What things do you like to do in Tokyo, Kathmandu, or London?
April 4, 2024 8:33 AM Subscribe
My upcoming business trips are all over the place but it cities I’ve been before. I feel comfortable traveling to all of these but was wondering if you had anything you loved or something that stood out in Tokyo, Kathmandu, or London?
I’ll be transiting through Tokyo (my 4th time) for two days arriving into Haneda early in the morning, spending one night, and leaving at midnight the second day. I haven’t booked a hotel yet but was thinking of trying a capsule hotel… only it seems like most are for men and the women ones are sold out. Any hotels you like? I’ve stayed at all the fancy Western chains before. Is there anything along the route from Haneda to Shibuya? I’d be up for a new neighborhood like Nakameguru—something I can wander around. I’ll be hitting up Loft etc. in Shibuya (I prefer Shibuya to Shinjuku).
Any secret gardens you love? Cute shopping cafe streets with character? I’ve been to and loved baseball before—is it worth going by myself to a 6pm game?
With one day in Kathmandu (my 3rd time) is there anything off the beaten path you love? I generally enjoy people watching and stumbling upon neighborhood shrines. Has anyone been to Bhaktapur? I’ve already hiked near Pokhara and I wouldn’t have time for that far anyway.
In London (15th?++ time) I have more time. Looks like the V&A doesn’t have any exhibits I’m into this time but I usually go to a lot of museums, watch football, and shop. Kew Gardens was lovely in the fall last time I was there. I booked myself 2-3 extra days after work and could stay in London but was thinking of Brighton or somewhere else accessible by train where a single person might walk around, window shop, read in a cozy pub with a pint. Any favorites towns or places in those towns?
I’ll be transiting through Tokyo (my 4th time) for two days arriving into Haneda early in the morning, spending one night, and leaving at midnight the second day. I haven’t booked a hotel yet but was thinking of trying a capsule hotel… only it seems like most are for men and the women ones are sold out. Any hotels you like? I’ve stayed at all the fancy Western chains before. Is there anything along the route from Haneda to Shibuya? I’d be up for a new neighborhood like Nakameguru—something I can wander around. I’ll be hitting up Loft etc. in Shibuya (I prefer Shibuya to Shinjuku).
Any secret gardens you love? Cute shopping cafe streets with character? I’ve been to and loved baseball before—is it worth going by myself to a 6pm game?
With one day in Kathmandu (my 3rd time) is there anything off the beaten path you love? I generally enjoy people watching and stumbling upon neighborhood shrines. Has anyone been to Bhaktapur? I’ve already hiked near Pokhara and I wouldn’t have time for that far anyway.
In London (15th?++ time) I have more time. Looks like the V&A doesn’t have any exhibits I’m into this time but I usually go to a lot of museums, watch football, and shop. Kew Gardens was lovely in the fall last time I was there. I booked myself 2-3 extra days after work and could stay in London but was thinking of Brighton or somewhere else accessible by train where a single person might walk around, window shop, read in a cozy pub with a pint. Any favorites towns or places in those towns?
I'd hit the cafe at Tokyu Hands, see if you want to poke around the store.
"From stationery to toilet-seat covers, this is the largest household goods store in Tokyo, packed with knick knacks and DIY projects for the home."posted by sebastienbailard at 9:00 AM on April 4
Tokyu Hands Shibuya
If you do opt for the baseball game, recently, NPB teams have been prone to sell out large chunks of their season early. And since they do not allow people to buy tickets to games via internet or phone from outside of Japan, that can make getting tickets for specific days for popular teams tricky. A fellow MeFite (adamrice, I think it was) recommended Michael at JapanBallTickets.com as a broker to get around this issue and he was terrific. Highly recommend.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:24 AM on April 4
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:24 AM on April 4
In London, if you've not been there already then I recommend the Sir John Soane Museum. Out of London, Cambridge is an easy day trip and has interesting sights, museums and great pubs. I hear there is also another university city that's readily accessible from London but I doubt its as good.
posted by crocomancer at 12:33 PM on April 4 [1 favorite]
posted by crocomancer at 12:33 PM on April 4 [1 favorite]
In Kathmandu, have you gone out to Boudha? The stupa is a World Heritage Site (but what isn’t in the Kathmandu valley!), surrounded by cafes and shops and some of the best people-watching in the world.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 2:25 PM on April 4
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 2:25 PM on April 4
Best answer: I've been to Bhaktapur and it was lovely! Random thing but you do have to pay to visit as a tourist - minimal amount. The city has a lovely Durbar Square and you can walk up some of the shrines. Get the royal curd (delicious yogurt) in a terracotta bowl, walk by Pottery Square to see where they make the bowls! I had a wonderful Newari meal there and can track down the name if you're interested. There is a lot of gorgeous carving on doors and windows as you wander the city. Patan is supposed to be nice as well but haven't been yet. Hiking in the valley is neat - have you done sunrise at Nagarkot? There's a monastery near Dhulikhel I've heard is nice too. The Indigenous People's Trail got hit hard by the earthquake and never really took off, but I hear that it's possible to do tours or day hikes.
If you happen to be traveling to Nepal in June, shoot me a note.
posted by quadrilaterals at 2:26 PM on April 4 [1 favorite]
If you happen to be traveling to Nepal in June, shoot me a note.
posted by quadrilaterals at 2:26 PM on April 4 [1 favorite]
Since you like Loft, you might also be interested in: KiddyLand for branded merch (Harajuku), Seikaido for art supplies (Shinjuku), or Tobichi for hobonichi planners (Chiyoda). Oh, there's also a MEGA Don Quijote in Shibuya, not that far from the Loft that could be fun.
posted by past unusual at 8:07 PM on April 4
posted by past unusual at 8:07 PM on April 4
Best answer: Broadly speaking, there are two types of capsule hotels: those for tourists (e.g. Nine Hours) and those for locals. The latter - again, broadly - are primarily for businessmen/ salarymen who've gone out drinking with their work colleagues and missed the last train home (the Tokyo metro stops around midnight), which is why you'll predominantly find ones for men. A variation of capsule hotels are places like First Cabin and My Cube, which are also mostly for tourists, and this time you get, well, the equivalent of a first class cabin, in terms of space.
