks. usually when i travel abroad i set a daily budget for myself and it's usually $100.00 per day. but since tokyo is an expensive city, i'm thinking of increasing it. do i have to increase my daily budget to $150 per day person?