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[B'z-chan]

So me and a friend are planning to go to Japan. And i was wondering what if you guys might have some advice about travel and lodging. So far i've found roundtrip airfare for 900 bucks for both of us. Which might or might not be available by july when i plan to get everything together.

I know we have to get a passport and all that stuff which is easily 100 bucks or so.

My big thing is getting a place to stay for the 5-7 nights we plan on staying. Someone suggested that we stay in Yokohama. Since it's usually cheaper and nicer than Tokyo. And we could travel by train to Tokyo.

I'm also wondering about comforts and food. I'm not up on how much the average meal costs in japan. I dont mind different types food, but if say we wanted ice cream or a coke how much are we looking at?

I'm wanting to spend the least amount of money so that we might have some money to play around with and buy some goodies while over there. So any advice would be nice to have.

So is anyone going to TGS that lives on the westcoast?

EDIT: thought to put it here in the OT, might have been a mistake. Sorry; rather it here than to piss someone off over in the Gaming Forum. Its never to early to talk about getting together or something so mods do what you need too.

 

[Draff]

1) hotel: if you stay in Yokohama, you also have to factor in the transportation cost; it can easily add up if you intend on traveling to Tokyo a lot. Therefore, I'd suggest either finding a place in Tokyo (perhaps a hostel even), or seeing how much all-day passes cost.

2) food can be very cheap if you know where to get it. Udon is general (Kitsune Udon) 400 yen (3.50) and ramen is equivalently cheap, more or less. Convenient stores usually have bread for around 80 yen, bakeries have nice thick chicken sandwiches for 250 yen or so, and I must add Japanese bakeries are awesome. Then there's also fast food. I suggest Mos Burger.

As for Coke, if you stick to vending machines and grocery stores, it's usually a dollar or so.

If you go to a restaurant, it's usually around 850+ yen, usually around 1200+ for a set.

 

[Jonnyram]

Holy shit, Yokohama!?
If you're planning on going to TGS, Yokohama might not be the best place to stay as it'll take you more than an hour to get to the event. If TGS is your main aim, and presumably you want to hit up Akihabara for some game shopping, you can stay on the east side. There's some cheap hotels and lodging places on that side of town. I had a nice time in a ryokan in Koiwa (about 4 stops from Akihabara), and I still managed to go to Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro a lot during my two week stay.

 

[Pochacco]

Excuse my elitism, but I hope that the TGS is not going to be the focal point of your trip to Japan. It doesn't sound like it. But let's just be sure. If you're going to spend that kind of money and fly over an ocean, please don't make your final destination be a room full of gamers.

Everyone has their own interests blah blah blah.
But please consider absorbing the culture, trying the foods, checking out the sights, etc..

 

[Bebpo]

Excuse my elitism, but I hope that the TGS is not going to be the focal point of your trip to Japan. It doesn't sound like it. But let's just be sure. If you're going to spend that kind of money and fly over an ocean, please don't make your final destination be a room full of gamers.

Everyone has their own interests blah blah blah.
But please consider absorbing the culture, trying the foods, checking out the sights, etc..

I dunno. After I leave Japan I plan on making a trip every other year and I'll always go during TGS week. I mean if you're gonna do sight-seeing or shopping, you might as well go during TGS and hit up the show for a day while you're there.

 

[B'z-chan]

yeah i think we'll only go to the show once or twice. So its not the main focal point in the trip at all. At least from the sounds thus far. I should have made that more clear. I really want to take in Japan as a whole, but that includes some sight seeing and what not.

While my other half would be happy going to idol musuems and to a bunch of shops and stuff. I just wish we could mend it into something that both of us can enjoy and have a fun time with.

I really wanted to see the southern half of Japan, but i guess thats for another trip. Thus far i dont want to be more than 2 hours from anywhere and if we stayed in that town we can go on some nice day excursions. For shoping, sight seeing, and a little fun.

Also whats the age limit for drinking over there? I'm not saying i'm going there to drink, but some saki would be nice.

 

[Bebpo]

Also whats the age limit for drinking over there? I'm not saying i'm going there to drink, but some saki would be nice.

It's 20 but you'll never be carded ever. So even if you're younger than that you can still get drinks no problem.

 

[B'z-chan]

Well thats one thing less to worry about. Red wine and french meals here i come jk jk. so far i've found some good places with weekly rental rates of about 550 bucks a week. Which is good for a private room, no lock down, and private shower/bath. But i'll have to contact some of these places, cause they make it seem like a 5 day week or something.

Any of you JapanaGaffers know where we might be able to find out when some local entertainment might be happening. Like concerts and other things of that sort?