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Going to Tokyo May 28-June 5 -
05-20-2008, 07:12 AM
Hi All,
I am new to this Board and this is my first post. I am from Germany, 34 years old, and had a Japanese girlfriend when I studied Business and Economics in California until 1999. I made it throughout whole Asia until now (Hong Kong, Indonesia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand ...) but never to Japan. A friend of mine married a Japanese Girl (she lives in Germany and works there for Lufthansa for 7 years now), they married the German way in February. Now it's time for the "Shinto-Marriage" (hope this is the right term) and they invited to Tokyo. We will be around 50 People there from Germany and aroung 80 People from japan, so I hope nobody will get or be lost. My experiences until now according flights and accomodation: Flights: I will go there with Lufthansa, non-stop-flight from Frankfurt. Price for the Ticket roundtrip was EUR 935 (approx. 1.450 US-$), but it is a open-jaw-flight (Gabelflug/dog-leg-flight/multy-city-flight, how ever you call this at your place) which goes back to Zurich (Switzerland, where my parents live) with Swiss Intl. Airlines and not to Frankfurt so it is a bit more expensive than a normal flight. KLM is - as I found out - the cheapest airline with flights for approx. EUR 620 (970 US-$) roundtrip in that period (but you lose time in Amsterdam). So for the people flying form Europe, KLM might be a good choice. British Airways is priced in the middle, but I do not like to fly 2 hours to London and then fly the whole distance back on my way to Japan. I like nonstop-flights as I do not lose too much time on travelling. Accomodation: As I was in Bangkok and Hua Hin for 2 weeks in April and spent a lot of money there for accomodations and shopping (Taylor etc.) I decided to book a "low-budget-hotel" in Tokyo. With HRS I found the Prince-Shinagawa-Hotel which costs me approx. 10.000 Yen per Night (approx. 60 EUR, 93 US-$). I found some valuations/reviews for this hotel in the web (tripadvisor, holidaycheck) and I think for that price it is ok. Rooms seem to be pretty small, but who cares - hey, I will be only there to sleep as I want to see as much of the city as possible. Other people of the marriage-group are also in this hotel so it seems to be ok. Language: As I had a Japanese girlfriend I know some Japanese (as it is long ago I forgot probably lots of it), and I try to speak Japanese as far as possible - so this should not be a bigger problem. If nothing works I go with English. Programm: I will arrive in Tokyo/NRT on Thursday May 29 in the Mornig. First I will go to the Hotel, check in, take a shower, and then go grab some sashimi (love that). Then I plan to go to Shibuya, looking for some fun and shopping stuff as I promised my little sister to bring her some gifts - and what is done is done. Friday will be the traditional Shinto-Marriage-Ritual Tokyo-Shrine from 12-1 p.m., followed by a meal in a Restaurant close to the shrine. From 08:30 p.m. on the groom is having his birthday party a Japanese Bar and Restaurant as he gets 34 at midnight with Japanese food and open bar (hehe). Saturday is the Marriage Party at a pretty cool Restaurant, starting 07:30 p.m., so I will have the whole day to recover. There seem to be facultative city-trips during the day, may be I join one of those. After the Diner we plan to go to a club where we have also reservations, sounds like fun. The good thing is, at the marriage and the birthday party I will get to know lots of Japanese people which might also want to go somewhere (shopping, clubbing) or show me interesting places until Thursday when I leave. Questions: I will have leisure time from Sunday to Wednesday then (leave Thursdays in the mornig), plan to go shopping (Jeans: (one green elephant, others?), electronics, kimono if affordable), so if you have good tips (esp. for the kimonos, not too expensive, used is ok), please post). Which Jeans in Japan are good (brands)? Also I am interested in good Bars and Clubs, heard Roppongi is good for that. I will also check the section abour Japanese fashion in this forum, seems to be a lot of stuff and information there. After I am back to Germany I will report about things that happened to me, tips for nights out etc. Tips from you according nights out and shopping are also welcome. CU Joe 
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05-20-2008, 11:44 AM
