ELC Tokyo Complexity WorkshopTravel & Tourism Info.
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Travel
Tokyo has two airports, Narita(NRT) and Haneda(HND); TYO = NRT plus HND.
Haneda had been a domestic airport, and started serving international routes relatively recently. Haneda now has direct flights to/from JFK, SFO, FRA, etc. Flights to Haneda from North America/Europe typically arrive very early, e.g., 5am, and reverse flights from Haneda typically depart, e.g., around midnight.
Most international flights are to/from Narita; most of you will probably use Narita; I’ll provide info assuming you’ll come from Narita.
Narita —> Shinagawa Prince Hotel
Narita airport is 70km east of Tokyo; it’s far; people don’t usually use taxi to/from Tokyo; but getting to/from Shinagawa is fairly simple.
(1) By Airport Limousine Bus:
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/platform_searches/index/2/38
Among about 20 Narita-bound routes is one for Narita —> Hotels in Shinagawa Area. A bus serving this route leaves Narita Airport every 30 — 60 minutes depending on the time of day, and Narita —> Shinagawa Prince Hotel takes about 90 minutes. The bus stops at several hotels in Shinagawa Area. Coming from Narita airport, Shinagawa Prince Hotel is the 2nd stop (assuming some people are getting off at the 1st stop, Hotel Lafore Tokyo). Adult one-way fare is 3000JPY. At Shinagawa Prince Hotel, the bus stops in front of the Main Tower.
(2) By Narita Express (N’EX) Train:
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/
Narita —> Shinagawa station takes 70 minutes; Trains leave Narita every 30 minutes.
Adult regular one-way fare is 3110JPY; but there is a good package deal “Suica & N’EX” available (offered only for people living outside of Japan): http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/ where “Suica” is a chargeable card like a Metro-card in New York City or an Oyster-card in London. (You can use a Suica card for all trains in Tokyo area including JR trains and subways, and can also use a Suica card at many places for shopping.)
Getting from the point where you get off Narita Express at Shinagawa Station to the Annex Tower of Shinagawa Prince Hotel takes, say 8 minutes. (Throughout, you can avoid using stares if you choose to do so.)
After getting off Narita Express at Shinagawa Station (at which point, you’ll be at platform 13) http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/e788.html you’ll head for West Exit = Takanawa Exit of Shinagawa Station. Coming off West Exit, you’ll go straight and cross a wide, busy road; you have arrived at the corner of “Wing Takanawa” building complex; you turn 45 degrees counterclockwise and walk through this building complex, passing Mac Donald’s on your left; you’ve arrived at Shinawaga Prince Hotel.
(3) Bus vs Train:
Buses will take you right in front of the hotel. Trains are a bit more comfortable and a bit faster. Shinagawa station is a clean, safe place.
Tourism Info.
- Go Tokyo http://www.gotokyo.org/en/
- Tokyo@Wikitravel http://wikitravel.org/en/Tokyo
- Tokyo National Museum http://www.tnm.jp/?lang=en
- Meiji Jingu (shrine) http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/
- New National Theater, Tokyo http://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/
- Kyoto:
By Shinkansen Nozomi Trains, Shinagawa –> Kyoto takes 2 hours 15 minutes and 13KJPY.
http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/
Photos: © Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau