Japan

[Jerry1]

SIL is going to Japan for work. He’ll get two days to hang out on his own. I told him to connect with someone at work so he could get to experience something more local and less touristy.

Anyway, my question is about money. Of course the answer is “as much as possible” but he doesn’t have much. How much would be good for a couple days of fun? This might be a once in a life time for him and I want to make sure he can enjoy it.

Also, he’ll be in Tokyo. What is “the one thing” he shouldn’t miss?

 

[Car-Guy]

Downtown Tokyo at night to see the lights (free). Go with someone that knows the area and "speaks" the language. Japan is not an easy country to get around if you don't speak the language. But I found the people are generally pretty friendly and a few speak some English.

 

[Jerry1]

Downtown Tokyo at night to see the lights (free). Go with someone that knows the area and "speaks" the language. Japan is not an easy country to get around if you don't speak the language. But I found the people are generally pretty friendly and a few speak some English.

He’s so excited. He took 4 years of Japanese in school. That was one of the reasons he was hired. His company is Japanese headquartered. Though I would agree, he would do best with someone local to get the best of his time there.

 

[tmm99]

Actually, if it's his first time and with just two days of free time, he doesn't really need to go to any touristy places. Just get off at any big train station (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ikebukuro, etc - all on the JR Yamanote Line) and walk around and observe (night time too).

Eat at ramen shops ("Tonkotsu ramen" is big among young people) and pick up some ready-made bento's. Less than $10 per meal. You need cash there. Japan is not a credit card friendly place.

I'm from Japan myself, but when my DH (who's from the UK) went to Japan for the first time, his comment when he was in Tokyo was, "I imagined it would be like visiting another planet, and you know what? It is!"

 

[Aus_E_Expat]

I travel to Japan regularly - I was there 2 weeks ago.

Despite not speaking a word of Japanese, I find I can get around Tokyo easily.

I think the easiest way is to go on the subway / trains. All of the signs and announcements are available in English (and Japanese, of course). The ticket vending machines have an English button.

Street signs are in English.

Google maps on the phone will give directions when walking.

Going in a taxi can be a problem as most taxi drivers do not speak English.


I had a free weekend in Tokyo in October and had a great time sightseeing for very little money (just train fares and incidentals). Just wandering around and seeing things in the park or in the street is great for a first time visitor. Going to temples / shrines are only for nominal cost.

In my experience, credit cards are accepted most places but I agree that using cash is probably best.

The ATMs in 7Elevens (which are everywhere) have English option and will allow you to withdraw cash on almost every ATM card, so you can just take out what you need each day.

Food is not expensive (unless you want to go upmarket). I was eating a lot in restaurants near Tokyo Station and Shinjuku Station - cost was about Y1,000 per meal (US$10).

 

[Aerides]

The train system is japan is great, Tokyo metro superb. Safe, easy, and gets you everywhere. Have him load up a metro card to use the whole time. Google maps works perfectly in tokyo, and given the reliability of the trains it works very well with them.

Is your SIL into games/anime? (If he's under 30 and into Japan enough to have studied, that's a likely yes). If so he'll want to spend time in Akihabara, the district in Tokyo dedicated to them. If he has a Sunday free, that's the best day to go as they close the streets to traffic, and more cos-players will be out and about.

Tokyo Sky Tree is a nice tourist spot to see the whole city, and it's near the Asakusa area which has a couple shrines and shopping.

Ueno park zoo has giant pandas.

And have someone take him for dinner at their favorite izakaya.

 

[bingybear]

One of my son's studied in Japan for a year. If your SIL is moving over there for a job, how much money does he need until he will be collecting a pay check is more like the question. Is someone over there going to pay up front for some living?

What we did was to set up a bank account in a US bank that has a presence in Japan. I bought Yen using Forex and had the Yen wired to his bank account in Japan.

If SIL needs to rent a place or stay in a hotel for a few days, the amount to bring with him would be different that just food, etc.

