That’s right everybody, I finally get the chance to go to Tokyo! The flights are booked along with 26 nights at Grand Arc Hanzomon in Hayabusa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, right next to The Imperial Palace (see map). I’ll be there between January 11 and February 5. Originally I planned to book flights and accommodation separately and use Sakura Houses to find a good guest house or apartment, but I was really lucky and found a great package deal with a Swedish travel agency, so I decided to go with that.
When I was looking at guest houses and apartments I had a budget of approximately ¥105 000, and then another ¥105 000 for the flight tickets. But it was pretty hard to find any good places with that budget, generally we were talking about 7 to 10m2 rooms with shared bathrooms, showers and kitchens. While I don’t mind sharing, I decided to look at it differently, I’m actually on vacation after all. I rather pay a little bit extra and get a far more convenient vacation. I ended up paying ¥260 000, so ¥50 000 more than I originally planned to.
Grand Arc Hanzomon and Chiyoda-ku
As I’ve already mentioned, the hotel is at a very good location, one block away from the nearest train station (Hanzomon). On top of that, Chiyoda-ku is the least populated of the 23 special wards so hopefully I won’t be too overwhelmed by the huge population of Tokyo all the time. Good thing however is that Akihabara is in Chiyoda-ku so it’ll only be a matter of minutes between me and the maids.
I already mentioned the convenience of living at a hotel rather than a guest house, and here’s why:
In-room amenities
Shower, toilet, air conditioning, complimentary high-speed Internet access, color TV, cable television with in-room pay movies, refrigerator and mini-bar, IH server with hot water pot, Japanese tea bags, dual-line telephones (for both domestic and international direct call and data communications), letterhead papers & envelopes, alarm clock, radio, hairdryer, electric trouser presser, slippers, towels, night robes, and bathroom amenities (shampoo, body shampoo, soap, toothbrush & paste, razor, shower cap, hair comb) shoeshine paper.
And then pretty much anything else you can imagine for optional services upon request.
The hotel also has other features such as dry cleaning/laundry service, hair salon, a coffee shop and a restaurant. While I might not spend too much time in the hotel it’s still good to know that things like this exist.
Besides that, the look of the place is far more attracting than a run down guest house.
Flying
I’m going to be flying with a few different companies and I have to make 2 stops both on my way there and home. On my way there the route looks like this: Gothenburg -> Frankfurt -> Beijing -> Tokyo (Haneda). And on my way home it’s Narita instead of Haneda and Stockholm instead of Frankfurt.
Hopefully things will work out smoothly, but with 2 stops you never know what’ll happen, I payed ¥4500 for extra insurance just in case.
Traveling Plans
I really don’t have any plans yet and I’m too excited to think rationally, the only thing I know so far is that I’m going to meet up with at least one of the exchange students that I went to class with. I don’t want to plan too much however, that’s really not my thing. But I would love to get some suggestions of places to visit and things to do so I can add them to my list of potentials and must-dos. Especially if you know of any special events in this time frame, like concerts and tech/blogger events, I’d love to hear from you.
I’m definitely up for meet ups with fellow bloggers, twitterers, youtubers and readers, so I hope we can arrange something like that!
Pre-traveling Plans
Well, for starters I’m going to be studying vocabulary like never before, that’s what’s holding me back the most right now. As long as I know the words it should be fairly simple to explain myself to someone who doesn’t speak English. I’m also going to study sentences a lot, and I’ll bring a small phrase and vocabulary book just in case. But if you’ve been in Japan before, what are your favorite survival sentences and words?
Well, there’s much more to come when we get closer to the date of departure, but tips and suggestions are very much welcome!
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take me with you pwwwwweeeeaaaaassssseeee! Chop me up and pack me in your luggage if you have to!
I don’t think I’m going to get very far with you chopped up in my luggage :P
for starters, get this train ticket package for Narita Express train:
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html
It’s a better deal (3,500yen for normal or 5,000yen for better seats) and you get the NEX ticket + Suica card + 1500yen value as well!
the card is convenient for riding trains and u can use it on some vending machines and others. The minimum charge/top-up for the suica card is 1000 yen though :3
Do you have something similar for Haneda? Cause that’s where I’m going on my way there. I’m going to Narita on my way home though, would you recommend getting a ticket for that alone?
As I’ve already said a several times, am very happy for you (envious as shit, too, of course). Can’t wait to hear stories once you’re back. Have no decent suggestions.
I’ll try and keep you all updated on a daily basis :)
Maybe you’ll be able to go with me next time!
Definitely, man, definitely!!!
Wow congratz ^_^
The price is not that shocking but still way too much for me + I would have to learn Japanese.
Not having a direct flight sounds not that great though.
The hotel looks great btw.
>>>”…a matter of minutes between me and the maids.”
