Several questions since I'm going to Tokyo in May/June
 

I've been wanting to go to Japan for a LONG time now. I was planning to finish my bachelors quickly and then go, but life happened and it's taking a lot longer than I expected. Well, I got an extra 3000$ recently and decided to go to Japan (tokyo specifically) after this semester ends (mid may). Not including airfaire (i'll save for that seperately), how long can 2500-3000$ last me? I'd love to stay 2-3 months. I believe 90 days is the most you can stay on just a passport?

I started writing down all these questions I was thinking about today, and love some input about them.

-If I can stay 2-3 months, what jobs can I get? I won't have a working visa so I know most jobs won't be doable. I'm currently a personal trainer, and do some part time english conversation help with ESL students. I'm just 2 classes shy of my bachelors and will finish this fall. If I really like Japan, I think I'd like to come back after I get my B.S. and get a steady job.

-Dating... I'm not gonna lie. I'm VERY attracted to Japanese and Chinese women (oddly not the other asians though). There's two main things I'm worried about when going to japan. 1) I'm gonna want to date pretty much every woman that shows interest in me. I'm gonna have to learn some restraint. 2) How do I tell if a japanese woman is actually interested in ME or just wants to date a white guy?

-I'm a competitive boxer. Are there any boxing gyms around?

-Housing costs. I'm not a materialistic person. I see the main money drain when I go there is housing and food. How expensive are hostels, or are there temporary housing (like sublets?) around? In boston, you can rent a room (roommate living conditions) for about 500$ a month. Food will cost you 250ish. So you can easily survive for about 1000$ in boston for a month, and I'm really hoping it's the same in Tokyo.

-Tourism vs Experiencing. I want to EXPERIENCE Japan/tokyo. I don't want to be just another tourist doing the usual touristy things. Hence why I'd like to find some type of sublet housing and get a temp job.

-Celebrities: Are celebrities seen much walking around? And is it ever possible to contact one? I have a huge crush on a singer and would love to be able to email or write her a letter, but have no clue in where to start for that.

-Concert/social costs: How much are music concert tickets generally? And how much is a "night out" with friends usually cost? I'm not a club go-er, but do enjoy bars/lounges

-For some stupid reason, I got the word gaijin tattoo'd on my forearm when I turned 18. I'm going to try to get it removed or at least covered before I go there. I do have a cross tatoo on the other forearm though and wondering if this will cause any problems. It's pretty small and on the inside of the arm.

-Is there ANYWAY to know when people are friends/being friendly with you because they actually think you're a cool person or because you're just a white guy? I'm very nervous of people "befriending" me just cause of my race.

-When you're craving american food (I know I WILL crave a good hamburger!), is it usually easy to get? and good?

-How hot is it in summer? and how long?

-If I get injured and have to go to a hospital, what happens? Am I even covered?

-Phone. I have a cellphone here, but it won't work there. Do they have prepaid phones that are cheap? My current phone is prepaid and very cheap (5-10 cents/min).

-I have just a MASS car/motorcycle license, is it good enough so I can rent a car/motorcycle?

-how much is it to travel in country (trains) and out of country, but still in asia (thinking of china and australia)

-some major do/don'ts of ettiquettes I should be aware of?


thanks for reading! Any answers are very much welcomed!
Also attached a pic of me for kicks

Oh boy.

1) Do you speak the langauge ?

If you don't forget everything you asked.

2) You get a 90 day visa

3)$1000 a month in Tokyo for food and lodging ?

Heck no

4) Work ?

Highly doubtful

5) Being in Tokyo you will experence Japan, the Japanese like to do their "touristy" stuff too.

6) Why on earth would you get Gaijin tattoed on yourself ?

7) If you want to see Celeberities, go to Manhattan better odds

8) Girls are not going to be throwing themselves at you.

8) READ Houstek's guide, THE WHOLE THING !!!!

I don't mean to sound harsh but you sound very, very naive.

