Planning my Tokyo Disney trip!

[BelleBway]

We just booked 4 nights at the Sheraton Grande Hotel right near Disney! So excited!

Yay! You'll love it there. I look forward to reading all about your trip!

 

[belle2211]

Random question

My friend that is going with found a site that said that to bring our prescription medicine, we had to have a prescription and a note from our doctor saying why we use it. She also found where it said that you can't bring allergy medicine.

Does anyone know if either of these are true?

 

[BelleBway]

Random question

My friend that is going with found a site that said that to bring our prescription medicine, we had to have a prescription and a note from our doctor saying why we use it. She also found where it said that you can't bring allergy medicine.

Does anyone know if either of these are true?

I've always brought prescription medicines and have never been asked for any special documentation.

I'd never looked into the legality of it, but I did just find the following FAQ linked from http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-medimport.html:

Q1. Can I bring any prescription medicine into Japan with me?

A1. You can bring any prescription medicine into Japan with you without any special
procedure on condition that
(1) you bring it only for your own use
(2) it is an oral or an external medicine, not an injection,
(3) it is not any prohibited drug such as Methamphetamine in Japan,
(4) it is not any especially controlled drug such as Narcotics in Japan,
(5) and its quantity is up to one month’s supply.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Belle2211 the Sheraton is lovely. There are a couple of pics in my recent trip report-are they letting you stay 4 girls in one double bedded room or are you getting 2 rooms? (They are funny about numbers and beds). The rooms are spacious compared to anything you will probably find elsewhere in Japan and nice bathrooms and toiletries. The public areas are nicely laid out and also very spacious. The outdoor pool may not be open when you are there but its a pretty setting anyway and there is an indoor pool too (which we never checked out). We never ate in the hotel but there are several options and Ikspiari has a bigger range just 5 mins on the monorail. Buy a monorail pass for as many days as you are there the first time you use it-its worth it. The hotel is directly opposite the monorail so you just hop out and walk up the driveway and you are there (there is a bus that meets the monorail also eg for arrival day if you have lots of luggage and come via the trains not the airport bus). We got a room with a view of the parks which was great but the others face the bay so also good (though can be windy) and most have balconies which is nice as Japanese hotels tend to be very hot and stuffy.

Have fun planning your trip-and I second an overnight at least in Kyoto if not 2 nights. Very different atmosphere to Tokyo (we stayed 6 nights and still missed heaps of stuff). Tokyo is great for window shopping (not cheap though to buy!)

 

[belle2211]

Thanks for the advice!

Another question--how did you get to your hotel? We are getting in to the airport around 9pm-ish. We were told we could go by train (but I've heard about this crazy stair cases you have to go up and down and with lots of luggage that could be a pain) or by taxi, which is $400 us dollars to the hotel.

 

[danceintherain]

Thanks for the advice!

Another question--how did you get to your hotel? We are getting in to the airport around 9pm-ish. We were told we could go by train (but I've heard about this crazy stair cases you have to go up and down and with lots of luggage that could be a pain) or by taxi, which is $400 us dollars to the hotel.

The most direct way to get to hotels in Tokyo is the Limo Bus which is around $30/person/way
http://www.mousesavers.com/tokyo.html#limobus
They only go down to the TDR area until 5pm though, so this may only be an option for you on your return trip.
You could take the train, and ship your luggage using takuhaibin service.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html
You can also use this service to send your luggage down to Kyoto and back. It really depends on how much convenience is worth to you. From personal experience, lugging luggage on public transit can be very stressful in unfamiliar areas. If you have more than 1 bag/person, then sending at least some of it ahead could greatly reduce your arrival stress.

 

[corgi_monster]

Are you flying in to Narita or Haneda?

 

[BelleBway]

I've usually done the train, which can be a tad confusing but is do-able. I don't remember many stairs... if there are more than 1 of you, you could probably take turns helping each other with suitcases. (the only slightly confusing part is transferring at Tokyo Station) This is assuming you are coming into Narita.

I did the bus this past trip and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and quick it was. But it sounds like that may not be an option when you arrive.

I wouldn't ever take a taxi from the airport- just way too expensive and not worth it imo. If you don't want to take a train, my only suggestion would be to stay overnight near the airport and then taking the first bus the next morning.

 

[Kyjin]

Another question--how did you get to your hotel? We are getting in to the airport around 9pm-ish. We were told we could go by train (but I've heard about this crazy stair cases you have to go up and down and with lots of luggage that could be a pain) or by taxi, which is $400 us dollars to the hotel.

