I'm Going To Japan

lunas wrote:
Any good recommendation for authentic japanese food? Food is the thing that I always concern when I travel. where to eat?

[image][/list:u] As long as it doesn't look like this, there's a pretty good chance it'll be authentic Japanese food.[/list:u]

lunas wrote:

Thanks for the tips Tu_triky
I just turned 28 yrs old couple days ago. Fodor and lonely planet is one of the few resources i use. I tried to do less the "tourist stuff" but to explore the tokyo in my own eyes instead of from watching j-drama in which I still appreciate.

No problem. I understand what you're saying...in any event you'll have too much to see and not enough time so you'll just have to pick and choose what to do and where to go. I'm sure you'll be sufficiently engaged no matter what you decide upon.

I checked expedia, and they seem to give me a list of hotels within my budget and most of the selection is in Akasaka. And yes from the JP metro website the fees seem high compare to US. I definitely would want to use my feet more.

You'll surely do a lot of walking but the gist of my post was to say you'll be using the subways a lot as well given the cost of taxi cab rides...you won't be able to get around it...the trains are the vascular system of this humongous city...without them you won't go far. Don't worry you can always get a pass for the trains that will help you save money and will help you avoid having to stop and pay for each train ride with a separate fare.

Any good recommendation for authentic japanese food? Food is the thing that I always concern when I travel. where to eat?

Well you will be IN Japan so I don't think authenticity will be an issue. ;) There's too many suggestions to give. Hmm...if you've ever eaten a Japanese fried pork cutlet (tonkatsu) you should go to Tonki, one of Tokyo's most famous Tonkatsu restaurants...went there for lunch it was delicious and reasonable in cost by Tokyo standards. I also took a train to Yokohama and visited the Ramen Musuem...there are about 10 ramen shops in there where you can eat examples of some Japan's best noodles from around the country. I could go on forever.

Having said that...when you eat lunch in Tokyo it's substantially cheaper than eating dinner at the same place. Dinner is often double or triple the cost of lunch, even for the same food so be aware of that.

If you like sushi you should definitely visit the central fish market near Ginza, called "Tsukiji." It's the largest fish market in the world. People rave about Sushi Dai as the best sushi in Tokyo....or 30 feet away Sushi Daiwa. In any event if you go to Sushi Dai, you better read up on it because the line to eat there in the morning can be over an hour long unless you show up before 6am. :sweat: Or if you want something a bit less complicated you could eat at one of those conveyor belt sushi restaurants (kaiten sushi) where you just pick the food up that you want to eat as it passes in front of you, no need to order in Japanese...one of the best is near Asakasa...it's called "Maguro-bito." They say the quality of their fish is superb.

Trust me there's tons of good food in Tokyo...we could talk about it forever really.

You could use the Restauant and Bar Search function from the Metropolis magazine website...it has dozens and dozens of reviews of eateries, all in English.

http://metropolis.japantoday.com/rbsearch/

The following link is a city guide to ALL of Tokyo divided by neighborhoods...it has dining recommendations for every neighborhood...the information is extensive and up to date:

http://metropolis.japantoday.com/vg/index.asp

Here's another good site with info in English
http://www.bento.com/tf-rest.html

Basic info for cheap eats
http://www.tokyoessentials.com/eats.html

I could literally give you dozens of links but I'll leave the exploring to you.
If you have more specific questions, fire away.

Folks,
Money saving Japan travel tips.

1. Stay in a Ryokan (and not a hotel)
Most hotels in Japan charge per person.

If you stay at a typical Ryokan, you can often find a room for US $40 to $50 per night, per person. Regular hotels and tourist hotels will run you US $120 to $150, at least. Big cost saving.

On top of that, since most Ryokan are owned by families, your money will be going to people, not to a faceless corporation.


2. Eat at Japanese Restaurants Where the Locals Eat
If you avoid the flashy restaurants of Shinjuku, Roppongi, et al, and eat where the locals eat, it's easy to spend less than USA $10 per meal. Heck, I had plenty of nice meals for less than US $5 in Japan.


3. Buy Bus Passes and Subway Passes
Depending on where you are, some cities offer bus passes for a day or two days or more. Same goes for subways. These can save you lots of money over the course of a vacation. Note that due to the many different train/subway companies in Japan, a pass may not cover all lines.


4. Don't Buy Guided Tour Packages
If you do enough research in travel books (Lonely Planet, Frommers, et al), research Japanese websites, and pickup tourist information guides when in Japan, you can typically visit most destinations without the need of a paid Tour Guide. Additionally, many tourist spots in Japan have volunteer tour guides, who are often high school and college students that would like to practice English or other foreign languages.