Before I left for my trip here (which I'm enjoying very much) I must have done 3 months of research on web. Including reading every single post on every thread in this forum.

doing it now!


why exactly?

Yup, that's what i'll be doing until I leave. I got a good 8-10 weeks left before I go.

Nothing legally. They don't call it a TOURIST VISA for nothing.

Same as any other women around the world although it will help if you can communicate in a language that you are both comfortable with. And given you will be outta there in 3 months, what both are you are looking for.

There should be, google it.

The most economical besides gastly Gaijin House/Youth Hostel are weekly mansions which last time I checked is around $1600 a month on current exchange rates.

You can't get a job legally on a tourist visa.

About the same chance as you bump into a celebrity in LA. Chances are, if he/she is famouse, they will have a blog on ameblo.jp, you can leave a message there. As to whether he/she reads it is another matter.

Depends on area and concert. Also depends on whether it is a Japanese pub (Izakaya) or a western one but prices are comparable if not a little more expensive than the US.

Tattoos are not well received in Japan and tattooing the word Gaijin on your forearm makes it that much worse.

You have to talk to them in a language they understand, i.e. Japanese. Around Tokyo, there are plenty of white guys and a few of them are very fluent in Japanese which gets a lot of respect. If you just going to blast English at people, then you will be discounted as just another arrogant Gaijin.

The usual US chains are there like Maccers and Fridays. There are Japanese style US food like Mosburger and Fast Kitchen. It's a burger, you can't screw it up.

Summer is not hot but its humid so it is very uncomfortable even at low temperatures. Think big sauna. Go check the internet for summer lengths.

Only if you have travel insurance. English health care is limited and very expensive.

Japanese cell phone standards keeps on changing but if your phone is 3G compatible, you will be able to roam at ungodly prices. If you need to buy a prepaid, it will be around $100-200 excluding call costs.

Dunno, you will need to google this one. How comfortable are you on driving on the LEFT hand side of the road?

Expensive, very expensive. Even going to China costs around $600-700US. Not that much different from going to Australia.

Don't use your phone on the trains, don't stick your chopsticks in rice, don't talk loudly anywhere, learn some Japanese phrases, and DON'T expect ANYBODY to speak English.

what is..houstek's guide?:confused:

http://www.japanforum.com/forum/japa...ide-tokyo.html

He has good questions, guys, so let's supportive and helpful answers.

yz81, I mean no disrespect.

It sounds to me like you expect everyone to speak english and have an interest in you because you are white.

If I read that wrong I appologize.

You certainly don't have to be fluent in order to just get around and have fun. But what you want to do is going to involve the langauge and a fair bit of it.

Jeez, are both of these answers accurate? I would have at least figured phones would be cheap. You get prepaid phones here for under 50$ and just buy minute cards which range from 5-10 cents/min.

As for housing, aren't there like family housing programs? Where a family basically houses traveling students? I definitely don't mind paying rent to a family or person to share a place, but would like to keep it under 700$ a month.

Yes very accurate.

If it means anything your incoming calls and texts are free on the cell.

I'm just going by what i've been told by friends and read online. I took 2 semesters of japanese, so I know at least some. About the being white thing I'm getting from my asian friends. They say if I go pretty much anywhere in asia, I'll be treated like a minor celebrity. Maybe they're just saying it to play with me though.

Oh thats not bad then. So all incoming calls/text are free? no matter their duration?

You mean homestay? Yes but its not cheap.

$700 a month? that's $23 a day, well you can't even afford youth hostels at that rate. There are really nasty dormitories that I heard can go as low as $20 but I have no idea where to find them. Of course conditions would be like shared toilets, and 4 people+ per room kind of condition I'd imagine.

Things are expensive in Japan especially right now due to the massive appreciation of the Yen.

Only in small provicial towns in remote part of Asia where nobody has seen a white person.

Not in Tokyo, plenty of clueless white guys with their loud English, it is neither appricated or welcomed.

To the best of my knowledge yes.

Housetek mentions using Skype and having that number forwarded to the cell here.

