Forum - View topicLet's Go To Tokyo: Day One
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Greboruri
Posts: 387 Location: QBN, NSW, Australia |
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I recall meeting a couple of American guys out in Tochigi Prefecture a couple years back who complained that food in Tokyo was so expensive. I have no idea where the hell they were eating. I really found it hard to break a ¥1,000 note for pretty much every meal. Most of the time I bought bentos from convenience stores for less than ¥500 (and was quite surprised at the quality of the food), and when I got bored of rice, I went to family restaurants (I personally found Saizeriya to be particularly cheap and tasty) and still couldn't spend more than ¥1,000 per meal. Most of the museums and attractions charge ¥1,000 or less (unless you're going to the westernised stuff like big theme parks) and there's a lot of free stuff to be found. Personally I thought Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building's observation floor better than Tokyo Tower. Japan can be easily done on the cheap without compromising on quality. |
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omiya
 Posts: 1849 Location: Adelaide, South Australia |
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I have been 8 times solo and had a great time every time. ====
Maybe I'll have to watch that anime, having seen Lisa Komine live in concert. Edited your two posts together. --willag |
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Xagor
Posts: 192 |
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I've had similar experience with food since moving to Japan. You always hear people complain about it being expensive, but it makes me wonder if they've ever eaten out in the UK. Large set meals can break ¥1000, but it's very rare that it'll cost much more than 5-600. Of course, certain fruit & veg can get pretty expensive over here.
Even though I'm now in the right part of the country, haven't really explored Tokyo much, since it's still a bit of a train journey to get in. Will have to go see that Danbo shop when I get the chance. |
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Beltane70
 Posts: 3969 |
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The view from Tokyo Tower has changed greatly since I first visited there in 1991. Back then, there was only about two dozen or so (mostly in Shinjuku) skyscrapers dotting the landscape. I'd say that the number has almost tripled in the past 24 years since that first trip. It is really amazing to see how drastically Tokyo's skyline has changed! |
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14886 |
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My pals' issues with food in Japan isn't the price - it's the portions.
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Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
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I wouldn't feel comfortable travelling to most countries outside of the US by myself. Japan is a safe and pleasant country to travel to, but I don't like standing out in a crowd; being a tall, white, overweight, English-speaking tourist makes it more likely for me to be singled out. I'd be more comfortable in a group. I'd be perfectly fine with flying to Japan by myself and going on one of those PacSet tours though. Less chance for free roaming, but at least I'd be with a group and would have a knowledgeable guide who knows the area and could tell me all the interesting facts and history. My parents, sister, and I visited Kyoto and Nara two years ago. It was amazing and I really enjoyed it. The rest of my family enjoyed it, but didn't get as much out of it as I did. |
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mdo7
 Posts: 6371 Location: Katy, Texas, USA |
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Looks like you're having a fun time. Thanks for the pictures Bamboo.
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MorwenLaicoriel
 Posts: 1617 Location: Colorado |
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Oh man, I don't have the money for a big trip right now, but I desperately want to go to that butler cafe right now. It sounds amazing.
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HeeroTX
Posts: 2046 Location: Austin, TX |
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I don't remember the company name, but I've found the exchange counters in Narita airport that I went to to be quite reasonable. I recently checked online what the rate would be to exchange currency at Wells Fargo and I swear the airport counter would be better (but I admit I haven't been in at least a year and a half). That said, if you're referring to AMERICAN airport exchange counters (and I know Travelex is one of the vendors for that), then yes, they do indeed "legit rip people off". |
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enurtsol
Posts: 14886 |
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And look who's there this week looking for food too:
Drew Barrymore arrives in Japan, begins quest to eat all of Tokyo’s delicious food 
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Greboruri
Posts: 387 Location: QBN, NSW, Australia |
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The other thing is that they have recently renovated Tokyo Tower and removed the fantastically kitsch Wax Museum. It was pretty terrible (and quite hilarious, I was worried the staff might hear my laughter...). It bizarrely devolves into prog rock/krautrock wax work museum half way through without any warning and you finished up in the gift shop which was full of prog rock merchandise. A very well spent ¥500 I thought. Pity that all those wax works are in storage now. |
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faboo95
 Posts: 96 |
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Man, I just went to Japan in late January/early February and these pictures make me want to go back like right now.
I used to think that meals in Japan were expensive, at least when I was far younger. I dunno, perhaps it's because of inflation and how the value of the Yen dropped? I also used to say that the portions in Japan were tiny compared to North American meals and they sometimes still are, but now there's usually more than enough on your plate to satisfy your hunger. But yeah, eating in Japan is definitely very affordable. |
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leafy sea dragon
 Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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Maybe the people complaining about high prices for food are getting a gaijin premium or only ate at places aimed at tourists. My entirety of me being in Japan consists of a stopover at Narita, for instance, so of course the food would be overpriced there (though it was delicious).
That being said, I always assumed food in Tokyo would be expensive due to the high property values there. Having eaten at places that have astronomical property rates though, like Brooklyn and San Francisco, I have found many places that get away with very affordable food, so I should've figured based on that too. |
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crosswithyou
 Posts: 2899 Location: California |
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You were in Ikebukuro and didn't hit up the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo store??
I went to Swallowtail once. It felt weird not being doing anything by yourself. You're not even allowed to switch the food tray to move onto the next one! ^^; It's certainly an experience but I can't imagine going on a regular basis. Once was enough for me, personally. |
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