First of all, thanks for setting up this website. I came across it about a week ago and it’s brought to the surface a long-dormant desire to visit Japan. I’ll probably visit sometime next year, hopefully Tsukiji Market won’t have moved yet. I want to try nama-shirasu in Kamakura, so it can’t be too early in the year.
Looking around the hotel booking sites and on Google Maps for business hotels (I don’t think I want to stay in a hostel or a capsule at my age!) there just don’t seem to be too many around the center of Tokyo, you have to stay out in the surburbs, where there were some for around 7000 yen/night. And then I noticed quite a few of them just north of Tsukiji itself, on the Metro Hibiya line, in Nihonbashi, Hatchobori, Shintomicho - book early enough and prices are around that. Street View shows fairly quiet city streets with shops - wonder if I should stay here. Looks convenient if eating breakfast at Tsukiji is a target! Opinions? TOO quiet?? Doen’t seem to be very far from Akihabara either. Street view also shows lots and lots of silver bikes parked everywhere - are these the Chinese-style dockless rent-a-bikes? I’ve seen them in Chiang Mai and in certain areas around here (Kuala Lumpur). People tend to ride them downhill and then leave them wherever the going goes uphill again! But they would be quite convenient to have around.
Also thinking of spending a couple nights near Kamakura/Enoshima (one of my favorite manga was set there, and so was a movie I watched last year about four sisters who lived there). Again, most of the accommodation in Kamakura itself seems to be hostels and guest houses, but there are business hotels in Fujisawa (where the Electric Railway begins) and Shonandai to the north. I was even contemplating making this area my base and riding up to Tokyo on “day trips” - any thoughts about that?
Thanks again for the many articles, one of the first I came across was the one about onigiri. Since I don’t eat pork (and will be avoiding chicken and beef) I’ll be a fish-and-egg-tarian, with vegetables and natto thrown in. I suspect onigiri will be a large part of my diet while in Japan (I enjoy them here - the Aeon Supermarket and the newly opened Family Mart stores carry them, though 7-11 does not). I am particularly looking forward to, as various articles suggest, buying maguro, uni, ikura, shirasu etc. and eating it with rice from the 7-11!
Best/cheapest way in (from Kuala Lumpur) seems to be AirAsia X through Haneda. Haneda does sound less stressful, and is a lot closer than Narita in any case. AirAsia X tickets seem to be about half the price of ANA.
Iskandar