I though about grabbing one but seeing as I have free internet from the hotel I decided not bother. Just using email instead.

I'm clueless, but I'm not loud :)

Thanks for the help for those that gave answers. It will help me better prepare.

How will finances change if I go with a friend or two? Will I be able to save a decent amount that way?

I have red hair and freckles and pretty much no one has given me a second glace. The odd one here and there but nothing special.

For accomodation, why not. However, you still need to expand that budget of $700 a month. I mean that's just way too low.

One more tip, if you see a vending machine with pictures of food on them outside a restraunt, use it before you go in the restraunt. Those are food voucher machines, you put the money in to get the food voucher, then you present the voucher to the shop assistant inside. I've seen too many times where people just marched in and the shop assistant has to explain over and over again how the food voucher works, in a language he/she can't speak.

I'll be going there with about 2500-3000$ total, I'm just hoping it lasts me a good 2 months, 3 if possible.

Arent there under the table temp jobs people can get? Technically not legal, but there's gotta be something I can get. I honestly think I'll be pretty bored there for 2 months if I'm not at least doing a part time job. Sight seeing is nice and all, but I can't do that for 2 months straight!
I have like "life ADD" and if I'm not working or taking a class, I get bored very quickly.

You might want to consider visiting some other part of Japan besides Tokyo. Outside of Tokyo a) things are a lot cheaper, b) you can experience more traditional Japanese life and scenery, c) you can be stared at and ohhed and ahhed over more. Tokyo is ok, but I much preferred the Japanese countryside and other cities and towns. A big city is much like any other big city... lots of high rises, bustling people, expensive, noisy, crowded... give me rural Japan over that any day. And you can get by for a lot less money and stay longer if you leave Tokyo.

I forgot to ask, but is one of the other major cities a lot cheaper than tokyo? Maybe I should mainly stay in another city and just visit tokyo.

hahaha, must have typed this right before you posted that :)

It's 2009. Unless you are a minor celebrity you are not going to be treated like a minor celebrity in Japan unless you 1) go to small towns or 2) go back in time about 25 years.

$1600 for a place to stay in Tokyo for a month is as good as you are going to get.

Why not take $3000 and go for a month if you have "life ADD". Japan is in a recession. Jobs are at a premium. Housewives are picking up part-time works when the kids are at school. Students are also scooping up more jobs. And FOBs who don't speak fluent Japanese and are going to disappear in a matter of weeks are not attractive candidates for work. Impossible? No. Likely? No.

well, I AM a cityboy, but I think I'll take your suggestion about going to a less expensive city. What do you think are the top 5 or 6 major cities besides tokyo?

It might just be where my friends are from. The ones who told me that I'd be a "minor celebrity" were from china, vietnam, cambodia, thailand and phillipines. Maybe it's just where they came from. I really need to get some japanese friends haha. Boston doesn't seem to have lot for some reason. It's all chinese/vietnamese here.

With your budget, I am not sure how much mass travel you are going to do. Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Sapporo, Fukuoaka are all less expensive cities to stay in. But a round trip ticket to Tokyo from Osaka is over $400.00, so there is almost 1/6 of your budget right there.

Mexico and the US border each other, but couldn't be more different. Life in Cambodia and The Phillipines is very different from Japan, especially Tokyo.

NY and LA has lots of Japanese people.

I'd like to just pick 1 city and stay in that city I think. 400$ for train or plane?
Which of those cities have large airports? I can try to just get a direct flight from boston, or just have a stopover in tokyo.

Osaka has an international airport, and is central to the Kansai region.

Or if you waited and went in July, you could get an 18 kippu and travel by train for very cheap... Tokyo to Osaka for about $25, for instance, by taking local trains.

In my experience there are 3 basic things that affect how you are treated by locals.
1) How long you are going to be in the area.
2) How much Japanese you speak and your willingness to use even your most basic Japanese.
3) What type of Job you have while you are there or if you are just a tourist

You are going to be a tourist, it is unescapable. Unless you go there for work you will be treated as a tourist, unless you lie about it.

