no choice, that is near my coy's "preferred" hotel....
ohh...if you stay at tawaramachi...then you can explore tokyo
instead. tawaramachi is where you can find many of those shops that
sell the plastic food models - very interesting to look at, quite
expensive to buy. it's also near to kappabashi where you can
find all kinds of kitchen utensils & supplies.
you can also walk around ueno which is not far from tawaramachi.
there are quite a few departmental stores i.e. marui, atre
etc...there's also the famous bazaar - ameyoko where you'll be able
to find interesting stuffs i.e. bags, clothes, shoes, food at
affordable prices.
nearer okachimachi is this departmental store called Takeya
(it's a 7-8 storey tall purple building)...that's where the locals
shop for all kinds of stuffs. you can get stuffs like japanese
crackers/mochi/bean cakes at very cheap prices...apart from food,
you can find almost any and everything at Takeya. but be prepared
to jostle with the crowd 'cos it can be super crowded. the
place can be quite confusing 'cos Takeya has got a few annexes. try
to get hold of a store directory so that you'll know which building
has what.