Houseteks Guide To Tokyo

[Housetek]

Hello there, i've been reading a lot of the same questions about japan in the travel guide over and over and over again.... and over again.

also please check out my Tips, rules, and etiquette thread
[Rant]
*edit* also i dont want to see any more posts that go like this "im afraid to go to japan b/c im *insert race*.

i will totally flame you. =P

Japan is not a racist country i dont understand where people are gettin this idea, its just ridiculous and stupid.

Thers PLENTY of international travelers and trust me your not the first *insert race here* person to travel to japan. Soooo Get over your selves.
[/rant]

So i decided to kinda mix and mash all of my cumulative knowledge of traveling to japan into one post.

Lil background, im currently living in japan, and this will be my 8th trip.

I personally use fight benefits which scores me 500 dollar round trip business class/first class tickets to japan.

for the record my shortest and more inexpensive trip was 4 days and cost me 400 dollars total

my more expensive was around 16,000
which basicly was my first nub trip where i bought every thing and any thing.

and yes i know you hate me for it, and no i cant get you the same tickets.

But ill tell you cheap ways to get cheaper tickets.

Okie dokie lets start with the basics.

$Cash$
Common Question: How much Cash should I bring to stay in Tokyo?

Answer: how long you planning on staying, and are you a shopaholic such as my self?

First lets go with 2 weeks, its pretty safe to say you can pretty much jus double what ever number that comes out in the end.

Okay first off, Plane Ticket.

Average plane ticket will cost around $2,000 US economy round trip.
surprisingly it cost more for a one way trip, and also if your on a tourist visa which you most likely are, you cannot buy a one way trip unless its back to your country due to a emergency.

Later on I will explain how you can score tickets for around 700 to 1000 dollars.

2000 is the basic for heavy travel times such as summer and winter break.

so for the purpose of the MINIMUM you should bring lets leave it at $2,000 shall we?

I always take United, just my personal preference.

okie dokie so were at $2,000 right now.

Ill assume you have transportation to the airport so i wont add any thing there. But in case of emergency have enough money to get to and from your house from the airport.

So once you land in Narita you will want to take the skyliner to some where in Tokyo.
Remember this is a guide to TOKYO so i wont be touching base on places such as Kyoto or Osaka.

Price for one ticket to Center of Tokyo is 3,000 Yen basicly 28-30 bucks.

also your gona need money to get back to the airport when you leave so lets just say the traveling cost to and from the airport is $60 dollars US.

Right now we are at $2060

b4 you are going to Tokyo you will want to make living arrangements.

Hotels will run from 120dollars to 300+ dollars a night.

so 2 weeks, your looking at 1680 to 4200 for a hotel.

but this guide is for us cheapos who jus want to see Tokyo.

now... 1680 is ALOT of money for 2 weeks

for one week stay i may recommend a hotel, but for any thing longer then 2 weeks. Start checking out apartments for short term stays.

Hostels are the best for cheap prices

Guess T House in Tokyo, Japan

Guess T House 8 days maximum stay. around 25 dollars a NIGHT!
thats 200 dollars for a week!
problem is you better start booking those rooms ahead of time.

most of the time you'll be jumping rooms to what ever available.

so lets update our lil money chart

For one week it is possible to pull off 2260 for living and travel expenses IF you get a spot at Guess T House. around 2900-3000 dollars

For 2 week stay your looking at a hefty 3740. hey no one said Tokyo was cheap.

I recommend for best bang for your buck staying for a month and gettin a apartment or guest house with Tokyo apartment, Guest house, guesthouse room in Japan - Sakura House

my past apartments were 800 a MONTH for a single

so its worth your money staying longer then 2 weeks, the cost will be around 2860.

My current apartment is thru sakura house and cost me 140,000 Yen a month
thats around 1160 a month US.

It is possible to book for short term stay, just be sure to book in advance.

Its safe to say, if your staying in Tokyo for around a month or so 4 thousand dollars is a good amount to bring to cover your travel and living costs.

There are many variables, if you REALLY want a cheap trip i recommend sakura house.

They speak english, down load skype and call them up. if you dont know what skype is, it will be explained in the phone section of this post.

So i came up with the reasonable amount of 3,500 to 4,000 dollars to cover the Travel and living cost of Tokyo.

