One Night in Tokyo - - Seek Sushi and Izakaya Assistance

[REB]

Hi! My frequent flyer miles have me stopping for one night in Tokyo on the way from Chicago to Indonesia.

I would greatly appreciate the help of Tokyo experts to point me in the right direction as I've never been to Japan before and am really looking forward to some great Japanese food.

We land at Narita at 3:30pm on a Monday in April and depart the following morning at 11am.

If possible, my husband and I would like to drop our luggage off at the hotel and then:

1) Enjoy a light dinner of traditional sushi (where casual attire is acceptable), then

2) Visit an izakaya or two (we loved them during our Vancouver, BC trip), and finally

3) Stop by the Tsukiji Fish Market super early the next morning before taking the train back to the airport.

Is this doable? (sleep isn't required as we'll have plenty of time for sleeping on two long flights)

If this is doable, I would greatly appreciate tips. If these were your parameters, which neighborhood would you stay in and where would you eat? I don't mind short taxi/train rides, but would like to keep this simple because we won't have much time to get acclimated and may have some jet lag. In other words, I'd ideally like to stay in a neighborhood that is close to a train stop from Narita and that has a great sushi restaurant and a pretty good izakaya. If the Fish Market is nearby, all the better.

Many thanks in advance!

[Blether]

That sounds like Tokyo station area - particularly with the Tsukiji visit - it's a convenient taxi ride from the market to the station, if you get the taxi to stop at the best place for the Narita Express, and that's a fast direct train. There are a number of international premium hotel options, and more reasonable accommodation available on the Yaesu side of the station, even traditional ryokan style.

There are plenty of sushi options, and izakaya areas particularly in Yaesu and Yurakucho, both within strolling distance, if you want a more traditional feel than you'll get in the skyscrapers North and West of the station.

[jean_genie]

You could also feasibly stay in the Tsukiji area, where there are plenty of sushi restaurants. There are also plenty of izakaya in Ginza, which is a 15 minute walk from Tsukiji (or a short taxi ride), or you could go towards Tokyo station area for the izakaya experience, like blether suggested. Since you're visiting the markets early morning, it may make sense to have a sushi breakfast in the market area (many sushi restaurants open at 5am, serving seafood fresh from the market). Also another thing to consider is that trains and subways anywhere in Tokyo don't start running until after 5am, but if you stayed in the area, you wouldn't have to worry about that. Getting to the airport would be a short taxi ride to Tokyo where you can catch the Narita Express. Just allow yourself plenty of time because Tokyo Station is big with many lines and it may take you awhile to find the line you need. Hope this helps! (I live near Tsukiji by the way)

[REB]

Thanks so much for the great advice!

We made a reservation at the Hotel Monterey Ginza. Given that we'll only be there for a few hours, it seems like it will suffice. It looks to be pretty centrally located, close enough to both the Tokyo Station and the Tsujiki market.

I really like the idea of having sushi for breakfast at/near the Fish Market. If you (or anyone) can recommend a sushi place that's open at 6am and pretty quick, that'd be great. I figure we should leave the Fish Market between 7 and 7:30 to grab a taxi back to the Tokyo Station. We're going to try to leave our big luggage at Narita and travel very lightly into Tokyo, so we won't have to stop back at the hotel to get our bags.

Edited March 22, 2010 by REB (log)