Japan on the cheap with a young teenager
October 17, 2015 9:17 AM Subscribe
My 7th grader is fascinated with Japan and Japanese culture and has been asking for a long time if we can go to Japan. I've never traveled overseas and have no idea where to start.
Spring break is 2 weeks in March, although half of that is spoken for. We'd likely be flying from MSP through LAX. The kid has learned some Japanese via books and videos and immersion camp; I have no Japanese language skills. She's most interested in Tokyo, like all nerd children, but I'm open to suggestions. I did tell her it might be another year or two before we can go (lots of moving and other one-time expenditures this past year) but would like to get an idea if it's even feasible.
Is one week worthwhile counting travel and jet lag recovery time (14 hour difference)? Realistically, how expensive can I expect things to be? Recommendations for two first-time visitors on a budget? Can someone allergic to fish eat safely in Japan or should we pack a separate carry-on of epipens? Hope my kid, Metafilter!
Spring break is 2 weeks in March, although half of that is spoken for. We'd likely be flying from MSP through LAX. The kid has learned some Japanese via books and videos and immersion camp; I have no Japanese language skills. She's most interested in Tokyo, like all nerd children, but I'm open to suggestions. I did tell her it might be another year or two before we can go (lots of moving and other one-time expenditures this past year) but would like to get an idea if it's even feasible.
Is one week worthwhile counting travel and jet lag recovery time (14 hour difference)? Realistically, how expensive can I expect things to be? Recommendations for two first-time visitors on a budget? Can someone allergic to fish eat safely in Japan or should we pack a separate carry-on of epipens? Hope my kid, Metafilter!
I wouldn't go to Asia from the US for a week unless I didn't have a choice about it. It's such a long flight, and you lose 2 days from your trip just in transit. You'll likely lose another half day to binge sleeping somewhere in the middle once you start to get acclimated to the time change, leaving you with maybe 4 and a half days of useable time. I would really try to manage two weeks to make the flight worthwhile - plus that would give you enough time to visit other parts of Japan or even another country while you're there.
Tokyo was expensive, but didn't seem outrageously bad (I'm in NYC, so am used to expensive cities). It was probably 10-15% more expensive than New York for the kind of stuff you'd buy out and about during the day and it's a cash-only sort of place, so you have to be prepared for that (but 7-11 atms have english menus and work fine for american cards, so don't worry too much about that). It seemed like there were a ton of great hotel deals (at least during the winter when I was there).
I was fine as a vegan and didn't notice being fed anything with fish (I have a pretty good radar for that, but my life doesn't depend on it!). I did a ton of research in advance and ate as much as I could at vegetarian/vegan places (and even some of the vegetarian ones used fish-based dashi). I don't think you'll be able to count on walking into a random restaurant and being sure you'll avoid all fish and fish-derived products given the language barrier and the ubiquity of fish products.
I'll second that the people I encountered were generally helpful and nice, even if you're totally hapless and can barely manage anything more than please and thank you in Japanese. It is probably worth it to pick a hotel where at least one of the staff members speaks English so you can ask for help calling restaurants to make reservations and such.
posted by snaw at 11:17 AM on October 17, 2015
Tokyo was expensive, but didn't seem outrageously bad (I'm in NYC, so am used to expensive cities). It was probably 10-15% more expensive than New York for the kind of stuff you'd buy out and about during the day and it's a cash-only sort of place, so you have to be prepared for that (but 7-11 atms have english menus and work fine for american cards, so don't worry too much about that). It seemed like there were a ton of great hotel deals (at least during the winter when I was there).
I was fine as a vegan and didn't notice being fed anything with fish (I have a pretty good radar for that, but my life doesn't depend on it!). I did a ton of research in advance and ate as much as I could at vegetarian/vegan places (and even some of the vegetarian ones used fish-based dashi). I don't think you'll be able to count on walking into a random restaurant and being sure you'll avoid all fish and fish-derived products given the language barrier and the ubiquity of fish products.
I'll second that the people I encountered were generally helpful and nice, even if you're totally hapless and can barely manage anything more than please and thank you in Japanese. It is probably worth it to pick a hotel where at least one of the staff members speaks English so you can ask for help calling restaurants to make reservations and such.
posted by snaw at 11:17 AM on October 17, 2015
I used to live in Japan and go back just about every year for two weeks. A few thoughts:
* one week is probably too short even if you are just planning to see Tokyo and side trips to nearby areas like Kamakura and Nikko. If you want to see other places like Kyoto, you would want to add a few days. Don't forget that you need to subtract one day going and one day coming back. I say, do it right and give yourself two weeks.
* as tourists in Tokyo, you will be able to "get by" without knowing any Japanese.
* fish is in a lot of Japanese food in the form of broths and other component ingredients
* start budgeting now. Economy class tickets will be about $1,800 each for a decent flight. You'll want a few thousand more to cover all of your expenses in Japan (lodging, food, transportation, shopping)
Due to time and budget constraints, you might want to save this trip until spring 2017.
posted by Tanizaki at 11:34 AM on October 17, 2015
* one week is probably too short even if you are just planning to see Tokyo and side trips to nearby areas like Kamakura and Nikko. If you want to see other places like Kyoto, you would want to add a few days. Don't forget that you need to subtract one day going and one day coming back. I say, do it right and give yourself two weeks.