FOOD.
say you eat 3 meals a day
this just really depends on how you want to eat.

You can eat cheap at places like Yoshinoya or cheapo noodle places.
or you can choose to dine out at more expensive places.

if you eat 3 meals a day at cheapo places which run at around 4 dollars a meal, in 2 weeks you'll be spending 168 dollars
give or take a few stops for drinks and candy and whatnot.

so safe to say 200 dollars for 2 weeks. or 400 for a month.

other places can cost 1,500 to 3,000 yen for a meal, i find the average is around 15 dollars.

so you'll be spending around 630-700 dollars for 2 weeks or 1400 for a month.

I personally just eat Cheap breakfast, usually 3 dollars or so and 5 dollar lunches and 15 dollar dinners.

so over all food cost is very situational to the person.

ill average it to 300 for 2 weeks, guessing that you switch it up and what not.

I try to budget my self to 275 for 2 weeks.

i also make my own food for breakfast and usualy dinner so i never go over.

Drinking, well any where you go in Tokyo your lookin at 500 Yen drinks AT MINIMUM and average of 1000 or 1200 yen for normal drinks.

i wont go into that. its all up to you if you choose to drink or not.

Also they dont id people at bars but they do at stores, except a few high end night clubs they will id you to get in. cuz they dont want lil kids running around a grown up club.

but the legal drinking age is 20.

so averaging food cost to 300 for 2 weeks.

so new cost will be 3,800 to 4,300 for living, travel, and eating costs.

Transportation.

You wont be taking cabs every where cuz that can get expensive.

a 20 dollar cab ride can cost you 1.50 from train.

learn to use the subway systems.

lets say you like to go out ALOT and you want to see at LEAST 3 places a day.

20 minute train rides can get you pretty damn far. and will cost about 160Yen basicly a $1.33

so 3 trips a day front and back your lookin around 8 dollars of travel costs.

there will be some days where you may want to go ALLL over the place and what not or maybe out to late and miss the last train which is midnight and they dont open til 5am

so its safe to say reserve 15 dollars for train far which a extra 20 in your pocket for emergencies.

so around 230 dollars for 2 weeks of travel, and i mean ALOT of travel...

i dobut you'll spend that much at all in 2 weeks for train rides. but it gives you a lil extra slack money in case you want to take a train some where.

Buses are good 2... cept i hate busses cuz a 20 min train ride can take up to 1hour and 1/2 by bus cuz of traffic.

so new ground total is 4030- 4530 dollars.

This includes air travel, living, food, and daily travel.

This is a ROUGH estimate off the top of my head of your daily NEEDS.

as far as shopping is concern i will leave that all up to you.

But this is the amount you should be looking to spend for 2 weeks stay.

YOu can do the math for 1 week and 1 month or 3 month stays.

Tourist visas will be maximum of 3 month stay.


This ends the first part of this guide

I will be writing and posting more on the following topics:
Finding Apartments
Finding Better Air Travel Prices
Finding Good Phone Plans
Places to visit that I recommend
and maybe extra stuff when it comes to mind.

I hope you enjoyed reading the first part of this guide.

-Housetek

feel free to pm me any corrections or questions, or spellin errors or what not
*although i prolly wont go thru and correct it cuz im so tired from writing this*

[Housetek]

I already posted my phone guide but ill copy and paste it to make things easier

Every time i come i rent a phone for hundreds of dollars! Bills get pretty expensive.
Docomo Wants up to 300 for 2 months and other companies are around 120-130 a month.
But this time i went with a Skype/ Softbank combo.
Ill explain.

There is softbanks all over Tokyo, the one i went to was in Roppongi across from the Almonds in the crossing.
They speak Very fluent english and will set you up with a phone within a hour.
TO buy a prepaid phone its 70 dollars you can pick from 2 models and 2 colors for each. *black, blue, and white and black*

This phone you can keep for ever, no need to return or mail back, its Yours.
All you need to do is buy a top up card for 3k Yen or 5k yen.
Its 90 yen per minute but its free incomming.
So you can call some one hang up and they can call you back and you get free incomming calls.
Text msging is 15 yen per text and free incomming.
They also set you up with a free soft bank email account
*yourname* @Softbank.ne.jp
mine is Housetek @softbank.ne.jp
okay so heres where the Skype part comes in

I like to keep in contact with all of my friends and family from the states and i want them to call me freely when ever they want.
So on skype for 12 dollars i bought a US number for 3 months in the area code all my friends and family live in.
its a PA/NJ number.

