Ueno or Asakusa?

Hi, I would like to experience staying in japanese ryokan but facing tough decision because there is so many choices of ryokan available. My planned itinerary (which may need your advise) :
Day 01 : asakusa, ueno, akihabara
Day 02 : chiyoda, ginza, odaiba
Day 03 : harajuku,roppongi, tokyo tower.
Day 04 : Tokyo motor show
Day 05 : Depart to narita airport

Questions:
1 ) is the above plan feasible ?
2 ) if it's ok, should i stay in Ueno or Asakusa area?
3 ) please recommend me one/two ryokan nearby. (less than 15mins walking distance to train st, budget below 9000Y/2 person/room, clean traditional ryokan)

Im looking at a place where there is a slight entertainment/ restaurant at night. I dont mind noisy/ crowded place.

Please advise. Thanks & regards.

lisa21,
If you want to stay in a place with a lively nightlife, Asakusa is not your place. Stay in Ueno.

And train-wise, Ueno is more convenient, having both JR and non-JR stations. Keisei skyliner takes you directly from the airport.

If you usually go to bed at 9pm, then both Asakusa and Ueno will suit you. If you think the night is still young at that hour, then I recommend a few stops away along the JR Yamanote Line- Ikebukuro or Shinjuku. There are ryokan as low as 6000/room for 2.

Greetings,

Your plan has you going to Harajuku on Monday. If you want to see the cosplay, you will have to go on Sunday.

Cheers,

George

How did you conclude they were visiting Harajuku on a Monday?

All it says is Day 1, Day 2 , Day 3, no months or exact dates.

Though true, one should plan a trip to Harajuku on a sunday.

Oops my fault. For some reason I saw Day 1 and read Dec 1. Time for bed now.

Cheers,

George

I had a similar decision to make and I went for Asakusa in the end. It's not on the JR Yamanote Line but it's only a couple of subway stations from Ueno. However I have a couple of questions regarding how to get around to the West side of Tokyo (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Azabu-juban etc):

Would it faster to take

On the Tokyo subway map there's a thin silver line that simply says "JR line" from Asakusabashi to Yoyogi - does that line have a name (and what platform should I look for when changing onto that line)? Is it a good route to take speed-wise and crowd-wise to get to Harajuku? Or would going to Ueno and then taking the Yamanote line be faster? About how long would the journey from Asakusa to Shinjuku/Shibuya take?

Can someone point me to a tokyo subway route planner? I came across a very good website for that before but have forgotten the url. Thanks!

Emma that line from Asakusabashi to Yoyogi is the Chuo-Sobu line (it is colored Yellow for maps of central Tokyo JR network).

Note that Asakusabashi station is not near the major sights of Asakusa and not near Asakusa Station, so depending on where your hotel is, it might not be convenient at all for you.

The fastest way from Asakusa to Shibuya is taking the Tokyo Metro Ginza Subway line from Asakusa station to Shibuya station, it's a direct course, no transfers required .

If from Shibuya you need to connect to Shinjuku you can change to the JR line there, or you can connect to most other places you want to visit by staying within the Tokyo Metro network and connecting elsewhere (see below).

As for route planners:
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi
and http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/

Note for Hyperdia purposes there is an Asakusa Station (for the Tskuba express) then the Asakusa station for Tokyo metro/toei and tobu is simply listed as Asakusa (Tobu).

Note that sometimes the planners can be picky on the station names you enter.

Here are some alternate names you can try to enter to see which is the cheaper routes sometimes.

Eg:
Harajuku is the name of the JR station, right nearby is MeijiJingumae Station of the subway. So if you are taking the subway from Asakusa, its cheaper to stay in the subway network and make a connection and go to MeijiJingumae station then it is to switch to JR and go to Harajuku station (since you are riding two train networks vs. one).

Like in another post someone asked whats the best lines in Tokyo, many people might say the Yamanote line, and yes the Yamanote line does connect many places, but the Yamanote line doesn't do you a bit of good if your starting point isn't on the Yamanote line.

The best way is bypass ueno station and skipping the Yamanote Line most cases, by taking direct subway or subway connections or other lines other then the Yamanote Line.

