going to japan

[badkuk]

peeps, balita ko mahal daw sobra...e.g. tickets, lodging...parang nag US ka na rin?


gusto ko sana makita ung places like kyoto, hokkaido, etc. the more
historical/nature sights....then maybe a few days lang sa tokyo


magkano kaya usually aabutin for, say a 1-week trip? meron kayang budget flights like ung papuntang hk/singapore?

when's the best time to go btw?


tia

[tidus1203]

MAHAL! Mas mahal pa kaysa US. To give you an idea, brewed coffee there just a small cup costs Y500 thats like P230 more or less

[Radical!]

Japan is very, very expensive, I believe Tokyo is the 3rd most expensive city next to Paris and London.

You can get a roundtrip ticket from Manila for about US$500 (depending on the season). In Tokyo, a pack of cigarettes is about US$2.00. A bowl of Soba noodles in a train station is about US$10.00 (a full meal with rice and ulam is about US$20.00). A bottle of beer is about US$5.00 just to give you an idea how expensive it is there.

Kyoto and Hokkaido is beautiful around this time until August for me is best. If you're there on a budget Tokyo up to maybe the Yokohama area you will see a lot of Japan already.

For Tokyo on a budget: Stay at business hotels. It's the cheapest at around US$100/night. They call them 'business hotels' because that's where 'travelling salarymen' (like salesmen, etc) stay. Problem is, they are "holes-in-the wall" some even have common (dorm-type) bathrooms, which to me is not a problem since they are generally clean.

Learn to take the train. Very complex, but it's the cheapest form of transportation around and is the most efficient. Look for english maps of the train system around the train stations. Trains are not 24 hours, however. I believe the last train is around 11-11:30 at night.

So a good workable budget per person for a week stay should look like this:

Food: $50.00 per day
Transpo: $20 to 30 per day (more or less)
Hotel: US$100
Extra expenses: US$50 for museums, parks, etc.

So for about a week, you'll be spending about US$1,600+ $500 airfare. Budget about US$2,500 ++ roughly P105,000.00

HTH

[Jun aka Pekto]

If you want cooler weather, northern Japan (Aomori and Hokkaido) can't be missed. The pace is also more relaxed up north. Lake Towada, Sapporo, and Chitose are good places to visit. I love volcanic lakes (Lake Towada is one) and northern Japan has a number of them. Northern Japan is ramen country and the ramen soup there's awesome, especially in winter when there's a lot of snow. Summer is short. August is the warmest month and cools down from September onward.
Japan is expensive. A big steaming bowl of ramen at a mall food court costs around Y600-Y800. A full blown meal can cost Y1800-Y2500 at a restaurant. The food's worth it. I love Japanese cuisine, even more so than Pinoy (sorry) cuisine.

The best ones are the all-you-can-eat-for-90 minutes buffet. You can get already cooked items or get strips of raw meat/poultry and cook them right on the dinner table. Oooh, man. I miss those.

One tip is if you're close to a supermarket, you can buy trays of ready to eat meals and soups that are Y500-Y800. They're the Japanese equivalent of microwave dinners but much better.

**One rule of etiquette is never to eat or drink outside of an establishment or at home. The Japanese kind of frowns on that kind of behavior.

There are vending machines on every street corner that sell hot and cold drinks. Either drink on the spot by the vending machine or keep the drink stored away until you get home.

Add: One order of ramen is enough to fill me up. The bowl is that big.

[badkuk]

100k eh? hmm...mag apply na lang kaya akong cultural dancer? :D

*sigh* i guess i'll have to be content watching Japan Video Topics for now. taya lotto bukas!


i kinda expected food to be expensive there, kaya napaisip ako na magbaon ng maraming lucky me,etc...but then that would sort of defeat the purpose of going there B)

meron po bang area sa japan that's the equivalent of our banawe/evangelista?

[Mguy]

Sus ginoo. Kamahal ang Japan.

Malamang kung bibili ka nga giveaways sa mga kamag-anak mo, doon lang sa 100 yen store.

