Tokyo (thread 2)

[vain_kixie]

M_lim not so. Weather is nice. Not too cold not too hot. naka shorts lang ako kahapon pero take note hindi ako lamigin. Def no need for boots na. Currently raining today. Light jacket would do here.

[viewfrommyveranda]

^Sis some apps kasi, specially the online ones, will give you options based on the time you checked it. When we went to Disneyland, we thought that we'd automatically be "told" by the app to take the Yamanote line (yun lang yung alam namin kasi, haha) to Tokyo station, so on and so forth. BUT, what it showed us was the fastest train to the Tokyo station. I think depending on time of day, there are express trains - meaning these trains do not so their usual stop/route therefore faster and bit more expensive, and there are regular trains -- meaning these trains take their usual route/stops/, therefore takes you longer to your destination, and usually cheaper. That said, there are several trains that can take you from point to point. Just choose which one works for you. :-)

We rented a pocket wifi throughout our stay. Kept us online. Parang Php2k yata for our 6 days in Tokyo.

[FOURever]

^saan ka nagrent ng pocketwifi sis?

[viewfrommyveranda]

I used Japan wireless
http://japan-wireless.com/ Paid for it online, and had it delivered to our hotel. It comes with a return envelope so you can just leave it with your hotel concierge when you check-out and they can post it for you.


Though yesterday, I saw sa FB page ng Universal Holidays https://www.facebook.com/UniversalHolidaysInc?ref=br_tf that they have pocket wifi's for rent for as low as P450 a day.

[blairbunny]

thanks for the weather info vain_kixie.  hope you could update us again in a week or 2, i'm going naman by end of april and kinakareer ko na iplan ang susuotin namin. lol.

[princess lorraine]

^^^sis viewfrommyveranda, so that's how it works pala. Correct me if i'm wrong ha. If going to disneyland, we can also take either maranouchi line or jr yamanote line from shinjuku to tokyo station tHen keio line to maihama? Then we can take jr yamanote line from shinjuku to harajuku, shibuya and ginza? Are there signs inside the subway station showing the train lines like ginza, shinjuku , jr yamanote, etc? Are there also signs that show which exit to take to get to our destination? Thank you so much sis. 

[FOURever]

Thank you sis ^^^

[fairytink]

Just got our visa  We're leaving April 25 na, need to backread 

[viewfrommyveranda]

^^^Sis, you're correct about Yamanote line -- sorry, I don't know about Marunochi line but if your app says so, then I guess it goes to the Tokyo station, from Shinjuku too . There are various JR and other train lines that can take you from one point to another point, specially to the stations that are major hubs or interchange. There are signs for exits to popular destinations. Trust the signages! As an example, when we were at the Shibuya station, we wanted to take the Hachiko exit (to see Hachiko the dog's monument). I swear, na cofuse kami kasi may parang may u turn signs pa and it will lead you up and down an exit. Kakatawa. Basta we followed the signs (against our instincts) and lo and behold, tama naman pala!

And when in doubt, you can always approach the people at the information booth. They speak some English and can give you basic direction like go up, down, left, right, platform number. They give pretty accurate and simple directions. It gets easier after a few days of taking the train.

[princess lorraine]

^thank you so much sis! I'm worried lang kasi kasama namin daughter namin kaya we can't get lost mapapagod yun maglakad eh. Hehe. Sis, enough na ba one day in shibuya, omotesando and harajuku? Sa shibuya naybe tingin tingin lang and picture. Sa omotesando i wanna check out the oriental bazaar then in harajuku, picture din then buy pasalubong like calbee in takeshita dori. Hindi ata kaya lakarin from harajuku to to omotesando noh? Thanks sis 

[viewfrommyveranda]

^Kaya yun. Go see the Meiji Shrine too. Medyo pebbly lang the walking paths so baka mahirap if your daughter is on a stroller. It's right next to the Harajuku exit. It's quite interesting. :-)

I love the Oriental Bazaar! I got the nice cotton towels, wooden Japanese dolls, origami paper and the obligatory magnet pasalubong there. Oh it's closed Thursdays, I think.

Omotesando ba yung area ng Oriental Bazaar? If it is, then super walkable. Parang 1 block away lang sha from the Harajuku station. There are lots of interesting shops along the way so you won't notice the distance.

There are 2 coffee-cake places that I tried there that are pretty good! Medyo mahal the coffee but I think it's good. :-) Those became our pitstop when we got too cold (we were there tail end of winter) from walking.

