# What to see and do in Tokyo with a teenage boy?



## glenn1000

I am going to Tokyo for eight days this summer with my 14 year old son. We are staying at the Tokyo Hilton and would appreciate advice on what to see, where to eat and how to get around. My son is not a big fan of museums yet and prefers more active outings. I purchased a Frommer's guide and the only thing he has shown an interest in seeing so far is the flea market! We have two nights booked in Osaka during the week but I'm not sure it's worth the trek down there for two days. Any thoughts? Is eight nights in Tokyo too much time?


----------



## asp

Lots to see and do, but 8 days is a long time in a city that large.  Eat with the majority of the Japanese, and it is reasonable.  Eat in a hotel, and it is $150 per dinner and up.  $30 for breakfast.  but, in the places Japanese people eat, very good, and very, very resasonable.  The train stations are fascinating -  the centre of their daily lives, thousands of people, and the services for them.  Dean & De Luca even when you feel like some comfort food!

I would buy a pass on the trains, and go out of town on a few of the days - even on day trips -  most leave directly from Tokyo station.  Subway and train Maps are available online.   I would be sure to understand the system as well as possible - we had a friend familiar with Japan show us around, and we are experienced in Europe - but this was different!   

We would also buy a full translation hand held computer (around $40) next time, as we found in unnerving to not be able to read.   

While the Japanese are very ready to find a person to speak English and help you, you should have  your hotel name and address translated to Japanese characters before leaving the Airport (tourist bureau) and keep it with you.  Taxi drivers may speak some English, but rarely read it. 

Find a 100 yen store - lots of fun, like our dollar store!


----------



## JillChang

I took my 16 & 10 year old son in an Asia tour, and Tokyo was their favourite.  Lots to see and to do, don't miss electric town, ropongi area, you should buy a lonely planet guide book, it is very good.

You should try sushi on the conveyor belt, ask your hotel for one nearby, or they are all over the place, I usually look for a busy one.  Prices are posted on the wall, and they go by plate colors.  Price is very reasonable and the freshest sushi you will find.  Don't miss noodle places, and my favourite, the department store food hall, fascinating!

There is also a Japanese themed bath place, I can't remember the name now, I am sure you will find it in guide book.  Try it, you will enjoy it.

8 days is a lot in Tokyo, we also went to Kyoto, and enjoyed it.  

There are lots to say about Japan, again, I think you should buy a guide book.  But overall, Tokyo is about the most happening place for a teenager.  I think everyone there caters to teenager, my son wants to go there for a semester as an exchange student when he goes to college!


----------



## JillChang

Also, of all the places we went to last Summer (taipei, beijing, hangzhou, shanghai, Hong Kong), I find Tokyo the HOTTEST!!!  Unbearable sometimes.  Local Japanese keeps a small wet towel around their neck to cool them down, I suggest you do the same thing if you are going to visit outdoor places such as temples, etc.

I would visit Osaka just to ride the bullet train!

Make sure you buy your train pass before you leave, you can not buy it in Japan.


----------



## Maverick1963

Visiting Tokyo is nothing different from going to big cities like New York.  Of course things are different culturally.  So there are lots of things to see and enjoy.  If it's the first time for your son and he has not been exposed to Japanese/Asian cultures, he should find many thing interesting.  I recommend Tokyo Tower and Asakusa (temple town) as basic.  It might sound funny to you but you could go to Tokyo Disney Land.  Interesting to see similarities and differences from the ones in US.  How about a baseball game at Tokyo Dome?  Staying in Osaka, you can feel the difference of people,town, etc.  You can enjoy Univeral Studio.  Or you could have a short trip to Kyoto, one of the ancient capitals in Japan.  Does any of these ring your bell?  If I understand interest of yours and your son better, I might be able to give you better advice as a local Japanese.


----------



## glenn1000

*I really appreciate the suggestions!*

Thank you for the posts. I am starting to get a better idea of what to do. I think that we will break the trip up with two nights in Osaka and ride the famed bullet train. Also will plan on a day trip to Kyoto. Eating in Japan will be interesting for my son, a kid who does not often stray from pizza or pasta. We will definitely eat Japanese as I do not want to consider Amercian style food on this trip. The noodle houses sound good and I love sushi, so we'll see how that goes.

I love the idea of a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome. There is a game that we could attend the week we are there, so that should work out. It looks like tickets can be purchased at the door. The Tokyo Tower and Temple Town also sound like excellent ideas. I want to stick to Japanese things as much as possible so will not be going to Disney or Universal. My son is a typical American teenager. He has some interest in history but not the longest attention span. Also, he has said that he does not want to spend the week visiting temples. Any other ideas would be great!

