need help on japan.

[magicclean]

My friend and i are planning on a trip to tokyo. can anyone clue me into where is the cheapest and most accessible area to stay at? how much to set aside of daily travel and living expenses on average? what sites and places a must to check out?thanks.

Edited by magicclean on Sep 28, 2005 at 02:45 PM

[6MT]

http://www.eg.leopalace21.com/index.htm

TRY LOOK INTO THIS SITE, THEY HAVE WEEKLY APARTMENTS, AND TRY TO SAVE AS MOUCH AS POSSIBLE, IF YOU PLANNING ON SPEND ANY MONEY IN THE CITY OF COURSE.....

[Guest]

Like 6MT said, try to save as much money as possible. Japan is very expensive. I'm currently in Japan right now and im down to my last 20 bucks. I've been here for a month and finally about to leave tommorow. Here are some tips:

- Print out the superfuture maps, they are really helpful for finding the stores you are interested in. (Harajuku, Aoyama, and Shibuya are good maps) theres not much at Shinjuku, but its a good place to look around.

- As for lodging, the weekly apartments are a good idea. A lot cheaper than the hotels in Japan.

- If your looking for brands like burberry, gucci, and all that high end stuff go to Ginza. Its a few stations away from Tokyo. Food here is really expensive.

- Cheap food. Look for a place called Yoshinoya's. You can find them almost anywhere. I've eaten there almost everyday. It's around 5 dollars for a meal. The small alley restuarants are cheap too. Just look around.

- For electronics go to Akihabara. Most places are duty free and make sure to have your passport. The best prices for electronics is this place called AKKY. There are three stores AKKYI, II, and III in a 3 block radius. They're all the same and they speak english. Ask for a discount. They'll give you about 10% off.

- For used clothes go to Harajuku, Meiji Dori St I believe. Theres a lot of used clothing stores carrying W)taps, neighborhood, etc. You can find some good deals around there.

- On the Harajuku map, a good starting point is at the corner of Wendy's fast food. There is large main steet with a 4 way intersection. On one corner you will see gap. Walk a little further and the next street there should be a Wendy's. Make a left on that street. That whole street has a bunch of good stores. There is RECON, ATMOS, Neighborhood, etc. It's really easy to pass these stores up, so just be on the lookout.

- For shoes, I recommend this place called CHAPTER. Their website is www.chapterworld.com They have a wide selection of shoes. If you go there look for this guy with dreads and a goatie. He speaks a little bit of english, but he understands. Really nice guy.

- As for transportation, the JR Yamanote Line goes all around Tokyo. It goes to Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Tokyo, Ginza, and Akihabara. Pretty much all the main places.

- To get away from hectic Tokyo, I recommend spending a day at Odaiba Bay. Take the Yamanote Line to Shimbashi Station, and get on the Yuramoke Line towards the Odaiba. This train will bring you across the rainbow bridge. Get off the first stop after passing the bridge. I think it is Odaiba-KishineKoen. You can sight see around there and there are really nice views of the bay. If you want dinner there, go to the DECKS shopping plaza and go to the second or third floor. There is this Tonkatsu restuarant that is decently priced and has an excellent view of the bay.

- Yokohama is also a nice place to visit. Many trains go to Yokohama. I would recommend going to Yokohama station and Sakuragicho Station.

- Last but not least, pick up a Japan guide from a book store. It will help you figure out on where to go and translates the subway lines, since some are only written in Japanese.

Hope this helps you get started on your trip. Japan is a lot of fun, but be aware of how much you have on you because you can spend a lot quick. Good luck and have a safe trip.

[Guest]

Like 6MT said, try to save as much money as possible. Japan is very expensive. I'm currently in Japan right now and im down to my last 20 bucks. I've been here for a month and finally about to leave tommorow. Here are some tips:

- Print out the superfuture maps, they are really helpful for finding the stores you are interested in. (Harajuku, Aoyama, and Shibuya are good maps) theres not much at Shinjuku, but its a good place to look around.

- As for lodging, the weekly apartments are a good idea. A lot cheaper than the hotels in Japan.

- If your looking for brands like burberry, gucci, and all that high end stuff go to Ginza. Its a few stations away from Tokyo. Food here is really expensive.

- Cheap food. Look for a place called Yoshinoya's. You can find them almost anywhere. I've eaten there almost everyday. It's around 5 dollars for a meal. The small alley restuarants are cheap too. Just look around.

- For electronics go to Akihabara. Most places are duty free and make sure to have your passport. The best prices for electronics is this place called AKKY. There are three stores AKKYI, II, and III in a 3 block radius. They're all the same and they speak english. Ask for a discount. They'll give you about 10% off.

