I am thinking going North on the double deckers and then possibly that rack railway and just seeing the variety they have.
That would be the E1 and E4 type shinkansen trainsets, I presume? You can catch them on services on the Joetsu (Max Toki, Max Tanigawa) and Tohoku (Nasuno, Max Yamabiko) Shinkansen lines. Even if you stay in Tokyo, buying a platform ticket to see the shinkansen at Tokyo Station is a worthwhile diversion. Also, for a coffee break with views of passing shinkansen, here are two spots:
Starbucks at Tokyo Station, you can see departures and arrivals of JR East shinkansen trains:
http://www.starbucks.co.jp/en/searc...tore_type_3=&search_by_address_flg=&x=53&y=14
Likely even better, the Mcdonalds Akihabara Station store:
http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/shop/map/map.php?strcode=13895
*it's the one across from the big Yodobashi Camera store. Has a second floor, get a window seat facing the tracks:
http://www.tabitetsu.jp/gallery/today/132/
Which rack railway are you referring to? As far as I know, there is only one in operation, the Oigawa Rlwy in Shizuoka Prefecture.
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seat54, I don't know the extent of your railway interests, but on the more hardcore, enthusiast end of things, there are three locations in Tokyo I can recommend. For seeing operations and scheduling in action, the two following:
Chofu station on the Keio Main Line, a flat junction station (nothing special in the UK, but rare in Japan nowadays). This is due to be grade separated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UEwng1cAh8&feature=related
Hikifune Station, on the Tobu Isezaki Line, also a junction station with run- throughs on the Tokyo Metro, which is a staple of Japanese urban railways. You can also see the operation of a pattern diagram schedule here, as well as simultaneous departures. Good variety of rolling stock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ3Kt9Grq-8&hd=1
For just watching trains pass by close-up, the grade crossing just outside Shinagawa Station, you can see Keihin Kyuko trains cross the JR Tokaido Line on a truss bridge with sharp curves thrown in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_jSfiKHogo&feature=related