Tokyo Travel on a Budget

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Traveling around Tokyo while saving money!

One common thing I read is that "Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world" or "Traveling to Tokyo is very expensive".

Both are not exactly true. Any city in the world can be expensive depending on your habits, however, Tokyo is a great city to visit even if you are on a budget.

I hope to provide with you information here information on ways you can save money on a trip to Tokyo, Japan.

This information is based on personal experience, and input from friends and co-workers who live , have lived or traveled to Tokyo. This lens is part of my Tokyo Travel group on useful information on traveling to Tokyo. Check it out for more information!

Contents at a Glance

Food and Drink

Where to eat good and save money

Now of course you probably have read about the $10 dollar cup of coffee you can find in Ginza, and if you have an unlimited budget, well go for it.

But not all of us are right right?

For your morning coffee, there's nothing wrong with going to McDonald's or smaller shops. McDonald's coffee is pretty good and quite popular in Japan. You can get it as low as 100 Japanese Yen.

As for food, people often ask me this question. You don't need a high food budget to eat good. Someone asked me once "Is $100 USDollars good enough for ONE DAY?" My answer to them was "The average Japanese person doesn't spend $100 USDollars a day on food, why should you?".

If you want to save money, eat like the locals do, don't go out and waste your money on fancy restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner, that's a silly waste of money!

Local Restaurants

Noodle shops are common everywhere, and you have all types of noodles, Ramen, Udon, Soba etc etc. And noodles are cheap, you can get a good bowl that will fill you up for less then $5 USDollars.

Gyudon "Beef Bowls", Gyudon is another popular Japanese dish. Gyudon is a bowl of rice, topped with beef and onions. The most famous brand named store is YOSHINOYA, pretty much the McDonald of fast food Gyudon. Another famous fast food Gyudon place is Matsuya. You can get a bowl of gyudon for around 380 Japanese Yen (about $4 USDollars).

Curry restaurants also provide good cheap food. There's Japanese Curry and a large amount of Indian Curry restaurants as well. Again you can get yourself a nice good meal for about $5 USDollars.

Izakaya - is a type of Japanese style bar.
At Izakaya you can usually find cheap drinks and good small fingerfoods. Any fingerfood you can imagine, chicken, pizza, french fries etc. at cheap good prices.

Fast Food - Hamburgers etc.
Of course Japan is not short of your typical fast food places like McDonald's and Tokyo has (but very few) Burger Kings and Wendy's. McDonald's is king in Japan.
Now you're asking yourself, "I just traveled 6,000 miles to Japan, why should I eat at McDonald's??"
My answer is, for the experience. Japanese McDonald's do have some interesting menu items that are not found in other countries. Give them a try! Plus it is cheap, they have a 100 yen menu which is similar to the US Dollar menu.

Another recommended Japanese fast food place is MOS BURGER, though a little more expensive then McDonald's, MOS BURGER is Japanese, and they make EXCELLENT burgers. I suggest you give them a try.

PS. In American English "FRENCH FRIES"/ "CHIPS" in British English, In Japanese it is translated as "FRIED POTATO". So in case you need to make a order at a fast food restaurant.

A yes, and let's not forget SUSHI!
You can find many cheap Sushi places, including 99yen Sushi restaurants all over the place. Just remember to keep track of how much you are eating!

Vending Machines and Convenience Stores
There are more 7-11 (Seven Eleven) Stores in Japan, then there are in the ENTIRE United States. Convenience stores in Japan and in Tokyo are EVERYWHERE and they are all competing against each other. Popular stores are:
LAWSON, 7-11, AMPM and FAMILY MART.
Also in Japan Vending Machines are EVERYWHERE, Japan has the highest vending machine to person per capita then any country in the world.

Markets/Grocery Stores
My advice to you, if you find a grocery store or market near your lodging place SHOP THERE! Usually the prices here are cheaper then vending machines and convenience stores for things like drinks. Also, if you shop at the market before it closes, many times, perishable items will be marked on sale for upwards of 50%. This is a little known secret to travelers, so take advantage of it!

Restaurant Tips:
Please see my section below on tips when visiting a restaurant.

Restaurant Tips

A few tips and cultural points

First things first, in Japan, they don't TIP. In Japan it might be seen as a sign of disrespect as you have to pay someone extra to do their job correctly.
So DON'T TIP in Japan.

When eating with chop sticks don't leave your chop sticks sticking out of the rice, this practice is only done at FUNERALS.

When eating noodles, it is ok to slurp!

Some restaurants might be a tatami mat, or require you to take off your shoes (if you see a bunch of people with no shoes on, it is a good idea to take yours off too). Though this is usually for higher end restaurants, and you usually don't have to worry about in fast food restaurants. However there are Izakaya's that are designed that way. So just pay attention to the other customers if you are not sure.

Language Barrier:

Now a restaurant most likely won't have an English translation, but don't worry!
Many shops have plastic displays of their food outside the shop, just point at the one you want.

