Hearted Youtube comments on Ono in Japan (@ONOinJapan) channel.
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I pretty much avoided all these "traps", mainly because I didn't have that much money to spend. Bought a discount SIM before leaving home, didn't eat anywhere expensive, used convenience stores prudently (I visited grocery stores a LOT because I wanted to buy grocery items to take back, so I ended up buying a lot of food there, as well as sparkling water). I did have the hotel buffet but since I only stayed at budget hotels the buffets were either included in the (low) price (and were excellent) or were only 1000 yen (for a buffet that included shirasu and had no time limit that was a GREAT deal!). One hotel had discount breakfast sets at the attached cafe for 500 yen, so I went with that, since the same set, if you paid at the restaurant, was the same price but DIDN'T include free coffee refills. I brought a lot of cash but ended up using very little of it because I could use my debit card or Alipay pretty much everywhere I went. Since I'm relatively poor I tended to go for different things than rich people do - instead of shopping at Ginza and Akihabara I went looking for used cameras, visited every Daiso I came across and every Book-Off and Hard-Off (not that I bought much). I never did get to take advantage of tax free shopping because I never spent 5000 yen anywhere. I'll have to add a few more money saving tips.
1. If you like raw fish, look for a take-away Kaisendon chain called "Uodon". Substantial bowl of rice with five or six slices of salmon or tuna or a bunch of other stuff - including ikura or uni - for under 700 yen. There was one 100 meters from my hotel in Fujisawa. And in the late evening, do what the Japanese do - go to the supermarket for the marked-down sashimi. The later, the bigger the discount, but there's a chance they might sell out of the smaller items. Get some rice to go with that at the bento section, or get some plain onigiri. Don't forget to pick up the free condiments and chopsticks that go with the sashimi. Don Quijote also has late night discounts, as well as the same sort of food, the disadvantage being that you'll be hearing THAT SONG in your head all night.
2. Here's how you can get a free umbrella (and I don't mean swiping someone else's outside a conbini.. 😁 ). When you arrive at the airport, after you've cleared immigration, etc., head up to the DEPARTURE LOUNGE. Look for the recycling bins. When I left Japan I remember seeing about a half dozen umbrellas in the bin. I wish I'd known that when I arrived - I spent a whole night in the airport terminal because the flight arrived at midnight so I had PLENTY of time to get an umbrella, and I really could have used one, since I got rained on twice.
3. Souvenirs? Daiso. Enough said. Daiso (and other 100 yen shops such as Seria) are fascinating to browse and are full of interesting stuff you can buy as souvenirs. They actually charge less in Japan than they do at home (here a 100 yen item costs the equivalent of 195 yen).
4. Not really a money saving thing, because you CAN fall into the trap of buying lots of stuff on impulse, but... do visit stores selling second hand items, such as Book-Off and Hard-Off. Hard-Off (and its related stores - Mode-Off, Hobby-Off, etc.) is a MUST VISIT if you want to see the more interesting side of Japan. The sheer amount of stuff available - especially in the unsorted bins in the back - beggars belief. Old VCRs, game cartridges, trading cards, etc. Forget about getting used plushies, though - they're surprisingly expensive (a friend told me that it's the small, rare ones from Gatchapon machines that make it into a Book-Off). And forget about buying used music CDs UNLESS you have a Japanese friend who can help you navigate the indexing system they use to organize the CDs. (I was looking for Saneyoshi Isako.. 😸 ) I picked up a zoom lens for my DSLR for 1100 yen, though (it was marked 1000/1100 yen, I wanted to know what the 1000 yen price was - that was without tax, for which I would have had to buy 5000 yen of stuff to get). Didn't buy any clothes because I didn't need any, and to me Uniqlo is expensive. Mode-Off prices weren't terribly high but not terribly low either - if I visit during the winter months maybe I'd visit one to get a jacket (for about 1500-2000 yen).
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Good video, my thoughts as a 20-time tourist to Japan on these:
1) Fair point, but let's be realistic: Many of the typical souvenirs won't be sold elsewhere. Or you'll have to search for it, spending much time for saving a few hundred yen. And especially during an always too short vacation, time is money!
2) Good point. And important addition: Whenever offered a conversion (choosing between paying in yen or your own currency), ALWAYS go for yen and let your own bank handle it. The conversion rate you're offered at an ATM or hotel will be pretty bad.
3) I think that 33610 yen you mentioned is still the old price? Currently the 7-day JRP is 50k. Which only makes it worse. Unless you travel pretty insane distances (for which flights will both be cheaper and faster) JRP indeed won't be worth it anymore.
4) I generally try breakfast buffer once at every hotel (think only once paid more than 3k), and depending on price and quality maybe more often. I mean, last week in Tottori the breakfast buffet at Green Hotel Morris was just 660 yen yet somehow much better then some much more expensive buffets I've had (looking at you, APA....). The best buffet I had was at Onyado Nono in Sakaiminato, absolutely fabulous. But at 2800 yen also expensive.....except it was included in my 9k yen room rate which made it an absolute bargain! And chains like Toyoko Inn, Route Inn and Super Hotel offer breakfast buffet for free. I do like to visit a kissaten every once in a while (found a great one in Osaka!), but in most cases they just can't compete. Another alternative are places like Yoshinoya, Matsuya or Nakau, which also offer more Japanese style breakfast sets. And don't forget about family restaurants either! Or just get some stuff from a bakery or even konbini....the choices are endless!
5) Rarely ever use taxis during my travels. Basically only when I have to cover longer distances with luggage, which I tend to avoid to begin with.
6) While true, you pay for the convenience of them being about everywhere and being quick. I love to go trough a regular supermarker every once in a while, but they just aren't at every street corner. Also, especially 7-11 and FamiMart have many store brand products at much lower prices, like 100 yen drinks. And I particularly like the Fruit au lait and the Yuzu soda from 7-11!
7) I actually like those set meals, as you not only get variety, but also a proper ammount. With a la carte It's often very hard to guess how much each dish is, so you might end up getting too little (solution: order more) or worse, too much.
8) Yup.....something I should consider more often. But requires more planning....
9) Just don't buy that much ;-)
10) Again, pay a little for convenience. And gotta love Osaka (and some other places) for having 100 yen vending machines all over the place! And even found cheaper ones. That said, if I stay like 3 or 4 days at one place, I might just buy a big bottle indeed and refill a small one to take with me. But still, in the grand scheme of things it's still saving pennies.
11) Very much agree. An AYCE "viking" can be fun at times, but the more common AYCE plans are pretty hard to get your worth from.
12) Seen them, just ignored them.
13) No problem for most non-Americans.
14) I always order a pocket wifi beforehand (and always check for discount codes for 30-40% discount!) and pick it up at the airport post office. More expensive than a sim card, but it always works (my current phone doesn't even support two physical sim cards, only an e-sim), no data limit, and can also use it with my laptop. Not really a fan of wifi hotspots, as they generally aren't where you would need internet most.....like good luck finding a free hotspot when trying to find a bus route somewhere in the countryside ;-)
15) Yup, very dangerous 😅
If I had to add a number 16: Remember Japan is way more than just Tokyo, Kyoto and those other handful of places 99% of tourists only go to. Last year visited Ise-Shima, had a great time and everything is much cheaper than in the big cities, yet very few tourists go there. And just returned from my first trip to Tottori and Shimane, same thing. Might at times be a bit more challenging, but that only makes it more rewarding. And at some places even got up to 50% discount on entrance fees by showing my passport, or even just by not looking or sounding very Japanese......
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