If you or SIL transfers larger sums of money, make sure you keep in in the banking system so there is no question that it is legit

 

[MichaelB]

Just to clarify, is the son in law moving to Japan, or traveling there for a work related visit?

 

[Jerry1]

Just to clarify, is the son in law moving to Japan, or traveling there for a work related visit?

Just a 10 day business trip with two days all to himself.

 

[bingybear]

does he have a good ATM card that will allow him to withdraw yen with little or no cost internationally? I have a schwab bank card where the ATM transaction fees are reimbursed and the exchange rate is good.


Like any travel you can do it affordably or pay a lot. Japan is no different. Base how much money based on what He might do. How much would you spend if you went to London, UK?

Sorry I did interpret your post as he was going to Japan for WORK (extended working), not for a business trip. I would assume if he is on a business trip the food and lodging would be reimbursed by the company.

 

[Jerry1]

Yes, food and lodging are taken care of. I was wondering if he could have some fun with say $500. I’ve heard so much about how expensive Tokyo is, I wasn’t sure if that was chump change there or pretty good for a couple days. Sounds like there’s enough to do that isn’t too costly, which is great.

I will see what his ATM/CC situation is. Probably to late to do anything now, but he can at least manage the extra charges wisely if he’s aware of them.

 

[bingybear]

It's been about a decade since I was in Japan. You could catch a bullet train to Nikko and see the historical sites (look it up) . It is a nice day trip.

There are plenty of things to see in Tokyo/Yokohama and just take the local trains around. You can find some affordable food. But you can also do higher end entertainment.

For us it was interesting to see the place and enjoy more "normal" meals like ramen. give him $500, I'm sure he'll find some way to spend it.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

When there on business a few years ago I found it very easy to get around without knowing any Japanese, esp in Tokyo.

Of course, he should do his research before arrival. There are two different subway systems in Tokyo and be careful which fare card you get - be sure to get the one good on either line. One member in our party didn't and got caught by a turnstile when changing trains. There are good phone apps available to help navigate the system which I found invaluable. It used my gps location to tell me exactly which lines to catch and where to make connections to take me to my destinations.

I loved Tokyo! I think it would be hard not to have a good time there.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

We go to Japan fairly regularly too, most recently this spring. Similar thought as other posters...

It really depends on what your SIL is interested in. We generally just like to explore the neighbourhoods, markets, parks/temples, etc so it's pretty cheap. Transportation can add up but there are way to mitigate (2 day tourist metro pass, Suica card, etc). Once you start hitting up the shows (eg Robot dinner show) and the more expensive paid attractions, the costs can start adding up.

IMO, $500 for 2 days if lodging is covered is more than enough unless he's doing a lot more splurgy things, taking taxis, etc.

 

[HI Bill]

I think you could do mostly free stuff, staying in inexpensive hotels, and maybe get by with $300, or even less. JR railway is cheap. Walking around Shinjuku and Akiobara are free. Ramend is cheap (lots of good places to eat inexpensively at a train stations, grocery stores that have bento boxes, and at malls). Just the train stations are fascinating to me! Lots of natural beauty as well!

 

[Jerry1]

Thanks all. I’ve forwarded these comments/suggestions to him.

 

[tmm99]

If he needs lodging, I recommend MyStay hotels - They are all over Japan, and they are more affordable than business hotels (less than $100/night in Tokyo, some as low as $77/night or something) because there is no housekeeping and you have to take your own baggage out. The rooms are equipped with a stove, a fridge, and a microwave and they lend you pans, forks, etc.
https://www.mystays.com/en-us/hotels
They are usually in walking distance to major train stations or subway stations.
DH and I stayed at one of them near Ikebukuro (Otsuka which is one station away from Ikebukuro) and were quite happy.

I also get a Wifi hotspot at Narita/Haneda airport when I visit Japan. And I bring it with me wherever I go and to look at google map, yelp, etc using my phone ($8/day).

I personally think the currency exchange rate at Narita and Haneda airports for USD->JPY is excellent.

 

[deserat]

This is all great information from all of you - I have not gone to Japan but when I do I will definitely revisit this thread!