| |
chetlue
|
Hi everyone,
I'm considering staying in Tokyo for 4 nights before I come to BKK. I read some previous posts (a really good one by Butznutz) and still need a little more info. I know this is not related to Thailand but this forum produces so much quality information that I have to check with the bros on this one.
Area of Tokyo I should get a hotel (I want to be nearest to the nightlife action that is Gaijing/Farang friendly)- any specific recommendations would be appreciated and about how much should I expect to pay at the hotel per night. I don't need anything luxurious just simple and nice.
What is a good daily budget to go by if you want to have a good time (modest breakfast and lunch, day spa, a little shopping, nice dinner, drinking at night, strip bars, massage - these are the types of things I like). I know this is hard to estimate because you don't know me but what would you suggest to the best of your abilities.
I still haven't made up my mind if I truly will make this a part of my trip to Asia but I am researching these things to see if I can even afford it. Any help will be sincerely appreciated.
Cheers
PS - LOS will always be number one
BTW - This inspiration to go to Japan has been culminating in me for some time now but really has become an issue after seeing the movie Lost In Translation starring Bill Murray. The movie is different and not for everybody but now I can't seem to get Tokyo out of my mind after seeing it last week.
|
Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:02 pm on Oct. 18, 2003
|
|
Thin White Duke
|
First off, it's expensive. Short time, 200 US easy, another 200 US per night for the hotel. But if your so inclined, my recomendation would Shinjuku, the busy "downtown" section. Finding the sex industry hangs will be easier, and many people are happy to practice their english with you. Just get ready for a very fast pace, expensive holiday. Find out where the "soaplands" (massage parlors) are, which ones allow gaijin, you'll do ok. When I lived in Okinawa I went a number of times, as well as some seedier haunts, and I greatly preferred the "soaplands". Good Luck.
|
Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 9:30 pm on Oct. 18, 2003
|
|
China Sailor
|
I second to White Duke,
I grew up in Tokyo, my advice...
Bring a lot of money!!!!!!!!
Cheers
|
Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:53 am on Oct. 19, 2003
|
|
PopSecret
|
Some of the above can barely be considered actual advice IMO. Japan is expensive? Shinjuku has a sex industry? Massage parlors are called "soaplands"? You could find this same 'advice' from a few minutes of web surfing or any guide book.
Alas, since I never ventured outside of NRT I cannot yet offer any personal help myself. However I'm in the same boat as you from the looks of it. Japan has been in the back of my mind for many years now, and I just can't keep putting it off forever. Despite the fact that all I ever here is the usual "Japan is expensive" nonsense, I have never been able to give up on it. In reality, Japan sounds a lot like NYC. You can live within your means by being careful with your cash, or you can totally blow it and end up a pennyless idiot.
I have a few recent guide books on Japan and they list hotels in Tokyo for $50-$1K per night depending on the usual aspects. If you don't need much more than a simple night's rest you can probably get a clean and decent but rather small room for ~ $75 on the web. If you don't mind a capsule hotel (like sleeping in a coffin) then maybe you could get by for ~ $50 per night plus tax, but there would be no way to have any company in a capsule hotel and you have to take your belongings with you each and every day. Then there are the $30+ youth hostels that will probably require you to sleep in a bunk bed among several other guests. Hostels in Japan often have curfews though, so late-night fun might be a problem when you try to enter after-hours.
Food likewise runs from $5-$300+, but there are ways to work within the system so you can splurge without having break the bank. Cheap yakitori and ramen shops are great ways to save cash over formal meals. Lunch-time set meals are an excellent way to explore some of the best restaurants for as little as half the usual dinner cost. Staying at a traditional ryoken costs more per night than a western business hotel, but may include a large mult-course feast as part of the cost.
As for specific recommendations on drinking and nightlife, well, I can't help you much there. Hopefully a few more bros will be able to fill-in on this issue because I would also like to know about this. However, in all honesty, P4P is not what I'm going to Japan for.
If I end up visiting Japan during my next trip (November) I'll be sure to give you any advice I can and I hope you'll do the same. When is your proposed trip anyway?
|
Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 7:41 am on Oct. 19, 2003
|
|
China Sailor
|
PopSecret
If you have never ventured past NRT, you are hardly qualified to comment.
Let Amazon.com sell the guide books, OK?
|
Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 8:34 am on Oct. 19, 2003
|
|
chetlue
|
Thanks TWD, CS, and PS!I can always count on this forum to provide quick responses.
So Shinjuku is where it's at as far as the red light - from my previous searches it looked like it was Roppongi. I'm thinking after the hotel is paid for a $300/day budget would suffice - actually it will have to since I can't afford anything more than that.
China Sailor - you must have had some great times growing up in Tokyo. The city looks like it never sleeps... I would have loved being there as a teenager.
My fasination with Tokyo is probably the nightlife but not an overwhelming concern - the soaplands sound like a lot of fun though. I also really want to have some good food (Iron Chef style) while I'm there and visit one of those famous spas that you always see on tv.
Hopefully I'm going the first week of March. The only problem now is finding a cheap ticket from the US (east coast) to Japan then a ticket to BKK for a good price. I can find a ticket to BKK for about $850 roundtrip but when I try to look for a multidestination ticket it shoots way up to around $2000. So I'm still working on that.
PopSecret -- I would love to hear any info you can provide after your return - I hope you have a good time...
