One week trip to Japan

Originally Posted by blackjack

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The last trains are usually until 0030. If you're staying in Shinjuku, a taxi from Roppongi or NishiAzabu for example, might set you back Y3000. Maybe half that if you stay in a place like Ebisu (eg Hotel Excellent) or you could even walk back to a place like Akasaka (eg b Akasaka). Same if in Roppongi (eg b Roppongi ... although it's an area I kinda hate due to all the annoying Nigerian touts).

JR trains start from around 0500 and subways from around 0520 if you want to stay up all night.

If so inclined (and jetlagged), consider an early morning tour of Tsukiji Market. (calendar for 2010). If you are not sure how to avoid the marsupialed new anally-retentive rules to screen out tourists, just figure it out yourself with a little online research or pay these pros Y7,500 for a guided tour that starts from 0400.

If its 1-2 and you're within a few train stops, taxi it home, but if it gets past 3, just cut your losses and find a Denny's or something. Be aware that really cheap business hotels sometimes even lock their front doors after a certain time and they don't like it much if they have to wake up to let you in. You probably won't end up in a place like that, but Japan is old fashioned in some ways and staying out is for soldiering on til 5 or later.
Once got drunk and fleeced in roppongi and had to take a cab back to asakusa; you can guess how much that cost. On the bright side, the cab was an LS460 and it was a pleasant cab ride.

The 9 hour capsule hotels look like a particularly Japanese experience.

Until they start making capsule hotels for people over six foot tall, they won't work as well here.

Hey there,

Great thread...
I'm planning a trip to Tokyo for 6 nights in November and am trying to decide on a place to stay... Looking for something low budget as I assume I'll probably just be using it to sleep in. So far, my searches have shown a few decent-looking places in Asakusa and I also saw that the B Sangenjaya is within my price range at $65 a night. My question is, should I be spending more to stay in an area like Shinjuku for convenience and is travel to and from places like Shinjuku and Roppongi a pain from places like Ueno and Asakusa...

Thanks

PS: I should also say I'm 29 and interests probably include eating, shopping, soaking up some japanese culture, drinking/bars etc, sight seeing in that order...

I am not sure if the rates are as reasonable as the b sangenjaya, but you might want to check out the b ochanomizu which is just within the Yamanote Line and walking distance to both Ochanomizu and Akihabara Station. If you would really like to go budget, then consider ryokans like Sawanoya which seems to get pretty good reviews from tourists: It's between the two areas but closer to Ueno...Sawanoya Ryokan and is located in a traditional Tokyo neighborhood called Yanaka which is a favorite of artsy-fartsy Japanophile culture pundits like Alex Kerr. An interview with the proprietors here. Plus, another article on them here. There is also a lesser known hostel built for the Tokyo Olympics that is located in a slightly remote but very nice area of Central Tokyo (on the other side of the massive Yoyogi Park from Harajuku): http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/kanto/yoyogi/index.html Rates are something like Y3000 per night. Not very English-friendly and it looks like you book by email. This hostel (also in Central Tokyo ... within walking distance of the Budokan, Yasukuni Shrine and Tokyo Dome) is the one most foreigners use: http://www.tokyo-ih.jp/en/index.html It has a "curfew" of 2300 which might not be very appealing. It's also right by the "French ghetto" Kagurazaka as well as a little known ramen shop called Medokoro Kururi that was rated #1 by a local Tokyo TV program. Then there is this gaijin house company called SAKURA HOUSE which has its own set of hotels and backpacker hostels catering almost exclusively to tourists that are mostly located in Central Tokyo: Jimbocho http://www.sakura-hotel.co.jp/ Ikebukuro http://www.sakura-hotel-ikebukuro.com/ Hatagaya (2 stops from Shinjuku_) http://www.sakura-hotel-hatagaya.com/

I know they sell an unlimited day pass for the JR Yamanote line, but am curious to know if i can buy that in advance? I think it comes to around $8, can anyone point in the direction on where/how i would buy this? I keep getting links for a JR East pass for like 28,000 yen which i don't need since I won't be leaving Tokyo.

Originally Posted by hboogz

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I know they sell an unlimited day pass for the JR Yamanote line, but am curious to know if i can buy that in advance? I think it comes to around $8, can anyone point in the direction on where/how i would buy this? I keep getting links for a JR East pass for like 28,000 yen which i don't need since I won't be leaving Tokyo.
You can buy it direct from the ticket machines. I can find pictures or video for u later. You may find though, as you start to learn where things are, that You don't need to spend $8 most days. Until you get to that point though, its pretty convenient and a relatively small expense. JR and Tokyo Metro both have day passes. METRO is slightly cheaper if I remember correctly.

Thanks man, that would be helpful. I believe it may be called the tokuni pass? which is unlimited travel for JR trains only, but not quite sure and a pic would be perfect.

+1 on the gaijin house if you are interested in doing japan on the cheap.

They are essentially privately run dorms, but you can snag a spot in one in tokyo for ~400 bucks for an entire month. This is imo by far the most cost effective way to stay in Japan. I bought a ticket there for 972 dollars after fees and am paying 420 dollars for a gaijin house with a private room (Shared bath/kitchen). It's not even like I had to look hard. I could have paid about the same for a month's stay at a house in Harajuku. I decided against it because the rooms have 2 sets of bunk beds which imply that I may have to share it with 3 other people... though their site says there is only 1 person in a room right now and some will be vacated during my trip, but... it was tempting since it was in Harajuku.