- For used clothes go to Harajuku, Meiji Dori St I believe. Theres a lot of used clothing stores carrying W)taps, neighborhood, etc. You can find some good deals around there.

- On the Harajuku map, a good starting point is at the corner of Wendy's fast food. There is large main steet with a 4 way intersection. On one corner you will see gap. Walk a little further and the next street there should be a Wendy's. Make a left on that street. That whole street has a bunch of good stores. There is RECON, ATMOS, Neighborhood, etc. It's really easy to pass these stores up, so just be on the lookout.

- For shoes, I recommend this place called CHAPTER. Their website is www.chapterworld.com They have a wide selection of shoes. If you go there look for this guy with dreads and a goatie. He speaks a little bit of english, but he understands. Really nice guy.

- As for transportation, the JR Yamanote Line goes all around Tokyo. It goes to Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Tokyo, Ginza, and Akihabara. Pretty much all the main places.

- To get away from hectic Tokyo, I recommend spending a day at Odaiba Bay. Take the Yamanote Line to Shimbashi Station, and get on the Yuramoke Line towards the Odaiba. This train will bring you across the rainbow bridge. Get off the first stop after passing the bridge. I think it is Odaiba-KishineKoen. You can sight see around there and there are really nice views of the bay. If you want dinner there, go to the DECKS shopping plaza and go to the second or third floor. There is this Tonkatsu restuarant that is decently priced and has an excellent view of the bay.

- Yokohama is also a nice place to visit. Many trains go to Yokohama. I would recommend going to Yokohama station and Sakuragicho Station.

- Last but not least, pick up a Japan guide from a book store. It will help you figure out on where to go and translates the subway lines, since some are only written in Japanese.

Hope this helps you get started on your trip. Japan is a lot of fun, but be aware of how much you have on you because you can spend a lot quick. Good luck and have a safe trip.

[rem1x47]

Like 6MT said, try to save as much money as possible. Japan is very expensive. I'm currently in Japan right now and im down to my last 20 bucks. I've been here for a month and finally about to leave tommorow. Here are some tips:

- Print out the superfuture maps, they are really helpful for finding the stores you are interested in. (Harajuku, Aoyama, and Shibuya are good maps) theres not much at Shinjuku, but its a good place to look around.

- As for lodging, the weekly apartments are a good idea. A lot cheaper than the hotels in Japan.

- If your looking for brands like burberry, gucci, and all that high end stuff go to Ginza. Its a few stations away from Tokyo. Food here is really expensive.

- Cheap food. Look for a place called Yoshinoya's. You can find them almost anywhere. I've eaten there almost everyday. It's around 5 dollars for a meal. The small alley restuarants are cheap too. Just look around.

- For electronics go to Akihabara. Most places are duty free and make sure to have your passport. The best prices for electronics is this place called AKKY. There are three stores AKKYI, II, and III in a 3 block radius. They're all the same and they speak english. Ask for a discount. They'll give you about 10% off.

- For used clothes go to Harajuku, Meiji Dori St I believe. Theres a lot of used clothing stores carrying W)taps, neighborhood, etc. You can find some good deals around there.

- On the Harajuku map, a good starting point is at the corner of Wendy's fast food. There is large main steet with a 4 way intersection. On one corner you will see gap. Walk a little further and the next street there should be a Wendy's. Make a left on that street. That whole street has a bunch of good stores. There is RECON, ATMOS, Neighborhood, etc. It's really easy to pass these stores up, so just be on the lookout.

- For shoes, I recommend this place called CHAPTER. Their website is www.chapterworld.com They have a wide selection of shoes. If you go there look for this guy with dreads and a goatie. He speaks a little bit of english, but he understands. Really nice guy.

- As for transportation, the JR Yamanote Line goes all around Tokyo. It goes to Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Tokyo, Ginza, and Akihabara. Pretty much all the main places.

- To get away from hectic Tokyo, I recommend spending a day at Odaiba Bay. Take the Yamanote Line to Shimbashi Station, and get on the Yuramoke Line towards the Odaiba. This train will bring you across the rainbow bridge. Get off the first stop after passing the bridge. I think it is Odaiba-KishineKoen. You can sight see around there and there are really nice views of the bay. If you want dinner there, go to the DECKS shopping plaza and go to the second or third floor. There is this Tonkatsu restuarant that is decently priced and has an excellent view of the bay.

- Yokohama is also a nice place to visit. Many trains go to Yokohama. I would recommend going to Yokohama station and Sakuragicho Station.

- Last but not least, pick up a Japan guide from a book store. It will help you figure out on where to go and translates the subway lines, since some are only written in Japanese.

Hope this helps you get started on your trip. Japan is a lot of fun, but be aware of how much you have on you because you can spend a lot quick. Good luck and have a safe trip.

