Today we traveled from Toyama to Tokyo.  It will take about 4 hours.  This articles describes our hotel in Tokyo and why we picked it.

Train from Toyama to Tokyo

There is an odd rule with the JR pass: if the train you get on happens to use non-JR tracks you have to pay a supplement.  The websites are confusing about this and it’s likely that these rules change over time.  I believe the JR agents know the rules and won’t put you on a train that requires a supplement.

I mention all this because there are a couple routes from Toyama to Tokyo and one seems to require a supplement (the shortest one).  That one transfers at Echigoyuzawa.  However, there is a similar route that is only a little longer and didn’t have a supplement, transfering at Nogaoka.  The longest way is to transfer at Maibara.  The Hyperdia online timetable doesn’t seem to have info about these supplements (excluding private railways from the search isn’t enough to avoid them.)

For reference, the route we took was the Hokuetsu limited express from Toyama to Nagaoka, followed by the Shinkansen Max Toki from Nagaoka to Tokyo.

There is one other factor that might influence your route, and that is where you ultimately want to wind up in Tokyo.  There are 3 stations in the Tokyo region at which the Shinkansen’s stop.  The Max Toki route in from Nagaoka stops at Ueno (north of Tokyo), and then Tokyo.  The route in from Maibara stops at Shinagawa, south of Tokyo, and then Tokyo.  If you are going to take a taxi, or the circle line, anyway then it doesn’t matter and you might as well take the shorter route in thru Nagaoka.

The Shinkansen train we took from Nagaoka to Tokyo was double decker.  When you get your seats, ask the JR station agent for seats on the top deck for a better view.  (You have to navigate steps either way, upper or lower deck.)

Getting from Tokyo to your hotel

Obviously this depends a lot on where you stay – we’ll describe our choice of location in the next section.  But in general, you’ll have to either:

• Take a taxi
• Take the JR Yamanote line that circles Tokyo, connecting all the major areas (also covered by the JR pass)
• Take one of the many subway lines in Tokyo

This is the one leg where we considered using a luggage forwarding service.  The other legs were single train, whereas this would be at least 3 legs (to get to to Tokyo station, and then local trains / subways unless taking a taxi from Tokyo station.  We decided to take a taxi.  The Yamanote line and subway lines are not very luggage friendly, even when they aren’t crowded (and they are mostly crowded).

Where to stay in Tokyo – we chose Shibuya

Unlike our first two base camps, where the goal was to stay as close to the main station as possible, Tokyo has many such areas, each with a different vibe.  Our philosophy was to pick a place that was

• Central to transit (as opposed to being central to Tokyo itself)
• Had interesting stuff to do / places to eat in the evenings
• Reasonable priced rooms

We chose Shibuya and it worked out very well.  You could spend less by going a little further outside the Yamamote circle, but we put a premium on being able to walk to a main station.  Shibuya has a lot of young people (but not teenagers) and is busy well into the night.  It is home to the world’s busiest “scramble” type intersection (all traffic stops and people cross in all directions).  See the picture at the top, and here’s a YouTube video – search on Google and you’ll find more.  If you don’t like crowds, you won’t like Shibuya.  The Japan Guide has a good overview of the neighborhoods.

Hotels in Tokyo

We stayed at another business hotel, the Shibuya Tokyu Inn.  This one was relatively inexpensive by Shibuya standards and very convenient to the Shibuya station.  Another chain you can check is Tokoyo Inn – they have several in Tokyo.  They tend to be a little further off the beaten path (maybe 10 minutes walking) but in return are much cheaper.

Exploring Shibuya

Probably the main thing to do in Shibuya is shop.  There are several free-standing department stores plus malls, and several blocks of pedestrian-only streets heading out from the station.  Here’s one (at night):