Tokyo Visit - Any Suggestions?

@Fieldwalker should have some great suggestions for you!

You should go to Ginza to the Seiko factory and museum, they give a guided tour and a view of the creation of their dials and also to the Holou bar where the inspirations of the cocktail time have been born.

thx for your post! i will be in tokyo in february. cant wait for all the watches!

I can't wait for the Seiko tour - I will be in heaven!  And having a cocktail in Ginza, whilst wearing a Cocktail Time watch will be hard to resist 👌

Same! Heads up, you need to book the Seiko museum in advance. You can book up 30 days in advance: https://museum.seiko.co.jp/en/use/

I think Kurono just opened a showroom, i saw the post on Instagram, it's a must see if you have the occasion.

Maybe some JDM Citizen worth the look too. Have a nice trip mate !

Brilliant suggestion - yes, I'll definitely visit Kurono as I will be in that area on one day.  And I'll be checking out all JDM watches. Thanks!

I've been planning to visit Tokyo and learned that Nakano Broadway is the place for pre-owned watch shops. It's 20-30 min from Ginza by subway. I hope to find a couple JDM watches there: the Grand Seiko SBGE213 spring drive GMT and Seiko Giugiaro Riders chronograph. 

Ah, brilliant - I didn't know that.  I've found it on the map and I'll get out there for some JDM shopping.  That's a good pair of watches - good luck with finding them.

I suggest that you buy as many watches as you can before the yen gains any more strength against the dollar.

Yup Nakano is bonkers , it‘s shitty and gross and feels like you’re suddenly in a very grubby part of Asia.

It’s still worth one trip: get off at Nakano station and walk North into the nasty mall.  Walk past first 10 watch shops until you get into the high density of nicer shops in the Multi story building. 

Literally about 50 grey dealers and you’ll finds lots of stuff 20 to 40% off.  Also, if your kid likes Pokémon - Japan has no fake cards and you can buy bulk cards at Nakano if you have a Pokémon expert with you 

bring passport with you for buying tax free 

The museum of nature and science at Ueno has a big watch and clock section, and Ueno is an interesting area to explore 

The magic clock at Shinbashi is from Howl’s moving Castle, a Ghibli Classic.  Puts on shows every couple hours that are fantastic 

Ginza has dozens of excellent watch shops that are fun to wander through.  Type watch into google maps and go bonkers

4 Seiko and 2 GS shops in about 300m square 

The GS Wako store is iconic and  sometimes has info sessions and experts give presentations.  It’s also just fun to browse 

Nakano isn’t especially JDM, it’s more international and Swiss. Tons and TONS of Rolex dealers.  But the cheap rent generally means it’s got the best prices on all watches there.  They don’t have new stock but do have lots of interesting and unique watches.

Jack and Betty was my favourite 

Yodobashi Camera is riot as well 

Often has fantastic prices as well.  You might get some other fun things while you’re there, I got an amazing backpack for work 

I only wish I was paid in dollars 😢 Still the Pound is having a good run at the moment.

Thanks, that's two solid recommendations for Nakano, so I'll definitely be visiting it. I appreciate the directions and warnings that it might not appear to be the nicest part of Tokyo.

Thankfully my kids are past the Pokemon collection, and then, Pokemon card flipping-for-profit stages. I'm still a Pokemon fan though, so I will enjoy it.

Thanks again @Fieldwalker - that's exactly the kind of thing I had missed but would love to see. 

I can visit the museum and Ueno generally whilst I'm in the area to shop at Mizutani Camera.

I've found the awesome looking Ghibli clock on Google maps - for anyone else looking for it, it's here: https://goo.gl/maps/hyqSZva4BmEhYrkH9

I second the Wako department store and Nakano Broadway.  There are a lot of ADs in Ginza.  If you like Oris there is an AD a few stores down from the Seiko Museum. If you go to Wako make sure you go up to the second floor.  They have Credor watches on the second floor and a lot of vintage GS watches on display.  There is also a GS Boutique right down the street from Wako.  Definitely check out Bic Camera as well.  They have stores all over, and most of them have pretty big watch sections.  They have all the Japanese brands there: Seiko, some GS, Casio, Citizen, Orient and some Swiss watches too.  The stuff there is all new.  If you like Sinn watches there is an AD not too far from Shibuya Station. Also, check out the thrift stores.  They are all over Tokyo.   The main ones to look out for are Hard Off, Book Off and 2nd Street.  They are always fun to go into and check out the used watches.  There are usually a lot of hidden gem Seikos in there.  I have been in Tokyo for almost 4 years and it is a great place to be if you love watches. Sadly, my time is almost up here and I will be heading to Las Vegas in a few months.  

If you are a Ghibli fan, there is a Ghibli museum in Mitaka, Tokyo.  Mitaka is not too far from Nakano by train.

Type watch into google maps and go bonkers

That is 100% what will happen - I'm going to be a kid in a candy store in Ginza.

Thanks for all that info. 

I'm really looking forward to visiting Waco department store now - and it's at the same location as the Ghibli clock and a bakery I want to visit for their curry bread (Ginza Kimuraya).

Thanks for the tip about the thrift stores - that sounds like heaven and can see myself picking up a tonne of vintage Seikos. There seems to a bunch around Ueno and Akihabara.

Hope you enjoyed your time in Tokyo and all the best for Las Vegas.

Definitely - the plan for the weekend is to brush up on some Ghibli films, as the museum looks utterly amazing.

Ghibli is fun if you’re a fan.  It’s a bit of hike to get there and not much in the area other than the museum.  Go early or be ready for some  crowds 

There’s a Seiko Museum??? Why was I not informed?????

It's going to be a pilgrimage for me, for sure. I'm already thinking about which Seiko to bring...