konichiwa b!tches!

i heard business hotels are cheaper. what are they? are those little tubular bedspaces ive seen on antm when they went to tokyo? and how safe is it for a woman travelling alone?
and what about food? i heard that apples cost the same as an ipod, but also that there is affordable food to be had but you have to eat at all japanese establishments. but what if cant read kanji script? omg... id be so fukced either way. and i mean that metaphorically, not physically.

i need answers please!!!!!

arigato gozai mas.

http://www.oniazuma.com/2008/01/changing-b...s-of-japan.html

those rooms in sanya look ghetto. and TINY! omg. but still... i wanna go. it looks exciting!

so im in the middle of the 2nd vid & i think mr. shinumura is hot for a buddhist monk. im marrying him when i go to sanya & convertin to buddhism.

it's obviously too expensive for you.

not really. i think its just a matter of finding good accomodations. my friend suggested a homestay & i know a couple of japanese guys thst like me but i dunno... i dont wanna go there & be unsafe u know.

then dont go.

damn...me and a couple of friends plan on going to japan this august as well and been looking up on hotels and stuff...this might be useful..thnx

This is coming from someone who's been there and still is doing it lol. Tokyo hotels are expensive, for a single room, you're looking to pay at least 8000-12000 yen, but it depends on which part of tokyo you stay in. Room sizes are hm probably about 12X30 feet haha, serious! Food prices aren't so bad, if you stick with japanese style meals it'll probably cost between 800-1500 yen depending on what you decide to eat. Don't try the american stuff, it's not great and it's really expensive haha, you can probably just survive off the yakitori sticks lol. Even if you don't speak japanese, you can always stop by a tourist booth, those things are everywhere and they're always very helpful. Yes they speak english there . Only thing is make sure you get most of your info during the day because around 8pm-9pm they start closing and if you don't have a place to sleep at you're $hit out of luck, unless that is you decide to stay at a 24 hr internet cafe haha. They're not bad and they're very cost effective, 20 bucks to stay for 8 hours, but those prices usually don't start til 11pm or midnight. Well if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm going to be wandering drunk around tokyo lol, oyasumi nasai!

What happened to you Najjiah?
You used to be cool.

is sanya safe? ive seen pics aside from the video provided on this thread & it looks a bit rundown. its still in tokyo tho so i guess its near all the large shopping areas like shibuya & stuff.

Go Sakura House in Asakusa.

Sakura House is commonly agreed to be the best there is in terms of cheap temporary living. Asakusa is also a wonderful location.

I live in a Sakura House guesthouse myself.

YES! the answer ive been waiting for! i heart you Ecthy! *hugs u* thanks for the insider suggestion.

tokyo ni itakotogaarimasu
takusan okane wo motekita hogaiidesu
(fail :X)

When picking a location, try to pick one as close to the Imperial Palace as possible.

Not only will living next to His Majesty make you sexier, being in a central location also allows you to travel quickly between the two poles of Tokyo city via the "Chuo Line".

If you can find a place that's on the "Yamanote Line" that's wonderful too. The Yamanote Line circles the Imperial Palace and will take you to 80% of the places you would want to visit in Tokyo. Only Ginza and Roppongi are out of reach (they're inside the circle).

But... really, that's not much of a loss. Neither place is all that it's cracked up to be.

My place is the best since it is the only station that is on the Yamanote, Chuo, and Ginza Lines, the three most important lines in the city by far. I can go anywhere in one shot.



Epic fail is more like it wapanese boy

correct it please

初めまして、一般変態な白人です！
私、自分の国では最悪なダメな人間だったから、日本に行っちゃった！
その楽園で沢山少女に出会って、すぐにセックスしたよ！

no fonts

For what I know from people who visited. Tokyo is one of the most expensive city in the world.

Although I knew someone (a woman) that lived in Japan. I think in most art its safe but if your not Asian theres a fetish thing for non Asian women. ...And theres a few freaks around thats into rape porn (so I dont know how safe that aspect is). Crime in most part is very low in Japan though. Others proabably could give you a better answer.

"Hey kid! How was work?"
"Let me get some money."
"Haha. No I am the one that accepts donations."

lol buddist monk

Yes, and samurai, geisha and ninja walk the streets...

Tokyo is not expensive, most men who have a full-time job can afford to eat out for every meal. Like myself.

