The Ultimate Guide To Tokyo
In case you're new to this, Cheapo Weekend is a weekly preview of a few selected cheap or free events for the coming weekend. This weekend our recommendations include a festival with thousands of lanterns, a visit to a rose garden and Kyushu's …
The concept of Genka Bar is both simple and brilliant - after you pay 1,500yen to enter, all food and drink from then on is sold at wholesale prices. Glasses of beer cost the same or cheaper than you would pay for a bottle at the supermarket …
This weekend has a public holiday tacked on to the other side, so you're gainfully employed then you're free from work until Tuesday. If you didn't know this before reading the Cheapo Weekend then don't even think about heading out of town - you …
It finally, very suddenly feels like Autumn. Not long now until the time of 'changing of the leaves', heading to mountain onsen and enjoying the traditional Japanese festival of Halloween! Before that, you have a period of the most perfect …
Although the weather starts to get a bit wild and woolly about now, it's still plenty warm enough to enjoy the great outdoors and now that temperatures have dropped a few degrees, there's probably less chance of expiring from heat stroke and/or …
This weekend is one of those stretchy ones as respect for the wrinkled (is that disrespectful?) day will be celebrated on Monday. So you've effectively got two Saturdays and a Sunday or one Saturday and two Sundays - nice! Although it's not one …
Even though the weather hasn't changed a bit since the end of August (is it hotter?) the fashion industry wants us to think about what we're going to wear when the leaves begin to yellow and the air starts to feel crisp, so Vogue magazine is …
Although it certainly doesn't feel like it, this weekend is the official start of Autumn. If you venture to your favourite beach this weekend you'll find it spookily restored to its natural state with all the beachside bars and facilities gone …
From wifi to sim cards, getting connected during a short-stay in Tokyo can be trickier than you might expect. For a city with a reputation for tech, Tokyo hasn't quite taken to the free wifi trend like other capitals. While they're definitely …
Dance is the theme this weekend - watching rather than doing, unless you've been practicing long and hard for one of the three enormous dance centered events this weekend. If you're in Asakusa this weekend for the 31st Asakusa Samba Carnival, …
Abhi is a dedicated lover of fine alcoholic beverages. We met (not surprisingly) at an event I organised at a beer garden a couple of summers ago. I can think of few people better qualified to offer advice on getting value for money while …
What, no fireworks you say?? Well if you're that desperate you can probably find a festival somewhere in the Kanto area, but with both the Jingugaien Fireworks and the Tokyo Bay Fireworks last week, there are no major fireworks festivals until …
There is a slight calming in the summer action this weekend as we approach O-bon time, but there are still plenty of free events at which to sweat, dance, drink, get wet, relax or what have you. Here are our recommendations. Although there are …
This weekend looks to be the most explosive (sorry, couldn't resist) this summer with fireworks in all directions. In addition to the 4 festivals in Tokyo, there are a further 29 fireworks festivals in the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, …
The summer festivals keep coming thick and fast. There's a lot to choose from at the moment so there's absolutely no excuse to stay cocooned in your apartment under the air conditioner. This Saturday, the 28th of July sees the 40th Shinjuku …
Timed to coincide with the end of rainy season and the onset of the seriously hot weather, there is a plethora of events on this weekend across the wider Tokyo Area. If you feel like you need a break on an exotic Hawaiian isle but you don't …
There's nothing wrong with the beer from the 'Big 4' breweries in Japan. Sure, the prices for a can of beer are higher than they should be - due in large part to the Japanese excise tax regime which puts a higher tax on beer than any other …
Monday the 16th is Marine Day, so this weekend you have one extra day of work free bliss in which to enjoy all Tokyo and surrounds have to offer. On Marine Day, it's typical to head to the beaches around Tokyo - so if you like your beaches like …
In a recent article, we investigated convenience stores with alfresco cafe seating as a way to comfortably enjoy food and drink under the stars on the cheap. Now it's time to put that to the test. In the evening of Thursday, July 26th, in …
While home electronics mega-stores like Bic Camera, LAOX or Yodobashi Camera are a great way to check out all the gadgets available, there are often considerably cheaper options available online that don't require you to browse through every …
On the 7th day of the 7th month - which happens to be this Saturday - the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi cross the vastness of the Milky Way for their once a year trist - as long as it doesn't rain. Anyway, it's a good excuse to bust out the …
Predicting the weekend weather is a lottery at this time of year. Hopefully the rain will have exhausted itself on Friday and leave us with clear skies for Saturday and Sunday. Still, presumably you came here for a cheapo event round-up, so …
The humidity of summer has landed on us like a big sticky sheet of cling wrap this week, so best to get outside where you'll at least have the relief of a nice breeze. Despite rainy season continuing, this weekend also looks like it will …
Just to show that Tokyo can actually be cheap - and without skimping on the experiential part, we thought it would be interesting to show you how it's possible to spend 3 nights in Tokyo on a 10,000yen budget (approx. $US125, €94 or £76 at time …