Thankfully everyone in our party is open to eat anything (maybe 1 picky eater but they'll live haha).
I know for sure we will take 1 full day exploring the city of Tokyo. And also Ghibli Museum is a definite spot on our list.
But this is also why were looking at using the Tokyo Disney Resort area as our main point for hotel. I know a lot of people I see suggest splitting the stay. But I just rather not go through the hassle of hotel transfers. I think it will just work out best for our family doing it this way and since were comfortable using public transportation I think we will be okay. As long as we have fun
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Plus were also doing a 3 night stay in Shanghai before flying over to Tokyo.
BUT - Do you have any recommendations for sight seeing in Tokyo for 1 full day (where to visit, what I
should visit and can not miss). We would most likely do it on a Sunday, and avoid the crowds at the parks.
I've been all over Japan now, so for me the big temples/shrines in Tokyo are now sort of underwhelming. The two most popular are Asakusa Kanon not far from Ueno and Meiji jingu near Harajuku. Harajuku is a mob scene on Sundays because of all the people out shopping. I made the mistake of going there on a Sunday last trip, as we were desperately trying to track down a particular doll play set to no avail (there is a famous toy store there.) If you're willing to travel further, I prefer Kamakura for temples and shrines to anything in Central Tokyo It will take you about 1.5 hours to get there from Maihama Station not including transfer times. It will cost you about 2200 yen round trip. In Kamakura, my favorite temples are: Kenchoji (make sure you go to the highest platform vs. the tengu statues), Zeniarai Benten, Hasedera, and Hachiman-gu. Since it's Summer the beach should be open. I've never been. If the hydrangea are still blooming Meigetsuin is probably lovely but crowded. There are museums and gardens in Tokyo as well. The Edo Museum is supposed to be quite good. The gardens are OK, (except Shinjuku Gyoen in season, I don't know what is in bloom in mid-July, I went for momo and sakura.) I've been to the big 3 gardens+Ritsuin so... the ones in Tokyo are generally less interesting.
Again, at this point I mostly shop in Tokyo. Tokyo has some great stores. >>;
See for me, I'm going to do 3 days in Tokyo and then switch for either 1 night in Tokyo Disney and then go back to Tokyo for my final night in Japan. I want my 15 minute early entry for TDR, which is the main reason I plan to stay there, that and the 2 day parkhopper. Outside the early entry/location, as a luxury hotel I was unimpressed with Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. I've read TDR Explorer and DisneyTourist blog, and when they rate it and MiraCosta as the best luxury hotel ever, I wonder where else they have stayed. I found the beds uncomfortably hard and the bathrooms were a little outdated. I prefer the new updated rooms at the Grand in WDW. Though the DVC bathrooms are my favorite on any Disney property. My favorite hotel is the Tokyo Station Hotel. The breakfast is for guests only and to die for. If I could afford it, I would only stay there. We're going to hopefully stay there 1 night and spend the other nights at the Royal Park Shiodome.
There are several ways to get Studio Ghibli tickets. The cheapest is via Lawsons, but it will be for a specific time. I think those go on sale 1 or two months out. The most frequent method by foreigners is through JTB. There is a markup, especially for kids tickets, but they can be used whenever you want on a particular day rather than a specific time on said day. When you're desperate, you can pay a premium for a "tour" through Japanican (a subsidiary of JTB.) They have the greatest availability but you are paying a lot more. It's more for those desperate.
The people like me suggesting a hotel transfer are not trying to say navigation is an issue, I know for me, I just don't want to spend the additional 30-40 minutes after spending a day in Tokyo to get back to my hotel. I also am an adult traveling alone with a 7 year old. The Keiyo line in Tokyo Station comes out in a weird location and you just have to do a lot of walking in the station to transfer to most lines. You might want to change at Shin-Kiba for the subway instead depending on where you going. I actually think Japanese trains/subways are quite easy to navigate and a complete pleasure. I don't feel the same way about local buses, though highway buses are great. I'm sad I will need to rent a car my next trip because I want to get to less accessible locations.