4 nights/5 days itinerary in tokyo

Hi! my wife and 14 year old boy will be in tokyo on may 14-18. it is actually our first time to go there. will be staying at sunroute higashi hotel. Among the places we want to visit are the meiji shrine, Shinjuku Gyoen (is there cherry blossom during this period?), Tsukiji, Harajuku, Ameyoko and Shibuya (Center Town, and Cat Street)....Of course, we want to try also yakitori at shinjuku, ramen (ichiran i heard is best..any suggestions?), other japanese fast food....We also plan to see Ginza and Ropponggi...Any comments on these things we want to do? Is there enough time to do and see all these things? I also heard that train rides are quite difficult in tokyo compared to hongkong...I would appreciate any help from the experts here regarding my itinerary and trip to tokyo...Thanks!

Which airport(s) will you fly into and fly out from?

will be in Tokyo on May 14-18
will be staying at sunroute higashi hotel

The hotel is Hotel Sunroute Higashi-Shinjuku. ("Higashi" just means east.) It is near Exit B2 of Higashi-Shinjuku Station(s) (E02 / F12) of Toei subway and Tokyo Metro subway.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/station/higashi-shinjuku/yardmap/images/yardm...

is there cherry blossom during this period?

No. In the middle of May in Shinjuku, even late-flowering cherries would not have blossoms.
Roses in Shinjuku Gyoen flower in May. It keeps roses of about 100 species.

We also plan to see Ginza and Ropponggi...

Which sites in Roppongi do you plan to visit?

Any comments on these things we want to do?

What are your preferences / interests?

I also heard that train rides are quite difficult

You can easily get to most of the listed palaces using subway.

Hi Elmer,

I am also planning a 5D itinerary.
I have below places planned just for your reference.

Harajuku - Other than Meiji, there's still other places for shopping
Shibuya
Asakusa - Sensoji Temple + Himoko Cruise (quite interesting I heard, you can google about it)
Ryogoku - Edo Tokyo Musuem which I heard is 1 of the best museums in town
Odaiba Seaside Center - There's real big life size Gundam Robot.
A day trip out of Tokyo to Hakone for sightseeing and hopefully able to see Mt Fuji. Also added in is the Odawara Castle.
And of cos Tokyo Sky Tree + Shinjuku for shopping and food.

Thats the basic itineary I have for myself. Hope it helps!

Hi! Asakusa is also a nice place to visit if you have time. Harajuku and Shibuya are great places to stop by if you plan to do some shopping or just to walk around and experience the atmosphere there. Riding the trains to get around is not too difficult to figure out.
About the ramen, you should check out this ramen list for some ideas:
http://www.yoninja.com/resources/yoninja-guides/tokyos-best-of-ramen

Hope you enjoy your stay in Japan!

For Tsukiji Market, if you guys are interested in seeing the Tuna Auction I recommend arriving by 4am. If you just want to see the market and have a nice sushi breakfast you can come mid morning. Most sushi places are open until noon.

When you check out Ameyokocho Market definitely spend a bit of time walking around the nearby Ueno Park.

There are so many great ramen joints in Tokyo, it's hard to go wrong. Tokyo Station has ramen street with lots of options. I also really like Ippudo in Roppongi. And I recommend Pintokona in Roppongi for quality conveyor belt sushi.

In Roppongi, I highly recommend the Roppongi Hills observation deck. The ticket is about 1500 yen and includes entrance to the Mori Art Museum. It's a beautiful view especially at sunset.

Many of the train and subway stations have maps in English. The JR Yamanote line forms a circle around central Tokyo and you'll be on this train often.

For more on Tokyo: http://www.blaineanderin.com/where-to-stay-explore-photograph-eat-in-t...

Thanks for the inputs!!! If there are no cherry blossoms to see during our visit, probably we might just have to pass on the Shinjuku Gyoen..... Maybe we'll replace it with a visit to the Tokyo Skytree...will try to post some more questions as i continue to plan my trip....thanks!!

Unfortunately you'll be too late for the cherry blossoms, but there is still a lot to see.
Harajuku and Meiji Shrine are nice, but best on a Sunday when the youth in bizarre fashions are out.
And by all means get out of Tokyo for a day or more. Kamakura is a great place to see some older more historical places of Japan, and Hakone or the Fuji 5 Lakes area give a good balance to the endless concrete of the big city.