cheap tokyo?
 

hi everyone! a friend of mine and me, we're planning to travel to tokyo in march. i just heard that tokyo's very expensive, is that true? as i'm a student, i don't have a lot of money. so maybe you can give me some advices how we can have good but cheap time in japan. where can we live? (is camping too cold in march? if not, do u know good camping places?) is food in supermarkets expensive? what can we visit, that does not cost too much?
thanks for helping :)
:ywave:

If you don't have any money, why are you going to Tokyo? I am sure you would have a better time locally than living like a homeless person for a week in Tokyo.

You have to plan to spend money. There no fun in using all your savings to get to Japan from Germany only to live the life of a bum there.... Plan to spend about $250/day there (lodging included-if not more) if you want to have a decent time without going overboard in your purchases. Anything else is just not advisable.... You're going half-way across the world to a great country-take advantage of all its benefits!

Well $250 a day if it includes your hotel rate, sounds good.

$250 a day on it's own and you'll have a VERY nice time in Tokyo.

Tokyo is on par with Manhattan and Toronto, some things are a little more others are a little less.

Bike Camping in Japan- on a shoestring .. probably provides an extreme example.

Japan Youth Hostels, Inc. probably provides a better example of affordable accomodations for students. And backpacking hotels like the New Koyo at Y2500 per night are about as cheap as you can get.

Cheap 'traditional' "Japanese fast food" shops like Yoshinoya are ubiquitous with their beef bowl still priced at Y280. Not exactly healthy but at least you have a benchmark to work from.

it CAN be done cheaply.

hostel: $30
train ticket if tokyo metro ONLY if you get the open pass: $5 ($10 for a 2 day pass)
food: $10, you live ultra cheap.

tokyo for only $45 a day!

Not saying that this is how it should be done. but it can.
you would be much happier delaying your trip and saving more of course! But maybe you just want to experience the environment so its up to you.

thanks josebrown. well, i don't pay anything for the flight anyway (my mum works at lufthansa and gives me a free ticket) and i found a place to stay (a nice person who'll lend us his couch) so this will cost nothig, too. so just for food, metro, enty prices etc do u think 400€ (that's abot 550$) will be enough for two weeks.
by the way I had a very good time travelling europe last summer, spending very less money. but well, i spoke the languages, i knew the culture and people under 25 get free in every museum.. ;)

I think two weeks in Tokyo at $40 a day for food/travel/site-seeing is very very difficult. If the plane ticket is free, then spend one week and be able to enjoy yourself a little.

It's doable but why ?

Your free museum options are quite limited, this is not EUR or NA. Your admission would be $6.00+,and some parks $2-$3.

Double it to $80 and you'll have a better time, I mean in terms of options.

Subway is $2.50 - $3.50 one way, heading out to Yokohama or other regions are around $10+ each way.

Yes Tokyo can be done on the "cheap" but only after being familiar with it and by that I mean several visits by yourself not reading a guide.

I can do Manhattan quite well on $40 a day but that's because I have family to stay with when I'm there. However that's pretty limited compared to what the city has to offer

he's getting a free ticket + free place to stay.
better than not coming to tokyo! :D

Hello.

I think it's very hard to stay in Tokyo for 2weeks with only €400.
Staying in Tokyo is the most expensive in the world.

Please see below

Tokyo Price Guide | Commercial Heart of the City

Surprisingly Cheap in Tokyo if you know What's What
 

The first thing I would say is if you are going over without much money, you need to have a backup plan. What if you miss your plane? What if your keycard won't work? Japan is a cash society so you'll need to carry some cash.

• Carry a Visa Card that you can withdraw cash from (last time I took a Mastercard, and 7 11 stopped taking this making getting cash very difficult)
• Ensure Relatives can top up your account if required
• Take travel insurance (including health - not negotiable)

I'd say go for a shorter time to have a better time.

When my credit card didn't work, I had to forgo the 5 star hotel I had booked and stay here: ACE INN Shinjuku-We are ACE INN, BACKPACKER'S HOTEL in Tokyo.

There was a share shower, and I did stay in the "luxury" section. Even though there was about 40 beds or something - only three were full on a whole floor, making it similar to having my room.

There was a share shower that cost a dollar or thereabouts.

Really - even though I am a 5 star person, it was definitely okay. I'd say you can pay $50 per night and stay at some okay places. Have a look on Trip Advisor (Ace Inn Shinjuku (Shinjuku, Japan) - Capsule Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor. I really liked the Capsule Hotel aspect of Ace Inn Shinjuku - though some say it's overpriced, and the lower floors can be noisy, I found it to be a welcome home sweet home.

I also picked up about 5 unlocked wireless internet connections from the comfort of my capsule! There was a locker for possessions.

As for drinking and eating - well for some alcohol as a nightly relaxant, you can always start with the vending machines (just don't get feral - you're representing your country :p)

Food - well, really the first time, I didn't know how to order in Japanese, so I lived on 7 11 food, which can be healthy. Salads, tofu rolls (and then your sweet buns for just a few bucks each)

I'm talking Australian dollars / US dollars here (approximating $1 to be about 100 Yen)

I'd say carefully plan - because there might be places where your dollar would go further. If there's two of you, then perhaps you'd get better value from a hotel in a business district like Otemachi.

Around Ueno is meant to be some cheap hotels - but I found that they were overpriced and the one I stayed in was sooo dingy (despite okay reviews). Just not worth it.

Don't let a train trip scare you off. Five stops from Tokyo is nothing, and you need to know how to use the trains anyways.