Eg. From Asakusa (again assuming you are near the subway asakusa) and not JR Asakusbashi station.

The Ginza line goes to kanda station, there change to the JR Chuo line if you want to go to Shinjuku fast. If you want to go to Shinjuku cheap saving a little yen, then staying in the subway network and changing to the Mararunchi subway line later to Shinjuku is an alternative.

If going from Asakusa to Shibuya is your first priority, then just riding the Ginza subway line direct is your best choice, then if you plan to visit Shinjuku after you can take JR from Shibuya.

hi all, thanks for the advise. J Lady - yes, i will be going to harajuku on Sunday.
Please find my complete itinerary below :

19 Oct 07 Fri : Check in – Toyoko inn Osaka Namba –Minami, Osaka castle
20 Oct 07 Sat : Universal Studio jpn
21 Oct 07 Sun: Kyoto 1 day trip, then night bus to tokyo
22 Oct 07 Mon: Check in – Toyoko inn Shinjuku, area Shinjuku Ikebukuro shibuya
23 Oct 07 Tue : Hakone one day free pass
24 Oct 07 Wed: Gotemba, east tokyo
25 Oct 07 Thu: Tokyo Disneyland, outlet mall Makuhari
26 Oct 07 Fri: Check in ryokan – asakusa, ueno, akihabara,
27 Oct 07 Sat: Chiyoda, Ginza, Odaiba
28 Oct 07 Sun: Harajuku Roppongi, Tokyo tower
29 Oct 07 Mon: Tokyo motor show
30 Oct 07 Sun : Bye bye

Is the plan above practical?or is it too boring/packed?

I have done some google and found out few ryokans within my budget in ueno/asakusa area.
1) Katsutaro ryokan http://www.katsutaro.com/ryokan_index.html
2) Toukaisou Ryokan
http://www.toukaisou.com/index-e.htm#-ACCESS-_
3) Andon ryokan
http://www.andon.co.jp/home/faq/index.html#00

Which one is better - in terms of more lively night life for travellers & strategic?
Any advise are welcome. Thanks & regards

Hi, pls ignore the above selections of ryokan. I've change my mind and want to stay in other place instead (shinjuku/ikebukuro/shibuya/roppongi), since ueno&asakusa are boring at night.
1) Anyone can advice about Nagaragawa ryokan ?
2) Tama ryokan - has curfew?

and again 3) advice on the above itinerary?..

Thank you so much!...

Looking at your itenerary i noticed you have a day penciled in for Universal Studios. You didnt say who you were traveling with, but if you are with yourself or just one other person and really want to see more of Japan you can use that day instead and do a day trip to Himeji and spend the afternoon in Kobe and you will probably end up spending as much money as you would visiting USJ. Im not saying that USJ is not fun, because it is I just went there last week with my kids, but if you are on a short trip Himeji is better the USJ.

Thanks for all the help so far!

A couple more questions:

osakajuan - how long did you spend in Himeji? I'm hoing to visit there one morning, with only about 3-4 hours to spare - would this be enough for the seeing the entire castle and grounds? Is there a long queue at opening time?

I'd like to get to Oedo Onsen Monogatori in Odaiba from Asakusa. I think 'Telecom Center' station is the stop for Oedo Onsen on the Yuikamome Line, but what is the Yurikamome line - subway or train? Can I use the JR Pass? If not, how much is the cost?

I went to Disney and it is really really small compared to Florida and LA. Plus, it is more expensive in Japan. If you have been in the ones in the USA, I would skip Disney. Although I saw some cute Japanese characters that USA does not have. But is is disappointingly smallish!!

3-4 hours is more then enough time to explore Himeji. That gives you enough time to walk from the station to the castle and explore the grounds, walk inside, and walk back to the train station.

what is the Yurikamome line

It is a new fully automated transit system, which can be called an "elevated train on tires". It is not a monorail.

Can I use the JR Pass?

No, it is not a JR train.

If not, how much is the cost?

You can look up single fares here:
http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/

And there is a one-day pass for 800 Yen.

It can also be used with Suica, Pasmo and Passnet cards.