Then i put call forwarding on, and have all my calls from my skype from the US
forwarded to my japanese Prepaid Cell.

So my friends and family can call me ANY time they want with out being charged international rates and all of their phone calls go directly to my skype which then forwards them to my Prepaid in which i get Free incomming calls.
Pretty nifty.

So if your looking for a phone in japan, instead of buying one at the airport you can try my method.
Which will cost you 70 dollars for the start up phone which you can use forever, 12 for 3 months of Skype number i also put 25 dollars into Skype credit but i always have skype credit on it just in case i want to call internationally back home. and then the Prepaid top up is 3k yen for 60 days.

my last PHone which i go from Narita airport cost me 150 dollars for one month
and a previous one cost me 150 for 2 weeks!
so i belive this way will save alot more money. also its very convenient cuz once you have the phone and you want to Top up next time you come back to japan you can buy a topup card at Any AMPM, lawsons or Sunkus.

[El2IN]

Whoa, lotta typing, and Thank You.
I'm was planning on visiting... when I'm old enough that is.
But, I didn't exactly know what to do.

Still, I never knew it cost that much.

[Housetek]

Cheap flights

People do everything online now adays.

Expedia, orbits, travelocity, etc etc.

these places are crap.

back in the day, every one booked with travel agencies.

they actually HELP YOU with your situation and cost needs.

i strongly recommend seeing a good travel agent and asking for cheap student prices.

this part is more help to people in the US actually sorry

i go through JTB USA, they are a travel agency in New York that specializes in trips to and from Japan.

you can usually snag tickets from 700 to 1000 dollars.

Make sure you let them know your a student if you are.

How it works is it cycles thru the cheapest flights and gives you a time frame in which you can go and come back from Tokyo.


im no Expert at flights and airports and whatnot but thats just my lil tip for every one.

generally you are allowed to take 2 bags and 2 carry ons.
22kilos for each bag of luggage.

i recommend packing lightly cuz you'll most likely be bringing a lot of stuff back.

if you go over they will charge you extra.

Some tips for packing

bring your own stick deordorent... i dunno bout every one else but i hate the spray kind, and they ONLY sell those here. its annoying.

Roll your clothing, less wrinkles and saves space.

you can Generally buy all sorts of stuff like shampoo, toothpaste, brushes, and towels when you get here at any ampm or corner store.

so if you are lookin to save space, just buy that stuff when you get here.

pack the appropriate clothing for the weather

save room for goodies on the trip back

This ends this portion
if i think of any thing else ill edit it or if you would like to add somthing else please pm me

[Housetek]

Living

okay so in the past visits, i stayed at Hotels and With Sakura House. My friend Greg stayed at Guess T House and said it was super inexpensive.

Like i said b4, anytrip over 2 weeks i would rent a apartment.
Tokyo apartment, Guest house, guesthouse room in Japan - Sakura House
Sakura house has locations ALL over Tokyo, and have various prices.

Either Guest Houses are apartments.

Im currently in a double room apartment in Takanawa and its great.

B4 i stayed in a loft. and these apartments are around 1,100 a month and easily fits 2 people. *with their own rooms*

I strongly recommend you travel with a buddy. so you can split rent.

Heres a lil thing abut Sakura house,

They close at 550.

Most flights get in at 3-4
takes about a hour and 1/2 or longer pending on traffic to get to Shinjuku which is their main office where you pick up your room keys.

So expect to spend the first night partying til dawn and putting your luggage in lockers or stayin at a cheap over night hotel.

Guess T House in Tokyo, Japan
Guest T house is basicly a Hostel.

there is choices to either stay in a room with others or your own room.

prices can vary from 25 a night to 100 a night.

the choice is up to you.

Each place speaks english and their number can be found on the website.

besure to book way ahead of time.

hotels can cost DOUBLE of what these places cost

so its worth while to check it out.

You'll need passport and such.

For sakura house you will put down a 30,000 Yen deposit which you get back at the end of the trip.
Good for the trip back to the airport and picking up some quick things b4 you leave.

