Tips from Trina
We finally decided on the dates of our trip, March 30th to April 9th. But that means we won't be in there the same time as Trina. We'll miss her by a week. Damn! We reserved the flights and made reservations at a hotel. We just have to put 'em on the ole credit cards next. We looked a some of the ryokan in tokyo but ended up going with a hotel because Zach isn't really down with sharing a bathroom for 10 days. So we went the total opposite route and booked at a high-rise in Ginza in the Shiodome complex. Then when we go to Kyoto, we'll stay at a smaller inn or ryokan. Anyhoo, it's fun to plan and look forward to.
Trina emailed me some suggestions in the form of a walking tour near the area we'll be staying in. We'll try them out and report back later on what we thought. Thanks Trina!
;) Stevie
-- Go to the Meji-jingu (imperial palace). Get off at Meji-jingu mae subway stop and go see the grounds in the morning
-- Then in the afternoon walk across the street to Harajuku (where you'll see kids from Fruits) walk down the main drag.
-- Then make a right and you're headed towards Shibuya if you walk down Omotesando street towards your left after you have gone right out of Harajuku you'll eventually end up in the area where the busiest intersection in the world meets. Shibuya has lots of shopping and clubs...its crawling with things to do but not always visible off the street. Keep your eyes open especially up and down, you'd be surprised with what you find in a basement alley way or on the 4th level of some random building.
-- Also if you are in the Shibuya, I think its the Tokyu line but get on that and go to Daikanyama. Lots of cool little boutiques with lots of hand made goods and expensive sneakers...if you go to the right just out of the subway station and walk down a little slope of a street it'll head you towards all the of the neat stores and random cafes. If you go left out of the station and walk up a street you'll hit high end boutiques like Prada and Kate Spade...oh and a really yummy French pastry shop.
-- If you have time go to Asakusa its an easy trip from the Ginza area. Just get on the Ginza line and go almost to the end and get off at the kaminari-mon stop. The Asakusa area is considered the "old" part of Tokyo go see the Asakusa jinja and sensoji shrine. Eat at a resturant call Nakase its a really really tasty Tempura resturant its been there since my mom was a kid. Its kinda expensive but believe me that its the best Tempura you will ever eat! Its on a side street parallel to the main strip headed towards the shrine and the temple Kaminari-mon is the gate that you walk through to get to the shrime and temple...it can't be missed because of the gigantic lantern and the two scary looking devil/guards at the gates. The tempura place is on a side street to the left of that main drag. Ask someone to guide you there.