* as tourists in Tokyo, you will be able to "get by" without knowing any Japanese.
* fish is in a lot of Japanese food in the form of broths and other component ingredients
* start budgeting now. Economy class tickets will be about $1,800 each for a decent flight. You'll want a few thousand more to cover all of your expenses in Japan (lodging, food, transportation, shopping)
Due to time and budget constraints, you might want to save this trip until spring 2017.
posted by Tanizaki at 11:34 AM on October 17, 2015
ps. my ticket from chile to osaka was $980 from united (one person return, via usa). a hotel in osaka ("dormy inn") was $100/night for two people.
posted by andrewcooke at 11:48 AM on October 17, 2015
posted by andrewcooke at 11:48 AM on October 17, 2015
You and your child will both need passports. You should start looking into the process of getting a passport now, or as soon as possible. Doing it early might save you money by not having to pay expedite fees for faster processing. You will need some additional documentation, like a birth certificate. Make sure you have everything needed or start getting those documents now. For adults, passports are valid for 10 years. I don't know how long they are valid for children. Fees will be about $135 per person.
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/first-time.html
For a one week stay in Japan, you will not need to obtain a visa. (Assuming you are both citizens of the U.S.)
For a one week trip on a budget, airfare will probably be the single largest expense. You could start looking online now to get an idea for what the flights will cost and see if that is within your budget. If searching for flights is totally bewildering, you could check out a travel agent if you have any in your area. In general, buying the flight in advance will get you a better price than trying to buy one last minute.
For lodging, I found Japan to be relatively affordable. In the summer of 2013, I was able to get hotel rooms for around $100 a night. Comparable rooms in California would have been $150 to $200. If the two of you are sharing a room, then this is probably relatively affordable. Another option would be hostels. A hostel is typically a shared sleeping arrangement, with anywhere from 4 to 20 people in a single room. A cursory search found hostels available for $20 to $30 per night per person. This might be a reasonable option if you are on a very tight budget.
I think a one week trip to Japan is totally worth it. You shouldn't necessarily assume that a certain number of days will be wiped out due to jet lag. While everybody is different, I personally have been able to do a full day of activities on my first day there. There's lots of information online about how to reduce jet lag.
On a week long trip, I would recommend not spending the whole time in Tokyo. It's really worth your while to get to Kyoto for two or three days. It's about 3 hours between Tokyo and Kyoto on the bullet train, and costs about $100 one way. It might be cheaper to buy a Japan Rail pass rather than just buying the tickets. This is something you should look into before leaving, as the Japan Rail pass can only be bought outside of the Japan. (It's intended for tourists.)
For food, if you're going really cheap, you could probably live on $20 per person per day eating convenience store food and ramen every day. A more realistic budget would probably be $30-40 per person per day.
You should probably budget around $10 per person per day for getting around. And factor in entrace fees for museums and temples and the like. So probably $0 to $30 per person per day, depending on what you're interested in.
Japan is relatively easy to get around as someone who speaks only English.
posted by cruelfood at 11:53 AM on October 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/first-time.html
For a one week stay in Japan, you will not need to obtain a visa. (Assuming you are both citizens of the U.S.)
For a one week trip on a budget, airfare will probably be the single largest expense. You could start looking online now to get an idea for what the flights will cost and see if that is within your budget. If searching for flights is totally bewildering, you could check out a travel agent if you have any in your area. In general, buying the flight in advance will get you a better price than trying to buy one last minute.
For lodging, I found Japan to be relatively affordable. In the summer of 2013, I was able to get hotel rooms for around $100 a night. Comparable rooms in California would have been $150 to $200. If the two of you are sharing a room, then this is probably relatively affordable. Another option would be hostels. A hostel is typically a shared sleeping arrangement, with anywhere from 4 to 20 people in a single room. A cursory search found hostels available for $20 to $30 per night per person. This might be a reasonable option if you are on a very tight budget.
I think a one week trip to Japan is totally worth it. You shouldn't necessarily assume that a certain number of days will be wiped out due to jet lag. While everybody is different, I personally have been able to do a full day of activities on my first day there. There's lots of information online about how to reduce jet lag.
On a week long trip, I would recommend not spending the whole time in Tokyo. It's really worth your while to get to Kyoto for two or three days. It's about 3 hours between Tokyo and Kyoto on the bullet train, and costs about $100 one way. It might be cheaper to buy a Japan Rail pass rather than just buying the tickets. This is something you should look into before leaving, as the Japan Rail pass can only be bought outside of the Japan. (It's intended for tourists.)
For food, if you're going really cheap, you could probably live on $20 per person per day eating convenience store food and ramen every day. A more realistic budget would probably be $30-40 per person per day.
