Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By ferry
include Hinomaru Limousine (
T
03 3212 0505,
W
hinomaru.co.jp); and Nippon Kōtsū (
T
03 3799
9220
W
www.nihon-kotsu.co.jp/en).
The Tokyo Cruise Ship Company (
W
suijobus.co.jp)
runs several
ferry
services, known as
suijō basu
(water buses), in and around Tokyo Bay. The most
popular is the double-decker Sumida-gawa river
service (daily 10am-6.30pm; every 30-50min), plying
the 40-minute route between
Hinode Pier
(aka
Hinode Sanbashi), on Tokyo Bay, and
Asakusa
, north-
east of the city centre. Heading downriver, boats
call at the gardens of
Hama Rikyū Teien
near Ginza,
though note that 3.40pm is usually the last departure
calling here. The ferries' large picture windows, which
give a completely different view of the city from the
one you'll get on the streets, are reason enough for
hopping aboard. The
fare
from one end of the route
to the other is ¥760; you can buy a combination ticket
for the ferry and gardens for around ¥1020.
For a few hundred extra yen you can travel on
the
Himiko
, a space-age ferry (four daily between
Asakusa and Odaiba via Hinode). Designed by
Matsumoto Reiji, a famous manga artist, this silver-
painted ship changes its name to
Jicoo
at night,
when it becomes a floating bar (see p.170).
Hinode Pier (close by Hinode Station on the
Yurikamome monorail or a 10min walk from
Hamamatsuchō Station on the Yamanote line) is
also the jumping-off point for several good daily
cruises
around Tokyo Bay, and for ferries to various
points around the island of Odaiba, or across to
Kasai Rinkai-kōen on the east side of the bay.
Sightseeing tours
For a quick overview of Tokyo there are the usual
bus tours
, offered by operations such as
Hato Bus
Tours
(
W
hatobus.com),
Japan Grey Line
(
W
www
.jgl.co.jp/inbound) and
Sunrise Tours
(
W
jtb.co.jp),
ranging from half-day jaunts around the central
sights to visits out to Kamakura, Nikkō and Hakone.
If the sky's the limit on your budget, treat yourself to
a
helicopter ride
over the city. Operators include
Asahi Helicopter
(
T
03 5569 7372) and
Excel Air
with prices starting at ¥8500 per person for a
day-time flight of around 15 minutes.
If bus tours are not your cup of tea, but you still
fancy having a guide on hand, you might consider
one of the various
walking
or
cycling
tours (see
p.69), while a few companies such as
Bespoke
To k yo
(
W
bespoketokyo.jp) offer upscale custom-
ized tours. There are also culinary tours and activi-
ties (see p.154), and sightseeing ferries (see above).
TOURS
HIS Experience Japan
W
his.co.jp. Try your hand at calligraphy,
taiko
drumming or wielding a samurai sword, or one of the many other
cultural experiences offered by local tour company HIS. Small-group and
customized options available.
Otaku2 Akiba Tour
W
otaku2.com. Anime and manga scholar
Patrick Galbraith, narrator of the Tokyo Realtime Akihabra tour (see
below), or one of his equally knowledgeable colleagues, leads a
two-and-a-half-hour tour of Akihabara on Sundays including a visit to a
maid café, where the waitresses role play dressed in costumes (¥3000).
Sky Bus
T
03 3215 0008,
W
skybus.jp. Offers four tours, most in
open-top double-decker buses: choose from a route around the Imperial
Palace grounds and through Ginza and Marunouchi (¥1500; 50min); from
Tokyo Tower to the Rainbow Bridge (¥1700; 1hr); or Odaiba night tour
(¥2000; 2hr). Their Omotesandō-Shibuya course is in a trolley-style bus
(¥1200; 70min).
Tokyo Great Cycling Tour
T
03 4590 2995,
W
tokyocycling.jp.
See the capital on a couple of guided bike tours (¥10,000 including lunch)
that run on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Reservations required.
Tokyo Realtime
W
tokyorealtime.com. These excellent self-guided
audio-tours are a fine option for independent types. Hour-long walks so
far cover Kabukichō and Akihabara and can be downloaded online or
bought in local bookshops (see p.190).
Tokyo Tour Guide Services
W
www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp.
Ten walking tours - a few free, most for a fee - accompanied by
volunteer guides under the auspices of Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Tours last about three hours, departing Monday to Friday at 1pm from the
tourist information centre in the Metropolitan Government Building in
Shinjuku (see p.38). Reserve in advance online.
By taxi
For short hops,
taxis
are often the best option.
The basic rate is ¥710 for the first 2km, after which
the meter racks up ¥80 every 275m, plus a time
charge when the taxi is moving at less than 10km
per hour. Between 11pm and 5am, rates are about
twenty percent higher.
Most taxis have a limit of four passengers. There's
never any need to open or close the passenger
doors since they are operated by the taxi driver.
It's a good idea to have the name and address of
your destination clearly written on a piece of paper
to hand to the driver; if he doesn't know exactly
where it is, a stop at a local police box may be
necessary to locate the exact address.
When flagging down a taxi a red light next to
the driver means the cab is free; green means it's
occupied. There are designated stands in the
busiest parts of town; after the trains stop at night,
be prepared for long queues, especially in areas
such as Roppongi and Shinjuku. Major taxi firms
