Going to Tokyo for a week: What do I?

Murder someone. You'll have fucked up stories about that the rest of your life.

Seriously, I'd love to go to Tokyo. Report back upon return.

Start with using a verb when asking a question.

Too bad it's off season because baseball games are good. I had a blast in the bleachers at the Tokyo Dome.

Buy panties from a vending machine. I wish I were joking, but I'm not.

I'm very envious of you. As a lover of sake, I'd make a point of trying as many brands/makes of it as possible.

Drift.

I asked a friend of mine to do that when he was in Tokyo, and he actually asked a bunch of people where he could find said vending machines. No one knew what the hell he was talking about.

Jona, If a giant monter attacks (most likely...Godzilla) go to the local underground shelter.

I'd recommend a trip to the Yasukuni Jinja Shrine. It's basically a war memorial, but it's one of the best places in the city to see the cherry blossoms.

Unfortunately, that will not happen until late March to early April.

But if you are a fan of anime, Studio Ghibli has a museum you can visit with stills and props from their films. The tour guides speak English, and a ticket will run you about $12

bring lot and lot of money

How close is Osaka to Tokyo?

Well, duh, it's some crazy Japanese secret that they're not allowed to reveal to the gaijin.

341 miles...

Would you be hoping to find the karaoke bar they used in "Black Rain"?

That and so much more. I reckon there are entire Conklin Tours.

I'd sign up for a 'Black Rain' tour of Japan.

One of these days I need to take a day trip to Napa. That's where they filmed the final battle with Sato.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere I am, Molti!

I hear the Studio Ghibli museum is a cool place. I think you need reservations (advanced tix) though.

http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/

http://inventorspot.com/articles/jap..._machines_5650

Apparently they are really, really rare. I was there last year and I never saw them once ... even in the seedier parts of town. But even the tour guide said they were around somewhere.

I was unfortunately only in Tokyo for one day and there's so, so much to see there. You'll probably want to get aquainted with the train system that travels in a circle around the place. Every main stop has it's own sights. I went to Akihabara, which is the electronics and games section of the city ... and only briefly looked around a few other places before time was up.

You can go check out the teenage cosplayers in the Harajuku section ... but apparently they're only there at a certain time of day. But really, I saw people dressed up like cosplayers all over the place.

This link might be helpful:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

& don't forget to try the Pocari Sweat!

Monti: On the Shinkansen(a.k.a. bullet train) it'd take just around 3 hours. A day trip there from Tokyo is entirely possible though I'd advise spending more than one night there. It's a lively city, very much so with a sensibility more akin to an american one than Tokyo. Tokyo's sedate compared to Osaka.
Oh yeah, if you see a huge car with tinted windows rolling round the streets, treat it with some respect. The people in there tend to be missing some fingers if you know what I mean. I saw a couple when i was there and there's no mistaking who they belong to without seeing who's in them. Osaka's their defacto capital as well.

Darkmites: And yes, Ghbili museum requires the purchase of an advance ticket for the day you plan to attend. You'd have no chance otherwise as the locals themselves are required to purchase their tickets that way as well but on a 6 month long waiting list and have to turn up within 30 mins of the set time on the ticket or it's forfeited. Being a foreign tourist you get to bypass the waiting list and can turn up anytime of the set day on your ticket. Just remember to bring your passport as proof.
In short: No tickets sold at the door at the museum, ever.

My recommendation for Tokyo is to visit Harajuku, as mentioned by Mr Freeze, on the weekend. It's very colorful place with outlandish fashion on display on the streets. Not to mention garage bands playing nearby trying to get some exposure.
There's a meiji temple nearby as well to serve as a quiet contrast of the streets.

I hear ya loud and clear. I'll watch my tail, cowboy.

Sing "Brass in Pocket" and watch out for Godzilla.

Bang a Japanese broad.