You should probably budget around $10 per person per day for getting around. And factor in entrace fees for museums and temples and the like. So probably $0 to $30 per person per day, depending on what you're interested in.
Japan is relatively easy to get around as someone who speaks only English.
posted by cruelfood at 11:53 AM on October 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not speaking Japanese is not a problem in Tokyo in most circumstances. Not because most people speak English (they don't), but because the most important things in Tokyo are marked with signs in both English and Japanese. Also, customer service professionals in Japan are generally willing to go well out of their way to help you, even if it involves ten minutes of gesture-based communication.
Tokyo is huge and I found that two weeks there left me feeling I had barely scratched the surface (though it was a business trip, so I was working during office hours for the most part). I only got out of Tokyo once for a daytrip to Yokohama, and it was very nice. If you do only go for a week, I would recommend probably staying in Tokyo the whole time and thinking of it as a Tokyo trip rather than a Japan trip. It would be silly, with only 5 or 6 usable days, to spend hours on trains to neighbouring cities.
Food and entertainment is not that expensive. It's easy to get an excellent dinner for around $20 at any of a billion excellent restaurants just off the main drag. If you don't eat fish, it's going to be a little harder to find good food, but I personally wouldn't mind eating soba every day. If one of you has a serious allergy to fish though, I would definitely bring epi-pens and, frankly, plan on having to use them. There is absolutely no way you are going to be able to ask if an otherwise vegetarian dish has fish sauce or fish flakes in it and be confident in the answer.
There is so much stuff in Tokyo (like most cities) that is essentially free. It costs nothing to visit the Imperial gardens. It is entirely free to spend an afternoon wandering Akihabara. No one collects tickets for walking across the Rainbow Bridge.
Go.
posted by 256 at 12:45 PM on October 17, 2015
Tokyo is huge and I found that two weeks there left me feeling I had barely scratched the surface (though it was a business trip, so I was working during office hours for the most part). I only got out of Tokyo once for a daytrip to Yokohama, and it was very nice. If you do only go for a week, I would recommend probably staying in Tokyo the whole time and thinking of it as a Tokyo trip rather than a Japan trip. It would be silly, with only 5 or 6 usable days, to spend hours on trains to neighbouring cities.
Food and entertainment is not that expensive. It's easy to get an excellent dinner for around $20 at any of a billion excellent restaurants just off the main drag. If you don't eat fish, it's going to be a little harder to find good food, but I personally wouldn't mind eating soba every day. If one of you has a serious allergy to fish though, I would definitely bring epi-pens and, frankly, plan on having to use them. There is absolutely no way you are going to be able to ask if an otherwise vegetarian dish has fish sauce or fish flakes in it and be confident in the answer.
There is so much stuff in Tokyo (like most cities) that is essentially free. It costs nothing to visit the Imperial gardens. It is entirely free to spend an afternoon wandering Akihabara. No one collects tickets for walking across the Rainbow Bridge.
Go.
posted by 256 at 12:45 PM on October 17, 2015
I visited Japan and tried to avoid fish because I'm vegan. Fish stock is in an awful lot of Japanese food - even things that appear to be completely vegetarian, but it's not impossible to avoid. There are lots of proper vegan places in Tokyo - you might need to travel a little and you will need to plan ahead, but you'll be able to eat excellent fish-free Japanese food. We ended up eating a lot of delicious mochi rice cakes from railway stations too.
It might be a good idea to get a slightly larger hotel room with a small kitchen - we found a relatively large room in Shinjuku (a district of Tokyo) near a lovely park, that was only slightly more than a small central Tokyo room (although prices might be different now).
I don't think a week is long enough, but given a choice between going for a week or not going, I'd choose the week.
I can definitely recommend the Hello Kitty Japanese/English phrasebook.
posted by BinaryApe at 12:59 PM on October 17, 2015
It might be a good idea to get a slightly larger hotel room with a small kitchen - we found a relatively large room in Shinjuku (a district of Tokyo) near a lovely park, that was only slightly more than a small central Tokyo room (although prices might be different now).
I don't think a week is long enough, but given a choice between going for a week or not going, I'd choose the week.
I can definitely recommend the Hello Kitty Japanese/English phrasebook.
posted by BinaryApe at 12:59 PM on October 17, 2015
I lived in Japan, and I've worked with teenagers. In a few years she won't be 12, and may or may not still be interested. People change a lot between 12 and 15!
Go now. Strike while the irons hot! One week is short...could you do two at the end of the school year?
posted by jrobin276 at 1:50 PM on October 17, 2015
Go now. Strike while the irons hot! One week is short...could you do two at the end of the school year?
posted by jrobin276 at 1:50 PM on October 17, 2015
Went to Tokyo as a teen three times, no more than a couple of weeks each time (around New Year's). In a week you'll never do more than scratch the surface - but what a surface!
If you're going to stick to just the city, try to choose one neighborhood, one main activity, and one type of food for each day. (That's not how I planned my stays, but it's pretty much how my Tokyo memories are shaped now.)