TBH though, while the idea of capsule hotels is cute, the reality is that you're sharing a space with a lot of other people (including bathrooms) so it's kinda noisy, particularly in the morning when folks get up at unbelievably early hours, and unfortunately the roll-down blind at the end of your capsule doesn't provide much sound insulation. I'm not sure either if capsule hotels will allow you to store luggage, although most train stations have lockers (you can usually Google a station name and find out where their lockers are).
I think there's a similar thing with hotels, in the sense that tourists want/ expect the bells and whistles of a nice hotel, but a lot of local hotel chains (e.g. APA, Livemax, etc.) tend much more to being strictly functional - i.e. your room will be a small box with a bed and a bathroom, because that's all you essentially need - so when you search for hotels in Tokyo you have to separate those - "business hotels" - out if you want something remotely fancy, because you'll get a ton of hits for places which look real nice from the exterior but all just have the same basic room setup (which is fine if that's all you need).
One of my favorite things to do in Tokyo is visit the Metropolitan Government Building Observation Floor (there's two, the North one is currently closed) in West/ Nishi Shinjuku (this area's quite different from central Shinjuku), which has great views, including of the large park around the Meiji Shrine: if you go there during the day, afterwards you can walk 20 minutes to the park west entrance (closes around 6pm), and walk south through the park - via the shrine - to Harajuku and then down to Shibuya (note: this park is next to Yoyogi park, but - even though they're adjacent - they're not connected). There's also a cute park to have lunch next to the Metropolitan Government Building, which has the Park Hyatt (from Lost in Translation) at the south end (rooms start at only $1300!).
(Note: the South observatory is closed on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month (or next day if Tuesday is a national holiday)).
posted by my log does not judge at 10:08 PM on April 4
TBH though, while the idea of capsule hotels is cute, the reality is that you're sharing a space with a lot of other people (including bathrooms) so it's kinda noisy, particularly in the morning when folks get up at unbelievably early hours, and unfortunately the roll-down blind at the end of your capsule doesn't provide much sound insulation. I'm not sure either if capsule hotels will allow you to store luggage, although most train stations have lockers (you can usually Google a station name and find out where their lockers are).
I think there's a similar thing with hotels, in the sense that tourists want/ expect the bells and whistles of a nice hotel, but a lot of local hotel chains (e.g. APA, Livemax, etc.) tend much more to being strictly functional - i.e. your room will be a small box with a bed and a bathroom, because that's all you essentially need - so when you search for hotels in Tokyo you have to separate those - "business hotels" - out if you want something remotely fancy, because you'll get a ton of hits for places which look real nice from the exterior but all just have the same basic room setup (which is fine if that's all you need).
One of my favorite things to do in Tokyo is visit the Metropolitan Government Building Observation Floor (there's two, the North one is currently closed) in West/ Nishi Shinjuku (this area's quite different from central Shinjuku), which has great views, including of the large park around the Meiji Shrine: if you go there during the day, afterwards you can walk 20 minutes to the park west entrance (closes around 6pm), and walk south through the park - via the shrine - to Harajuku and then down to Shibuya (note: this park is next to Yoyogi park, but - even though they're adjacent - they're not connected). There's also a cute park to have lunch next to the Metropolitan Government Building, which has the Park Hyatt (from Lost in Translation) at the south end (rooms start at only $1300!).
(Note: the South observatory is closed on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month (or next day if Tuesday is a national holiday)).
posted by my log does not judge at 10:08 PM on April 4
It's way north from Shibuya - kinda up near the Tokyo Tower - but Kazunoya Oiwake in Asakusa is a music bar owned and staffed by players of the Japanese tsugaru shamisen. I think it's one of my favorite bars in the world. Very worth the trip if you like authentic folk art and music.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 3:23 PM on April 5 [1 favorite]
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 3:23 PM on April 5 [1 favorite]
Any secret gardens you love?
Sudo Koen Park - and to get there follow the 'Walk Through Old Tokyo' directions from Rick Kennedy's Little Adventures in Tokyo from 1992, thoughtfully reprinted by the Tokyo Weekender here.
posted by Rash at 6:22 PM on April 9
Sudo Koen Park - and to get there follow the 'Walk Through Old Tokyo' directions from Rick Kennedy's Little Adventures in Tokyo from 1992, thoughtfully reprinted by the Tokyo Weekender here.
posted by Rash at 6:22 PM on April 9
Response by poster: Thanks for your suggestions. I had already done a lot of it but besides shopping went for a stroll along the Meguro river and caught the tail end of the cherry blossoms. Also checked out Nakameguro and Daikanyama. Decided to catch the baseball game at the last minute and had my concierge buy me a cheap ticket (still available against the Giants day-of). Thanks for the capsule hotel tips, I think I was booking too late to use one of the few female hotels so I ended up blowing some Bonvoy points on the Westin in Ebisu, which was lovely although a little far from the train but in the general area I wanted to be in.
posted by Bunglegirl at 7:39 AM on April 21
posted by Bunglegirl at 7:39 AM on April 21
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posted by mbarryf at 8:46 AM on April 4 [2 favorites]