Advice on 6 days Tokyo Itinerary

Hello everyone,

I will be traveling to Tokyo with a friend in end Sept. We are arriving around 6am on Thursday and leaving around 10pm on Wednesday, thus a total of 6 full days. We are staying near Ueno Station. My planned itinerary as below. Hope to have some advice from experienced Tokyo travelers here.

Is it worth going to Imperial Palace & East Garden? Apart from taking pictures and walking around the ground, are there other things to do there then? From Google map, the journey from Tokyo Station to Imperial Palace area seems quite a distance. Btw, is it common to do picnic in the gardens or parks in Tokyo during end Sept?

During the last day, I would like to do some last shopping at the supermarket mall before my departure to Haneda Airport. May I know where the nearest supermarket mall around Ueno Station is? I only know Daimaru Shopping mall as the nearest located in Tokyo Station.

Day 1: Haneda Airport – Ueno - Shinjuku (buy freepass & explore vicinity) – Asakusa (Kappabashi Town/Nakamise Street/Sensoji Temple/ Tokyo Skytree)
Day 2: Hakone
Day 3: Hakone – Ginza - Ameyoko
Day 4: Shibuya – Harajuku – Odaiba
Day 5: DisneySea – Tokyo Station (Imperial Palace/East Garden/1st Tokyo Avenue Street)
Day 6: Tsukiji Market – Last chance for shopping – Ueno - Haneda Airport

Thank you for helping.

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Japan-Guide has a good selection of itineraries for the Tokyo area - this might give you some ideas:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3051.html

As for the Imperial Palace and the East Garden . . . that depends on how deeply interested you are in history and/or castle architecture. I happen to enjoy learning about both so I personally think it's worth a visit, but if you're pressed for time I wouldn't rate them as absolute must-sees.

Also, seeing as how you've lumped that and DisneySea together on the same day, I should point out (speaking from my own experience) that you could easily spend the entire day at DisneySea and have little or no time left for much else (the East Garden, for one, closes before evening). You might wish to pencil in some nighttime attractions instead (the Shibuya crossing for example), as you may end up returning to Tokyo fairly late in the day after DisneySea.

Here's a preview of what to expect at the palace/garden should you decide to go (this is an account of my own visit there five years ago):

http://animeaffairs.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/japan-2009-day-2-report-p...

http://animeaffairs.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/japan-2009-day-2-report-p...

You can also check out other Tokyo-related posts on my travel blog (enter "Tokyo" in the search box to bring them up):

http://withinstrikingdistance.wordpress.com/

Cheerio.

It might just be me, but you've got some weird groupings going on, having you traveling from one side of the Yamanote to the other and back again. I'd group according to distance unless there is a specific attraction you're going for that has closing days. For example, Shinjuku can be grouped with Shibuya and Harajuku, Asakusa and Ameyoko can easily be seen together, and then you can jump into Odaiba/Ginza from there. As the above poster said, Disney Sea is going to be an all day thing. Either skip the Imperial Palace, or do it after Tsukiji and before your last minute shopping.

I'm not sure what you mean by "supermarket mall", but if you're looking for anything electronic/cameras/watches/etc, Yodobashi Camera is right near Ueno station (although the one by Akihabara Station is bigger I think). For Japanese toys/omocha/knick knacks/weird stuff, there's a multi-floor toy store right across the street which is hard to miss (I forgot the name, sorry). Also, there's lots of omiyage/food/gifts in the station proper. For an actual grocery store in the area, though, I can't help there!

(BTW, the first poster basically says that he/she has never been to the Imperial Palace from Tokyo station, but going by what they've heard, the 500 meters from the station is a bit difficult, so there's a bus from there you should take. )

By "supermarket mall" are you referring to foodstuffs? Ameyoko next to Ueno Station is often recommended for a fun shopping experience, look up the description of it on this website. As other replies have indicated, your destinations are all over Tokyo and should be grouped by proximity to each other. The one reservation I have about your destinations is Tokyo Skytree. The only time I tried to go, there were long lines waiting to get in and I deemed it not worthwhile waiting. Maybe you can ask other members of this board for advice on best times to visit.
I really enjoyed Tokyo DisneySea. You can easily spend the whole day there. My advice is to try to get there at least a half hour before opening so you can get to a few rides before all the crowds start backing up. Also use the Fast Pass feature whenever possible. FYI, the worst lines I saw were for the ToyStory interactive ride, so I would try to get the fast pass for that if that is the type of ride you like. Get the English guide when you pay and try to study it as the park is a little more spread out than Disneyland and easier to get lost. AND, avoid going to Disney on a weekend or any national holiday!!!

Thank you very much to all replies! Noted all advices, translations, recommendations and personal experiences!