My only preparation for going was a copy of Empire of Signs, and a season of Sumo on ITV (or was it BBC 4?). It can be quite unforgettable.
posted by progosk at 2:39 PM on October 17, 2015
If you're going to stick to just the city, try to choose one neighborhood, one main activity, and one type of food for each day. (That's not how I planned my stays, but it's pretty much how my Tokyo memories are shaped now.)
My only preparation for going was a copy of Empire of Signs, and a season of Sumo on ITV (or was it BBC 4?). It can be quite unforgettable.
posted by progosk at 2:39 PM on October 17, 2015
How sound a sleeper are you and your child ordinarily? I went to Korea for a week about a year ago. I probably lost one day on each end due to travel exhaustion, but after that I was fine for tourism purposes, though I was waking and sleeping fairly early. But I don't usually have much trouble falling asleep.
posted by yarntheory at 2:42 PM on October 17, 2015
posted by yarntheory at 2:42 PM on October 17, 2015
One recommendation, speaking as a former nerd child: Akihabara can be a little dry, because a lot of it is used electronics. (I still recommend going, though.) If your nerd child is into videogames/anime/manga etc. like I was, you'll find a lot more nerd per square inch in a weird, stuffy Tokyo mall called "Nakano Broadway," which is filled to bursting with weird old collectibles.
posted by Polycarp at 3:45 PM on October 17, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Polycarp at 3:45 PM on October 17, 2015 [3 favorites]
You might want to buy an allergy card in Japanese to show at restaurants.
posted by Joleta at 6:26 PM on October 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Joleta at 6:26 PM on October 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
One week is a short trip, but it's doable. But I would definitely stay in Tokyo rather than trying to travel - travel time isn't bad, but rail fare is relatively expensive, and there's more than enough to see in Tokyo to keep you busy for a few weeks.
As others have mentioned, you can get very reasonable hotel rates, but try to book as far in advance as possible. Tokyo is becoming extremely popular with tourists, more and more so every year, so the situation may change by 2017. Don't stay in a hostel (or a ryokan) if you're prone to jet lag - you may want to take a mid-day nap from time to time.
Can someone allergic to fish eat safely in Japan or should we pack a separate carry-on of epipens?
You can eat safely if you don't eat Japanese food. Japanese cuisine is heavily fish-based, and fish-based seasonings such as dried bonito flakes are very widely used for flavoring in dishes like soba, tofu, and so on - items you might think would be vegetarian. An "allergy card" is useful only in that you can show it to the emergency-room doctor; it will simply be ignored in whatever restaurant you go to, or whoever reads it won't actually know whether bonito flakes are used in the broth or not, or they won't even think of them as "fish," since they're so ubiquitous.
On the other hand Tokyo is a very cosmopolitan city with excellent food from around the world, so you won't go hungry, and you don't need to limit yourself to mochi cakes and rice balls.
I second the recommendation for Nakano Broadway - it's a lot of weird shopping fun, and not nearly as sleazy as Akihabara. The islands that make up Odaiba out in Tokyo Bay also have a lot of interesting and nerdy places to explore.
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:04 PM on October 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
As others have mentioned, you can get very reasonable hotel rates, but try to book as far in advance as possible. Tokyo is becoming extremely popular with tourists, more and more so every year, so the situation may change by 2017. Don't stay in a hostel (or a ryokan) if you're prone to jet lag - you may want to take a mid-day nap from time to time.
Can someone allergic to fish eat safely in Japan or should we pack a separate carry-on of epipens?
You can eat safely if you don't eat Japanese food. Japanese cuisine is heavily fish-based, and fish-based seasonings such as dried bonito flakes are very widely used for flavoring in dishes like soba, tofu, and so on - items you might think would be vegetarian. An "allergy card" is useful only in that you can show it to the emergency-room doctor; it will simply be ignored in whatever restaurant you go to, or whoever reads it won't actually know whether bonito flakes are used in the broth or not, or they won't even think of them as "fish," since they're so ubiquitous.
On the other hand Tokyo is a very cosmopolitan city with excellent food from around the world, so you won't go hungry, and you don't need to limit yourself to mochi cakes and rice balls.
I second the recommendation for Nakano Broadway - it's a lot of weird shopping fun, and not nearly as sleazy as Akihabara. The islands that make up Odaiba out in Tokyo Bay also have a lot of interesting and nerdy places to explore.
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:04 PM on October 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'd think anyone who eats chicken, beef, and/or pork would be fine in Japan. Ramen, gyoza, beef bowls, etc., not to mention international cuisine (I have some beloved Indian restaurants in Tokyo). A kid might really enjoy the Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum, for that matter. But the epi pen is an essential backup.