People have to worry about safety in Japan??? Kidding of course lol, everywhere I've been, I've always been safe, but that's because I'm a guy and I'm ugly haha, as for you, since you're pretty and all you might have a problem..... Actually I take that back, most of the guys there are too wimpy to even start a conversation with you so you don't have to worry about that crap. There's cops all over the place anyway. Shibuya is still a kogal fest, but then again, it's never deferred from that. Tokyo isn't what it's hyped up to be really though, sure there's a lot of history there, but if you go to southern Japan there's more things to see and the air is cleaner lol, it's true! Oh sanya is by shinjuku I believe, and yah the place is still run down, and there's a crap load of bums around there :-/...

I don't know how I completely forgot about the asakusa live in house things, I actually think they're called Ryokans. The Ryokans in Asakusa are cheap, they're decent places to stay in, I'm not a fan of hostels though, so I'd rather get a hotel.

Buying things in Tokyo is even more expensive than buying thing in Paris. Tokyo has the highest living cost in the world.

kogal... schoolgirl/student? since its going to be my first time there i was thinking of taking a language/culture immersion course for 7 weeks. its expensive as hell but id rather go on this trip than buy a new car.

Wikipedia kogal lol, I'm too lazy to explain it. If you learned a little bit of the culture and language you will be good to go once you get to Japan.

Actually believe it or not Moscow is the most expensive city in the world.

Are restaurants in Tokyo expensive?

according to several guide books & websites ive visited. yes it is. but then it can be cheap too. they have no frills restaurants that cater to japanese patrons & their prices are reasonable. ive a feeling you can live on a decent budget, provided that you are fluent in speaking japanese & having an extroverted personality.

btw... in the vids posted on this thread, one german girl lived on cup o noodles just so she can afford to shop till she dropped in tokyo.

why are u going alone thats no fun



lol they can't hurt u I saw their 'movies'



damare baka

becoz none of my oen friends wanna go. besides, its a its an immersion program i might join instead of going solo figuring out a foreign country on my own. an immersion program would mean id homestay w/ a japanese family & at least 50% of my meals & transporation is spoken for. plus there would be other students (japanophiles realy) in the same courses as me.

you wanna study in nippon

hai.

Although I'd normally brag about Korea, I'll be honest and say that Japan is among the most desirable places to stay in (if you can afford it), especially amongst the Asian countries. Singapore and Hong Kong are other good places to live in if you have a job there.

I stayed at the Hotel Asia Centre in Akasaka.
For a central Tokyo hotel it is very cheap indeed.
The single rooms are tiny, but they have bath/shower/toilet/desk/bed/wardrobe, all crammed in there for travellers who want budget accommodation, but don't want to go to capsule hotels or shared backpacker style hostels. Hotel Asia Centre has a washing machine that is free for all guests to use (BYO detergent) and there is an adequate restaurant on the ground floor which serves meals 24 hours. The surroundings are pleasant, safe, quiete and still close to the subway (5 minutes walk), and nearby convenience grocery stores.
I made my bookings online and never had any hassles with this hotel.
Check out their website here.

anata wa nippon-go ga deki masuka?


Watashi wa anata ga suki desu najjiah-chan

so true, when I was in Paris, I have a picture of dozens of Japanese girls standing in front of a french boutique which was about to open. I counted like 10? :P

You might get groped, but don't take it personally? Japan in a nutshell.

Standard of living is higher, so I'm guessing you're American? Take any item including food, it'll cost 30% more, and that isn't currency conversion :P. Even technology, I don't know what people are going crazy about. Technology is 5 years ahead in Japan, it's also really expensive. Cheap restaurant is the noodle shop down the street from anything, little ramen shops. They usually have pictures in the all Japanese restaurants, and no they're not all cheaper. Actually one time we ran into the problem where there weren't pictures... we basically played charades with the waitress.　　There's this REALLY cheap Italian food chain there... mind you it's not Japanese food but it's cheap. Frig I can't remember the name of it...

But yes, staying at a homestay is a lot cheaper and you learn A LOT more about Japanese culture that way. I definitely suggest it, it was so much fun.

nice video. i like watching documentaries... i'm gonna stay in Sanya in a $15 room. kewl

the hiroshima girl in the video is pretty, but she has weird make up and eyebrows... the two guys dreamed to become a pimp in tokyo! heheh


i know what u mean tujue.

Hamimema$hite. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Sakurahana desu.