Srsly considering visiting a meido cafe? I couldn’t get myself into a meidocafe, just don’t know how to socialize with cute looking girls. ^^;
As for plans I guess I’m the wrong person, but are u interested in stuff in Tokio only? Or some other cities too? Be sure to take a ton of pictures!
I’ve saved for a long time to be able to afford this^^ My Japanese isn’t very good, will definitely be a lot of awkward moments but that could be fun too!
I would love to at least try a maid cafe once, they’re expensive though so we’ll see.
I’m interested in Japan in general but Tokyo is huge so I think I’m just going to explore that on my first trip and save the other cities for other trips.
That’s wicked awesome man. Crazy times await you most definitely.
The hotel looks super rad and nothing wrong with paying a little more for comfort and ease.
I’m hoping to be in the Tokyo area sometime in January as well, so if you’re still planning for a meet up with people, be sure to let me know. I’m down for sure to hang out if I’m around.
I’m used to paying for convenience anyways, that’s why I pay for Crunchyroll, Spotify and other services that make my life just a little bit easier :)
I’m definitely up for a meet up, maybe we should ask around a bit and see if there are some other cool people that are up for a nomikai or something too!
For sure. The more people, the better.
I looked up Spotify, looks pretty rad. Too bad I can’t join in on that.
Woohoo, I’m so happy for you.
Coincidentaly, starting tomorrow there one-week-long battle for scholarship in Japan over at my Uni. Written test for starters, final will be oral examination (and then… well… 手続き). Ganbarimaaaasu!
I hope you’ll enjoy your stay and write many, many great posts on your trip. Don’t forget your camera!
Thank you! I had the chance to get a scholarship and study at a uni in Japan, but I gave up on that, actually didn’t want to do it. But good luck to you!
I will write many posts, not sure if I’ll be able to do it on a daily basis while I’m there but I’ll try! I don’t want to sit in the hotel all day writing blog posts after all^^ And I’ll make sure not to forget my camera, that would totally suck haha.
Cool, I’m so glad for you!
I remember how I felt when I went to Japan for the first time… :)
Thank you! Did you go by yourself the first time or did you bring someone with you?
Definitely take a good phrase book for travelers. I bought sticky note arrows and used some of my flight time to tag pages with phrases that would be useful, but that I didn’t think I would remember. One time, I ended up pointing to the phrase in the book because it was taking too long for me to figure out the pronunciation. The young lady helping me didn’t mind and it made my transaction much easier and faster. But I still tortured many a shopkeeper with my ridiculously bad Japanese.
If (haha) you go to Akihabara, leave the station in the opposite direction of Electric Town, cross the major street and you can look for Matsuda stationary store. The owner is super nice, speaks English (and will be excited to do so). He will even give you a crash course in envelope etiquette. Well, maybe he only does that for girls, haha. But seriously, it’s a real Japanese store, not a tourist place at all. He and his wife were very kind to us when we visited, and I picked up some fantastic pens. Nice place to visit if you have time or interest and only a couple of blocks from an oasis of maid cafes. :)
If you tend to wake up early, the streets aren’t very crowded, but many stores don’t open until around 10 or 11. Since the sun rose at 4:30, we spent a lot of time walking through the streets taking photos without annoying a lot of people. We tended to shop and do other things after lunch.
Senso-ji in Asakusa was nice and you can pick up lots of souvenirs. Great photo ops there. The side streets are full of great mom & pop restaurants.
Takeshita Street in Harajuku is a must-visit. Exit Harajuku station from the center exit in front and walk straight across the street. Be sure to check the little side streets and alleyways for some great shops. You’ll find several crepe stands there, a few restaurants, and lots of people. If you exit the station on the south side (I think it’s the south!), you can cross over the street on a bridge and wander through the upscale fashion area, where you’ll find the infamous Condomania store.
If you go to Shibuya station, be sure pay your respects to Hachiko! He’s in a little nook on the corner opposite from Starbucks.
We spent most of our trip shopping and eating and skipped some things since it was a mother-daughter trip (daughter too young to drink, so we didn’t bother with Roppongi). Don’t worry about getting lost, go everywhere and eat everything. OMG, especially hit the conbini and get some pudding.
You’re going to have a great time!
I bought Berlitz’ Japanese phrase book & dictionary about a year ago, I’ll probably keep it in my back pocket at all times even though I probably know enough to get around. It might come in handy when I’m out shopping and can’t remember a certain word.
Thanks for letting me know about the Matsuda stationary store, I don’t think I’m even allowed to bring a pen on the plane as it’s a sharp object so I might have to pick some up, and some batteries maybe. So yeah, I’ll definitely keep it in mind since I’m going to visit Akiba and since it’s nearby. I was mostly joking about the maid cafes by the way, but it would be fun to try at least once!