Personally, I find jet lag way harder to deal with when returning home than when landing in Japan. So that shouldn't be a cause to avoid going.
posted by chimpsonfilm at 7:17 PM on October 17, 2015
Personally, I find jet lag way harder to deal with when returning home than when landing in Japan. So that shouldn't be a cause to avoid going.
posted by chimpsonfilm at 7:17 PM on October 17, 2015
Most important, the fish issue - NO it is not safe. Fish bits and essences are used in flavoring of practically everything! If we're talking about a severe allergy you will want to be fully stocked with epipens and very cautious, possibly including a Japanese-language allergy card of some kind. (Unfortunately most restaurant staff will have NO clue if there's fish in something or not, and will usually err on the side of saying "no" if they don't know, so asking them isn't always a safe bet.)
One week is not enough, imho. Even if all you wanted to see was Tokyo. My brother in law recently visited for three weeks and was literally out doing tourist things 12-14 hours every single day and never ran out of things to do and still didn't cover the whole list. I do think that's a good amount of time though, if you're not planning on coming back anytime soon. I know three weeks is a big demand on your time and money, but the kid will really get a lot more out of the experience.
For me, I get really bad jet lag and it often takes up to 5 days when I travel back and forth to feel like myself again. For my husband, he doesn't get any at all. So jet lag pretty much depends on you. My best advice would be to get a flight that lands during the day if you can, get LOTS of sun on the day you arrive, watch the sun go down, and don't sleep until a reasonable hour after dark.
Your hotel will be extremely tiny. Be prepared. I'd go for the cheapest thing possible just to stay longer, and treat it as nothing more than a bed to sleep in and a place to put your stuff - you won't spend any time there. Pack light, with room in your suitcase for the stuff you buy, because the shopping is amazing.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 7:19 PM on October 17, 2015
One week is not enough, imho. Even if all you wanted to see was Tokyo. My brother in law recently visited for three weeks and was literally out doing tourist things 12-14 hours every single day and never ran out of things to do and still didn't cover the whole list. I do think that's a good amount of time though, if you're not planning on coming back anytime soon. I know three weeks is a big demand on your time and money, but the kid will really get a lot more out of the experience.
For me, I get really bad jet lag and it often takes up to 5 days when I travel back and forth to feel like myself again. For my husband, he doesn't get any at all. So jet lag pretty much depends on you. My best advice would be to get a flight that lands during the day if you can, get LOTS of sun on the day you arrive, watch the sun go down, and don't sleep until a reasonable hour after dark.
Your hotel will be extremely tiny. Be prepared. I'd go for the cheapest thing possible just to stay longer, and treat it as nothing more than a bed to sleep in and a place to put your stuff - you won't spend any time there. Pack light, with room in your suitcase for the stuff you buy, because the shopping is amazing.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 7:19 PM on October 17, 2015
I'd think anyone who eats chicken, beef, and/or pork would be fine in Japan. Ramen,
Except that lots of ramen shops use fish or seafood in the soup.
But I agree that there are some nice Indian restaurants here in Tokyo.
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:34 PM on October 17, 2015
Except that lots of ramen shops use fish or seafood in the soup.
But I agree that there are some nice Indian restaurants here in Tokyo.
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:34 PM on October 17, 2015
Regarding the fish broth issue, you could have a look at the Tokyo Vegan Meetup group for a list of suitable restaurants. It's pretty active and they tend to like Indian food if that works for you.
posted by Recliner of Rage at 8:04 PM on October 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Recliner of Rage at 8:04 PM on October 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've been to Tokyo for pleasure and work. There's fish in everything. However, the first time I went, I managed to not eat any fish - except I'm sure there was some fish sauce on something I ate. (I did eat a lot out of 7-11 which has amazing dim sum.)
You can totally do Tokyo without any Japanese. I found Osaka a little harder, but doable.
Our first time to Japan, we did 10 days in three cities and felt we got a lot out of Tokyo.
My last trip to Tokyo was less than a week and, because I took a red eye, slept on the plane and pushed through, feel like I got plenty in.
Hotels are the most expensive part of your trip beyond airfare. If you're good at subways, there are out there boutique hotels that are reasonable.
I've heard people complain about the price of food but I ate cheaply (7-11, train station noodle stands, the delightful food sections of houseware stores for some reason, the Shakey's pizza buffet in Harajuku) and am from San Francisco and found it more reasonable than home. There are lots of cheap/free things to do - even just walking around the districts is going to amaze the kid. Things like Don Quijote (the dollar store, but amazing) and walking around are cheap.
Walking around the gardens, parks, and shrines will be affordable/free depending on where you go. Cruising all the shopping districts is free to look, and there are bargains to be had. The public museums are cheap.
The most expensive things that were worth it to me: Sega Joyopolis on Odiaba Island is a giant arcade crazytown. That's $40 a pop to get in, plus tokens. Buying video games in Akibara that you can't get in The States. Riding on the Shinkasen because I'm a train geek, too.
It is not a cheap vacation. You can do it cheaper, no problem, but Tokyo's an expensive city - akin to NYC. The great thing is she's a good age for Tokyo, but won't outgrow it if you decide to delay.
(My daughter went when she was 7 and still is in love with it, even if I had to explain what a vibrator was because there they are next to rice cookers because culture...)
posted by Gucky at 8:22 PM on October 17, 2015
You can totally do Tokyo without any Japanese. I found Osaka a little harder, but doable.