Another option is to take the train part of the way, and then get a taxi. I'm not sure which station your hotel is near, but for example, say you take the Narita Express to Tokyo station. Hotel X, as I'll call it right now, requires you to transfer to another train to reach the nearest station. However, you can take the Narita Express to Tokyo, get off there, and then just grab a taxi. This will certainly cost less than taking one all the way from the airport, but may save you some hassle on dealing with local trains.

I've done this both times I moved to Japan; first time to Yokohama, where I took the limo bus to the station, spent the night at a hotel right there, then got a taxi in the morning to my apartment. This year I'm in Tokyo, so I took the Narita Express to Shinjuku, signed my lease at the office there, and then got a taxi to my apartment in Ikebukuro.

However, if your hotel is close to one of the main stations (Shinjuku, Tokyo, etc) that the Narita express stops at, or the limo bus will stop at, go with those options. Much simpler and will save you a bundle.

 

[belle2211]

The most direct way to get to hotels in Tokyo is the Limo Bus which is around $30/person/way
http://www.mousesavers.com/tokyo.html#limobus
They only go down to the TDR area until 5pm though, so this may only be an option for you on your return trip.
You could take the train, and ship your luggage using takuhaibin service.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html
You can also use this service to send your luggage down to Kyoto and back. It really depends on how much convenience is worth to you. From personal experience, lugging luggage on public transit can be very stressful in unfamiliar areas. If you have more than 1 bag/person, then sending at least some of it ahead could greatly reduce your arrival stress.

The Limo Bus does sound pretty easy--we'll have to remember that for the way back. The only thing about the takuhaibin service is that it looks like you don't get your luggage until the next day and I don't think we'd want that. But I still might look into it

Are you flying in to Narita or Haneda?

We're flying into Narita and then staying at the Sheraton out at Disney

I've usually done the train, which can be a tad confusing but is do-able. I don't remember many stairs... if there are more than 1 of you, you could probably take turns helping each other with suitcases. (the only slightly confusing part is transferring at Tokyo Station) This is assuming you are coming into Narita.

I did the bus this past trip and was pleasantly surprised at how easy and quick it was. But it sounds like that may not be an option when you arrive.

I wouldn't ever take a taxi from the airport- just way too expensive and not worth it imo. If you don't want to take a train, my only suggestion would be to stay overnight near the airport and then taking the first bus the next morning.

We are coming into Narita..I'm glad you don't remember any stairs! I wish the bus was available! The only thing about staying by the airport that night is that we are going to Disney the next day and we want to make a full day of it.

Another option is to take the train part of the way, and then get a taxi. I'm not sure which station your hotel is near, but for example, say you take the Narita Express to Tokyo station. Hotel X, as I'll call it right now, requires you to transfer to another train to reach the nearest station. However, you can take the Narita Express to Tokyo, get off there, and then just grab a taxi. This will certainly cost less than taking one all the way from the airport, but may save you some hassle on dealing with local trains.

I've done this both times I moved to Japan; first time to Yokohama, where I took the limo bus to the station, spent the night at a hotel right there, then got a taxi in the morning to my apartment. This year I'm in Tokyo, so I took the Narita Express to Shinjuku, signed my lease at the office there, and then got a taxi to my apartment in Ikebukuro.

However, if your hotel is close to one of the main stations (Shinjuku, Tokyo, etc) that the Narita express stops at, or the limo bus will stop at, go with those options. Much simpler and will save you a bundle.

We are staying at the Sheraton Tokyo Bay at Disney...I have no idea what stop that would be yet. I wonder if the Narita express stops there...

 

[Kyjin]

Alright, looking closer at it, here are two options besides taking a taxi the whole way.

1) Recommended on Sheraton's site:
"If you happen to miss the airport limousine bus going directly to the hotel, you can take another airport limousine bus to TCAT (Tokyo City Aure Terminal). From TCAT, a taxi can take you to the hotel. This option is 12000 JPY less than taking a taxi directly from Narita Airport to the hotel."
So this would save you about $150 in taxi fees.

2)Train
Simple, but might be a pain late at night.
From Narita airport, take the Narita Sky Access Line to Higashimatsuda station (about 36 minutes)
At the station, switch to the JR Musashino line and take to Maihama station
From there you can take the monorail into the park itself to your hotel.

Honestly, I think the first one might be a better option. If you're arriving at Narita 9ish, I figure you'll be spending about an hour in customs and getting your bags, and you'll be very tired and ready to collapse in bed. At least the bus will save you some money, and I can say from experience they are nice to nap on.

 

[danceintherain]

The Narita Express doesn't go down to Disney. The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay has the same subway stop as the rest of TDR - Maihama. This requires a transfer somewhere along the line (likely Tokyo Station) to the JR Keiyo or JR Mushashino line.