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What is your budget and what is considered "Affordable"? Kimono, authenic ones, are generally really expensive. Even for used ones. I would recoomend going for Yukata instead, which some consider as a "light weight" kimono. If Kimono is a suit, thenYukata will be your T-Shirt and Jeans that is shaped like a suit. Yukata generally have similar (almost the same, slight difference in the sleeve and layers) cuttings to Kimono. There is a shop along the Asakusa-Sensoji temple entrance that sell the complete set, with the Yukata, the Obi (butterfly ribbon on the back) and the sandals (Geta Sandals), they go for about US$60. Again, these are YUKATA not KIMONO, they look similar, but they are not the same thing. Jeans, again what is your budget? There is a chain call Jeans Mate in Japan, they have a lot of cheap Tokyo/Japan street fashion stuff. There is one Jeans Mate depot at Takeshita Dori (Harajuku), and another one in Saitama that I know of. If you are looking for something fancier, then you are looking at the boutique and streets along Ginza and Shibuya. With Shibuya being the "START of ASIAN FASHION", they have the famous 109 (ladies clothing), and 109 Men's (only one flooor really) that you can look at, but it will be expensive. If you are into cosplay stuff, then you need to head to Akiba. Electronics, in general, all electronics store are around Akiba, if you are in that are, go to Ueno station and walk south toward Akiba by following the track, you will run into a couple of purple building named Takeya (there are other locations too, but I don't remember where they are at for the most part or I don't know how to describe the direction) which sells discounted electronics. All the tax stuff can be handled there as well Roppongi has a lot of bars, MMM or Nagoyankee can correct me, but my memory and Roppogi is that its more of an foreigner settlement, MOST bars and clubs has an "out of Japan" theme, so if you are looking for something more "local" then try something in Shinjuku instead Good luck and have fun on your trip  Look foward to your trip reports
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Thanks to godwine -
05-20-2008, 01:04 PM
Hi Godwine,
thx for the great informaition. Budget for shopping is not that kind of a problem, I plan to spend around 2.000-2.500 US-$ for the 7 days for food and shopping (airfare and hotel is paid already, so the 2.000-2.500 US-$ is just for partying, shopping and food/drinks). As there are the parties Fridays and Saturdays I think the weekend will be pretty cheap, so the budget should fit. The yakuta is a good idea, i am gonna checking out this place you mentioned at Asakusa-Sensoji temple entrance. Thx also for the fashion tips. My sister mentioned sth. about "one green elephant"-jeans she likes. Somebody knows how much they are in Japan? I think cosplay is nothing for me, I like watching it, but I am not the type wearing it. Thx again for the great information, Joe
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05-20-2008, 01:18 PM
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You MAY be able to get a used kimono (just the outside piece) for around US$800. IF I remember correctly, there should be 2 stores that sell used kimono in one of the gallery arouond Tokyo station, and there should be a store in the covered shopping area in Shibuya... I could be wrong though. I don't know the prices for One Green Elephant, their style isn't much different from a standard jeans, its more branding than anything else. Give jshoppers.com or yesstyle.com a shot Cosplay, you can see a load of it in Akiba and Harajuku in the weekend. Have fun "Watching"
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05-20-2008, 09:39 PM
Well, i remember reading about a actuall market where they sell used Kimonos for a reasonable price, but i couldn´t find that piece of information anywhere in the past 30 minutes, so i gave up.
About the Hotel-price, i actually found a Hotel for 2700Yen a night, wich has really small rooms and shared showers and stuff. I will write more about that once i´m there (starting 24 June) as it might be interesting for people on a really tight budget. Well good luck finding what you want, enjoy your time. Btw. i fly from Basel for around 970U$ with Brithish airways, but it was a special offer some time ago and i will have to stopp in London. At that time i couldn´t find anything cheaper, but thanks for you tips.
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05-21-2008, 12:16 PM
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05-21-2008, 11:41 PM
oh, thats good than. I actually had a look on their homepage and it says 4900 at the cheapest hotel? Well i booked the new koyo already, so it doesn´t matter now.
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05-22-2008, 02:37 PM
You will be staying in a good location. The Shinagawa Prince hotel is right across the street from Shinagawa station. The Yamanote train line stops there, and on the Yamanote train you can visit most of the "must see" places in Tokyo such as Ueno, Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, and Tokyo Station.
