We checked out and our trek to Tokyo began! From Hakone, we grabbed a bus from in front of our hotel all the way down to Odawara station. The bus route is less scenic than the rail route, but it’s also a straight shot that takes you from the hotel straight to the Shinkansen station. The trip takes just as long, but you don’t have to transfer from bus to train to another train.
We made it to Tokyo and opted to take a cab from the station to the hotel. As much as I love the subway/rail system in Japan, when we can spend an extra $2 and get a cab (and have bags!) why not? We checked into our hotel early – around 1pm and liked what we saw. Our hotel was in the Meguro district, a mostly residential area south of Shibuya with a number of universities in the area. It turned out to be a good jumping off point for our Tokyo explorations.
After settling into our hotel (which was completely free thanks to Starwood points) we jumped on the Yamanote Train line up to Shibuya to explore.