Generally if your staying longer you give a 3 weeks notice.

Apartments are better cuz you get your own bathroom, kitchen, and shower.

Guest house you have your own room but you share every thing else.

Careful during the holidays and look for days which they are closed.

During new years sakura house closes for 4 days straight.

The guest houses have basic bed and desk and air conditioner.
The apartments have bds desks, racks and drawers to hand your clothing and put items in. and AC and TV in each room. Also its nice to not have to worry about having your food eaten by other room mates.

Like i said each place has english speaking workers and will help you out.



Any further questions please pm me.

[Housetek]

Places to visit.

man i've written this so many times.. where to start...

Okay MY favorite places to go =)

I live in Takanawa so im pretty close to every thing.

Roppongi -
Things to see

Roppongi hills- great mall, cinema, Lego Park, awsome food, some times shows and concerts in the area with the water fountain.

Tokyo Midtown- brand new, jus made a few months ago.
BEAUTIFUL AMAZINGLY STUNNING PARK!!!!
abstract art playground and sculptures
a beautiful pond with fish and a wonderful place to go at night i STRONGLY recommend.
GREAT new mall, its HUUUUUUUUUUGE
and very high end restaurants
just nice place to walk around.

Tokyo Tower

Roppongi Crossing- you'll see the famous almonds there across from a softbank place where you can pick up prepaid phones.
Down the Strip theres a bunch of Clubs, You'll see a Kareoki place with a giant robot on top.
On the side of TGIFridays you walk towards the crossing and you'll find a place called sheesha bar its on the 7th floor of the building you'll see signs for it.

Thats my hang out, i know all the people who work there and im usualy in vip every night chilling.
Cocacabanna is on the 3rd floor and i usualy salsa dance there when im bored.


Lots of cool clubs to go to,
Vanilla
Midas
Feria
The new LEX "use to be lexington"
Gaspanic *there is 2 of them*
Barmania

all these places are pretty much on the same side and trip as gaspanic.

From the almonds go right, then go across the street once more.

SHIBUYA
man i love this place

Shopping is awsome
there is a store called 109, ladies will love this place, its essentially 7 stores full of girls clothing, makeup, and accessories.
girls paradise
there is also a smaller place called 109 Men.

Angel Heart, my friend Enzo Valentino is a silver jewelry crafter there, makes the most unique jewelry you'll ever see.

Zen Mall, awsome punk rocker clothing for guys. my personal favorite store.

you'll find alot of top fashion things there.

You'll want to take a picture with the famous Hachiko statue.
its a statue of a dog in front of the Train station, you cant miss it, its a popular meet up spot.

its a story of a lost dog, and theres another statue of a girl i think who is lookin for hachiko but shes in another station.

Top Nation and Armory is 2 breakdance stores, *i always go there since i dance*.

You'll find lots of arcades, the one near Angel Heart is 50 Yen games which i <3.
like 5 floors of pure arcades.

walk around plenty of shopping to do here.

Harajuku
Okay so when you go here your expecting to see cosplayers, lolitas, crazy fashion and all this jazz you see on tv and through pictures.

note the weather, if its crappy, they are not gona come out.

and they usualy come out to dress up on weekends.

especially if theres a festival or event going on, b/c they like to show off.

if its too hot or humid or raining or TOO cold dont expect to see many.

Theres Harajuku street which is right across from the train station.
Tons of crazy lolita clothing, jrock styles, punk, rockers, etc etc.
Craziest and amazing styles you'll never find in the States or any where else.

more accessories then you can handle. the girls and guys who dress up and be found here also.

At yoyogi/harajuku station you'll see the Yoyogi shrine, very beautiful. check it out
dont fork over the 500 yen to see the iris garden, its not worth it.

keep an eye out for festivals and stuff, check online of what festivals are goin on the month you are there.
i went to jamaca festival in harajuku, it was awsome!

Omotosando- jus a 5 min walk from harajuku
BEST and most elite fashion, and biggest brand names.

like soho in japan.

Hiro-
hiro has some nice parks, and Tokyo Ice bar is worth mentioning, its a bar completely made of ice. seats, tables, cups, every thing.

