What to do in Tokyo

[Bowie MeMe]

Thanks for the list Bulldog. I see that you are going to New Zealand soon. I hope you have as wonderful a time as we did in Feb. 2014. The scenery is past beautiful, the people are friendly and helpful, it's enough like home to be comfortable but different enough to be interesting. Glow worms were pretty darn neat! We saw at least 6 different whales breach on the whale watching tour -- fancy sonar equipment and timers so they know when Mr. Whale will be coming up and where -- no just missed it. Wonderful gardens with masses of wild blooms and very proper English gardens. The sky tower in Auckland on a bright sunny day is awesome! Easy to drive even on the left hand side -- not any traffic except around Auckland and for urban dwellers like us -- no traffic problems at all. No red light cameras and no paid parking fees to speak of. Most things like food and gas and "stuff" cost a lot more in NZ because of its isolation and shipping cost for manufactured goods. Happy travels.

[Bodogbodog]

Thanks for the list Bulldog. I see that you are going to New Zealand

lol - Bulldog indeed ;)

I'm actually a Kiwi and lived there for 40 years - so the NZ cruise is really to fit with our trans Pacific to Auckland to get us back to Sydney where we now live. We'll be hosting a number of friends and relatives on board Crystal Symphony while visiting the various ports

Your comment about things being "expensive" in NZ is driven to some extent by the strength of the NZ dollar versus the US$ - at the moment it's at a high relative to what they've had over the last 30 years or so. Although petrol is certainly more expensive there

The list I've suggested for Tokyo is by no means exhaustive - if you want to give some indication of your interests then I'd be very happy to give you some suggestions on specific activities in both Tokyo and other areas in Japan such as Kyoto, Hiroshima etc

We also did a cruise that visited Komodo Island earlier this year - the dragons on the island are pretty impressive - well worth the visit. That Feb 2015 cruise you are on from Bali to Osaka should be very nice

Edited June 30, 2014 by Bodogbodog

[Mellis2312]

We were in Tokyo in February and used Izumi from tours by locals. She was fabulous!,,,we loved her so much that we have hired her again for January 2015 for 2 days. She is flexible and will go anywhere you want to go. She will make suggestions as well. She even arranged and took us to a tea ceremony. You name it, it can be done with Izumi. The best part is she is very experienced and her prices are reasonable.

 

ohh have you got her mail?

[weliketocruise86]

Hi

We will be in Tokyo for 2 nights pre-cruise and want to see as many of the main attractions as we can fit in.

Unsure whether to stay in Yokohama or Tokyo (we wiill probably fly into Haneda), obviously Yokohama would be easier on embarkation.

Also can you get the bullet train to Mt Fuji from Shimizu ? We want to experience the train at high speed.

Any recommendations would be appreciated

Helen

[travellovers2]

This is an excellent website to get a lot of different information

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

[Old Sea Dog]

In case it helps, from a land-based stay in Tokyo I did this :

 

In Tokyo

 

Kamakura, about 30 miles from Tokyo

 

Mount Fuji area, about 62 miles from Tokyo

 

All the best, Tony

 

Hi Tony,

I have just seen your day tour to Mt Fuji etc which is just what we want to do next April as passengers on Crystal Symphony.

Could you please give me the details of whom you booked this with.

Many thanks,

Roy

[DrFUN]

Back from our fabulous 31-day Japan trip (one week in Tokyo and one week in Osaka before boarding the Volendam at Kobe for the 17-day Japan and trans-Pacific crossing to Vancouver) with countless happy memories and photos--and want to again thank everyone on this thread for sharing great suggestions!

 

DH Dave and I loved the people and places of Japan--and cannot wait to return!

 

One of the reasons we had such a marvelous time is that (on another Cruise Critic thread) I learned about Yosuke of Discover Japan Tours! He took care of our private limo transfer from Tokyo's Narita Airport to our Tokyo hotel and personally conducted several outstanding customized day-tours for us: highlights of Tokyo one day using public transportation and another day in his comfortable van to Nikko to see the amazing temple/shrine and shogun tomb as well as the surrounding mountains, lakes, and waterfalls. I also booked him for six of us from our Cruise Critic roll call via his van to Kamakura (to see the world's largest outdoor Buddha in a gorgeous mountain setting) from our Tokyo port all--and everyone was thrilled with his expertise, graciousness, and friendliness, too. (His senior year of high school was in Colorado, and his English is perfect.)

 

We'd also booked third day for the two of us with him to Mt. Fuji on the last day at our Tokyo hotel--but there were heavy rains and he actually contacted us early that morning to tell us we'd not get to see much of anything AND, therefore, he immediately refunded our entire payment! This rarely happens in the tour business, and we were deeply impressed by his honesty and thoughtfulness.

 

Prior to our arrival, my husband and I had Skyped and emailed with him to customize our tours and get advice about many things (including the best way to maximize our JR Green Car Pass)--and he always followed up quickly and thoroughly (and patiently).

 

We feel as we now have a delightful friend as well as first-rate guide in Japan!

 

Let me know if you have any questions about our time in Japan or our cruise.

 

Mary-Lou