File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Hi /trv/. I'm a freshman in college and I've really wanted to see Japan for quite a while. I'm not an "otaku" or whatever they're called nowadays, but something about the country has always been very appealing to me. So now I've got this idea that in order to make my dream reality, I need to start planning right now. I just don't understand how I can ever afford this. I read a very informative article that said it is cheap and smart to use Kyoto, rather than Tokyo, as a base of operations. The article suggested that hotels there run from around $60 to $100 a night, which sounds reasonable. So let's go ahead and say I would need $700 for the living arrangements alone. Then the cheapest round-trip flight I could find right now from where I live is about $1500. So I'm at like $2200 already, and this is the bare minimum. I have no idea how much other money I should factor in for food, a good time, and an overall pleasant experience.

I'm also not very good a saving/ making money, especially with school approaching. I have about $1200 in savings and $360 in checking so I guess this could be a start.

tl;dr: I want to see Japan. To those of you who have traveled there, how much money would you recommend I have on top of that $2200 bare minimum? also, any tips on how to finance this? I'm just trying to get as many opinions about this as possible so hopefully some time in the not so distant future I can see Japan and actually enjoy it. Thank you.
>> Anonymous
>>$1200
that buys return airfare

>>$360
That buys a 1 week rail pass

Enjoy your lack of accomodations and food.
>> Anonymous
Tokyo is ridiculously expensive to live in, unless you go the hostel route. Hello $30 a night!

I could go on forever but I'm sure you'll get better help from others or on /jp/. I left to Tokyo for a month with $11000 and came back with $5672. I shopped at Takeshitadori shops, Akiba, Ikebukuro, and lived in a guest house & hostel. I had 2 weeks to plan out my arraignments. Wish you luck, and it can't be too hard; if I could do it in 2 weeks you could do better in a couple months.
>> Anonymous
I posted this in the original /jp/ thread.

http://www.liveinasia.com/japan_vacation_rentals/japan_vacation_rentals_index.html

This is the company I went with when I stayed in Tokyo for two weeks. Depending on your length of stay, you could live in Tokyo for a week for less than $600USD in Nakano which is only about ten minutes from Shibuya by train. If you want, you can drop the extra ~$100 for a nicer place in Nishi-Ogikubo with a 24-hour grocery store less than a block away and a nice JR station just across from that. Also, there are two kick-ass arcades with Kidou Senshi Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna and other awesome games also within short walking distance. It's a quaint little area with wonderful shopping also about 10 minutes from the Yamanote line. If you book your flight early enough and through a student travel agency or site of some sort, you could probably shave a few hundred off the airfare. I'd say have an extra grand or so for general expenditury.

I split the Nishi-Ogikubo apartment with a friend, and it was a fucking blast, and this was all on about $3000-3500 for two weeks in Nishi-Ogikubo.

>>49465

You need to do your fucking research.
>> Anonymous
I stayed in Tokyo for 3 months. The city is EXPENSIVE, but its definitely one of the greatest cities in the world. On weeks where I would not shop I was spending about 500 a week (not including room and board as I was in a dorm). Kyoto is probably cheaper to stay in but stuff there is just as expensive as Tokyo and honestly, Kyoto doesn't have all that much there besides the tourist shit that you can do in about 3 days.
>> Anonymous
>>49493

Where did you stay?
>> Anonymous
>>49495
I stayed at Temple's dorm in Jiyugaoka