Shinjuku- okay at first i didnt like this place
but now i Love it.
ehh.. lots of porn but just ignore that.
TOOOOOOOOOOOOONS of arcades, i think i counted like 10 walking around for like 30 mins.
Alot of tempura places, and lil shops you can check out.
bowling alley, kareoki, cinema.

just a lot of fun and also at the Yasoda building at the west gate of the trainstation you'll find break dancers and hip hopers that dance in front of the buliding from 7 to midnight.

Mizonokuchi-
just wanted to mention all of japans top dancers around tokyo go to Mizo station to breakdance from 8pm to 5 AM

im there at least once or twice a week

Akihabara- Maid cafe!!!!
haha okay ive been to the one in Don quiote ill admit.

im not brave enough to go to the more raunchy ones.

lots of gadgets, toys, electronics, video games, arcades, and weapon shops to pick up just random crazy stuff.

i dont like akihabara too much. like a big tourist trap, but it does have some cool stuff.

i thought they had the best arcades ever... but no SHINJUKU WINS hands down for the most arcades in a single area.

also 50 yen games in shinjuku, you cant beat that with a stick.

Kasuga- Tokyo Dome
awsome amusement park, with lots of fun rides, and haunted houses, a marvel comic themed place, some arcades, and lots of good food and cool shops.
worth checking out.


Shibuya, Shinjuku, Roppongi and im sure other places all have a store called Don Quiote
DON DON DON DON QUIIII DONN QUUUIII OOOOOOOTEEEE
thats the song haha
any ways
there usualy 7 floors or so filled with the most random crap you'll ever see.

You can buy groceries, bikes, games, makeup, clothing, pillows, sex toys, porno, shoes, jewelry, cigars, light bulbs, pots and pans, electronics and ALLLLL sorts of crazy stuff here.

its a big mix mash full of random crap.

worth goin into and checking out.

its about 4am right now so ill update his more later.

but thats a quick summary off the top of my head of my favorite spots in Tokyo.

I think ill add a little guide how to use Trains and subways later.

[Housetek]

heres a question i got thru pm which ill answer and share

Originally Posted by zenit

U could talk a bit about money issues, like how much to take in money were to change money, visa, pickpockets, and things like that. If u wish to of course
Thanks

1. Where to change money, i found a spot in Shinjuku, Roppongi hills, and Shibuya.

Shinjuku i cant remember, sorry i was walking a lot that day, and got a lil lost.
Shibuya, is left of the biggest screen, you walk down that street you'll see a money exchange place, its a lil glass window in a wall.
Roppongi Hills you'll see signs for a citibank which exchanges money.
I heard also some banks will do it also, but many times you'll need a card to get in the front door.

Generally you will want to exchange money at the airport. You'll see BIG signs for it and its right across where you will buy tickets for the skyliner to get to Tokyo from the airport.

I usualy keep a few hundred dollars on me.
and some emergency money at my apartment.

I keep the bulk of my money on my ATM I have a Wachovia card.
Master card and Visa are the BEST cards to take to Tokyo.

Right now the exchange rate is 120 yen for 1 us dollar, check google or yahoo for prices in your currency.

Visa issues, most countries will allow you a 90 day tourist visa on your passport.

In the States i did not have to apply for any thing, i had my passport and i was fine for 90 days.

Other countries such as canada and im not sure exactly what others * i never really looked into it* are allowed Holiday work visas. Usualy a 6 month visa to find work. This you have to apply for and takes around 2 months to be processed.

Unfortunately people in the states are ineligible for holiday visas.

Student Visas are given to people who are planning to go to school in japan.

Temple japan and Sophia are the 2 most common schools. Relatively easy to get in.

On a student visa you are allowed to work 20 hours max a week.

in order to get a WORK visa you must be sponsored by a company.

and its not a easy thing to get unless your teaching English.

I've never had any problems with pickpockets or any thing getting stolen in Tokyo.
I've left my bag in places and arcades many times, come back and its always in the same place.

I actually left my bag full of video games and electronics at arcade and went to dinner once and came back and got it when i realized i forgot it.

Crime is low in Tokyo and its a safe place to visit.

hope that answered your question

[zenit]

yep u did thanks

[clairebear]

Haha.
"Houseteks Guide To Tokyo"
If that was a book, i'd soo buy it.

[zenit]

That may not be a bad idea at all