By train is by far the most convenient way to get around Japan. With bullet-trains servicing the major corridors and linking up with other express and local trains, it’s quite easy to travel from one end of the country to the other. Pick up some timetables from any major station. Reading the shinkansen schedule is actually quite straighforward, it is logically arranged into the various names for the shinkansen that service that route.

Look at Tokyo today and you will see what the Tokyo- jin (meaning Tokyo people in japanese) have that we don’t have in our cities- bustling streets with thousands of people waiting to cross the roads, giantic television screens on the sides of buildings, high school students roaming the streets of shibuya after school and fashion statements made everywhere you go! It never cease to amaze travellers in Tokyo at the amount of things all happening all the same time, and most are often left dazzled by everything they see.

So, what can you do in Tokyo when you are there? (provided you are not “paralysed”, dazed and standing in the middle of the street).

What can you do there: Many things..

But before you have fun getting lost in a foreign land without no knowledge, how about learning how the train works for a start? That’s a good start, if you are intending to use public transport, and you can probably pick up the rest from there.

Some quick points..

1) Trains are called JR (Japan Rail) and there are many trains stations all over japan. The whole system of train routes and stops is a massive spider web and it takes some understanding of the sytem to get from point A to point B in Tokyo.

2) To get to most tourist spots in Tokyo, you only need to know about Yamanote train travel. Learn to get on to Yamanote train travel from your local train station and the rest is easy.

3) If you are going to travel intensively by train, it’s advisable to get a unlimited JR train ticket from major state train stations like Tokyo and Osaka train stations- costs savings overall.

Things to do:

Using JR trains, you can just about get to anywhere you want in Japan. There’s also a shinkansen (bullet-train) to get from state to state but it’s rather expensive for a ride. Places like Ueno, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Ginza and Harajyuku are places you should look out for as they are the main tourists spots with heaps of Japanese culture and attractions.

Ueno (pronounced as “ooo-a-no”) - famous park and zoo

Shibuya- hotspot for young people, high school kids and accessories

Shinjuku- business center but lots of shopping and interesting things about

Akihabara- computer, electronics and gadgets town

Ikebukuro- accessories, trendy clothes and more shopping

Harajuku- fashion, large variety of shops and roppon-ni (bars)

Ginza- trendy and expensive shopping area

There are so many things and places that you see in Tokyo; entertainment, traditional, cultural, food, shopping and tourist spots, and I will only spoil the fun of adventure to tell you about everything in Japan or Tokyo like guide books do.
You easily find help and tourist information along your way, if you get lost in the bubbly Tokyo. Now that you know how to get around Tokyo using trains, why not take up the challenge and explore Tokyo on your own?

Author: Adrian Curtin works full-time as a webmaster at http://www.travelwalk.net Travel recommendations, travel forums and resources. His interests lie predominantly in travel and creating his travel stories in his laptop while travelling.

Tokyo just might be the largest city in the world, comprised of 23 individual wards, all with their own unique characteristics. Foreigners are easily intimidated by the sheer expanse of Japan’s capital city and its 17 million inhabitants (5 million are commuters); however, due to this volume alone Tokyo has developed an unmatched public transportation system and an intricate network of visitor friendly information resources. The best way to travel Tokyo’s frantic bustle is to allow the subway to lead the way. A loose itinerary will draw you into true Japanese life through unexpected encounters and more intimate experiences.

Tokyo: A Consumer Capital

It may be ironic that one of the most expensive cities in the world also has one of the most rampant and flamboyant consumer cultures. Tourist attractions in Tokyo consist of many gargantuan shopping complexes in addition to the cultural favorites. The Ginza shopping district reigns supreme for ostentatious spending habits, with thousands of mega-stores, boutiques and an excessive array of non-functional novelty stores for the easily amused within us all. For a dose of New York in Tokyo, visit Shibuya, which is rife with higher-end shops, shrines, King-Kong-sized plasma TV screens and the busiest pedestrian street crossing in the world.

A Culture of Retrospect and Reflection

There is a tendency to become inundated and desensitized by the neon lights that line the city streets like masts in Japan’s ocean of technology. While these electric temples serve to extol a hyper-modern age, Tokyo also possesses some of the most idyllic and serene shrines and pagodas in the country. Meiji-jingu is the most impressive of Tokyo’s Shinto shrines, built with Japanese cypress and copper plates for the roof. Even though the shrine was destroyed during World War II, the reconstruction has not lost any of the grandeur. Just north of the city, Bonsai Park treats visitors to the zen-like art of cultivating these meticulously placed miniature trees and experiencing the calming of the mind. An essential experience for anyone traveling to Tokyo is the view of Mount Fuji in the early hours of dawn. This is possible from within the city, atop one of the massive skyscrapers such as the Government Building in Shinjuku. Directly in the center of Tokyo, the Imperial Palace (Kokyo) is an inner-city sanctuary that is home to the Imperial Family. The public can visit the surrounding East Gardens and walk along the double bridge over the tranquil moats of the palace grounds, but the palace buildings and inner courtyard are closed to visitors.

Travel to Tokyo with a willingness to get lost among the hustle and perhaps find yourself again in the silence of a shrine. The expansive city and system of subways make it nearly impossible to make a wrong turn.

by Frank Johnson

Anyone who has been to the larger cities in Japan such as Tokyo will know how impossible it is to walk in a straight line without being jostled. People come at you from and angles, an especially in the underground subway stations and shopping areas it really does feel like being in a pinball game. I once was suggested to just look down and people will walk around you but found that it doesn’t really work so well any more.

With the big subway (chikatetsu) stations such as Shinjuku or Ikebukuro having a myriad of exits and platforms, it’s suprising there aren’t more collisions as everyone zigzags every which way. Actually I can’t recall ever seeing anyone majorly get bumped into or fall down. If you need to stop its best to head for the nearest wall or pillar though as stopping dead in your tracks without warning is likely to cause a pile up!

Another thing you notice is that apart from on the train platforms themselves it’s very rare to find seating in the stations, and for that matter even benches on the street are extremely rare. However, with the temperature climbing at the moment the humidity is becoming quite uncomfortable so most people are taking refuge in air-conditioned coffee shops and restaurant. With so many tempting places to stop in, I find myself wondering at the end of the day where my money went.