Narita Airport Tips

Narita - Buying Duty Free on Arrival ?

Thinking of buying duty free on arrival at Narita Airport.  Forget it.  Unlike other countries where you can purchase duty free items before clearing customs, Narita airport does not have this facility.

Narita - Will you need a mobile phone in Japan ?

If so you'll need to rent one at the airport.  Pre Paid phones are not available to visiting foreigners. 

Narita - Passport clearance

When you get to the passport control gate you will be finger printed (it's digital so no messy ink stains) and have your photo taken.  A painless affair.

 

Narita - Getting out of the airport

Don't take a taxi, they are very expensive.  

Take either the Limousine Bus Service or the Narita Express Train Service.

The limousine bus service has a counter to purchase tickets from located in the arrivals hall.  Staff speak english so there should not be a problem.

The fares are similiar so the mode of transport you decide will depend on your destination and departure times.  The Limousine Bus Service has drop offs at many of the major hotels in Tokyo so it may be the better option.

Tokyo - Places to visit

The following is my recommended list of places to visit while in Tokyo in no specific order.

Hakone

You really need 2 days to explore Hakone. You get the Romance Car to Hakone and then catch the mountain railway and then onto the Hakone Ropeway.

On a nice day you should get great views of Mt Fuji. Don't forget to get off the cable car at Owakudani (it smells of sulphuric acid) so you can't miss the spot. Buy the black eggs which are cooked in the volcanic water and according to the locals provide good health and a long life after eating them.  Highly recommend a visit to Hakone Kowaki-En Yunessun.  It gets quite crowded in the summer months one of the pool gaurds told me upwards of 7000 people but I went in winter and it's still highly enjoyable as the water is extremely warm and even the outside slider is heated and the best part, no crowds.

Kawagoe

Not far out of Tokyo, around an hour from Ikebukuro station, you can get to Kawagoe. Kawagoe is about the only area in Tokyo which still has the traditional Japanese buildings which have survived fires and earthquakes. The area boasts sweet potato "purple" chips and sweet potato ice cream.

Ameyoko

Near the Ueno train station Ameyoko is about the only street style market area in Tokyo. You'll see many types of food in the street and as you'd expect in Japan it evolves around seafood. There are other foods and snacks which you can sample. You'll also find a number of clothes and accessories stores and possibly even a bargain or two. At new year it's always busy as families stock up for their new year feasts with spider crab and octopus.

Asakusa

One of the biggest and most famous of temples can be found here. The street leading up to the temple has every type of souvenir imaginable. I'd definitely stock on the sembei (Soya rice crackers) and manju (sorta of like a pancake filed with sweet bean paste).

Shinjuku

Just take a wonder around the area, lots of shops and a visit to Tokyu Hands is worth it for the weird and wonderful. The east side of Shinjuku has the more sleazy side with many hostess and drinking bars. It's all fairly safe just like the rest of Tokyo.

Shibuya

Get out of the train station and take the Hachaikou exit. Check out the busy street crossing. A good place to find a yakiniku (bbq) restaurant sometimes they have all you can eats for an hour for around 1500 yen. The next station on from Shibuya is Harajuku. This is where the young and trendy hangout. It has great crepes. Close by you will also find the Meiji shrine. On weekends head over towards the shrine and your likely to find 50's rockers, goths and all manner of Japanese kids or should I say adults in costume play.

Monzen-Nakacho

An interesting area which has a temple dedicated to the dead. Not far away is a great park called Kiyosumi Teien which was owned by the founder of Mitsubishi where glamorous picnic parties were held in the early 1900's set among picturesque gardens.

IMPERIAL PALACE CYCLING

Cyclists on a budget will enjoy the latest initiative by the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute. On Sunday afternoons between 10am and 3pm, you can borrow a bike and take it out on a 3km cycle track around the Imperial Palace and surrounding areas. Nearby roads are closed to motor traffic on Sundays. A selection of 250 bicycles are available for both adults and childen, including new models, road bikes, mountain bikes, kids bikes and tandems. Simply show up at the Uchibori-dori reception desk to register.

Tel: 03-3211-5020. Reception desk located three minutes’ walk from exit 2 of Nijubashi-mae station (Chiyoda line), next to the police box. See http://tinyurl.com/palace-cycle for English details and map. Note the track is closed on rainy days and during special events.

Odaiba

Catch the driverless train over the rainbow bridge and end up at Odaiba. A great Sega World exists here if your into virtual gaming with life size cars on hydrolics for your Sega Rally experience.

Great views over Tokyo bay as well as the Toyota Megaweb. A great showcase of the latest in Tokyo vehicles and the Tokyo museum is worthy of a visit. And check out Venus Fort where the roof changes colour depending on the time of day. Your inside a shopping center but you feel like your outside with it's fake clouds and sky lit roof. Not far away is also a hot spring bath house. If you are unable to get to a hot spring ryoken then Oodeo Onsen Monogatari is the next best thing is this place where you can experience various types of hot springs in the one spot. Be warned you'll still need to get naked but the baths are segregated.

Tokyo Station - Shinkansen Watching

If you want to see the different types of bullet trains (Shinkansens) up close a cheap option is to buy a 140 yen train ticket and you can wonder between platforms and check out the trains. You'll be amazed at how they depart on time and that they line up the doors with the exact spots on the platform.

Akihabara

If your into electronics or Japanese manga then this is the stop for you..