It is easy to tour Japan affordably. You don't have to be crammed into Capsule Inn. Ginza Capital (the annex) is a good bet. So is the Narita Tokyu Excel for your first and last night. I have found that Ryokans are the best bet BY FAR. Here are a couple of places where you can locate and book really nice and affordable Ryokans:

http://www.jpinn.com

http://www.itcj.jp

http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/tokyo/index.htm

The best Ryokan in the affordable category BY FAR is in the heart of Ginza:

http://www.yoshimizu.com

It's only a few years old and has all of the touches of a traditional Ryokan with a modern touch. It's absolutely GORGEOUS!! They have 2 traditional Japanese baths and you can lock the door for privacy. The traditional Japanese breakfast is included and delicious. They have free internet access. Best of all, it's walking distance to fantastic shopping, all kinds of restaurants and cafes, the Kabukiza, the Imperial Palace, Hamarikyuu Gardens (formerly for the Shogun and his ladies), the Tsukiji fish market, the JR and subway stations and MUCH MORE!! Just take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station and get a cab. Print the map off their website and show it to the driver.

The owner also has a property in the middle of a garden in Kyoto.

Here is a good primer about locating and staying at a Ryokan:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/attracti...dable/stay.html

If you are on a tight budget, here are a couple of ideas:

http://www.tokyoryokan.com/facilities.htm

One of those UK travel shows, Pilot Guides, also featured Ryokan Sawanara in Tokyo. It was only about US$ 40 per night (40,000 yen). It looked great.

http://www.pilotguides.com/destination_gui..._city_guide.php

In terms of food, yes Kanji is important but a lot of restaurants have the books with photos of dishes on their menu. Some even have plastic replicas of the most popular dishes on display.

I felt safe at all times and I was in areas where there weren't a whole lot of foreigners. It was clear that I was a foreigner...I am Black. I remember walking over to Kinkos in Ginza to pick up my e-mail at 11 PM and I felt perfectly safe.

LOL, you crazy japanophiles... There's so many of them, I was almost one, but then I grew up :P..

dude its all set. i have a homestay family yay! but it wont happen till july. i was told august is the best time to go coz of the fireworks.

Cool! Hope you enjoy Japan as much as I did. I'm leaving Japan mid-april to come back to the states for good. Have a blast, and don't go ape $hit on the cosmetics there :P. Lots of events happening around the summer time there, don't miss out on them. Try a hotspring if you get a chance, if anything try for the fully unclothed one lol, it's a pretty wierd experience but it's cool haha, if you're the shy type, you can do the clothed one :P. Climb fuji if you get the chance, it's only open during the summer time, and you'll be here for summer haha, oh and watch out for those darn bugs! Those times come from all sorts of angles lol, I know when I had a house out in town, no matter how hard I tried to get the bugs out, they'd find some way into my living room and my bed room, even after I taped out all the cracks, those suckers will come from your shower drain haha! Don't let that discourage you though, the country is full of rich culture, and I guess for the Japanophile, it's like the ultimate orgasm I guess. I don't know if you're one for sceneries or not, but if you are, try to see Hakone during the summer, it's beautiful there, I spent the last days of summer there 2 1/2 years ago and I had a breathtaking time taking pictures . Have a blast, oh and one thing for sure, stay away from US military installations. I've never seen a picture of you, but from what I've heard you're hot lol, so unless you want to get harrassed, stay away from those places, unless you know someone personally there, then you'd be ok, it's not a bad environment, just uncomfortable. I don't even like being around the area lol. Sorry this is kind of jumbled up, but I'm tired and I've got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow, but hm how long are you staying in Japan?

7 weeks immersion program. im hella excited. ive never gone on vacation in a foreign country for that long. its gonna be in august. im also checking out mount koya coz theres a shingon buddhist monastery there.

i dont think id get harrassed. japanese people are pretty chill, it seems like. i guess ill be staying at my host family's house. dude, if i run into any probs, ill call u up. lolz!

It's not the japanese you have to worry about lol, it's all the drunk sailors/marines/airmen you have to worry about, stay away from military installtions if you can unless you know someone there. I won't be here in august, I'm going back to california in 1 1/2 months. Now when I think about it, there's so much I could've done while I was here, now I don't have time for anything :-/...

pffft. they aint messin wid me, fa sho. id like to see them try so i can drop kick their @$$. im carrying mace and brass knuckles. and im asian-american. like they'd really care. your goin back to cali in august? well 7 weeks is like almost 2 months so hopefully ill see u back in jp.

I'm leaving in 1 1/2 months, which is may 1st, going back to the states for good lol... Well you sound like an upbeat girl, so you should be fine.

You're going at Summer, it's going to be hot. But I'm sure you'll have a good time. If you have time I recommend you to visit the onsen district in Hakone.

Summer time is beach time
Check out the Japanese beaches and maybe go for a surf.

i hear it's cheaper, compared here to Australia. my mate just came back from tokyo 3 months ago and he was buying 10 dollar shoes and shirts.