How to save in Japan

Transportation

            Travelling by the ticket of Japanese railway (the ticket of Japan Rail Pass organization) is very convenient and cheap. We advise you to buy a travel ticket for 7 days (Japan Rail Pass 7 days). For approximately the same amount that you will spend on travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto on “shinkansen” – Japanese high-speed train, during 7 days you can travel practically unlimited by the railway of JR organization.
By the same way in such big populated areas like Tokyo and Osaka 1-day Pass and other types of underground travelling give tourists a wonderful opportunity to reduce their travel expenses. They allow unlimited use of the local public transport. Such tickets are very useful for those who want to travel in a certain territory for some period of time and don’t want to be disturbed by frequent purchase of tickets. More detailed information can be found here: http://visitjapan.ru/railways.

A Card for Travellers (Welcome Card or Culture Card)

            Such a card together with a guide book is given to the foreign tourists travelling in Japan free of charge. It gives you an opportunity to receive discounts and additional services while visiting galleries, museums, shops, restaurants, hotels and participating excursions. In some places the cardholders of Welcome Card can receive a discount by presenting the printed version from web-site instead of the card. This card or its different types can be procured in Tokyo (with museum guide book, pocket guide book and map), in Kagawa, Miyazaki prefectures of the Northern Region of Tohoku, at Narita airport, in the regions and cities of Fuji mountain, in the region of Tokay, in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka. The card is freely provided in the tourist information centers of each region. For additional information on the procurement of these cards you can visit the following English web-site: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/essential/welcome.html.

Hotels

            If you are looking for a clean and cheap hotel, we advise you to use “Welcome Inn” hotels. For more detailed information on the accommodation in Japan please visit  http://visitjapan.ru/hotels.

Food

            Public food is not necessarily expensive in Japan. But as in other countries during travelling food is a little bit more expensive, than usual. Here is some advice how you can eat tasty and cheap food. You can find fast food points near the railway stations. Here you can have an affordable food in a simple environment. Not even mentioning about the places where you can buy hamburgers and sandwiches. Here you can easily find many fast food points of Japanese style, which are specialized mainly in cooking such dishes as “gyudon” (rice cooked beef with onion), “tendon” (rice with tempura), as well as soba, noodle (noodles) and udon. At fast food points usually you can eat for less than 500 yen (approximately 5 US dollars) and in some places you can have breakfast for lower prices. You can dine at shops, places of entertainment or restaurants, where on working days they suggest dishes with affordable prices (starting from 600-900 yen (approximately 6-9 US dollars)). Here you can have an opportunity to choose among the standard menu of Japanese and Western cuisines. Dinner time at restaurants is usually from 11:00 to 14:00. Sushi is not always expensive, except for some expensive restaurants. For example, “Kayte Zusi”, where two sushi plates are served on a rotating conveyer, each plate costs only 100 yen (approximately 1 US dollars). At other places that offer sushi a standard package for a person costs about 1500 yen (approximately 15 US dollars) and more. The complex menu of sushi can be enjoyed for about 800 yen (approximately 8 US dollars). The ground floors of department stores are usually floors with numerous food shelves, where you can buy various food and food in boxes. You can choose one or two boxes and enjoy them in a nearby park.

 Shopping

            The most available shops are the so-called “Hyaku- en” shops – the 100 yen shops, where you can buy everything at 100 yen (a little bit cheaper than 1 US dollar). The number of “Hyaku-en” shops is continuously growing. Various goods, food, goods of daily usage are sold at standard 100 yen/pcs. These shops are located near the railway stations and centers of trade. Here you can find small presents, such as Japanese sets and many other things.
Concerning the electronic, first of all it is recommended to visit Akihabara district of Tokyo. Here a large variety of technique waits for you. Get off at the Akihabara station of JR (Japan railway), which is in the line of Yamamoto Japanese railway and before your eyes there will be rows of trading places standing side by side, including wholesale shops, shops of spare parts and parts of technique.
Twice a year in Japan, especially in department stores, there are huge sales, where the clothes of the previous season and many other goods are sold off. If you manage to enter a shop during sales, you will be astonished by seeing “30%” and “50%” discounts on the labels. Sales are usually in January and July.

the material is taken from  http://visitjapan.ru/budget

translated from Armenian into English by M.Vardanyan