I'll be 12 hours in Tokyo, what can I do?

Question:

I'll be flying from Busan to Los Angeles, but there's a 12 hour stop in NRT airport, I have to change to HND airport in Tokio... That will take me like 1 hour or so... What can I do the other 11 hours!? Any Sushi restaurant recommended? Any shopping mall near HND airport?

Answer:

Actually, there's a lot of shopping in the airports. Narita has stuff from all over the world, but I'm not sure if you want to/can store your luggage while you go shopping. (There are storage lockers and places that will watch your luggage for a fee . . . it's just a hassle if you have a ton of luggage.)

I had a friend who stored his small bag in Haneda, went sightseeing in Asakusa (IIRC), and went back to Haneda to pick up his stuff and go to Narita . . . and he had only a five-hour layover (but no customs, since he was coming from Hokkaido).

I think Haneda would be the better bet to do sightseeing. You can see Harajuku and Meiji-jingu and get back to Haneda easily within five or six hours.

You can also store your bags at Narita, but it's further from the sightseeing areas.

Whatever you do, allow yourself an hour and a half to get out of Narita, and an hour and a half to get through customs, etc. in Haneda. (Most likely, you will need to collect your luggage at Narita and take it yourself to Haneda -- I've never heard of any airline that will make that transfer for you.)

By the way, many Japanese businesses are suffering because tourists (Japanese and foreign) have cancelled their trips. Sightseeing is a great way to boost the economy, and Japan would love for you to see its good spots, and let others know what you saw.