1) The first step is to read all about the country/city you are going to. Here are some examples:
http://tokyo-tokyo.com/
http://www.tokyoessentials.com/
http://picturetokyo.com/
http://japan-guide.com/
http://www.virtualtourist.com/
After reading all the above and getting bug-eyed, you can then copy and print what interests you and what does not. For instance, Disneyland interests me. Disneysea does not. For someone else, oh well, it's the other way round. But let me explain -
I've been to the real, original Disneyland before, more than a decade ago. Spent two days there. We also spent two days at Universal Studios Hollywood, and another day at San Diego Seaworld, but the one I still remembered, and had the most fun, was Disneyland. Two days not enough! And since Tokyo Disneyland is supposed to be a copy of the original one, I am planning to ride It's A Small World as many times as I like (oooh, I can still picture those cutey dolls!), and go knocking at Mickey's house, and knock at the Haunted House as well... Disneysea, on the other hand.... um, anything to do with the sea or lots of water, I'd stay far away from, or else drug myself till too sleepy to enjoy it anyway. Thank you.
2) After reading and feeling that you've been there already even though you have not, it's time to explore maps. Travellers used to buy printed city maps, or get them for free at the airport. Nowadays, maps are a dime a dozen on the internet. Copy, paste, print before you even get there, and you can even use Google satellite pictures for a bird's eye view of the city!
Google Maps
Tokyo City maps
Tokyo JR Train station maps
This, however, is not for the map-challenged i.e. those who cannot read one but depend on the sun or the mountain for navigation. I am glad to say my family is not map-challenged, and so, even for the busiest subway station in the world, which serves nearly four million people daily (eeps, that's the whole population of Singapore??) I print a map so that we can find our way in and out of it as quickly as possible.
In fact, if you can't navigate from a map, please don't go free and easy trip! Or if you do, please speak the language so that you can ask people for directions every ten steps.
3) For stuff which you have questions about and can't find on the websites, checking out the travel forums is a great idea.
Japan Guide Forum
Virtual Tourist Forum
And if you still have some odd question you can't find the answers to, you can ask the forum without even having to get registered. I did, I asked two questions about Tokyo at the Japan Guide Forum, and got very useful replies almost immediately.
4) In Tokyo, the cheapest way to get around is by the train or subway. To find out more about trains -
JR Japan Raily Company website
Tokyo Metro website
Train and subway times and schedules
Hyperdia.com is the most useful Tokyo itinerary planner I've found on the internet. Once you have decided where you are staying (i.e. where your hotel is) and where you would like to go, use this website to find out the shortest or cheapest way from Point A to Point B. Of course you need to know the name of the train stations at both Point A and Point B.
For instance, to take the train from Narita Airport to Shinjuku, type in the station names in the boxes:
You will get several Route Options, such as this: 
If the above seem too expensive, you can look for the cheapest option:
5) And finally, do learn a couple of phrases of the local language just in case you get lost and lonely and feel like crying! The most useful I've found online is this:http://japanese-phrases.sakura.ne.jp/
Because they provided audio for each and every word, you can download and/or play it back a zillion times instead of trying to pronounce those Romanji words yourself. Download the audio to your mobile phone if you still really, really can't pronounce the language. And then, when you do get lost and feel like crying, you can look for a helpful local, point your mobile phone at him/her and play the audio for whatever you want to say. Easy!
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