Getting Around

I used a Japan Rail Pass for most of the time I was in Japan . The pass gave me unlimited trips on all JR owned trains and buses, except the super rapid express (Nozomi) Shinkansen (Bullet Train). You buy a voucher for the pass outside of Japan then take it and your passport to a tourist ticket centre in Japan to exchange it for the actual pass.

If you have a Japan Rail Pass you can reserve seats on the Shinkansen for no additional cost. If you plan on going to the major cities makes sure you get a Super Express Hikari, not a Kodama which stops at all stations. All Shinkansen trains leave from either Tokyo central or Shinagawa, not Shinjuku.

Narita (kara) to Tokyo (made)

I'd already paid for transfers via bus to my hotel so didn't get the train from Narita airport to Tokyo , instead I headed upstairs to exchange my Bus voucher for a ticket. The voucher cost me $50 one way from Flight Centre in Australia , and they were selling them for about $38 at the airport.

As I suspected the bus only went to Shinjuku station, and not to the hotel I was staying in, thanks for no advice Flight Centre. The hotel wasn't far and via the hotel's website I'd found out there was a shuttle bus from the station to the hotel but I had doubts about trying to find it. The trip from Narita airport to Shinjuku station took about an hour and a half. Upon embarking the bus at the station I decided to push my way through the crowds carrying my suitcase to try and find the Shuttle bus. After about 10 mins I gave up and jumped in a taxi. The driver didn't speak English but I managed to communicate using my basic Japanese about where I wanted to go. $10 later I was there. The hotel was full of Japanese smoking and I was tired so I just went to sleep.

Shinjuku

I stayed in two Hotels in Shinjuku, both on the Western side. Shinjuku station divides this ward in to two unique sides, East and West Shinjuku . The station here is the busiest station in the world with 2 million people passing through it daily.

West Shinjuku is very business orientated, with lots of tall office buildings. It's clean and modern and full of office workers. It gets busy during the morning and lunch times but is fairly quiet at other times. Not many people live there but there are a lot of hotels. As you get closer to the station the streets begin to liven up, especially at night. Once you pass the station to the Eastern side things look and feel a lot different. The buildings here aren't nearly as tall; neon signs light the dark alley ways and bars, restaurants and strip clubs are found in every second building. It's a good place to head to for a few drinks or dinner, much more interesting to walk around at night than during the day.

The Metropolitan Government Offices in West Shinjuku are definitely worth a trip. There are two free viewing platforms on the 45 th floor allowing you to see most of Tokyo and on a clear day Mt. Fuji in the background. West Shinjuku also has the cheapest Camera (and Computer/Electronics) store I found in Tokyo . Yodobashi Camera is just West of the station and the prices there for digital cameras for 40% -60% of what they are in Australia . Definitely worth looking at if shopping is on your agenda.

Tokyo and Ginza

The Imperial Palace is not far from Tokyo station, and although you can't really see the Palace (from the South Garden anyway) it's worth a quick stroll past to see some of the traditional style buildings, bridges and open space in the middle of Tokyo.

Ginza offers many opportunites for shopping in all the big (and expensive) department stores. There's also the Sony showroom showcasing their latest products - it's all hands on but you can't buy anything there.

Akihabara Electric Town

The streets around the station here are full of electronics shops. It began after World War II when students were selling pieces from old radios to the public here. Now there are several large electronics department stores selling everything from cameras, computers, phones, dvds and games to light bulbs, cables and circuit components.

Visit here in the evening to get the full neon experience. Unless you want to buy up big you only need an hour or two to wander around and get a feel for the place.

Ueno Park

Situation in Northern Tokyo , the park here is actually pretty ugly (although I suspect its cleaned up during cherry blossom season). There are lots of homeless people living in the park, and the gardens are overgrown and include many swampy type areas. Despite the lack of attractive gardens the park is still worth a visit because it has some of the oldest temples, shrines and The National Museum (which has the biggest collection of asian artefacts in the world)

Anthony.