December 17, 2004
How to live cheap in Tokyo
Tokyo is considered one of the most expensive cities in the world. Is it possible to live here as a “poor” student? I would say yes, for sure. Here are my tips on how to save money and still have a good time in Japan:
1. Hang out with Japanese people. It’s fun and they’ll give you valuable info you won’t ever find in guidebooks. Sharing an appartment is both cheap and fun!
2. Be nice to your neighbors. (I always get a discount at my local bakery, don’t ask me why… but nice isn’t it?).
3. Be sure to do your grocery shopping right before the store is closing. That’s when you can get bread, fish and meat a lot cheaper than usual.
4. If you are traveling out of Tokyo the slow trains are always cheaper, sometimes 50%.
5. The Metro is usually cheaper than JR trains.
6. Big supermarkets often have tryouts, if you are lucky you can save a lunch by nibbling on crackers, trying some pineapple, fish burgers, soups etc.
7. NOODLES! Needs no further explanation…
8. The cheapest food to make at home is definitely soup. A miso base (paste made from fermented soya beans) and you can chop any vegetable and put in and it will tasty yummy. (My current favorite soup contains: satsumaimo (sweet potato), enooki mushrooms, onion, bacon and Chinese cabbage).
9. There are actually quite a few museums where you can enter for free. Parks are free too and some of them have bikes you can borrow.
10. If you’d rather stay indoors there are tons of showrooms where the major Japanese and international companies exhibit their latest products. It’s very creatively displayed and you can see the latest electronic products (like robots, try out the latest software on a giant, high-quality monitor etc.).