Memorize important phrases:

"Biiru wo sanbon kudasai" = "Give me 3 beers"
"Taisetsuna mono desu kara, oppai wo misenakereba naranai" = "This is an important matter so you need to show me your breasts"

And so forth.

I was gonna say that. DOc beats me to the good shit once again. PS: I'm still waiting for my hilarious motivational posters, Doc.

I spent this recent new years in Tokyo, and it blew me away. My dream is to live there one day. So much crazy shit going on there. For a laugh my buddies and I went to a maid cafe in Akihabara and it was by far the most surreal experience of my life.

I was in Shibuya and on a whim got the cheapest camera in a shop, and I haggled for it too, and the thing is like an iPhone mixed with a DS. Its only got two buttons, the whole rear side is a gigantic touch-screen, and you get a stylus pen to make on-the-go editing, like drawing moustaches on people's faces or something.

I'm a Miike fan and on my way to Shinjuku was expecting a seedy part of town sprawling with yakuza or something. As soon as I left the station to my left was a big glass building with 'Times Square' written on it like a logo, and directly infront of me was the Empire State Building. Ok, smaller than the one in NY but still pretty damn tall, and then behind it in the air was a Hindenberg-like airship flying around randomly. I was transported to 1940's New York! "What...the fuck?"

Tokyo. God I love that city.

Look for Mr. Fuji. Bring him the Jade Monkey and await further instructions.

The most important thing for anyone going to Tokyo to remember:


TAKE ME WITH YOU, BASTARDS!

Take the bullet train. Sadly when I was there the weather was bad so they didn't get that sucker up to full speed.

If you've got some money to spend for a night out (some pretty serious money), you can have dinner at Gonpachi's in Nishi-Azabu (in Tokyo). It's the model for the big restaurant in Kill Bill I.

There's a huge artificial island in the middle of Tokyo Bay called Odaiba. Lot's of crazy stuff there, but you might want to hit the giant Ooedo Onsen Monogatari, a huge hot bath resort, complete with hotels and wacky robes you can buy. Maybe you'll catch Gojira swimming back out to sea. In fact, if you're interested in Gojira, you can go to Ginza and see where he was stomping around in the first movie.

http://www.ooedoonsen.jp/

The Edo-Tokyo museum in Ryogoku is pretty cool, and sometimes has some film or pop culture related exhibits. Last summer, they had a bunch of David Bowie's costumes from the Ziggy Stardust era (they were designed by Kansai Yamamoto).

http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/english/index.html

Kabuki-cho in Shinjuku is a good place to go drinking. If you find the "Golden Gai," you'll come across hundreds of little crowded bars. Several of them have movie themes, including one where Wim Wenders filmed one of the scenes in Tokyo-Ga. I was in there two summers ago and the bartender claimed that I just missed Miike and Tarantino, out for a drink while filming Sukiyaki Western Django.

As far as hard core movie stuff goes, I have yet to find a really great video store in Tokyo. There are a couple of awesome bookstores related to Japanese film in Kanda, but not much in English. I don't know about studio tours--I'll ask around about that. If you go hike around the base of Mt. Fuji (way too cold to go up it), you'll wander through the woods where Kurosawa filmed Ran. I'm not exactly sure where it is--somewhere near Gotenba I think--but the forests there are really cool. It's a doable day trip from Tokyo.

Seconded. You shouldn't miss Golden-Gai. Just don't feel insulted if some of the bars don't let you in (didn't happen with me, but I heard that some bars don't serve tourists).

On Sunday, go to Yoyogi Park. You will see a lot of fascinating weirdos.

And before you vist Tokyo, watch a recent japanese film called "Adrift in Tokyo". It will get you in the mood.

And for the love of god, avoid Roppongi. That damn place is a gaijin trap like no other. If you find yourself there, do not be surprised if you get fleeced. Hell, expect it.

Roppongi Hills is another matter entirely. Good place to find reasonably priced good restaurants there. There are better but you need locals or someone in the know to show you to them.