[princess lorraine]

^thanks so much for all the inputs sis. We will also go to  kiddy land in omotesando for my daughter. I won't be checking out high end stores like lv, prada, etc because i think they are expensive there and i don't have plans to buy yet. I'm wondering if 8 days in tokyo is enough already. Here's my tentative itinerary:
Day 1: arrive in narita airport. Take airport limousine to hotel in shinjuku. Check in. Shopping in shinjuku. (Don quixote, uniqlo, h&m, odakyu, takashimaya)
Day2: disney sea
Day 3: disneyland
Day 4: disney sea or disneyland
Day 5: shibuya (hachiko and 109), harajuku (meiji doro and takeshita dori) and omotesando (oriental bazaar).
Day 6: sanrio puroland then shopping in shinjuku
Day 7: odaiba? Must see ba ito? Are we going to miss anything if we don't go there?
Day 8: fly back to manila.

[viewfrommyveranda]

^Sis your Day 1 is super packed. You may want to go the shops that are farthest from your hotel (Taka, H&M and Donki) or those closer to your hotel (Odakyu, Keiyo Mall and Uniqlo). They are in different areas kasi. Using the Shinjuku station as a starting point, iba ibang directions sila. So your call. 

BTW, there are only a few rides in Disneyland with English-language support. I've never been to HK Disney so baka same lang. I've only been to the US Disneys and I must say I was a little disappointed. But it's still the happiest place on earth!

Day 5 is good. Day 6 is also good. BTW, there is a Daiso in Takeshita Dori and Tama Centre. I think the one in Tama Centre is pretty big, and definitely not as busy as the one in Takshita Dori.

Didn't go to Odaiba.

BTW -- you may want to check out some of the parks. I heard Shinjuku Gyoen and Ueno Park (there's a zoo there!) might be good. The Japanese are known for their gardens and these havens in the city I heard are must sees. I regret not being able to see these 2.

OH -- must remember -- if you are taking the airport limousine on your flight back, book it at least 3 days ahead of departure date. It gets full! Spend some time in the airport. There's good shopping there. :-)

[princess lorraine]

^ah mAgkakalayo pala yung malls in shinjuku. Sige ayusin ko yung day 1. I've been to disneyland in anaheim and i really loved it! Thr one in hk is much smaller but ok narin. It's still the happiest place for me. I 'm really looking forward to go to disneyland and disney sea. But i heard that they get very crowded most of the time and there are always long queues for the rides and attractions. Thank you so much sis! 

[glamorous_aisha]

^ go to disney resort on a weekday sis sayang punta kung weekend, seryoso yung 3 to 4 hours line for one 5 minute ride. and you might want to decide ahead which resort you'll go to for 2 days para mas makamura ka sa ticket.

shibuya, harajuku and omotesando avoid weekends din. kawawa baby mo. lalo sa harajuku sa takeshita street super siksikan. harajuku and omotesando are on the same station. as in go through takeshita street from harajuku station at the end of that turn right then that's omotesando na.

Maganda sa odaiba sis you might want to check it.

and hindi maiiwasan mapagod dito. so better bring a stroller for your kid kasi puro lakad gagawin niyo. normal dito maglakad ng 20-30 minutes from the nearest station.

[princess lorraine]

^thank you so much for the tips sis! 
Kasya na kaya 50k for food and transpo for 8 days in tokyo? We won't be eating at fine dining restos naman. Kung ano lang makita along the way na ok dun na kami. For breakfast, ok na kami sa bread and pastries. 

[glamorous_aisha]

^ilan kayo sis? hindi ako masyadong maalam sa budget.

yung friend ko 2 sila ng mom niya 50k ata for 8 days ang budget nila.

[princess lorraine]

^3 lang kami sis. Hubby, i and our 5 yr old daughter. Budget ko mga 50k to 60k max na for food and transpo for 8 days. I hope it's enough already. 

[viewfrommyveranda]

^Sis I think pwede na. I remember we'd spend like Y10k per day on food and transpo. The most expensive meal we had was about Y1.7k was at Disneyland, and outside Disney, it was about Y1.5k. Apart from that, I recall mahal din the coffee and cake, parang we spent Y2.5k for 2 pax. We didn't get to go to a steak place though. I was budgeting around Y8-10k per pax for that. But the rest, say mga beef bowl and udon places, cheapest we had was around Y400k.

Airport limo cost Y3k each way.

[princess lorraine]

^sis yung 10k yen budgey per day ang yung 1700yen at disney for 2 na ba yun? Thanks so much!