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How to Get More Bang for Your Buck (Yen!) in Japan
Not going to lie. Japan can be an expensive place to visit. The plane ticket alone will set you back anywhere from $1500-$2000 depending on what time of the year it is. I’ve been coming to Japan every summer for the last fourteen years though and have come up with some painless ways to get more bang for your buck (yen!) while in Japan. Though I don’t tell you in TANABATA WISH that there are money-saving tips, I do mention three specific things Sky does that can save you money, too.
#1--Lawson, a traveler’s BFF
Soon after they meet, Ryouhei introduces Sky to the awesomeness that is Japanese konbini. Konbini are convenience stores—Family Mart, 7-Eleven, Circle K, but my favorite (like Ryouhei) is Lawson. Yes, you can buy soda and chips and junk food at konbini, but you can also buy full meals there, yogurt, juices, salads, and other healthy foods/beverages. My #1 tip for travelers on a tight budget is to use the konbini for at least your breakfast. If you are meeting a cute hapa boy for coffee like Sky does, then by all means, go to a coffee shop. If you just want your morning caffeine fix, buy it from a konbini and save the yen.
#2--The 100-yen store
As Sky connects more and more to Japanese culture through its food, she goes to Daiso—a popular 100-yen store—to buy the equipment and supplies she needs to make mushi pan (steamed cakes) for her teacher and classmates. Need a bunch of omiyage (small gifts) to bring home to your friends and family but on a tight budget? Go to a 100-yen store. Whether you want to buy chopsticks, fun snacks, decorative fans or other light, small items, Daiso is the place to go. My Japanese friends laugh at me because I cannot walk out of Daiso without spending $100. Warning: If you are a bullet journal fanatic like I am, you may need someone to hold your wallet in this store. Pens and stickers and washi tape…oh my!
#3--Do NOT shop in a department store
Don’t get me wrong. I love Takashimaya Department Store. I recently went to a free Yuzuru Hanyu exhibit there. Hanyu-san won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in men’s figure skating and made the sport immensely popular (ahem, Yuri on Ice). Takashimaya is NOT the place to buy your yukata or kimono though. If you just want a bathrobe that looks like a kimono, yes, Takashimaya has nice ones for about $75. I bought my mother one.
If you are going to a matsuri (festival), DON’T WEAR A BATHROBE! A true kimono will be far out of your budget, and it’s too difficult to put on solo anyway. What you want is a yukata, which is the cotton, brightly-colored, summer-type of kimono you see people wearing at matsuri. Still don’t buy it at Takashimaya. Find a Joshin or Aeon, which are sort of like Super Targets. Their yukata is a third of the cost of Takashimaya’s. Then you can splurge on a cute kinchaku (drawstring purse) and geta (thonged wooden sandals). Unless you have big feet like Sky (and me!), then you will be out of luck. TIP: As Emi tells Sky, make sure that the right side of your yukata is on the bottom, and the left side is over the top. You only wear it the opposite way when you're dead!
There you go. Three easy tips to save you money, budget traveler. This is my last week in Japan for summer 2018 but stick around. I have more Japan-themed posts coming up before summer officially comes to a close.
Want to see how these three things weave into TANABATA WISH? You can buy the paperback version here and the eBook here.
BONUS: Do NOT go to Japan during Golden Week, which is usually around the first week of May. Many Japanese people go on vacation during this time, so domestic travel and accommodations can be hard to come by and extra expensive.