As an estimate, the cost of a guided tour package to a destination will be double to triple the cost of what it would be if you went there on your own.




Cheers, :drink:
PCM

It's like Tokyu Tanaka San Go but for real!

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Jumping on the allegedtetsuko boom, a new "railway izakaya" will soon open in Soto Kanda, near Akihabara. Called Little TGV, it is operated by the same company who run the nearby cosplay bar Fushigitei as well as many other gimmicky places. They seem to have skimped on the interior which bears little resemblance to anything railway-related. Instead, the waitresses dress up as train drivers and trolley girls while serving "Ebisu Station Beer", "Yamanote Line Cocktails" and ekiben - station lunch boxes. A large screen shows various railway videos. I think they are running out of ideas.

Tu_triky wrote:
I could literally give you dozens of links but I'll leave the exploring to you.
If you have more specific questions, fire away.

wow Tu_triky really thank you for the info, this is a great help. :applaud:

And I know for definitely that I will avoid all American fast food chain :bleh: at a cost

lunas wrote:
wow Tu_triky really thank you for the info, this is a great help. :applaud:

You're welcome. I hope you find time to cover some of the info on those sites, print stuff out, and even make some notes...I did it when I went and it was useful to me.

And I know for definitely that I will avoid all American fast food at a cost.

Good call. You would surely do yourself a disservice to go all the way to Japan just to eat the same slop over there...man, if you're looking for something fast & good, go for Japanese style fast food....such a bento box at the depachika (basement food level) of a big department store or or a tonkotsu sandwich at Maisen, for example:

http://www.bento.com/rev/0490.html
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Or go to Muteikaya and have a bowl of ramen

http://www.mutekiya.com/world/index.html
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Either for under 10 bucks.

Okay i found this 2 site that I thought helpful it might be old news for some.

JP Gourmet navigation http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/
and Tokyo Free Guide http://www.tokyofreeguide.com/

Cool. As I said there are tons of helpful resources on the Internet. Thanks for sharing.

Don't rule out guided tours altogether. I've been on about a dozen ranging from day trips to Kyoto to 10 day trips to Tohoku. The prices are great and include everything (except souvenirs and snacks). Bus rides, guided tours, hotel room (usually very good semi-state operated ones), and meals at the nice hotels. Lunch at a stop where the tour is expected.

One great thing about the guided tour bus trips is that you are constantly busy. You see a lot of things.

One bad thing about the guided tour bus trips is that you have to wake up early and are on the go all day.

Check JTB for good deals. There are others too.

Hmm, for a minute there, I thought I was in the Food thread. :beaten:

bmwracer wrote:Hmm, for a minute there, I thought I was in the Food thread. :beaten:

Just tryin' to give the guy some examples since he asked for food advice when he travels. One time thang.

Tu_triky wrote:Just tryin' to give the guy some examples since he asked for food advice when he travels. One time thang.

Gomen, I wasn't trying to make a point... More like I got disoriented by the food... :sweat:

Eeek, bad joke on my part. :ashamed:

bmwracer wrote:
... More like I got disoriented by the food... :sweat:

Right on. :)

Eeek, bad joke on my part. :ashamed:

Not at all. I didn't take it badly..no worries! I wasn't miffed at all. No need to wear the bag over the head. :hehe:

Just some old pics I've shared here before to illustrate the point. I mean for fast food Japan has it's own type of fare that is reasonably priced (under 10 bucks) and a lot more varied than the shiet we got here. Tastier of course, too.

Tu_triky wrote:Tastier of course, too.

I'll bet.

I gotta try making that chicken katsu sandwich.

But on whole wheat.

And with the crust. :mrgreen:

bmwracer wrote:
And with the crust. :mrgreen:

:hehe: for 'racer...the crust is a must. :hehe:

Tu_triky wrote: :hehe: for 'racer...the crust is a must. :hehe:

Trust the crust. :victory:

bmwracer wrote:
Trust the crust. :victory:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

That'll be the new motto on future American currency. "In crust we trust."

Tu_triky wrote:That'll be the new motto on future American currency. "In crust we trust."

That's the Democrats' platform for 2008.

bmwracer wrote:
That's the Democrats' platform for 2008.

Hehe.

You could always go for a tuna sandwich while in Japan.

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Tu_triky wrote:You could always go for a tuna sandwich while in Japan.

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Wonder how much mercury is in that bad boy... :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
Wonder how much mercury is in that bad boy... :sweat:

After munching on that...they'd call you the Silver Surfer.

Tu_triky wrote:After munching on that...they'd call you the Silver Surfer.

Cool... I always wanted to be the Sentinel of the Spaceways... :mrgreen:

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