An excellent introduction to Asia, if you have the time.

Your options for reaching inland Chinese cities without stopping over in Beijing increase when a Tokyo stopover is considered. Most flights to China on Japanese carriers JAL and ANA, as well as the Chinese airlines, leave Tokyo’s Narita Airport in the morning, well before the bank of arrivals from North America. Taking a day or two in Earth’s biggest city to adjust your internal clock and transition into Asian society can make for an enjoyable mini-vacation.

Westerners do not need a visa to enter Japan for short visits – your passport is all you need. However, Chinese nationals do not have this privilege – and as your new child will be flying on a Chinese passport, she will not be permitted to exit the airport security zone. Since the morning flights out of Guangzhou connect easily to many North American flights, there’s no need for an overnight stay in Japan coming home. Therefore, the Tokyo side-trip is an inbound-only alternative.

Tokyo is amazingly easy to get around in. It is a city of compact, walkable neighborhoods, each with its own personality, shopping, dining, and leisure options, all hooked together with inexpensive subway and rail lines. In the central districts, you’re never more than 5 minutes’ walk from a station, and you can be in any other part of the city usually within half an hour.

The feelings of safety and civility, spectacle and reserve you’ll have in Tokyo are really unlike any American city.

Certain neighborhoods are “hubs” for transit, shopping, and hotels. Choose a hotel in one of these centers for maximum transportation flexibility:

1. •Shinjuku - skyscrapers, shopping centers, neon, and nightlife, with many Western chain hotels.
   

2. •Shibuya and nearby Harajuku - fashion capital and street scenes, youth culture and high-end luxury
   

3. •Ikebukuro - suburban amenities with high-rise excitement
   

4. •Ueno and nearby Akihabara - traditional charm, culture and parkland in Ueno contrasted with the entertainment and electronics epicenter of ‘Akiba’. The contrast you’ll experience in such a small distance epitomizes modern Japan
   

5. •Downtown and the Ginza - nearby the Imperial Palace and its gardens, this district houses the city’s department store and luxury hotel flagships
   

The trip into town from Narita can be made by rail - most of the central transport hubs have direct service - or by bus, which will take you directly to most of the major hotels. The airport is a good 40 miles out, so expect a ride of 1.5 - 2 hours. The bus fare runs about US$30 each way, the train is similar.

Tokyo bus, subway, and rail services are run by several different companies, but they all use a reloadable “smart card” system which makes it incredibly easy for tourists. Grab a SUICA (pronounced swee-ka) in the basement of Narita, or at the main rail station in your neighborhood.

Subway and train fares average US$2 for most point-to-point trips in the central city. The cards can even be used at some convenience stores and many shops at Narita.  Very clever.

                           

Two days in Tokyo give you enough time to visit a number of neighborhoods and check off a surprising number of famous / recognizable sights. There are a-la-carte tours available (links up on the left) which can take a few hours, a half day, or a full day, and represent a good value for travelers passing through. Or you can just take the subway to a neighborhood at random and start walking around; people are friendly and there’s always something interesting no matter where you end up.

As a traveler working on jetlag, you’ll be surprised at how few people there are on the street at 6 or 7 in the morning, as if the city knew you needed some space to decompress in. Rush hour is 8 to 9, and shops tend to open around 10am. (The flip side is that the city stays up late; the roads stay busy until 1 - 2am. But you’ll be asleep long before then....)

In the main part of the city, foreigners are common, so shopkeepers and restaurateurs tend to know some English. Many street and shop signs are bilingual, as is the transit system. Yes, Japan has its own distinct culture, but in Tokyo you’ll have enough clues and signs to interpret what you see.

Convenience stores, coffee shops, and fast food outlets appear on virtually every block - and their prices for milk, bread, lattes and hamburgers are astonishingly similar to those in the USA. More importantly, they’re an excellent value compared to overpriced hotel food choices, and literally a short walk from your front door.

Shopping around for hotels is well worth your time; expect to start around US$200 per night for a room with a single queen bed. Rooms are smaller than we’re used to and have fewer amenities, but you won’t be spending much time in your room anyway. (The beds are soft, unlike those you’ll be sleeping on in China.) Western hotel brands tend to be higher-priced; there aren’t any Holiday Inn Express or Hilton Garden Inn outlets here, alas.

Despite Tokyo’s reputation for being an expensive city, it is very much possible to have a full day of fun and good food for no more than you’d spend in Seattle or Chicago. We took our toddler daughter there for four days in July 2009 and had a great time. Whether you stop briefly on your way to meet your child in China, or come back later for a longer look, Tokyo will capture your imagination.