Takin' Over Tokyo: 5 Days for ¥10,000

Welcome to Coleen's Chronicles!

So a lot of people have been asking how I spent only 10,000 yen in Tokyo — which is roughly around 5,000 Php. I'm here to give you Visa tips, Tokyo travel hacks, and the best and cheapest way to get around this marvelous city.

A little bit of background how I ended up in Tokyo once again this year. If you've read my previous blog "Solitude and Sake", I was there for the first time last April. Getting around and learning about the city was just so blissful that I needed to indulge myself in this city more. I applied in an internship program last June and July in Northern Trust –Thanks for the allowance! ;) Kidding aside, I used my own money for this trip (message me if you want to know how much I got. Lol) Going back was never a thing I planned on really doing, but it was just really at the back of my head that I should go back and see it more. Moving on, there was a night wherein I messaged my friend MP, who lives in LA and out of spontaneity, we chose a country to go to and we said, "OK, this is where we're going" and the planning hath begun!

Our trip was supposedly 6 Days and 5 nights, but due to a typhoon during our initial flight, it was cancelled so we had to rebook the next day, making our trip shorter by 1 day. More savings for us then?

I made an initial checklist and the budget was ₱7,000 more that what I had actually spent. It included the expenses for necessities to our travel such as: Visa, Hotel, Wifi, Airport Transfers, Allowance for food, drinks and transportation in Japan.

Take note that I didn't include Airfare because we both traveled on different airlines and we paid just taxes for our trips, I also didn't include money for shopping.

What I used in converting Peso to Yen was just that I divided the yen by 2 or .50 to get the peso equivalent. That's just me being conservative, I think the prevailing rate at that time was 100 yen = 46 - 48 pesos.

Let's get started!

Prepaid Expenses: Visa, Hotel, and Wifi

As per usual, Ms. Cramzilla (aka Me) filed for both our visas 5 days before our trip to Tokyo. A Japan tourist visa usually costs around 900-1500, I opted for my go-to Agency, cause I've submitted to them twice, both of which were last minute, and I got feedback that I could get our visas after just two (2) days! Crazy, right? Check out Friendship Tours Manila, which is at the 3/F of Dusit Thani in Makati. Their agency fee costs ₱1,200. Everything would go smoothly just as long as you make sure you submit the correct requirements.

Now for the accommodation: I actually booked several cancellable hostels for me & Mp via booking.com, but since I was looking for a cheap hostel along the JR Yamanote Line,(I'll tell you later on why being along the JR Yamanote line is important) I came across this really cheap hostel in airbnb — of which I used the ₱1600 discount they offer if it's your first time booking. It's called Base Inn Komagome in Toshima, Tokyo. You can get 2 beds in a dorm-type apartment for only 30 USD a night, so that's 15 dollars each per night minus the discount from airbnb, roughly ₱2,400 each for 4 nights with the discount. Ya'll this place be a bargain! The place was very clean, they provide you with your own towels, toiletries, and of course space for a suitcase. They have a shared fridge, separate shower rooms and toilets for men and for women. It's also convenient because they allow self check-in at a specific time. You'll also have to check out on a specified time.

*They took down their airbnb listing and moved to booking.com (So I guess, no ₱1600 discount? My tip for you? SEARCH FOR PROMO CODES)

The best friend of the lost, broken, and torn: Mr. Wifi! I cannot stress this enough. RENT A FREAKING WIFI if you don't want to be lost or if you want to know where you're heading next (I'll also be giving websites for you to use during your stay). Anyway, I rented our wifi from Klook for ₱241 per day minimum of 3 days rent. You'll have to reserve this as soon as possible (You'll have to pay, but it's refundable) because they do run out of inventory. Because I was being indecisive if I should reserve, I couldn't get the discounted price for the additional 2 days I rented it. Instead, I paid a late fee of ¥650 for every day that I didn't return it. Which was a few pesos more, but still, it was a steal! If you rent when you arrive in the airport, most portable wifi in the Airport costs 100-200 pesos more per day of rent. If you're travelling with 2 or more people, it would be much cheaper since you can all share the one wifi. Also, MAKE USE OF PROMO CODES.