Our first time to Japan, we did 10 days in three cities and felt we got a lot out of Tokyo.
My last trip to Tokyo was less than a week and, because I took a red eye, slept on the plane and pushed through, feel like I got plenty in.
Hotels are the most expensive part of your trip beyond airfare. If you're good at subways, there are out there boutique hotels that are reasonable.
I've heard people complain about the price of food but I ate cheaply (7-11, train station noodle stands, the delightful food sections of houseware stores for some reason, the Shakey's pizza buffet in Harajuku) and am from San Francisco and found it more reasonable than home. There are lots of cheap/free things to do - even just walking around the districts is going to amaze the kid. Things like Don Quijote (the dollar store, but amazing) and walking around are cheap.
Walking around the gardens, parks, and shrines will be affordable/free depending on where you go. Cruising all the shopping districts is free to look, and there are bargains to be had. The public museums are cheap.
The most expensive things that were worth it to me: Sega Joyopolis on Odiaba Island is a giant arcade crazytown. That's $40 a pop to get in, plus tokens. Buying video games in Akibara that you can't get in The States. Riding on the Shinkasen because I'm a train geek, too.
It is not a cheap vacation. You can do it cheaper, no problem, but Tokyo's an expensive city - akin to NYC. The great thing is she's a good age for Tokyo, but won't outgrow it if you decide to delay.
(My daughter went when she was 7 and still is in love with it, even if I had to explain what a vibrator was because there they are next to rice cookers because culture...)
posted by Gucky at 8:22 PM on October 17, 2015
With a little bit of planning, Tokyo can be much cheaper than New York. It's possible to get a clean, comfortable (albeit small) business-class hotel room with breakfast for under $100 a night - try doing that in NYC. The Villa Fontaine and Hotel Sunroute chains are two that I can vouch for. Don't worry about staying in a popular area like Shinjuku, which would be more expensive - as long as your hotel is near a metro station (especially on the Yamanote line) you can get anywhere in Tokyo very easily.
It's easy to find good, inexpensive food (especially considering no tax/tip on top) although the no-fish restriction will make that more difficult. Ordering food is one of the most complicated situations for a non-Japanese speaker, so plan ahead as much as you can.
Other than that, not knowing Japanese won't be an issue especially in Tokyo - I've been three times over the last 10 years and never really had an issue, and on my most recent trip it seemed like English knowledge was everywhere. I suspect there's a big push with the 2020 Olympics to make Tokyo as friendly as possible to foreign visitors.
With only a week I would just stay in Tokyo, maybe with a day trip to Kamakura etc if you want a break from the city. I find jet lag on the way there isn't so bad - maybe just due to excitement - but my sleep schedule is messed up for a long time after getting home. Something to keep in mind if you're getting back on Sunday and expecting the kid to go to school on Monday morning...
posted by Gortuk at 6:49 AM on October 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's easy to find good, inexpensive food (especially considering no tax/tip on top) although the no-fish restriction will make that more difficult. Ordering food is one of the most complicated situations for a non-Japanese speaker, so plan ahead as much as you can.
Other than that, not knowing Japanese won't be an issue especially in Tokyo - I've been three times over the last 10 years and never really had an issue, and on my most recent trip it seemed like English knowledge was everywhere. I suspect there's a big push with the 2020 Olympics to make Tokyo as friendly as possible to foreign visitors.
With only a week I would just stay in Tokyo, maybe with a day trip to Kamakura etc if you want a break from the city. I find jet lag on the way there isn't so bad - maybe just due to excitement - but my sleep schedule is messed up for a long time after getting home. Something to keep in mind if you're getting back on Sunday and expecting the kid to go to school on Monday morning...
posted by Gortuk at 6:49 AM on October 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have no Japanese language skills.
Between you and your kid, you will have very little difficulty in Tokyo. The transport system is very well signed in English, many residents will have some English and may welcome the chance to practice, and most restaurants will have an English menu if you ask for one (and if you're concerned about that, stick to restaurants that have picture menus, which is a lot of them).
Is one week worthwhile counting travel and jet lag recovery time (14 hour difference)?
Yes, definitely! Longer is better, but a week is definitely worthwhile!
Your kid is keen on Tokyo, and you can easily fill a week there, but you could do, say, 5 days in Tokyo and 2 days in Kyoto. The difference between those two places is incredible. You could fly in to Tokyo and out via Osaka, perhaps.
Things open quite late in Japan (not much happening before 10-11am), so if you take an early shinkansen you can move around between cities without losing much "activity" time - plus, the shinkansen experience is worthwhile in itself.
Realistically, how expensive can I expect things to be?
Accommodation in Tokyo can be expensive. We used Airbnb last time (in March/April this year) and it worked out much cheaper than an equivalent hotel.
You can eat really cheaply. If nothing else, you can get lunch at one of the beef bowl chains for $5-odd. And the convenience stores have surprisingly good meals for cheap. There is the full scale of prices above that, but a large bowl of ramen shouldn't be more than $15 and is often much cheaper.
