[doctor dan]

help! me and my girlfriend are hopefully planning a trip to tokyo next year. We are both students, and as such have tiny budgets to play around with. Do any of you guys know the cheapest form of accommodation in the city? even the 'budget' hotels seem to be like $50 a night... how can you do tokyo on a shoestring?

[Alex's Trip]

I have no idea, but I really hope you enjoy Tokyo. I would really like to go one of these days.

[HaydenAsche]

Originally Posted by doctor dan

help! me and my girlfriend are hopefully planning a trip to tokyo next year. We are both students, and as such have tiny budgets to play around with. Do any of you guys know the cheapest form of accommodation in the city? even the 'budget' hotels seem to be like $50 a night... how can you do tokyo on a shoestring?

Go to one of those super tiny hotel rooms. The ones that are just little beds.

[hat and beard]

I stayed here once: http://www.sakura-hotel.co.jp/
its pretty nice for the price, plus they have a bar (kind of) and a friendly staff (kind of).

if you do the dorm room thing it'll only cost you about $30

[hat and beard]

check this also:http://reservations.bookhostels.com/...fcgrvn9 cg9u7

capsule inn in akihabara!

[Toilet & Bowels]

save up as much as you can, you really need as much money as possible to enjoy tokyo.

[wax]

tokyo is expensive.
me and my housemate have just this minute come back from eating an ok meal that cost more than $50.
ill find out some cheap ways for you.
yll really need to keep your money for things other than a place to stay.

how long are you gonna stay?
cuz if its a month or more then you can probably find an apt for a month on some gaijin website for cheap.

[doctor dan]

were prolly gonna stay about 2 weeks. weve been checking round and are quite aware of the extortionate prices for amenities in the city. thats part of the reason why the cheap accommodation is so vital.

[wax]

forget shoestring/
you should come to tokyo very much prepared to spend a fortune.
england is an expensive country, but there are many cheap options for travelling, eating and sleeping. tokyo is different.
capsule hotels cost 3000 yen a night (£15) and travelling from city to city is stupidly pricey.
i manage to get by on very little money. this is only because ive been extremely lucky and got an impossibly cheap apt.
first time i came to japan, i brought £1200 spending money, (i didnt pay for accommodation) and it lasted me a for a month of doing as i pleased.
japanese friends tended to pay for alot of my drinks/food etc and i still spent it all easily.
there are still ways though. id recommend at least £600 per person for 3 weeks to a month after you get your bed sorted.
there are cheap places to eat, not many tourist attractions and the readily available japanese culture tends to wear a bit thin after a week of being a tourist. theres not much variation.
if you have some japanese friends here that you are visiting, its a different story. the japanese are very hospitable and will look after you more than you can imagine.
its a crazy crazy place, and i love it. i cant imagine leaving here, but its getting nearer. ill miss it soo much. i will live here for good one day.

[wax]

Originally Posted by hat and beard

check this also:http://reservations.bookhostels.com/travelpunk.com/findabed.php?PHPSESSID=5kgbf21di354nchu58awfcgrvn9 cg9u7

capsule inn in akihabara!

this is a good site!
hostels between 12 and 18 dollars! its the best yl get.
i recommend akihabara. why not start your trip staying in one of the most fucked up places in tokyo?

[hat and beard]

i like the looks of this one: http://reservations.bookhostels.com/travelpunk.com/hosteldetails.php/HostelNumber.13590/PHPSESSID.5kgbf21di354nchu58awfcgrvn9cg9u7?PHPSESS ID=5kgbf21di354nchu58awfcgrvn9cg9u7

$12 a night plus free breakfeast. alot of these really cheap places aren't as bad as you might imagine. mostly they're run by old lonely couples looking for some company. ive stayed at quite a few places like this and have always been treated very well.

"Smiles, Appreciation and Trust"

[wax]

sounds good, but saitama is not tokyo. the cost of travelling will far outweigh the the cost of eating a nice breakfast.
theres a few more on that site that are a similar price but in the centre of tokyo. im not sure if theyre as good or not, but i would say its better to be in central tokyo.
food is very cheap.
if you dont care about where you eat, then you can find many places and many foods real cheap.
there are lots of shops with vending machines outside that cost between 200 and 500 yen a meal. you buy a ticket for the food from the machine then just pass it to the person inside.
if you somehow find a place to stay with a kitchen, youre laughing.
¥100 stores are everywhere. thats about 50p i think. you can stock up on veg, pasta and tinned stuff for a week on very little money.
try and cut down on travelling costs and accommadaion costs. if you dont need to stay out drinking every night, you may well be able to make your visit a cheap(ish) one.

try and learn some very basic japanese before you come.
there are lots of countries you can go and speak in english, but alot of the time here, people will not understand.
actualy, my japanese is terrible. my conversational jp is shite. but if you know your p's and q's and you can ask where, what and why and understand a bit of the answer yll be fine.