This summer, after finishing my contract in China, I decided to visit the city of my childhood dreams - Tokyo. Throughout years, I've been dreaming of visiting the mythical Tokyo, a place where there are hundreds of thousands of schoolgirls walking around, where there are arcade places all over the city, and where there are weird demons and gigantic robots dropping by every now and then. Yup, as you can see, my fascination with Japan came from watching too many animes :)
But on a serious note, together with some friends, we've planned a 5 day
trip to Tokyo. We wanted to do all the touristy stuff with a twist -
eating as many authentic dishes as we could. And believe me, we came
prepared! We had a list of all the important dishes we have to try. And
that list was loooooong! But I'll serve u my foodie guide later on,
first, let's stick to basics - how to visit Tokyo when you are on a
budget?
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| A view of modern part of Tokyo |
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| Nijubashi Bridge |
Before going to Tokyo, I went throught many guide books and
websites about Japan. All of them had one thing in common - they focused
on the sightseeing part of the trip warning people that Tokyo is an
expensive city to travel to. The thing is, Tokyo can be cheap. If you
are a person who doesn't need silk sheets in a 5-star hotel and a taxi
ride to everywhere, Tokyo can be as cheap as any city!
Just follow those simple rules!
1. Find a flight in advance
This
one is a no-brainer - wherever you are flying from and whatever your
destination is, a flight is cheaper when you book it in advance. It's
always a gamble though, as the prices can change overnight. Try avoiding
the so-called 'promotions', as they are actually sales of very
expensive tickets (as e.g in Europe's favourite airline RyanAir). What
we usually do is to look for flight connections online
(www.skyscanner.com) and check, how the price changes overtime. My
flight to Tokyo was from Shanghai with AirChina (2000 Chinese Yuan both
ways), found via www.elong.net
2. Accommodation is the key
Finding
a cheap place to stay in the city centre might be a pain in the ass,
but it's worth it. If you live in the city centre, you can save money on
transport and save time on commuting every day. The place we've found
in Tokyo was in a traditional Ryokan style in Asakusa District, one of
the most traditional in Tokyo. The hostel's name was Khaosan Tokyo
Annex, and it was situated within 10 mins walking distance from Asakusa
Metro Station. It was actually a pretty decent place to live in! As
usual, it was booked through www.booking.com (which for us is by far the
best accommodation website there is!).
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| Imperial Palace |
3. Public transport is a must
Don't
get me wrong, public transport in Tokyo is expensive. But not as
expensive as using taxis, for example :) But you can save up on the
transport buying a Tokunai Pass (都
区内パス). It is a one-day pass valid for travels on JR lines anywhere in
the 23 wards of Tokyo. It costs ¥730, making it economical if you plan
to make five or more train hops in one day. And trust me, you will use
it - Tokyo is a veeeeery big city!
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| Akihabara (plus, on the 8th floor, the best sushi restaurant) |
4. Fooooooood!
Tokyo
is a paradise for foodies! It basically is a all-you-can-taste city.
There are food joints literally everywhere! They are ranging from cheap
places with special machines to make an order to expensive places with
Kobe beef and Fugu fish. When you're on a budget, you can forget about
Kobe or Fugu, but all the cheap places are still available! Our tip -
always go where the natives are! The people from Tokyo know best, were
the great food places are! So if you find yourself hungry, just look for
a restaurant with the biggest number of natives! It probably won't be a
tourist trap, and you can count on the food being delicious and cheap!
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| Asakusa |
5. Look for special offers
There
are at least 3 or 4 places where you can admire panoramic views of
Tokyo and its skyline. The thing is, almost all of them require you to
pay the entrance fee. But when you are on a budget, you cannot afford to
waste money on unnecessary entrance fees. That's why you must look for
special offers & cheap places to visit! Instead of going to Tokyo
Skytree or Tokyo Tower to see the skyline of one of the most lively
cities in the world, you can go to Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Building and see the same skyline for free!
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| Tokyo Skytree by nite |
6. And first of all, enjoy yourself!
Wherever
you are, the first rule of travelling should be 'Enjoy yourself'! There
is no point in stressing over places to see or things to do, because
you won't be happy with any of those things while stressed. Just relax,
enjoy your time in a new city, and get lost in it! It actually is a
better experience, just wandering aimlessly through the streets of
Tokyo, than running like crazy through the city just to see a small
statue, a building or a museum! If you are a foodie, make a list of
things you wanna eat and go through it! If you are an Anime fan, go to
Akihabara and spend a day surrounded by all the Otakus of Japan! So,
before going to Tokyo, decide what interests you the most, and stick to
it!
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| Tokyo's randomness |
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| Sensoji Temple |
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| Shibuya crossing |
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