2NR'S Guide To Tokyo Version 2.0

Regardless of how big a JDM fan you are, Japan is a unique place. It's a surgery-clean land where everything is cutting edge and in fashion. Nobody is rude, ramen and curry are the national pastimes and commuter cars often wear Type R or GT-R badges. It's from within this crime-free metropolis that some of the latest and greatest ideas in automotive tuning emerge, and you'd be a fool not to make the trip out at least once.

In our previous issue, we brought you straight into the heart of Japan with our Tokyo Auto Salon coverage. Based on the feedback that you sent us, as well as our own wonder about what we discovered, we've decided to expand with a full-on spotlight on the glittering jewel that is Tokyo.

If you've ever thought about visiting, then this is your time. Forget about transportation confusion, language problems, research issues or general "Lost In Translation" moments, 2NR's here to help. We're laying it all out for you so you can go and dive head first into a glitzy, unique, high-tech, car-strewn city that never sleeps.

Us To Tokyo: Getting ThereWhen traveling abroad, the biggest ticket items usually come down to travel, food and board. If you plan far enough in advance the 11.5-hour flight to Japan can be quite affordable, sometimes dipping into the $600 round-trip range and below. The cheapest time to visit is usually around late fall, although deals can pop up at any time. Be sure to check out travel agencies that deal in asian trips first, their higher volume sales and contacts can often lead to lower prices.

Hotels can also be dealt with at travel agencies, but if you really can't find anybody to help you out, hotels such as the Prince hotel chain offer Internet-accessible specials on their websites. These chains also offer rooms that, while smaller in size than your average closet, are still bigger than capsule motels and offer "western-style" bathrooms. This means a real shower and a toilet, not a hole in the ground that you have to squat over. Hotel staff members are often trained in English, and can help you find your way around during your first few stumbling days in Tokyo. Hotels frequented by foreign tourists are also a great spot to pick up a map of the Japan Railways (JR) Group rail system. This is important to finding your way to the correct stops, because the rail system is more complicated than you think.

Before you leave for Japan, be sure to pickup a Japan Rail Pass. This pass is only sold overseas outside Japan to foreigners and allows the user unlimited use of the JR Rail system. We know what you're thinking. $240 for a weeklong train ticket? Are they kidding? But when every ride through Tokyo costs more than $5, and the train is literally the only way to get around, you'll blow through $240 in a week before you know it. Save yourself a bunch of money and time and pickup a rail pass.

To visit Tokyo proper, you'll most likely be flying into Narita International Airport (NRT), which is almost an hour away from Tokyo. The ways into the city are by train, bus, taxi, or airport limo bus. Our recommendation is to take the airport limo, a flat-rate bus whose route runs right up to the lobby of most major Tokyo-area hotels, negating the need to figure out directions to your room.

Yes, food does cost more on average than in the U.S., but with careful choices, you can squeak by on a budget. The cleanliness of Tokyo and quality of living far exceeds anything in America, and so, $6 ramen/udon noodle stops at train stations, as well as convenience stores and department store food courts, will sell food that rivals restaurants here in the States. Just be sure to bring plenty of money with you to convert into yen upon arrival in Japan. Many places frown upon using credit cards, and vending machines and train ticket kiosks only accept yen.