[absolut]

japan is on par with britain for being most expensive, its fun, youll lose weight guranteed and be prepared to spend lots of money.

oh and go to following clubs if youre into clubbing , womb, yellow, air, and unit.

[stickykrylon]

is it more than the cost of living in nyc?

i might be transfered to japan in June. what should i expect?

what kind of apartment could i get for around $2000 usd per month? haven't done any research yet.. i just found out about this relocation today..

dig.

[magicclean]

alright thanks, i have a friend thats a gadget freak. any places to hit to check out the latest toys? i'm there for the clothes mainly. lad musician is easy to locate? I would like to get dior or cloak over there but i think it will be pretty exp. i should be heading to hongkong after that, you think its a better idea to get it over there?

[magicclean]

lol rem1x47 thanks, i think you said almost everything. i'll keep it in mind. thanks guys

[sr20det]

YES, yoshinoya is the place to be for cheap food in tokyo! we used to call it "circle" when we asked the locals for the nearest location. so cool how you purchase the meals through the machine first and then give it to the chef to cook!

Quote: Cheap food. Look for a place called Yoshinoya's.

http://digitalcameras.freepay.com/?r=22326654

[magicclean]

are apartments further away from the city? my friend and i will only be there max about 1 week before we jet off. the apartment 6MT showed is minimum 2 weeks so i dont think we'll take that. thanks though.

[DaBestSpoona]

Tokyo is fun and all, but you should get a rail pass or ana air pass check out cities like Sapporo or Fukuoka where you can get more for your money.

[pasey pase]

fukuoka is the shit, and for $2000 USD per month you can get a pretty nice crib in tokyo... will be small, but relatively nice.

[evlhunter]

Japan is fun but everything is very expensive, I was lucky that I can stay at my girfriend's house and her mom always cook for me. ^^ so I saved the money for clothing.

I didn't shop much in Tokyo last time, only went to ATMOS, RECON, and some other stores.

How did you guys communicate without jp friends? >< they don't speak english at all, especially finding the right train. its so difficult....

[DaBestSpoona]

I actually saw some really great apartment deals in Fukuoka near Chapter for around 400-800USD.

I speak a little bit, but it's mostly Kyushu-ben. The train system is alot easier now cus there are signs in English, and the announcements, maps, etc have english now, but in super tiny font.

[evlhunter]

Quote:

I actually saw some really great apartment deals in Fukuoka near Chapter for around 400-800USD.

I speak a little bit, but it's mostly Kyushu-ben. The train system is alot easier now cus there are signs in English, and the announcements, maps, etc have english now, but in super tiny font.

--- Original message by DaBestSpoona on Sep 19, 2005 11:51 AM

yeah, true, train system in tokyo has english sign, but I was staying at Nagoya, other places dont have sign in english at all.

400-800USD is very good deal.

[adsurgo]

whats a good way to learn japanese. i actually wanna move there in the distant future but i dont know the language at all.

[rem1x47]

If you want toys go to Akihabara. There's a lot of toy shops around there carrying anime stuff, gundam, bearbrick, etc. Just look around and you'll find them.

As for dior stuff, I'd wait til Hong Kong. Japan seems to really inflate their prices on clothing.

[CactusArmy]

I think Dior is inflated at about 30% in Japan. In HK even more coz there's no boutique and places like Joyce, I.T sometimes double the prices on stuff. It was definitely the case with some Number (N)ine jackets. They do have sales though but most of the good stuff are already gone by then. Dior is extremely popular in HK, people are willing to pay crazy prices, here's hoping you will

[whynotmakeboth]

awesome post rem, thanks!

[Geowu]

Quote: whats a good way to learn japanese. i actually wanna move there in the distant future but i dont know the language at all.

I suggest you take 1 year or so of classes, so you learn some important things which only a teacher could teach you. Then you can watch Japanese television, movies, anime, music, etc. The way I use to learn is to write down every new word in a notebook with the Japanese writing, the sound of the word, and the meaning. Since I'm also learning other languages I write the same word together in other languages as well. This creates like a mental icon that you can memorize. I've found also a langauge course that seems to work, I think I'll buy it to learn German:

http://www.unforgettablelanguages.com/languages.html

[M4TM]

please don't go to yoshinoya's... food in japan is awesome. spend a few bucks more and really get some good stuff. beef bowl is like visiting the LA and hitting up mcD's (when you can get in n out for a buck or two more!).

No Shirt. No Shoes. No Dice.

Learn it. Know it. Live it.

Edited by Music for the Masses on Sep 20, 2005 at 02:20 AM

[DaBestSpoona]

it's easier to learn japanese if you speak another east asian language like cantonese(nouns) or korean(grammar) where there alot of similarities.