We booked an wifi hotspot for about $10/day with unlimited internet connection, which was invaluable for translation and directions (addresses in Tokyo are baffling unless you know the specific neighbourhood well). It turned out our Airbnb included one, too. It's the easiest way to get internet access (including mobile phone if you use Skype or similar).
Recommendations for two first-time visitors on a budget?
If it's late enough in March, you might be in time for cherry blossoms. Even if you're a bit early, the various gardens are beautiful and are either free or charge a nominal fee.
Visit a traditional sento (bathhouse). The communal nudity might be a bit confronting at first but once you get over that it is incredibly relaxing and refreshing.
Shrines and temples are beautiful, and usually have nice gardens connected to them.
The Tsukiji fish markets are free to visit and really interesting (the whale meat, though expected, was really confronting). Perhaps not if you have a very sensitive allergy, though!
One of our best experiences was taking cooking classes. We took two classes, one in an inner city apartment; the other with an older woman in a large suburban home. Both absolutely worthwhile, because they explained not just how to prepare the food but also some of the cultural aspects around it. (This article was about the second lesson we took — it's machine translated from Spanish but you get the idea.) The price was very reasonable because it included a substantial meal.
The great thing about Tokyo is that its neighbourhoods (outside the big chain malls) are very distinct. I would pick a different area to visit each day, and wander around to see what's there.
Many of the museums and galleries are cheap to visit, although some popular temporary exhibitions can be quite pricey. Make sure you check what's on and how much it will cost before you visit.
If you decide to go ahead, even if it isn't for a while, ask your kid to do some research on Tokyo Cheapo to work out what you want to see. Looking at the annual festivals that are on around the time you'll be travelling is a good starting point, then getting a sense of what is in different neighbourhoods. (Planning is almost as fun as travelling!)
Can someone allergic to fish eat safely in Japan or should we pack a separate carry-on of epipens?
I'm not allergic to seafood but it makes me nauseous. It can be hard to avoid fish in stocks, or bonito flakes etc as seasonings/garnishes. I would make sure an epipen was always within easy reach, and follow the advice to use an allergy card or similar to try to ensure clear communication.
Having said that, there are a lot of non-seafood options. If you eat chicken, pork, beef, or vegetables, you will not have a problem. (Make sure you get a cold soba meal at some point, especially on a nice sunny day.)
(I've visited Japan twice in two years, and this question is making me want to go three for three…)
posted by robcorr at 7:58 PM on October 18, 2015
Between you and your kid, you will have very little difficulty in Tokyo. The transport system is very well signed in English, many residents will have some English and may welcome the chance to practice, and most restaurants will have an English menu if you ask for one (and if you're concerned about that, stick to restaurants that have picture menus, which is a lot of them).
Is one week worthwhile counting travel and jet lag recovery time (14 hour difference)?
Yes, definitely! Longer is better, but a week is definitely worthwhile!
Your kid is keen on Tokyo, and you can easily fill a week there, but you could do, say, 5 days in Tokyo and 2 days in Kyoto. The difference between those two places is incredible. You could fly in to Tokyo and out via Osaka, perhaps.
Things open quite late in Japan (not much happening before 10-11am), so if you take an early shinkansen you can move around between cities without losing much "activity" time - plus, the shinkansen experience is worthwhile in itself.
Realistically, how expensive can I expect things to be?
Accommodation in Tokyo can be expensive. We used Airbnb last time (in March/April this year) and it worked out much cheaper than an equivalent hotel.
You can eat really cheaply. If nothing else, you can get lunch at one of the beef bowl chains for $5-odd. And the convenience stores have surprisingly good meals for cheap. There is the full scale of prices above that, but a large bowl of ramen shouldn't be more than $15 and is often much cheaper.
We booked an wifi hotspot for about $10/day with unlimited internet connection, which was invaluable for translation and directions (addresses in Tokyo are baffling unless you know the specific neighbourhood well). It turned out our Airbnb included one, too. It's the easiest way to get internet access (including mobile phone if you use Skype or similar).
Recommendations for two first-time visitors on a budget?
If it's late enough in March, you might be in time for cherry blossoms. Even if you're a bit early, the various gardens are beautiful and are either free or charge a nominal fee.
Visit a traditional sento (bathhouse). The communal nudity might be a bit confronting at first but once you get over that it is incredibly relaxing and refreshing.
Shrines and temples are beautiful, and usually have nice gardens connected to them.
The Tsukiji fish markets are free to visit and really interesting (the whale meat, though expected, was really confronting). Perhaps not if you have a very sensitive allergy, though!
One of our best experiences was taking cooking classes. We took two classes, one in an inner city apartment; the other with an older woman in a large suburban home. Both absolutely worthwhile, because they explained not just how to prepare the food but also some of the cultural aspects around it. (This article was about the second lesson we took — it's machine translated from Spanish but you get the idea.) The price was very reasonable because it included a substantial meal.