I don’t usually go up too early but I will do it at least a couple of times, but the sun goes up at around 7 AM in January so I bet it’s going to be pretty crowded with everyone going to work then. But I’m guessing at least Chiyoda-ku is pretty empty at that time, at least the sidewalks.
Senso-ji sounds like fun, what kind of souvenirs are we talking about?
Read the Wikipedia article on Takeshita Street, it sounds cool! And I’ll definitely make sure to also make a south turn and visit the fashion area, I’m going to pack light so I have to buy clothes while I’m there. The Condomania store sounds like a great place to visit too, haha.
I might want to pay my respects to Starbucks, since we don’t have Starbucks here yet… but I guess I could do both.
I’ll definitely try and visit Roppongi too, hopefully I’ll get some people to tag along though! I’m not going to worry about getting lost, because there’s at least a 90% I will, I’ll just ask someone for help or hop in a cab when it happens. And I’m going to get a lot of conbini foods and snacks so I don’t have to go out for breakfast and evening meals every day.
Thank you so much for your comment!
The souvenirs around Senso-ji run from the typical tacky touristy things like plastic ninja keychains to traditional food gifts. The streets that run perpendicular have the best stuff.
If you go to the Starbucks across from Hachiko, you can sit by the window and watch people crossing the street. Sounds like watching paint dry, but it was actually pretty fun. And we were able to take lots of photos from that angle, too!
Getting lost is the best way to see the good stuff. It’s how we found the best restaurants, that’s for sure! And you have to ride the Yamanote line during rush hour. It’s a blast!
Remember: PUDDING :D
Awesome! Maybe I’ll bump into you.
Cool :) Do you live in Tokyo or are you also just going on a trip like me?
Sweet! I agree, I’m so excited for my upcoming trip to Japan that I don’t even know how to prepare for it. ^^; I ought to make a post since it’s getting to be two weeks until the day…
Can’t help you with recommendations for now, so I guess I’ll come back in a month and let you know!
Yeah you should probably start asking a round a bit now^^ How is your Japanese? And are you also going alone?
oh… I’m not sure if there are similar tickets for Haneda, and I don’t think the one above applies for going to Narita… though I’m not really sure, have to ask the ticket office ^^;
Get the suica card anyway even if there isn’t packages, it’s convenient especially for long trips like in ur case, 26 nights
Okay, well I’ll have to look that up. And yeah, the suica card looks good, found a very helpful link about it http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_002.html Should definitely get that! But I think I might get the PASMO card instead as that’s the card available at Haneda. they’re pretty much the same anyways. Thanks^^
Yup, I’ll be going alone but meeting up with a good friend who currently lives there.
My Japanese is decent, but I suck at speaking it. ^^; Too nervous about accents and all that. Also not used to using it in a usable environment, so we’ll see how I do!
Cool, same as me then :) I’m also not used to speaking Japanese much outside of the classroom so that will be a fun but awkward experience for sure^^
rock on dude. i bet your excited. look out future wife of yonasu, he is coming to find you!
I’m very excited! My future wife you say? Maybe :D I would still have to leave her on February 5 though, unless she’s so rich I don’t have to work!
Since you are landing at Haneda….you will take the monorail and arrive at Hamamatsuchō Station..actually Haneda is much better than Narita (closer)…..Pasmo is a necessity so you don’t have to bother with calculating train costs…..the machines also have english instructions so you can maintain them easily…for further info you can hit me up with an email when you arrive…you can stop by the pub
Yeah that sounds like the best choice, I’ll get a Pasmo card at Haneda and take the monorail to Hamamatsuchō. Then I’ll just take a cab from there, it’s a 15 minute ride and actually what the hotel recommends.
By the way, I see that you’re from the Hobgoblin pubs, just wondering, do you show the Premier league matches there?
We show them live, all the time…we even replay them on request
Thanks, that’s good to know!
Have fun! I know I did when I went to Taiwan, and even then I didn’t do any special planning; it’s mostly just me finding where things are through google and mediocre Chinese. It’s still a blast though, I ended up making unexpected visits to maid cafes, to other local attractions, etc (read: mostly non-tourists destinations).
If you want, you might want to attend a concert or two lol.
Since it’s a holiday though, shell out some money if you feel like it. There might not be another chance going to Japan anyway. Also, good luck enduring the long flight! :P
I’m definitely going to try and attend a few concerts, but most of the ones I’ve looked at haven’t announced anything for January yet. And I’ll bring as much money as possible, I plan to do more than one trip though, it’s not going to be my only chance, unless a war breaks out or something^^
Hey Yonasu! Great news, but of course abit on the jealous side :)
Well done finally making to leap and going for it. Make sure you bring back momentos and make short and sweet blog posts from Tokyo to keep us informed of your goings on!
Who knows, maybe I might go out for a week and bump into you?