Take care guys
|
Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:33 am on Oct. 19, 2003
|
|
Thin White Duke
|
"However, in all honesty, P4P is not what I'm going to Japan for. I can't help you much there (?)"POP-Tart.
For someone who's never stepped foot in Japan, and doesn't have a clue about the people, culture or nightlife, you seem to have one strong opinion. And you take alot of space saying so!
Pop-Tart, you tell our friend about a traditional "ryoken", what guide book are you looking at. Many won't let a gaijin step foot in the door, but they don't tell you that in your guidebook do they?
Since you've never stepped foot in the place you have so profound an opinion on, maybe backoff giving advice about things you've never experienced.
Besides "reading", as stated I'm married to a Tokyo native, have traveled pretty extensively throughout the country, and have lived and worked on Okinawa for 2 years.
Japan is expensive, It's not nonsence, that's the truth. You know little to nothing of this topic, besides what you yourself have read in guidebooks, so please don't dis those that have actual life experience, and shut the f*** up and listen and maybe you'll learn something.
|
Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:04 am on Oct. 19, 2003
|
|
CalEden
|
The only thing I could get in the Shinjuku district is a BBJ for about 8, 000/12, 000 yen. I was wandering the area and a nice looking Japanese women approached me on the street, she spoke English. About a block away we went down stairs in this building. She took me to this closet sized room with a massage table and told me to take a shower down the hall and she left. The halls were very dark. I showered and went back to the room. A girl came in took her top off (she had large tits) proceeded to massage me. I could touch her tits, but nothing else was allowed. She did not speak English. She gave me a BBJ.
|
Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:18 pm on Oct. 19, 2003
|
|
PopSecret
|
TWD - Yes, I'm a little snide and arrogant at times, and you're right that I don't know a lot about Japan. So just spill the freaking beans already. I figure that's mainly why we all come here; to learn from each other. In fact, I would like nothing more than for you to correct each an every error I make about Japan. Seriously. The more I know about Japan, the better my first trip will be. Don't tease us with the vague stuff, get to the meat of it!
CS - There's no need to buy any guide books. Anyone can get similar information to my books right here, and it's free (if a little slow)...
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/japan/
chetlue - Shinjuku seems like a fairly large area, so you might want to focus on Kabuki-cho early on...
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/tokyo/0085032833.html
I think Roppongi sounds like a lot of fun too, but more for the gaijin-friendly discos, bars, & pubs. Doubt there will be many soaplands and such as in Shinjuku.
Places that welcome gaijin are not terribly difficult to find. If you can locate an English-language website for a given hotel or ryoken, chances are they'll be okay with westerners. When you're looking for friendly nightlife establishments, the folks at the door will either actively welcome you or ignore you as you pass by. Nothing complicated about that.
Regarding the plane tickets, it might be easiet to deal with a ticket agent who can setup a stopover. JL allows stopovers (one per RT) in Tokyo for free on many tickets, but if you buy them online I don't think you have that option. You can indeed try setting-up a multi-stop on the web, but most western airlines will consider any stop-time over 23:59 to be a fare-break, and will charge you as if it were two tickets. Some airlines, like Singapore and CX will allow you set extra stops over the web, but I don't think Tokyo is going to be a free stop from them.
If you are intersted in JL, you can contact them directly or through JalPak, who can arrange any sort of transport and hotel you want. They can also help make suggestions for saving money and finding gaijin-friendly places.
565 5th Ave., 3F New York, NY 10017
(Entrance is on 46th St.)
TEL 1-888-352-5725
FAX (212) 850-7490
Business Hours 9:00am - 5:30pm (MON - FRI)
E-MAIL jpinyc@jalpak.com
If you phone them and don't understand Japanese, you can just wait until they are done with their opening greeting and they will be happy to chat in English.
At last check, AA had RT JFK to NRT as low as $410/475, NW had RT JFK to BKK for $650/700 and JalPak had RT JFK to BKK with NRT stopover for $800/880
In any case, I hope to visit Japan myself in due time and provide a much better list of suggestions. Too bad I only have a LOS budget this time around. Looks like I'll be booking through priceline if I'm lucky and forget about the Park Hyatt and NYB&G. Sure looked good in the movie, but the live music was horrible IMO.
Okay, I'm done running my mouth on this one.
|
Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 6:45 pm on Oct. 19, 2003
|
|
China Sailor
|
PopSecret,
Again you are talking out of a 'guidebook' again! IMHO You should listen to TWD or some other people with experience before you go opening your mouth.
I would not recemmend the Roppongi unless you have:
1. A ton of cash to spend
and
2. You are with a friend.
The Roppongi is alot like going to the clubs in Manhattan, they are very expensive and are either restricted to the glitterati (thats A-List guests) or are overrun by young wealthy Japanese kids who run in groups much like American kids.
Another problem is that a number of clubs upscale and otherwise are financed by the Yatuska (?) who is the Japanese equlivent of the Mafia. You walk in to the club to look at the go go girls and you end up owing several hundred dollars. The only problem is that these folks are 10 times more ruthless than the Mafia and have been known to chase down people who owe them money any where in the world (its an honor/face thing).
Actually if you want P4P your best bet is to hook up with some US Navy types based in Yokuska or Atsugi. These guys will be able to guide you to farang friendly and some not so expensive (though sitll pricey) clubs.
Aside from that I suggest checking out a Japanese Girlfriend site like TMC and going to one of their mixers, if you meet a girl there she will be a good guide for clubbing (but no P4P).
|
Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:35 pm on Oct. 19, 2003
|
|
| |
|