These things also come with generally free utilities and high speed internet. All told I should be able to do my 3 week trip for under 2k after you include food/training around. (Not including fun/shopping spending money ;p). This is constraining my trip to Tokyo though and I'm not planning on much sightseeing or doing other touristy things. My goal for this trip was primarily to attend a music festival (Swan's Song Council) and then get in a bunch of other shows and some shopping for and to spend as little as possible.

I decided to do it when I realized that for the price of a mister freedom jacket and a pair of ironheart jeans and some vacation days I could go to Japan for 3 weeks.

Good to know in case i ever need/want to go down that route.

Regarding train transportation again. The station close by me will be the yoyogi station and i'm running through hyperdia to plan my days. I want to hit up roppongi hills and of course Ginza at night. Those two destinations require a transfer -- how does that work? Do i pay when i get on the train? do i get off the connecting station and buy a single fare? For example from yoyogi to roppongi, I would be looking at the following route:

Yoyogi -> JR Yamanote --> Ebisu --> Transfer for Tokyo Metro Hibiya --> Roppongi.

Originally Posted by hboogz

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Good to know in case i ever need/want to go down that route. Regarding train transportation again. The station close by me will be the yoyogi station and i'm running through hyperdia to plan my days. I want to hit up roppongi hills and of course Ginza at night. Those two destinations require a transfer -- how does that work? Do i pay when i get on the train? do i get off the connecting station and buy a single fare? For example from yoyogi to roppongi, I would be looking at the following route: Yoyogi -> JR Yamanote --> Ebisu --> Transfer for Tokyo Metro Hibiya --> Roppongi.
Is easier to take METRO Oedo line from Yoyogi to Roppongi w no transfer. Two or three stops. I think 130yen.

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

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I can find pictures or video for u later. You may find though, as you start to learn where things are, that You don't need to spend $8 most days. Until you get to that point though, its pretty convenient and a relatively small expense. JR and Tokyo Metro both have day passes. METRO is slightly cheaper if I remember correctly.
Here, I typed this out for Dusty. Fixed all the broken images and links.

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

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RE: Tokyo train system. Its really not that complicated. There is the subway system, and the light rail system. The Subway system is called

. It consists of about fourteen different lines, will get you damn near anywhere (or close to it) And you can find more info on it HERE. There will be a map with pricing(usually in Japanese, occasionally in English) above the ticket machines. If you are smart, you will take an English subway and JR map with you everywhere you go. Any useful guidebook will have them, and you can find/print them online if you don't want to look like a complete idiot. If the map is in Japanese, just cross reference your map against the Japnese map or look for a English table of destinations posted on the wall for pricing. The cheapest ticket (usually this means getting off within 1-6km of where you start from - usually about three stations) is 110-170 yen depending on the line. Usually, going from point A to point B on Tokyo Metro is going to be either 190, 230, or 270 yen. Sometimes transferring from one line to another, you'll need to pay a "transfer fee" which you need to buy a seperate ticket for. This is what the new ticket vending machines look like.

Note: The big button that says "English" is your friend. Also, you can clearly see where it says "One day open ticket" on the left hand side. This is what your ticket will look like.

If it's a "fare" ticket, the price you paid will be the largest number on the ticket, The above being a 190 yen ticket. If it's a one day open ticket, I believe the largest number will be the date. I could be mistaken though. A one day pass is 710 yen. This will allow you to travel on nearly all the Tokyo Metro lines with the exception (I think) of a waterfront street car and maybe the line that crosses the rainbow bridge to Odaiba. You don't have to worry about going further than you paid for and having to use a "fare adjustment" machine. Also, you don't have to worry about transfer fees. As far as I can tell, there aren't any when you use the day pass. When you go through the automated gate, find one with a green or orange arrow, put your ticket in the slot, walk through, and retrieve your ticket as it pops up on the other side. If you are using a one-way regular ticket - the gate will eat your ticket when you reach the destination (assuming you've paid enough to get there). If not, the gate will "close" a buzzer will sound, and you'll have to A: back out, grab your ticket, and find the fare adjustment machine

(usually right next to the exit gates) and pay the difference OR B: Gaijin Smash through the tiny little paddles that try and block you, start speaking in loud English, and walk briskly away. 9 out of 10 times nobody will bother trying to stop you.

Here's a pretty decent guide
IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags. The light rail or "JR" system

is run by Japan Railway East. Sometimes its more convenient (especially the Yamanote Line - which goes to nearly every major area of interest in the Tokyo Metro area in a loop) but its usually also more expensive. IIRC the "day pass" inside the Tokyo Metro area is 910 yen. The ticket machines are pretty much the same as for the metro - but there a lot more prices because many of the JR lines go waaaaay out into the countryside. This is how you want to go if you are heading out of town at all. Here's a map of the JR East rail lines in Tokyo The JR and Metro lines are not transferrable (except with a pre-paid PASMO card
Here's info on the Tokunai pass you asked about. Looks like it has to be purchased in person and filled out by an attendant? http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/tokunai_pass.html Hope that helps. It seems really complicated, and honestly it is - if you are unprepared. But it works, and once you figure it out, it seems a lot easier.

Slim. That's amazing man, Thank You for that.

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

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Really useful information

Super LOL at the Urban Dictionary page for Gaijin Smash!

Originally Posted by Alter

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Super LOL at the Urban Dictionary page for Gaijin Smash!

used to actually be a link to the gaijin smash page, but looks like he took it down.