You could always send your stuff the day before, so it arrives around the same time as you do. It really depends on how long you're planning on staying in Kyoto though. If you only do one or two nights, it might make more sense to store most of your luggage somewhere in Tokyo, and just pack overnight packs for your time down in Kyoto.
Here's an old thread about doing something like that: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1638027
Your best option may be to inquire at both hotels you're staying at in Tokyo. Either one may agree to hold most of your luggage for you during that time.

I guess I wasn't paying attention when I first read your post since it wasn't relevant to me at the time, but it looks as if you're going to be there the same time as us! We're still working out the details, but I'm hoping to fly into Tokyo on June 24th and stay through the 30th. I was hoping to work a trip down to Kyoto in, but I'm trying to keep the trip simple and inexpensive. We might take the Kamakura suggestion or go out to Nikko - both less expensive train tickets. Hopefully this won't be our only trip to Japan, but if it is Disney is my priority and the most convenient for touring with a 23 month old. Currently we're booked into the Sunroute Plaza Tokyo (Bay) but I'm still deciding.

As for credit cards, Visa and Mastercard tend to be the most widely accepted brands. American Express is a little less common, but still workable. I imagine the Sheraton will probably have no problem taking it for payment or to put on file for incidentals. I've learned that the best option is to have a variety, but I think all 7-11s take American debit cards for transactions. Taking note of where some are located may be helpful in getting you cash. Most ATMs that will accept international cards will be stamped "foreign" or "international."

 

[Aussie Wendy]

We flew into Kyoto and were able to get a private transport bus (MK skyshuttle) that was reasonable to the hotel even though nightime. It seems this isn't an option in Tokyo unfortunately. Because we ended the trip at Disney we were able to train out there in the late pm and also caught a late pm limo bus back to Narita airport at the end of our stay so works quite well going that direction.

Others can advise you better on the train vs taxi vs other shuttles. I would prob go for a limo bus to as close as possible then a taxi for easiness sake.

 

[Lynn CC]

I went to Japan for a month at at time 4 times since 2009. We want to go back again, it is so different. We have taken many modes of transportation from Narita. I think the easiest is Airport Limousine. When you come up from baggage claim you will see the sign, you can pay for your tickets 30 yen for one way to your destination. You may want to pick a destination that is on their list because we have taken a taxi from the nearest drop off point to our destination and found it very hard because of the language difference. You didn't say if anyone in your group speaks Japanese? So my tip #1 is to make sure your hotel is serviced by the airport limo route it will make your life a lot easier after a very long trip! On the way back to the airport the hotel can arrange your tickets back to the airport as well.
Capital One Credit Card is a much better card to use in Japan because there is no foreign transaction fee. American Express charges a fee of 3% I believe. I have used both cards they are both accepted. I also used my TDBank debit card at 7 eleven to get out cash (yen). Up to $500 a transaction because you need yen to do a lot of the local things in Tokyo. It's pretty much a cash only, unless you are in fancier restaurants or hotels. Forget about Travelers cheques, they are a pain and not recognized unless you want to spend 1/2 day in the Japanese bank trying to get them cashed (I'm not kidding).
If you want to have some fun go to Japanese Karaoke it's so different than the American version, everyone has their own rooms and it could be a lot of fun with a bunch of girls at any age!
Iidabashi is a great train stop to get off and wonder around Kagurazaka Street. Lots of shops and restaurants and it's where all the locals go day and night. On the side streets there are many temples. I wondered around there one morning and before I knew it it was 1 in the morning, so much fun interacting with the locals. They really are very welcoming.

Another one of my favorite things to do is go to Minato Mirai in Yokohama. It is about a 30-40 minute train ride from Tokyo. In MM there is the Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Japan. It is full of shops and restaurants and it is where the locals go from all over Japan. A short walk from here to The Red Brick Warehouse is a touristy area that locals go to often, lots of shops, restaurants and fun things to do. Another short walk ChinaTown. It is the largest Chinatown we have ever seen and so much fun. From there another short walk to Motomachi shopping street. Great restaurants and shopping. We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel while touring this area but you could easily take in all this in one day if you get there early enough. This area is all surrounded by the Pier beautiful walk with a really nice zen garden to walk through as well as other gardens. If you don't feel like walking from place to place you can take a Rickshaw. We did, it's something that we always wanted to do and we couldn't believe we actually rode from the Red Brick Warehouse to Motomachi in a Rickshaw!

This is a very sophisticated part of Japan, I think the loveliest and we have been all over the place. Intercontinental Hotel in Minato Mirai is called the Intercontinental Grand, it's certainly grand and very reasonably priced from what we are used to paying in foreign countries.
I have so much more to tell you about Japan, but I'll leave you with that for now. Have a great time! DH and I can't wait to go back, our son is getting married there this fall! He is already married here in the States, and is now planning a traditional Japanese wedding.