You are right to think that is a different experience between living and "touristing" in Japan. I was in Hiroshima for 6 months working for my US company. I have since returned to Japan a few times and it is a very different experience during the day. The nightlife however is pretty much the same as long as you establish yourself as someone who will be in the area for awhile or have connections to locals. But being a tourist you will be treated a little differently, people will be friendly but they won't neccesarily build a friendship because they know you are going to leave soon.

Real dating is going to be a problem because you are there short term. Oftentimes the first two questions I got asked by women were "How old are you?" and "How long are in in Japan for?" Most are generally interested in a relationship but if you are only going to be there for a month they aren't going to put themselves in a position to get hurt. As far as whether they are interested in you because you are white, you won't know anymore than they will know you aren't with them because they are Japanese.

Going out can be as cheap or expensive as you want to make it. I had nights where I spent 15,000yen and there was also a week where I went out and got drunk every night and only spent 20,000yen for the whole week. 4,000 to 7,500yen covered most nights out.

I don't know why people are saying it doesn't get hot in Japan during the summer. Granted, the humidity is killer at nearly 100% from July through September but it also reaches 100 farenheit semi-regularly and it doesn't really cool off during the night.

thx polar and mmm.


if you read my guide. you'll realize 3k wont get you far.


look around 1500/mo if your staying in one of the apartments i recommended maybe cheaper in a hostel or shared apartment.

im going in june for about a month.

1500 for ticket. round trip
1200 apartment for a month

bam already that like your entire budget give or take a few hundred.

you'll barley last 1 month let alone 2 or 3.

with out a proper work visa, you will not get a job.


unless you got some really nice connections. or find some under the table job with some one you know.

save some more money up, enjoy a month.

rather then trying to skimp by for 3 months living like a bum.


vietnam is cheaper and is nice.

not as exciting or as fun. most things close at 12, and it being a communist country. there are a lot of things you need to know b4 you go around the city.

Also as a tourist there, you better be careful and know where NOT to go.

to put it bluntly, you step in the wrong area, they will rob you.

stay in the touristy areas, and you'll be fine.

Like MMM said, you can stay outside Tokyo, in cheaper cities.

but you'll have to spend a lot of money getting around, and also trains close at a certain time. so dont expect to enjoy much Tokyo night life.

read the guide over carefully. check your budgeting

yz81: Don't get us wrong, we aren't telling you not to go.

We want you to go and enjoy yourself. We're just trying to get all the surprises out of the way so your armed with what to expect and can just kick back and enjoy yourself.

Look at my post asking for advice and see how my iternary changed which it did.

As an example as convient as I find where I'm staying in Shinkuju spitting distance from the station. After the first week I would have been comfortable to have stayed a little farther out for cheaper.

I'll make those adjustments for when I visit next year.

Japan isn't going anywhere and you aren't going to miss any once in a lifetime events.

MMM words "Who wants to see Japan as a poor person" resonated with me and I took them to heart. It's important to have bases covered the first time you make a trip like this especialy in a place like Japan. You want a wide safety net for the first time then you can get creative once your familar.

If you get bored fast, and you are short on cash -- yes you are -- why on earth do you want to stay for that long. "Sight seeing is nice and all, but I can't do that for 2 months straight!" Then stay for a month or less!

Christ dude.

If it is a wife you are hunting for, go to the Philippines or Thailand like everybody else. It is going to be a lot easier and cheaper.

You won't find anything decent with shouting English, so start working on you japanese if a wife is your quest.

If you just want some fun, stay for a month or less and blow your money.

I don't see what is so important about staying for as long as possible if you don't want to.

As for work, ask the Nigerians

haha soo true. anthrax

im going to Japan in a year and a half. im not Japanese at all but im native american which doesn't help. please help me prepare so i dont make a fool out of my self. are there any books you can suggest i should read. anything at all would help. THANKS!!!!!!!! ;)