What do you think about a JR Rail pass? We will be in Japan eight days. We are planning to take the train from Narita to Tokyo, get around Tokyo, go to Osaka, Kyoto and back to Tokyo, then to the airport on our eighth day. Should we get a one week pass plus a one way ticket back to the airport? Will the JR pass be good enough for getting around within Tokyo?

Thanks again for the help.


----------



## JillChang

Definitely get a JR pass.  Saves you lots of money if you are going to kyoto and Osaka.  JR trains run in a loop in Tokyo, you can just buy single fare subway ticket to connect to JR train.  

Your son will not be bored, he will be in awe.  He will enjoy the noodles, and go through the process of ordering the food through a vending machine.  You shall see.  The japanese fast food is so delicious, even a typical pizza and pasta american teenager can appreciate.  Food was the best part for my teenage son!  He can eat 30 plates of sushi for lunch!  and he started to appreciate the different types of tuna!  you will see.  But then again, we come from Toronto, where we had very diversed cultures and food, so my son wasn't exactly a stranger to japanese food.  Perhaps you should take him to a local sushi place first to get a feel for him.  Don't worry about noodles, I have yet to meet a teenager that doesn't like noodles!

Make sure you take him through a japanese department store that caters to teenager!  yes, teenagers.


----------



## Maverick1963

I assume you could ask Concierge for specific places, and I would give you just list of things.


			
				glenn1000 said:
			
		

> Eating in Japan will be interesting for my son... We will definitely eat Japanese as I do not want to consider Amercian style food on this trip. The noodle houses sound good and I love sushi.


I would recommend trying Sushi Go Around (Kaiten-Zushi).  Sushi on plates are going around on a conveyor.  I would say price is reasonable and can be told by the colors of plate.  In Osaka, you must try okonomi-yaki and tako-yaki, both flour based, casual food.  You can google by typing them in without hyphen.


			
				glenn1000 said:
			
		

> My son is a typical American teenager. He has some interest in history but not the longest attention span. Also, he has said that he does not want to spend the week visiting temples. Any other ideas would be great!?


Interesting places in Tokyo are Shibuya, Ginza, Roppongi, Odaiba.  You can look into guide books for details.  There are many shops and restaurants in these towns.  You can easily spend hours.  Other ideas would be bus tours  http://www.hatobus.com/ ...  visit to Fish Market http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm  Going there at 3 or 4 in the morning, you can see many fronzen tunas, auction trading, etc.  I have not done this, but I heard it is really fun.  Also you could see Kabuki  http://www.shochiku.co.jp/play/kabukiza/theater/  You can buy tickets for one portion of performance.  Staying in Osaka, visiting Himeji Castle can be an impressive experience.  It is 2 hour trip one way from Osaka, but worthwhile. http://www.himeji-castle.gr.jp/index/English/index.html



			
				glenn1000 said:
			
		

> What do you think about a JR Rail pass? We will be in Japan eight days. We are planning to take the train from Narita to Tokyo, get around Tokyo, go to Osaka, Kyoto and back to Tokyo, then to the airport on our eighth day. Should we get a one week pass plus a one way ticket back to the airport?


  I am local.  So I don't know much about JR pass.  But I believe it's just like foreigners buying Greyhound pass.  If you should travel around in Japan, the pass would be advantage.  But you are staying in Tokyo and go to Osaka...  may not be a good idea.  In Tokyo, the subway system is better and they sell one day ticket if you get around.  Maybe you could buy the pass for your trip to Osaka.  I found URL's. So please take a look.  http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en001.html
http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/

Hope this will be of good help.


----------



## glenn1000

Update: here's how the July trip with my son is shaping up. We have purchased JR seven day rail passes and have the following rough itinerary:

Fri- leave San Francisco

Sa- arrive Tokyo in PM

Su-Edo-Tokyo Museum, Electric town, shopping (La Foret)

Mo- fish market (early), full day bus tour of Tokyo (Hato Bus Co. "Panoroamic Tokyo" http://www.hatobus.com/tour/A315.html)

Tu- ? AM, Tokyo Dome in PM for Nippon Ham Fighters game

We- leave for Osaka- Osaka Castle, Sega Amusement Theme Park

Th- Kyoto full day tour (? company)

Fr- return to Tokyo, ? activities

Sa- ?

Su- go home

Any thoughts to fill in the question marks? Several major attractions are covered on the bus tours, which sound like a good way to get a nice overview in a day without worrying about logistics. I appreciate all the advice!


