That I might be in Tokyo at the end of the month. But it's remote: they'd have to close a deal in the next week and I would have to get re-assigned. In any case, there is a very friendly pub (for foreigners) called the Warrior Celt in the Ueno area with lots of expats and a lot of local japanese and live music quite a few nights (tiny bar though, so it's loud).

As for sightseeing, there is one item that is probably in the guides: hama-rikyu gardens (near the tsukiji market area). This time of year they are probably gorgeous .. presumably by end of October the colors would be really good.

Are you up for going outside (central) Tokyo? If you go way west part of Tokyo, there is Tama Zoo (多摩動物公園 is the Japanese because once you get outside central urban areas, the English signage can get sparse) which is pretty neat. Basically one intermediate length train ride west out of Shinjuku.

Also, north of Tokyo in Saitama prefecture in Oomiya (大宮) there is "bonsai town" where a bunch of the bonsai gardeners live -- they will let you come in and browse. About a 45 minute train ride on one of the lines out of Ueno (what I took anyway). In the same area (south of bonsai-cho but walkable), there is a large-ish park with a small zoo and a shrine. It's a very suburban and family-oriented park, but I think that made it more charming. The zoo has the benefit that like a small zoo anywhere, it has mostly "common" animals from the local area (and a few "rare" ones from outside). Since you presumably don't live in Japan, the "common" local animals are really rare ... and the choices for the "rare" foreign ones are probably quaint. :)

Rachael

"There will be time, there will be time / To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet." -- Eliot