A first-time visitor’s guide to Tokyo

Move over, Hong Kong! There’s now a new “it destination” for Filipinos: Japan. With more affordable direct flights by budget carriers and the ease of getting a Japanese visa, locals finally find it accessible to visit the Land of the Rising Sun.

I recently organized a family trip to Tokyo and managed to take care of everything—from visa application to flights and accommodations—for all 15 of us. I am no travel agent nor am I affiliated with a travel agency, but I was able to execute our trip with minimal fuss and stress thanks to technology and a lot of research.

Pick a place

What’s on your bucket list? There are a lot of must-see places in Japan, so it’s best to narrow down your list of must-visit spots and decide where to book a flight.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is in Osaka, while Disneyland and DisneySea are in Tokyo, and Kyoto has a collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In our case, Tokyo was the top choice since we were traveling with kids who looked forward to visiting the world-class theme parks.

Apply for a visa

The first hurdle to traveling to Japan is the visa application process. It is not necessary to go to the Japanese Embassy, as the task is handed over to a handful of accredited travel agencies.

Make sure to canvass first because the rates may vary. The requirements are pretty much the same for a tourist visa—application form, passport, photo, NSO birth certificate (valid one year), NSO marriage contract (valid one year), tour itinerary, bank certificate, and income tax return. My siblings had to get Affidavit of Support for the children as well.  

Once you have complied with all requirements, the processing time usually take five to seven days. Fortunately, all of us got approved and some even got multiple entry visas for five years! (Note: Do not apply before 60 days of your intended departure date.)

Book a flight

Local airlines have direct flights to Tokyo; landing at either Narita International Airport or Haneda Airport. From the airport, you can take the train, bus, or taxi to central Tokyo, but consider the schedule and convenience.

Narita is about a one-and-a-half hour limousine bus ride to central Tokyo, while Haneda is around 30 minutes. Although the train is faster, we thought it would be easier for us to take the bus since we were traveling with children and luggage.

Before going outside the airport, get a ticket from the counter of Airport Limousine, which has routes that pass through different areas in central Tokyo. It’s cheaper to get the round-trip fare, but better to get the “Limousine and Subway Pass” that pairs bus tickets with either a one-day or consecutive two- or three-day unlimited subway pass for all Tokyo Metro Lines and Toei Subway Lines.

Find a decent place to stay

There’s a plethora of accommodation choices for all kinds of travelers. Look for deals on sites like Agoda or Booking, but also take time to read the reviews from TripAdvisor before choosing your lodging.

Through crowdsourcing, I discovered that Shinjuku is a nice area to stay. There are apartments for rent via Airbnb, but we opted to splurge a little and spend for convenience by going for a hotel instead. (After all, there are no buffet breakfasts in Airbnb accommodations!) It turns out Keio Hotel, which some of my friends recommended, offers free shuttle trips to Disney.

Try the train

We stayed in Tokyo for only five days—not enough time to do all the things we wanted, but we were able to maximize our trip by getting around town through the subway. It’s the fastest, easiest, and most efficient form of transportation for us—and cheapest too since we got the unlimited pass.

If you have a smartphone, download the Tokyo Metro app to help you get easy access to the city’s main tourist attractions. Maps posted at each station were helpful as well.

Rent a pocket Wi-Fi

My hubby and I decided to rent a mobile Wi-Fi router, which we ordered and paid for online and picked up at the airport (another option is to have it delivered to your hotel). There are services like this that you can find in the Internet, and we got ours from Japan Wireless, which also provided a free battery with the rental. It had fast Internet speed even if there were two of us connected on the router. We didn’t have a hard time returning the unit, as we just sealed it inside the provided envelope and dropped it in the postbox at the airport.

Go sightseeing

It’s fun to be a tourist in Tokyo! It’s hard to please everyone, especially when you’re traveling with a large group like ours, so we decided to make our own itineraries and planned individually. But there are tour groups you can join to make the travel experience simpler. Explore Japanican.com for reasonable tour rates.
 
Initially, I wanted to take the Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi tour, but our travel dates fell during Golden Week, the longest public holiday in Japan, and some tours were not operational then. I didn’t let it dampen my spirits though, and just visited nearby sites instead.

My hubby and I maximized our subway passes and wore our feet off as we became our own tour guides. We went to Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree, Ueno Park (popular for cherry blossom viewing during spring time), Ginza (high-end shopping district), Edo-Tokyo Museum, Shibuya, Roponggi, Tsukiji Market, and the Imperial Palace. My nephews and nieces enjoyed a full day at Tokyo Disney Resort. My brother-in-law even rode a shinkansen (bullet train) to check out a toy and car museum in a neighboring prefecture.

All of us had different travel experiences but were all equally memorable. And I think it made our trip more enjoyable since we were able to satisfy our individual wanderlust pleasures. — BM, GMA News