----------



## Darlene

Are Osaka and Kyoto day trips by train, or are you planning to stay somewhere in the area?  If so, where?  We would like to plan a trip next summer.  We have lots of Marriott rewards, but there are not options outside Tokyo.
Darlene


----------



## glenn1000

Darlene said:
			
		

> Are Osaka and Kyoto day trips by train, or are you planning to stay somewhere in the area?  If so, where?  We would like to plan a trip next summer.  We have lots of Marriott rewards, but there are not options outside Tokyo.
> Darlene



The bullet train (Shinkansen) runs from Tokyo to Osaka, stopping in Kyoto. It would be a very long day trip since it's about 2-1/2 to 3 hours each way. We spent two nights in Osaka and went to Kyoto on a day trip from Osaka. That worked very well.

I wrote a summary of our trip when we got back a couple of weeks ago and the computer crashed as I tried to post. I have not had the energy to go through it again but am happy to anwer any questions in case anyone else is planning a similar trip. In summary, it was fantastic. Thanks so much for all the advice!


----------



## Darlene

I would be interested in hearing about your trip.  How many days were you there?  Where did you stay?  What did you have to arrange ahead of time (other that flight and hotel).
Darlene


----------



## glenn1000

Darlene said:
			
		

> I would be interested in hearing about your trip.  How many days were you there?  Where did you stay?  What did you have to arrange ahead of time (other that flight and hotel).
> Darlene



Our trip was nine days with one day taken up by travel. We stayed at the Tokyo Hilton and the Osaka Hilton, both great places in excellent locations. The main thing that we arranged ahead of time was JR (Japan Rail) one week passes which need to be purchased before you enter Japan. These were about $260 each and let us get to the airport from Tokyo, get around the city and most importantly travel to Osaka and Kyoto. In the end, it wasn't that big a savings for us and it was easier to use the Metro in Tokyo, which is not covered by the pass, so I'm not sure I'd bother with that again. We also booked the Hato Bus tour "Dynamic Tokyo" online. We were happy with all the things we did and felt like we really covered things pretty well. Here's the itinerary:

Fri- leave San Francisco

Sa- arrive Tokyo in PM

Su-Tokyo National Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum, Akihabara “Electric Town”,  Sega Amusement Park

Mo- full day bus tour of Tokyo (Hato Bus Co. "Dynamic Tokyo" http://www.hatobus.com/tour/A315.html) that includes Tokyo Tower, Happo-En Gardens with tea ceremony, Chizan-So Garden with an excellent lunch, Imperial Palace grounds, boat tour from Hinode pier to Asakusa, Asakusa Marketa and Sensoji Temple

Tu-  Tsjuki fish market (5:30AM), Meiji Shrine, Harajuku area shopping, Tokyo Dome in PM for Nippon Ham Fighters vs. Chiba Lotte Marines game (got tickets at the gate)

We- bullet train to Osaka- Osaka Castle

Th- bullet train to Kyoto. We toured on our own with a bus pass since that’s what my son wanted to do: Gozo-Jaka Street, Kiyomizu Temple and Jishu Shrine, Heian Shrine and Shinen Garden, Ryoanji Temple with famous rock garden, Kinkakuji Golden Pavilion

Fr- return to Tokyo, Tokyo Disneyland

Sa- Metropolitan Government Building #1 Observation towers, Flea Market, Museum of Future Science and Technology, Takashimaya Department Store

Su- go home

It worked out extremely well and I am very grateful to the Tuggers who helped us so much in planning this trip.


----------



## Pat H

Glenn, I'm so glad your trip went well. What did your son think of the whole thing? I wish I had been one of the lucky ones who was able to take advantage of that great hotel rate.


----------



## glenn1000

Pat,

You are at the top of my list of people to thank! Your timely post allowed us to get our hotel reservations. The concierge level at the Hiltons was fabulous because we started out every day with a full western breakfast.

My son seemed to really enjoy the trip. It's the first trip we've taken alone (without my wife and other two kids) since he was six, so that was very special. Japan was a great place to visit because the culture is so completely different. The interactions with people, watching people on the trains, at the baseball game, etc. was extremely interesting. When we entered a department store at opening time all the employees lined the aisles and bowed. Very much removed from our typical travel experiences in the west. We could not fully appreciate everything that we were seeing because of the language barrier but that was fine. He preferred the adventure to being guided, except for the one tour that we did. The food was not his favorite but he did OK. We ended up at Chinese and Italian a couple of time, which was actually quite good, and he ate some basic sushi. I had a blast and we had fun together, which was what I had originally hoped for.

Thanks again for getting us started on this!


----------



## Maverick1963

*Glad to read your post*

Sounds like you had a very good trip with your son.  I say you covered a lot during one stay.  I bet you spent much time for planning.  I have a nine-year-old son and love to go abroad with him in future.  Congratulations on your successful tour!


----------