In Japan: Airport Transfers, Transportation, Food, and Alcohol

Okay, just a little disclaimer: Now I know I told you that I'll tell you how I only spent ₱5,000 in this city. I initially had ¥20,000 on hand when I exchanged my money in Narita (They don't accept Philippine Peso here; so you better exchange them in the PH). But I only got to use half of that in my 5-day stay. I had extra money cause I was initially gonna stay for 5 nights. I didn't include the expenses I used for shopping and all the prepaid expenses listed above. So mainly, I'll be showing you how to make the most of your living expenses in Tokyo. Let's begin!

The first expense that you'll be needing to separate from your pot of money would be going to and from the Airport. Me and Mp both landed in Terminal 2 so we met up and bought the tickets together. The cheapest transfer from Narita to Central Tokyo? KESEI MAIN LINE. Don't be confused, there are two lines operated by Kesei: Skyliner and Main Line. They have a thousand yen difference in price but like 30-40 mins difference in time. A mainline ticket to one of the stations in the Yamanote line is ¥1030 going to Nippori (a station in the Yamanote Loop). So you better pocket another ¥1030 for when you catch your flight coming back to your country. (This should be ¥2060 or less than ₱1030 both ways)

Transportation: this is where the bulk of your money will go. Trains in Japan ranges from ¥140-230 depending on the distance. I mentioned earlier that you should focus your stay in the JR Yamanote line because this is where the majority of the main attractions in Tokyo are. Shibuya, Shinjuku, Shinagawa, Ueno, Tokyo, Ikeburoku and a whole lot more. Stations along the JY line have their own unique attractions and for the 5 days I stayed there, I couldn't have traveled all. There's a discount ticket of ¥750 unlimited train pass to the Yamanote line. Purchase this if you have the whole day to explore. Don't buy this when you've just arrived Tokyo at noon, cause these are valid on the first until the last trains of the day. Subways in Tokyo usually end operation at around 12:00am-1:00am some even earlier. Make sure you catch the last train on a night out, you wouldn't want to be stuck around the streets of Tokyo until 5am. I feel like I spent ¥2,500 on trains alone. This was more than I should've spent because I went to a Korfball game in a city outside of Tokyo which cost me 600 yen more than average. I used Hyperdia to plan my trips– it shows the cheapest way to travel, the fastest, and departure time of trains as well. Check it out to see what I'm talking about. Google maps is also a good app to get around the city. I suggest you plan your trips ahead of time (like an hour before actually leaving your hotel), know which places you want to visit, and make the most of the discount tickets if you're exploring for a whole day!

FOOD FOOD FOOD. Good 'ol Ramen. RAMEN PLACES ARE EVERYWHERE. Ditch the mainstream Ichiran and Ippudo. Find a local ramen place near your accommodation, these are some of the best ramen experiences you will ever get to taste. An upgraded bowl of ramen are usually around ¥900-1050. These are a lot for 2 skinny bitches like me & MP. Although my friend said you shouldn't share Ramen. Well, we're Filipinos and we share food sooooo? You get a full meal with just ¥500. I ate at like 5 different ramen places and I'm still craving for more. Yum! Now to the less expensive food choices: CONVENIENCE STORES. 7-Eleven, Family Mart, Lawson, Ministop are your life savers especially after walking around the city all day. You get heavy meals for ¥300-400. Life Hack: Buy Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls) they are not only delicious, but they are a wonderful snack for just ¥100. I think I bought 5 of these in my whole stay (and I regret not buying more). Gyudon places are also a blessing! They have bowls as cheap as ¥300 There are times where we would just have brunch and an early dinner then a midnight snack: an average of ¥900 for the 3 full days we were there and the same amount for the 2 days we had our flights. (Total spend on food: ¥3600)

Are ya'll ready for this? You can drink alcohol on trains! For just a mere ¥120, you can buy an 8% Alcohol large can of Strong Zero or Chu-Hi and drink it on the trains as a pre-game to where you'll be drinking. First night we were there we went to Roppongi to look for a chill bar (but they all ended up empty or closed) so we went to Shibuya for some KARAOKE (which costs us ¥1,030 per person for an hour of belting songs we can't reach) Definitely had cheaper alternatives for karaoke, but it was in Shibuya and it was an experience. I suggest you try Japan's Sake. You can purchase a small bottle, either sweet or dry, in a bar for ¥600.

If you total my approximate expenses of ¥9,910 (In Tokyo), it's not that bad. I was able to bring home another ¥10,000 that I didn't spend. Although I also shopped using my UnionBank Visa Get Go Debit card (also because of the GetGo Points), I would say I didn't spend more than ₱9000 on this trip in total.

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Xx,

Coleen