Celebration Basics - A Brief Guide to Tokyo
I'm going to be honest right off the bat, a guide to Tokyo is something that's way beyond my area of expertise so this page is going to be more of a link to other, more detailed, guides and sources of information.
And a massive shout out to the Star Wars Celebration discord group for some of the links/information in this guide!
Travelling with Medication
Japan has strict laws on the import and export of many drugs that are available on prescription around the world. Whilst a month's supply of most personal medicines is allowed to be brought in, some drugs are restricted and require prior approval from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
You can read a full guide at Japan Travel and see the official government website, along with downloadable import/export forms, here.
Driving in Japan
Planning on driving whilst in Japan? Want to take part in "Mario" karting through the streets of Tokyo? Then you'll need an International Driving Permit (IDP). You will need to obtain the IDP in your home country before travelling to Japan and it will permit you to drive in Japan for up to a year. You can read more about IDPs here.
Rail Cards & Travel
The main way to get around Tokyo is with its extensive train and subway network. Though you can buy day passes, it is highly recommended that you instead use a rechargeable IC card, such as Suica and Pasmo, as these offer better value.
Klook also has a guide for trains that you can read here. And, speaking of Klook, you can order almost everything you need in Tokyo from the Klook app, from Disney tickets to Suica cards so it's well worth looking into.
E-Sims/Portable Wi-Fi
There's two ways of keeping your phone connected whilst you're travelling in Japan. E-Sims and pocket Wi-Fi.
Which is best for you will generally depend on your needs/the needs of your group. For example pocket Wi-Fi can be used with multiple devices and shared between a group but it's another device to carry and everything needs to be withing range, whilst E-Sims are individual for each user so you'll all need one but there's no extra device to carry around. Here's a few links discussing the pros and cons of each to help you make your choice.
Choosing eSIM vs Pocket WiFi: Your Best Connectivity Options in Japan (this link is not endorsing Ninja Wi-Fi as a preferred option but does provide a good breakdown of the differences between the options)
Things to Do in Tokyo
Where do I even begin?!
First, we're lucky to be in Japan during cherry blossom season. Whilst we're at the end of the season for Tokyo, we may still get lucky and catch a glimpse of some of the famous blossoms.
Tokyo has everything from the Imperial Palace and traditional temples to robot cafes and digital art museums like teamLab Planets. There really is something for everyone and there is so much to explore beyond just Star Wars Celebration. You can go "Mario" karting through the streets or take part in a Samurai experience at the Samurai Ninja Museum.
Here are some links to guides on things to do in Tokyo and they barely scratch the surface.
Go Tokyo, the official Tokyo travel guide has a massive index of things to see and do, as well as a page highlighting events in April.
Tokyo Projection Mapping is worth keeping an eye on to see if there are any events planned for whilst you are in the city.
Where to Eat in Tokyo
Another where do I start section, there's just so many options!
Go Tokyo once again is the best place to start, with a comprehensive list of places to eat and drink in the city.
Ikspiari. Since several of the official block hotels are located in the Disney area, and since a lot of fans heading to Tokyo for Celebration are likely to be visiting Disney either before or after the show, Ikspiari is Tokyo's equivalent of Downtown Disney and has a range of places to eat and drink that sounds like it's well worth a visit.
Tokyo Disney
If you're a Disney fan and visiting Tokyo then I'm pretty certain that, like me, you'll be heading to Tokyo Disney Resort!
For this section there's only really one guide I'm going to recommend - and I'm pretty sure you already know it - and that's the Tokyo Disney Explorer. Between his website and his YouTube channel, Chris covers pretty much everything you could ever want to know about visiting Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. And yes, he covers Universal Studios as well if you have time in your trip to get to Osaka!
One other vlog that I did find helpful, for both Tokyo and Disney, is Ordinary Adventures who produced a series of videos covering their first trip to Japan and their first time in Tokyo Disney. Not so much a guide, just a really good look at a first time experience that you can learn a lot from.
Hopefully this all helps you get started planning what you want to do in Tokyo (besides Star Wars Celebration, of course).
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