Dubai or Tokyo?

[Reisen]

My wife and I are flying to Bankok later this fall, and I have the option of routing us through either Dubai or Tokyo. We have not been to either (well, technically we've been to Narita several times, but never left the airport). Other routes either go places we've been (Europe, Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong) or places my wife is, for whatever reason, not interested in visiting (Ethiopia, Taiwan, Seoul). So we're down to Dubai or Tokyo.

Anyone have any suggestions for what we could do with maybe two days in either of these cities? We'll be staying on points, either Hyatt or Starwood, but it looks like both have plenty of properties.

I'm especially interested in Dubai, but would the Mrs. need to wear an Abaya there? (I'm assuming no).

[Deslok]

My wife and I are flying to Bankok later this fall, and I have the option of routing us through either Dubai or Tokyo. We have not been to either (well, technically we've been to Narita several times, but never left the airport). Other routes either go places we've been (Europe, Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong) or places my wife is, for whatever reason, not interested in visiting (Ethiopia, Taiwan, Seoul). So we're down to Dubai or Tokyo.

Anyone have any suggestions for what we could do with maybe two days in either of these cities? We'll be staying on points, either Hyatt or Starwood, but it looks like both have plenty of properties.

I'm especially interested in Dubai, but would the Mrs. need to wear an Abaya there? (I'm assuming no).

2 days would be better in Dubai than Tokyo, IMO. Tokyo has a lot more to see that would take longer, and 2 days would just be teasing you to stay longer. Dubai is kind of a place to check out for a long weekend and move on. You see the Burj Khalifa, the indoor ski slope and immense aquarium, check out a souk or two, and the odd man made islands in the shape of the world, a palm tree, etc, its all nifty to see - I was there for a 4 day conference and felt I got my fill, though of course I could have found more to do if I was there with more free time. Anyway, its interesting in its modernity and urban sprawl in the midst of... lots of sand. And no, the you see plenty of women dressed in normal western clothing - with the occasional burka attired woman who stands out compared to the general populace.

Deslok

[hurleyfor3]

With only two days, the ease of going through immigration and getting to and from the airport starts to matter. And NRT is kind of a pain in this respect. It has some nice lounges though.

[JBDuke]

There's not much in Dubai that interests me beyond the architecture and the stupendous growth. I would say you could tour Dubai in a couple of days and never feel the need to go back. But if this may be your one chance to see some of Tokyo, then I'd definitely go there instead. You may only get a taste, but Tokyo has so much more history, culture, sights, etc. to see that it's probably a "bucket list" destination. Dubai is a curiosity. Tokyo is one of the world's great cities.

[DukieInKansas]

If you opt for Tokyo - I'll be happy to send you a map so you can see where DukieInKansas slept.

Never been to Dubai so have no advice to offer. I hope your wife reconsiders Seoul at some point. I think Korea is a beautiful country with lots of history and places to visit.


OK - did googlemaps - probably not going to be able to map where I slept - but could map where I went to school.

Enjoy Bangkok.

[Jarhead]

Does Dubai have anything like this view of Fuji San with lake Yamanaka in the foreground? It's about a two hour drive from Tokyo, a pretty nice day trip. An then there is Tokyo, too, a wondrous mix of the old and the new. I've been there, and at the very top of Fuji San.

[Reisen]

Thanks for all the responses.

We're not necessarily limited to 2 nights. This is an award ticket, in upper class, thanks to a lot of banked airline miles. One thing I hadn't realized before was that you can effectively add stops, for free, as well as do what is referred to "Open Jaw" (where you fly into one city, and out of another).

The trip started as a trip to Bangkok to visit friends who live there. Then I added on a trip to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. Now I'm realizing I will have to connect through somewhere to get to Bangkok, and may as well schedule a stopover for a few days. Our main consideration is that we're limited by vacation and grandparents caring for our three year old, so can't be gone indefinitely. And we're now trying to see three places.

I actually think all three my wife is not interested in (Addis Ababa, Taipei, and Seoul) would be cool as well. With Addis, I think she's just too sketched out about the security situation. Taipei and Seoul, I'm not sure I get. I have a number of Korean friends from B-School (as well as a military friend who was stationed there), and they've all talked up Seoul to me. The only reason I haven't pushed it further is Dubai and Tokyo are both interesting options as well.

The only thing keeping it from being a clear win for Tokyo, is that I'm very interested in Asian culture, and could easily see doing a week or 10 days in Japan (I'd want to do more than just Tokyo), so I feel like it's a place I'll have more opportunity to get back to. Who knows on Dubai. What would be a minimal amount of time to experience the Tokyo? Having never been there, I'm imagining something akin to an East-Asian New York?

[rsvman]

Tokyo, in my opinion, but I've never been to Dubai and I love Tokyo, so I'm probably biased.

spend one day in and around the actual city itself; do some shopping, sightseeing. For the second day, take a train to Kyoto and spend the day there. Totally amazing and beautiful.

[Bob Green]

I would definitely pick Tokyo and I recommend you visit Meiji Shrine. I took my father there and he really enjoyed it:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/j...o-meiji-shrine

Another really nice shrine is Asakusa, which I visited many times:

http://www.asakusajinja.jp/english/

I enjoyed a trip to the transportation museum many years ago. It is closed but a new Railway Museum in Saitama took its place:

http://www.railway-museum.jp/en/

The Tokyo fish market is also a blast, but I learned while searching for a link that it is closing down and the replacement will not be open until 2014:

http://www.tofugu.com/2012/12/17/the...-closing-down/

There are a thousand things to do and see in Tokyo.

[davekay1971]

Enjoy Dubai! Just don't peek behind the scenes...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/gallery/2008/oct/08/1

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/...r-1828754.html

They're old articles...but unfortunately since it was published nothing much has changed.

[Reisen]

Japan it is. I have an award ticket on hold with United that has us in Japan for 4 days, Singapore for 18 hours, and Bangkok for a week. I'm planning on purchasing tickets to Siem Reap (from Bangkok) separately, and probably just doing 2 days there.

There is an opportunity to tweak the itinerary and maybe move another day or two to the Japan part (I have 3 days to cancel or make changes). While I definitely want to spend a couple days in Tokyo, I really want to rent a car and get out to the countryside, and am thinking heading out to a river onsen might be the perfect way to do that.

This one looks nice: http://www.takaragawa.com/english.html

Any thoughts? On onsen, renting a car in Japan, getting out of Tokyo, etc.? This will be early October, so I don't know what the weather will be like.

[Bob Green]

Any thoughts? On onsen, renting a car in Japan, getting out of Tokyo, etc.? This will be early October, so I don't know what the weather will be like.

I'd advise against driving in Japan. Tolls on the highways are expensive plus you would most likely encounter difficulty renting a car. I strongly suggest you utilize the train system. As far as the weather goes, the Kanto Plain has great weather in early October. The heat of summer will have subsided.