I’ll make sure to take take a lot of photos and buy some souvenirs :) I’ll update you all as often as I can, maybe not daily here but definitely daily on Twitter. I will post everything here eventually though!
Do you live in Tokyo?
Hi, I’ve just bumped into your blog and I see you’re travelling to Tokyo very soon. Lucky you.
I’ve been there last Summer and I stayed in the Hanzomon area too. It is definitely quiet but with many restaurants and several “am pm” konbini. The Hanzomon line is also very handy too.
I hope you’ll have a nice trip!
Hi! Thank you for visiting. Good to know that there are 24-hour konbinis in the area, I will most likely use them a lot! I’m glad I’ll have a fridge in my room so I don’t have to go out every morning to buy breakfast^^
Actually I’ve just realised that your hotel is near the Hanzomon Exit n°1 while mine was opposite the Exit n°5! So, as you probably know, it’s not so close after all! There can be even 500 mt distance between one exit and the other! ;-)
But there are a couple of konbinis there too!
WAA! I’m so jealous!! I went spent 2 weeks in Japan last summer and it definitely wasn’t enough time to take everything in.. so I’m glad to hear you’ll be there almost a month! I can’t wait to see photos from your adventures.. so make sure you blog often!! Have a great trip :)
No idea what you planned, but don’t go to Roppongi. Can’t think of worse place in Tokyo. :p
Sanya area is quite interesting. It’s the only real “slum” of Tokyo. You see lots of poor old people walk the streets, homeless sleeping on the streets and a bunch of ragged looking houses. _A lot_ of hostels in the area, both for backpacking westerners and japanese workers sharing rooms. I stayed there myself. :D
You can reach it by getting off at Minami-Senju station in Arakawa and walk south over the overpass at the rails if you’d like to check out the japanese “slum” in tokyo.
Yurakucho in Chiyoda-ku is also quite interesting, and pretty close to you.
“Unlike its tonier neighbor Ginza, Yūrakuchō provides a glimpse of Japanese life from the early postwar period, with its many izakaya (Japanese-style bars, denoted by their red lanterns known as akachochin) and outdoor yakitori restaurants (‘yakitoriya’), many of which are located under the train tracks serving Tokyo’s JR Yamanote Line. ”
Definitely worth checking out. Took some pics of both places. wink wink.
Another thing I strongly recommend is to take the subway a bunch of stations out towards the outer regions and jump off somewhere randomly and just walk around and check out less touristy areas.
Almost forgot the Toden Arakawa Line, one of the two surviving streetcar lines in Tokyo I believe. Nice trains and nice neighbourhoods. Worth checking out. :)
http://blog.alfiegoodrich.com/index.php?showimage=168
whew, there.
I’ll have to go see Roppongi to see for myself anyways :)
Sanya sounds like a good place for a shoot, might be fun to compare Japanese slums with Swedish! Yurakucho sounds cool too, will most likely check it out since it’s nearby.
Definitely going to do some random trips and get lost somewhere^^
So many things here:
Dude, as much as i love tokyo…doing 26 days straight there without going anywhere else is a really bad decision. I’m surprised people haven’t encouraged you to branch out. I did japan trip once for abt a month and I had plenty of time in tokyo and elsewhere. How could you go to Japan for the first time and not vist Kyoto and other places when you have soo much time? You’re not going to take a shinkasen at all??? I understand you can save other cities for your next trip but experience all the different and beautiful things while you have the chance.
And I’m confused with this hotel deal you got. Cheapest rooms at that hotel are 12,800 yen, how is 26 nights at that hotel only raising you budget by 50,000. What deal did you get? How much are you paying nightly on average?
People have encouraged me to do that quite a bit, but right now I don’t feel like it. I most likely won’t stay in Tokyo all the time, but I don’t think I’ll go as far as Kyoto this time. I might take the shinkansen somewhere, but that’s not something I feel like I have to do. One reason why I don’t want to visit Kyoto and some other cities this time around, is the barren vegetation. I think I will enjoy those places a lot more if I go there next year in the spring or fall. But we’ll see, when I get there I might change my mind, it’s not like I can’t change my travel schedule, seeing as I barely have one :)
The deal was from a Swedish travel agency. Airfares are cheap in January and not many people go on vacation at that time of the year. So that’s probably why I managed to find such a good deal. On average I guess I’m paying about half the price.
Your trip sounds really interesting, and I hope it will be great! It must be like a dream-come-true ^^
I cannot give you any recommendations at all I’m afraid. I haven’t been in Japan yet.
I can understand why you won’t travel all over Japan, it is a big country after all, and if you are planning to go there again, I don’t see the problem.
It must be fun to get the chance to explore Tokyo in almost a month! As everyone else I’m really jealous! And hey, you will already be going in 5 days! You must be so excited!
Have a great trip. I’m sure you will after what I have read so far ;)