[daikonyama]

I liked Kichijoji too, but places are a bit tougher to find there... For toys, I remember there was a place right outside Ueno Stn called Yamashiroya... Easy to find, and like 6 floors of random toys...

Booze is really cheap at convenience stores, so if you want to be ghetto about it, just drink up before going out... Haha... I don't like paying 12USD for a pint of Guiness! The onigiri at convenience stores will fill you up ok for cheap too. Just make sure not to get the ume. That is a ball of hate. If you're looking to save some cash on a meal, just run to a kaitzenzushiya. They have that sushi on the conveyor belts for pretty cheap. There are places in Kabukicho that have em for 100 yen a plate....

You doing any siteseeing? I think that a good place is prolly Kamakura... Only 40 mins from Tokyo and it's kind of a relaxed town... Doesn't cost much to get there, it's not as expensive as somewhere like Kyoto for each place you go into.

Best places for clothes shopping are Daikanyama and Harajuku, I would say... Funnest places to just wander around are Shinjuku and Shibuya...

[soleindahole]

yo i recommend staying in the business area location called Osaki, just outskirt of tokyo a few stops from shibuya too. its a quiet area away from the bustle and the the hotels are cheaper. just take the jr yamanote line. they all run in a big loop anyways will get you to all the major cities around tokyo.

Edited by soleindahole on Sep 22, 2005 at 09:14 PM

[magicclean]

i think we will be spending most of our time around shibuya/harajuku areas other than disneyland and tokyotower and maybe ginza so we're currently trying to find a place thats as cheap as possible amd as near as possible. any idea what time do trains stop? we are considering walking back if we are out too late.I heard transportation is expensive, but its still cheaper than getting a place directly in shibuya right? trying to budget about 120usd per day for 2 people if thats possible per night on hotel. lower would of course be better.

http://www.housejp.com.tw/page/englishroom02.htm is this place far?http://www.asiarooms.com/japan/tokyo/yamachi_-_haneda.html this too.

[aitsuka]

I ate ramen everyday at my 4 month stay there.

-don't hate, appreciate-

[djrajio]

I would recommend you get a JR Pass so that you'll have unlimited rides for one-week/two-week/etc. The trains typically stop just after midnight, depending on the line and the station, but some trains, like the Yamanote line, tend to go til 1 and start as early as 5-6 because they are used so frequently. Just ask the station worker's when the last "Shuu-den" or last train is.

For example:

¡–éÂA‚±‚ÌÂü‚ÌÂÃ…ÂI“dŽÔ‚ɽŽž‚Å‚·‚©ÂH

Konya, kono sen no saishuu densha wa nan ji desu ka.

Tonight, what time is this line's final train?

This website also provides all the train schedules in English:

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/

If you're really trying to go cheap, you could always ask for capule hotels or dormitory-style hotels. I stayed in one in Shinjuku one night for 2500 yen. Just ask the information desks at any train station for help.

Edited by djrajio on Sep 23, 2005 at 11:44 AM

[daikonyama]

I also remember some of my friends staying at hotels in Akihabara for like 80$ a night... Place wasn't so bad.

All I can say is don't go to Kyobashi to stay. There's a capsule hotel there for like 40$ a night, that is dirrrty. I'd rather sleep on the street.

Yeah, the trains stop pretty early... And it's pretty far to walk places after they stop. I would just recommend sleeping in a mangakissa for like $3 an hour. You get like a little cube where you're supposed to browse the internet and read comics, but I know of people sleeping in there. Just rest up til your first train the next morning then head home, shower, change and go out again.

Places don't seem so far on the train, but I remember trying to walk home one night and it took a lot longer than I thought it would. Japan's residential areas are creepy at like 3am too.

[djrajio]

Oh. I almost forgot. Also ask for YMCA youth hostels. The draw back being that you won't have your own room. BUT, you'll have the opportunity to meet other foriegners who are also in your same situation and you get to meet "interesting" people.

One thing that a friend and I did last Golden Week, if you are planning on travelling to far off places like Hokkaido, is buy Shinkansen tickets (through JR unlimited passes) for night trains and do your sleeping on the train, that way you can cut your travel and sleeping time and get in more time to site-see. For showering, we merely asked for the nearest Osen and took 2-3 hours relaxing for 10-14 bucks.

Another thing, if you look "foreign" and are in country-side areas is to use it to your advantage. A friend of mine who was white and could speak Japanese didn't reserve any hotels and merely went around the country side and asked old grandmothers if they could take him in for a night. Mind you he spoke fluent Japanese. But the idea of a white forienger speaking fluent Japanese sometimes works. He also ended sleeping with the daughter of one family, lol. But that's another story...