Getting Around Tokyo

I know that if you fly American Airlines, they will let you make 1 change without an extra charge up until the beginning of May, I think May 5. You should call your airlines and ask, due to this unforeseen situation, they will probably follow suit. If you plan to go to Tokyo or south, you should't have any problems there. It's really normal except for some lighting in the train station & subways being dimmed or shut off and escalators that they shut down to save on electricity. In my experience, the Japanese people were really happy that we came. They wanted to talk to us on the street and ask about the news in the states. They gave us thumbs up almost everywhere we went. Hope this helps.

This might be a good way to see Tokyo from above. While strolling around the city I notice this up in the sky and thought that maybe it is a good way to visit and see this city. Not for me in this time but maybe the next time.

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A new Bus Pass can be used on overnight and daytime long distance buses. Best for major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima.

Usable for a maximum of two bus rides per day but not to travel the same route twice on the same day, i.e. a round trip within a single day is not possible. Overnight buses departing after midnight count for the previous day.

Can be purchased for 3 or 5 days for travel within two months from purchase, not necessarily consecutive days.

Must be purchased outside of Japan. Can be purchased online from outside of Japan only.

3 days - 8,000 Yen
5 days - 10,000 Yen

Seats must be reserved in advance - can be reserved one day in advance from within Japan.

The Hakone Freepass is a good way to make the trip to Fuji/Hakone. There is a 2 or 3 day pass from either Shinjuku or Odawarra. We only made a one day trip, but it was still worth buying the 2 day pass compared to other forms of travel.

The Hakone Freepass includes transportation and discounts on gifts, food and entrance fees to the various sights around the area.

As we were staying in Shinjuku, we used our JR Pass to get to Odawarra, then caught the Hakone Tozan bus, took the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise (Pirate Ship), had lunch at Togendai View Restaurant, caught the Hakone Ropeway, followed by the Hakone Tozan Cablecar an Hakone Tozan Train, where we caught the Hakone Tozan bus back to Odawarra. Although you can do this in one day, you need to leave early to fit it in. Unfortunately the day we went it was freezing, rainy and foggy so we didn't really linger anyway to explore, but if the weather was beautiful I would probably stay overnight and fully utilise the 2 day pass.

One warning though, when the Hakone Tozan Bus dropped us off, there weren't very clear directions on how to get to the Cruise Ship. Cross the road and head towards the water, the boat dock will be off to your left.

The 2 day pass cost $3,900 from Odawarra and can be purchased from the Odakyu Service Centre in Shinjuku Station (also a little hard to find).

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All of the notes here are from the www.japan-guide site which I used extensively preparing for my own trip.

Airport Narita - Asakusa/ Asakusa -Airport Narita
- There are direct trains from Narita Airport to Asakusa, running along the Keisei Main Line, Keisei between Narita Airport and Aoto and then the Keisei Oshiage Line and Asakusa Subway Line. However, the number of direct trains is very small. But with a simple transfer at Aoto Station, you have three connections per hour. It is also the cheapest way to get to Asakusa.

Asakusa-city areas
- Asakusa via the Ginza Subway line connects many major tourist spots (not all) but some major ones like, Ueno, Akihabara, Ginza, and Shibuya. You can make other connections via Tokyo Metro.

To Nikko
- The Tobu terminal station in Tokyo for trains to Nikko is Tobu Asakusa Station, which can be accessed by subway (Ginza and Asakusa Subway Lines). There are hourly rapid trains between Asakusa and Nikko, which take about two hours and cost 1320 yen one way. In the morning and afternoon, there are also a few limited express trains (all seats reserved), called "Kegon", which only take 105 minutes, but are twice as expensive as the rapid trains.

To Kamakura
- the Asakusa Subway Line from Asakusa to Shimbashi and transfer to the JR Yokosuka Line that gets you to Kamakura. The entire trip takes about 80 minutes.

I enjoyed my visits to both Kamakura and to Nikko very much.
Which to choose depends a lot on your preferences.

See: Nikko - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_002.html
Kamakura - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2166.html

There are city buses as well as plenty of bus tours and that can be an option in case you want to catch all the interesting sites with a tour guide etc. I only saw local tourists while I was here but I guess there are such also from tourists from abroad.

Probably the best way to get into Tokyo is by train as it will take into the city heart of the center. There are few main stations in Tokyo, the Tokyo Station, The Shinjuku Station, the Ueno station to name few.

Since we had the JR Pass, we used it to exchange for free Narita Express tickets (each ticket, one-way, would cost 3110 Yen). We took this express train service to and from Narita Airport to Shinjuku. Seats are reserved, and the ride is comfortable and fast. You can eat on board - either buy your own food and bring it onboard, or buy something from the pust-cart lady on the train.

You can buy (or use your JR Pass to exchange) the tickets at the JR station ticket counter.