The great thing about Tokyo is that its neighbourhoods (outside the big chain malls) are very distinct. I would pick a different area to visit each day, and wander around to see what's there.
Many of the museums and galleries are cheap to visit, although some popular temporary exhibitions can be quite pricey. Make sure you check what's on and how much it will cost before you visit.
If you decide to go ahead, even if it isn't for a while, ask your kid to do some research on Tokyo Cheapo to work out what you want to see. Looking at the annual festivals that are on around the time you'll be travelling is a good starting point, then getting a sense of what is in different neighbourhoods. (Planning is almost as fun as travelling!)
Can someone allergic to fish eat safely in Japan or should we pack a separate carry-on of epipens?
I'm not allergic to seafood but it makes me nauseous. It can be hard to avoid fish in stocks, or bonito flakes etc as seasonings/garnishes. I would make sure an epipen was always within easy reach, and follow the advice to use an allergy card or similar to try to ensure clear communication.
Having said that, there are a lot of non-seafood options. If you eat chicken, pork, beef, or vegetables, you will not have a problem. (Make sure you get a cold soba meal at some point, especially on a nice sunny day.)
(I've visited Japan twice in two years, and this question is making me want to go three for three…)
posted by robcorr at 7:58 PM on October 18, 2015
In the meantime, you could get the cultural exchange started by hosting a Japanese visitor. It doesn't have to be the full commitment of an exchange student. There's a website where youngsters from Japan (in college or recently graduated) are looking for a place to stay for a few weeks to a few months.
My friend from Japan's advice for vegetarians is to look for and ask for "monk food". This is the verbal cue most likely to elicit an "ah, yes, that stuff" response.
posted by metaseeker at 9:18 PM on October 18, 2015
My friend from Japan's advice for vegetarians is to look for and ask for "monk food". This is the verbal cue most likely to elicit an "ah, yes, that stuff" response.
posted by metaseeker at 9:18 PM on October 18, 2015
Seconding Begin Japanology. We binged on it before our first trip and it was fantastic.
posted by robcorr at 6:33 PM on October 19, 2015
posted by robcorr at 6:33 PM on October 19, 2015
The fish thing will be an issue - when people here write there is fish in everything, they mean it - so much Japanese food is made with dashi, and nearly all dashi contains bonito or other fish products.
The easiest way around this is to simply not eat Japanese food for a week. Tokyo has over 100,000 restaurants, including thousands and thousands of Italian restaurants, for example, and one could easily subsist on excellent pastas, hamburgers and curries for a week. It certainly seems easier and more fun than taking one's chances with allergy cards, hunting down vegan meetups or eating mochi every day.
Much as I love Japanese food, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who was severely allergic to fish and didn't speak the language.
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:28 AM on October 20, 2015
The easiest way around this is to simply not eat Japanese food for a week. Tokyo has over 100,000 restaurants, including thousands and thousands of Italian restaurants, for example, and one could easily subsist on excellent pastas, hamburgers and curries for a week. It certainly seems easier and more fun than taking one's chances with allergy cards, hunting down vegan meetups or eating mochi every day.
Much as I love Japanese food, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who was severely allergic to fish and didn't speak the language.
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:28 AM on October 20, 2015
Much as I love Japanese food [...]
posted by Umami Dearest
Nipponysterical.
posted by progosk at 6:37 AM on October 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Umami Dearest
Nipponysterical.
posted by progosk at 6:37 AM on October 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
- it doesn't matter that you don't speak japanese. people are terribly, terribly friendly and accomodating. you can get by with gestures and smiles and a phrasebook.
- it didn't seem very expensive to us (i don't have numbers, and we were comparing with chile, but even so...)
- we didn't eat much fish, but it's possible things like fish paste were included in soups etc. we ate out mainly at lunchtime, eating in places that seemed to cater to office workers and similar having lunch and the food was excellent, but not sushi (noodles, a little fried meat, soup, pickled veg, etc). it cost about $10 a person. typically you could order by pointing to pictures.
- supermarkets have a wide selection of pre-prepared food you can buy to eat in your room (although it didn't work out much cheaper than the lunches).
- at the end of day, it's just not that weird. to me it seemed like a cross between europe and america. a different culture, sure, but not crazy wacky different like it's portrayed in media.
- jet lag was pretty horrible. the first few days are a bit of a haze.
- we didn't go to tokyo, but if i ever went again, i would. we did go to nara, which was interesting (parks, temples), and would be a good contrast to a city, but i would guess a teenager (i am not sure what 7th grader means) would be bored after a day or two.
- hotel rooms were compact, but impeccable. maybe there's a point where they start getting dirty, but we used "mid range" hotels and in retrospect could have easily stayed in cheaper places.
- I would certainly take an epi-pen, but i would also check on exactly what you can import. they have quite strict rules and some drugs legal here are not ok there.
one place that seems good for info (particularly if you want to plan a tour with lots of places/activities, which the people there seem to be really into) is r/japantravel.posted by andrewcooke at 10:54 AM on October 17, 2015 [2 favorites]