What's New

Getting to Know Tokyo

Visitor Information -- The Tourist Information Center (TIC) has extended its hours. At the airport, the TIC in both terminals is now open from 8am to 8pm daily. The downtown TIC, in Yurakucho, is now open daily 9am to 5pm.

Getting Around -- JR trains, which serve mostly commuters but are also convenient for the Yamanote Line loop around the city and for trips to the outlying countryside, are a bit trickier for tourists to navigate due to a change of policy regarding the prepaid fare card, the Suica iO Card. While the Suica is handy because you don't have to worry about figuring out the fare and purchasing a separate ticket each time you board, it now requires a ¥500 ($4.75) deposit. Tourists departing Tokyo can ask for a refund of the deposit, but you'll be charged a ¥210 ($2) service fee for a refund of any unused portion remaining on your card.

On the plus side, several subway and train lines now have women-only compartments on their busiest routes. These are available weekdays until 9:30am.

Fast Facts -- Taxes -- Hotels and restaurants have long added a 5% government tax to their published prices which, together with a 10% to 15% service charge in the more expensive establishments, can add up to real sticker shock when it comes time to pay the bill. A new law now requires hotels and restaurants to include the taxes in their published rates. However, some smaller ma-and-pa operations have yet to comply, especially when it comes to outdated English-language menus. Service charge is still extra, as is a local hotel tax in Tokyo.

Where to Stay

Bargain hunters who like staying near the transportation powerhouse that is Tokyo Station will be disappointed to learn that the Tokyo Station Hotel, open since 1915 in the original, redbrick station, will close its doors on April 1, 2006, for a 5-year renovation. While there's no denying the hotel needs a face-lift, you can expect higher prices once the work is done. Let's just hope some of its funky historic charm remains intact.

An expensive alternative near Tokyo Station is the new Marunouchi Hotel, 1-6-30 Marunouchi (tel. 03/3217-1111), where Japanese architectural touches belie this high-end business hotel's location in a high-rise. Another newcomer to the Tokyo scene is the Tokyo Prince Hotel Park Tower, 4-8-1 Shiba Koen (tel. 03/5400-1111), which offers fantastic views from its higher-up guest rooms, many with balconies.

Well-heeled travelers will find even more choices in the near future, as the list of international luxury chains crashing the local hotel market continues unabated. These include the Mandarin Oriental, which opened near Tokyo Station at the end of 2005; The Peninsula Tokyo, opening in 2007 in the Marunouchi/Hibiya business district; and The Ritz-Carlton, opening in Roppongi's upcoming newest urban development, the Tokyo Midtown Project, in 2007.

Where to Dine

Spago, a Roppongi mainstay for more than 2 decades, has closed its doors. Meanwhile, Wolfgang Puck, who opened Spago based on the same concept as his California ventures but who lost creative control when the restaurant came under Japanese ownership, has expanded his own chain of restaurants in Tokyo -- Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Wolfgang Puck Express -- with branches in Shinjuku, Roppongi, and Harajuku, among other places.

Casita, which does a great job making diners feel as though they've escaped to an exotic resort for the evening, has moved from its Roppongi location to swankier digs in Aoyama, at 5-51-8 Jingumae (tel. 03/5485-7353). Fortunately, an outdoor deck and the massage chairs that made its original location such a hit remain. Unfortunately, menu prices have increased, probably due to the higher rent.

Those in search of the most lavish French meal Tokyo has to offer will undoubtedly end up at the newly remodeled Joel Robuchon Restaurant, Yebisu Garden Place (tel. 03/5424-1347), where a set dinner will set you back ¥35,000 ($333).

What to See & Do

Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, known for its Asian art, is closed for renovation until autumn 2009.

Renovation continues at the National Science Museum in Ueno Park, but the museum remains open. The New Annex, which opened in 2004, concentrates on the history of life on Earth, but the main building, which will feature displays related to Japan, will remain closed until autumn 2006.

Sadly, Takagi Bonsai Museum has closed. There is talk of relocating it in faraway Tochigi Prefecture.

Shopping

A huge new flea market has opened in the heart of Tokyo. Called the Oedo Antique Fair, it takes place every first and third Sunday of the month, in the courtyard of the Tokyo International Forum beside Yurakucho Station. Antiques buffs are wondering how the new market, which draws huge crowds, will impact existing markets in the Tokyo area.

Side Trips from Tokyo

Yokohama -- A new train line, the Minato Mirai Line, makes Yokohama easier than ever to visit. It takes visitors from Shibuya Station in Tokyo straight to the sights in Minato Mirai, Yamashita Park, and Chinatown. Note, however, that the Doll Museum beside Yamashita Park is closed for renovation until May 2006. A new dining option is China Museum, 97 Yamashita-cho (tel. 045/681-5588), which emulates Shanghai of the 1920s and 1930s with re-created street scenes, live performances, and an informal food court with dishes from around China.