Here are some basic Japanese food terms:

Chicken- TORI NIKU
Pork - BUTA NIKU
Fish - SAKANA
Egg - TAMAGO

Drinks:
Water - MIZU
O'sake - ALCOHOL

Don't be afraid of the language barrier, you are visiting another country for a reason right? To explore! So have fun and enjoy your time. The staff would probably try to help you as much as possible.

Just don't be rude and arrogant!!
Remember speaking English louder won't make the other person understand it any clearer if they don't understand it to begin with.

100 Yen Shops

Great Discount Items

100 Yen shops are shops where all items (unless otherwise noted) costs 100yen (with tax it is really 105 yen).

At 100 yen shops you can find virtually anything you might need for a traveler and daily living. Food, snacks, drinks, notebooks, paper, envelopes...pretty much any daily necessities you might need can be found at 100 yen shops.

100yen shops are a good alternative to convenience stores when you need to buy snacks or drinks on the go.

Transportation

Getting around

One great thing about Tokyo is that you don't need a car to get around.
Tokyo has one of the world's most extensive public transportation system's in the world.

Trains will pretty much get you anywhere you need to go in Tokyo and beyond. Trains are pretty cheap to ride, just remember trains are not 24 hours, they operate from around 4:30/5am and end around 12midnight - 1AM. So plan your days according.

For more information on how to ride trains, please refer to my other Squidoo page on trains in Tokyo.

http://www.squidoo.com/tokyometro

Travel Guides

I have personally used these books and highly recommend you purchase a copy.

The Pocket Tokyo Subway Guide

by: Boye Lafayette De Mente, Atsushi Umeda

This is book is a bit dated, but when used with an updated map of the Tokyo Subway it is a great guide to Tokyo.
It shows stations, bilingual maps of neighborhoods, if you have this book, you won't get lost at all.

A must grab for its cheap price!

Amazon Price: $162.32 (as of 12/06/2011)

Tokyo City Atlas: A Bilingual Guide (3rd Ed.)

by: Kodansha International

This book is similar to the Subway Guide, but even more expanded! Street maps in English and Japanese will help you not get lost and travel around like a local. This is another great guide book for Tokyo, that I would HIGHLY SUGGEST you get a copy of!

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 12/06/2011)

Lodging

Budget loding, where you should you stay.

Tokyo like many cities in the world, offer many different types of lodging options depending on your budget.

You have fancy hotels to hostels. However, unlike many other cities in the world, you can pay cheap in Tokyo and still have, cleanliness, safety, and access (eg, you don't have to worry about being stuck out in the countryside somewhere).

Tokyo and Japan as a whole, is one of the safest places to visit in the world. Crime statistics in Japan compared to many other countries is very very low, so the first thing you do not need to worry about is "Is my hotel/hostel etc in a bad neighborhood". Pretty much any location in Tokyo is safe to stay.

As I mentioned above, Tokyo has many different types of places you can stay on a budget.

BUSINESS HOTELS

Business Hotels are called so, because most of their clients are business people who just need a room to stay for a night or two. Rooms in business hotels tend to be very tiny (you probably heard stories), however all of them are functional, with showers, bed, and internet connections. They are really built for someone who needs privacy of a hotel (vs a shared hostel or dormitory) but who doesn't plan on spending much time other then sleeping in their room. Usually most business hotels have single rooms, but there are some that offer double and twin beds.
It is rare to find some that offer triple. Very rare to find one that supports more then three persons.
Because Business Hotels cater towards business people, you can find hundreds of Business Hotels in Tokyo situated very close to main train stations and business areas. They are very convenient if you don't mind the small size.

The best part is the price for Business Hotels typically range from around $65-$90 USDollars a night!!! A very good deal in my opinion.

CAPSULE HOTEL
Yes, You've probably seen these on travel shows about Japan on television. Capsule "hotels" provide you with your own personal capsule to sleep in. Pretty much inside the capsule is a nice futon and tiny television with headphones. Restroom facilities are shared.
Capsule Hotels are mainly designed for the businessman on the go, and many of them allow men only because of the shared facilities, however there are a few that allow women as well.

Price: Capsule hotels can run anywhere from $30-60 USDollars a night. Plus or minus 10 depending on location and quality.

My opinion: Capsule hotels are OK for maybe a night or two if you are really on a budget, but I can't imagine spending an entire trip in one. But it is up to you.

HOSTELS/GUESTHOUSES/DORMITORIES
Finally you have hostels, guesthouses and dormitories.

Pretty much, you share your room and facilities with other people. Good for if you are on a budget, and don't mind sharing. Remember Tokyo is generally a pretty safe place to visit, so crime levels in Tokyo are pretty low compared to other places.
People are usually friendly, and from around the world, so you get to meet fellow travelers just like yourself.

Prices vary per day from 20-60 USdollars a night, again this depends on size of the guesthouse/dorm/hostel and the number of people sharing the facilities.

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

McDonald's and Tokyo