I stayed in one of the hotels in Tokyo and it cost 30000 yen a night! Dinner was at 7500 yen! Pero maganda talaga sya. Kung mag bu-budget ka going to Japan, I suggest you search at the internet for very cheap lodging. I guess the train is the most economical way of going from one city to another.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Sus ginoo. Kamahal ang Japan.

Malamang kung bibili ka nga giveaways sa mga kamag-anak mo, doon lang sa 100 yen store.

I stayed in one of the hotels in Tokyo and it cost 30000 yen a night! Dinner was at 7500 yen! Pero maganda talaga sya. Kung mag bu-budget ka going to Japan, I suggest you search at the internet for very cheap lodging. I guess the train is the most economical way of going from one city to another.

Ouch. I stayed all the time at the Haneda Excel Tokyu right there at Haneda Airport. The regular rooms averaged around Y18000/night. Meals at the hotel restaurant averaged ~Y3600 per meal. Or when it's open, I just go inside the airport and eat there. I think at Terminal 1, there's a bunch of restaurants at the 2nd floor near the hotel. You could get a decent meal there for less than Y1000 although if you're like me, you'd first make sure you recognize what you're eating.

I find Haneda a good hub to use when traveling back and forth between Aomori and Okinawa.

Japan's a pleasant place to visit. My family wants to go with me next time. They're a little miffed at me for not taking them along previously.

Note: Y100 ~ $1

[fortuner13]

The best ones are the all-you-can-eat-for-90 minutes buffet. You can get already cooked items or get strips of raw meat/poultry and cook them right on the dinner table. Oooh, man. I miss those.

sir sa tokyo madami ba ito? sa osaka kasi kami nakakain nito, SULIT na SULIT!!!

[Jun aka Pekto]

sir sa toky madami ba ito? sa osaka kasi kami nakakain nito, SULIT na SULIT!!!

In Tokyo? I searched on the internet and found mainly just the bigger establishments with all you can eat buffets. I preferred the smaller family-owned Mom and Pop restaurants. There were a couple I ate in. But, I can't read Kanji and they're tucked away in one of the countless sidestreets of Tokyo.

The one trip where I went to Tokyo, I didn't do any of the tourist tours. I merely took a bus into town, got off and simply walked all over the place. I didn't have luggage with me on that trip; just my laptop backpack with a single change of clothes, a couple of underwear, toiletries. I was kind of like a hippie. Half the time, I had no idea where I was going. But somehow, I managed to find my way back to the Haneda Excel every time.

During the times I ate at the all-you-can-eat places, I had an amusing time watching Japanese kids who kept looking back and eyeing me with curiosity. Maybe it was my poor chopstick skills. He He.

[Monseratto]

Huwag gayahin... hehehe

Male prostitutes on tourist visas busted in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

An increasing number of male foreign nationals are approaching men in and around Okubo Park in Tokyo’s infamous Kabukicho district to offer ***ual services in exchange for money.

According to investigative sources, two Filipino nationals and two Thai nationals between the ages of 26 and 37 were arrested.

They are suspected of illegal solicitation and waiting for customers.

The men reportedly told investigators that, “There are women waiting for customers in Kabukicho, so I thought I could do the same,” and “A friend told me I could engage in prostitution-like activities in Okubo Park.”

One of the four is a Filipino national, 26, who entered Japan in late November for a short-term stay.

He said he had four to five customers a day, charged 10,000 yen ($70) to 20,000 yen each time and earned about a million yen over 15 days.

He began coming to Japan for short stays this summer to make money and was arrested on his third visit.

The police believe that these men have been entering Japan on a short-term visa since the pandemic-related border control measures were eased.

During the crackdown, police said they noticed suspicious men watching the area. Police believe that lookouts warn the prostitutes when police are approaching.

The number of male foreign nationals soliciting male customers is increasing on the streets in and around the Wakabacho district in Yokohama’s Naka Ward as well, and Kanagawa prefectural police are stepping up their efforts to uncover them.