Ueno is the home of the Tokyo Zoo, the National Museum, the Museum of Western Art, and the Toshogu Shrine. These places are all closed on the first Monday of each month, so plan your trip accordingly. In March and April, Ueno is the place to be for Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, but it's a beautiful place to visit any time of year. Akihabara is also known as "Electric City", and is the world's headquarters for the newest in gadgets. Don't expect to find any good deals unless you are a careful shopper. The best deals will be found in the alleyways in small shops rather than in the larger department stores along the main streets. Akihabara is also the anime/manga/video game headquarters of Japan, if you are into those things, you'll find enough there to keep you busy for months. You must have coffee in a Maid cafe, look for the hot girls in maid outfits in the area around the station for directions to the nearest one. Ikebukuro is the home of Sunshine City, which is Tokyo's tallest building. It is also the home of Namjatown and Ice Cream City. Like many other parts of the metro area, Sunshine City sports a large shopping mall with a huge selection of shops. I'm sure Shibuya and Harajuku need no introduction. They are almost always on the top of the list of things for foreigners to see when in Japan. Be sure to visit on Sunday if at all possible. At Shinagawa there is an aquarium adjacent to your hotel. It is worth seeing, so check it out if you have the time. At Tokyo Station you'll be within walking distance of the Imperial Palace and Ginza. If you are going to Ginza, be sure to bring a no-limit credit card, fashion items there tend to cost about 40% more than they would an any other major city. Take a look at the Kabuki theater on Harumi-dori street. If you head a little further east you'll come to Tsukiji, the world's largest fish market. It is surrounded by small food stalls and restaurants, all are exceptionally good, regardless of appearance. A couple stops from Tokyo Station is Shimbashi. Get off the Yamanote train and get on the Yurikamome train going to Odaiba. Be sure to bring your camera, Odaiba has some of the best views of the city, as well as of the rainbow bridge. Take a ride on the giant ferris wheel, the cost is 800 yen, and the ride takes 15 minutes or so to go around, you'll enjoy even better views from the top. From Odaiba you can take the water bus to Asakusa. The Sensoji temple is located there, and it is one of the oldest temples in Japan. There is a huge market place surrounding the Sensoji, and several shops sell yukata and kimono. Some take credit cards, and some don't, so be sure to bring cash. There are two types of yukata, the standard type which looks like a kimono, and a short two piece version which comes with shorts known as "jinpei". From Asakusa station you can catch the Tsukuba Express, which will take you back to Tokyo Station, from where you can once again transfer to the Yamanote line. Bring comfortable, well broken-in shoes. You'll be doing a lot of walking. Cash is more convenient than credit cards, and safe to carry. Before you go into a nice restaurant, be sure ot look at the menu outside. Though most restaurants are reasonable, some are outrageously expensive. I don't really recommend Roppongi as a place for tourists to visit. On one side there are numerous seedy bars and clubs which garden variety foreigners visit; Nigerians stationed outside these places will try to hustle you to go inside, or to sell you dope, or whatever. On the other hand, if you are interested in meeting Japanese women, many who like foreigners frequent. On the other side is Roppongi Hills, which is home to the wealthier expats who work in Tokyo's financial sector. Enjoy your trip, I'm sure you'll love your time here
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about Kimono and others -
05-24-2008, 03:46 PM
Hi there, you must be excited by now to visit Japan for the first time!? about used "KIMONO" don't go to the tourist area, their prices are just ripping off! I am not sure what kind of Kimono you would like to have, but if you are not looking for the best ones, then you can buy them the price from 5000yen (or could be less but the conditions aren't good). Yukata, you can buy one brand new with 5000yen or little more. Last summer my friend from Spain, bought a jin-bei ("kimono"ish type of cloth) and I wore Yukata and my husband wore the same jin-bei and we all went to the summer festival. but I don't live in Tokyo, I live in Nagano where the winter Olympics 98 took place, so I can't come down to Tokyo to take you all the stores, but if you think I can help you with anything, just pm me. hope you have a wonderful time in Tokyo!
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