The Ultimate Guide To Tokyo
Please note: This was an April Fool's Post, Don't look for the sushi vending machine! Japan is deservedly well known for its vending machines. Along with the ubiquitous soft drink machines there are machines that vend everything from noodles, …
Yoshi Soba is a standing soba noodle bar which also sometimes has seats. While they're not as ubiquitous as some of the other bigger noodle chains, their stores seem to be located in places where you can't help but stumble across them - which is …
UR Housing is a public corporation that offers rental housing and accommodation in Tokyo and in cities all over Japan. The 'UR' stands for 'Urban Renaissance'. While the cartel of real estate agents and property owners in Japan typically extort …
Thali-ya is difficult to categorise. They serve mostly authentic Indian food, but is it a bento shop? A cafe? A Shokudo? It's definitely a twist on the typical Indian eatery in Tokyo - sitting somewhere between CoCo Ichibanya and "normal' Indian …
Sushi Misakimaru is yet another one of the big sushi chains that proliferate in Tokyo, with 45 branches in the Kanto region. Not all stores are the same - some are 'kaiten' sushi (pre-made sushi on a conveyor belt) while others are more like …
Komoro Soba is one of those places that after you've been there once, you suddenly notice that they have stores absolutely everywhere you look. 81 of their 84 stores are within the 23 wards of Tokyo with 50 of those located in Chuo and Chiyoda …
On January 30th, 1703, a cold, still winter night with snow fluttering over Edo, forty seven ronin - samurai without a master - crept into the house of their dead master's arch enemy and exacted a brutal revenge, so creating one of the greatest …
On a recent lunchtime stroll down the marvelously cheap Sakae Dori - a narrow street of small restaurants, bars and cafes that atarts just outside Takadanobaba Station - the newly opened Takadanobaba branch of Ginhachi-don caught my eye with …
We've been doing this cheapo thing for almost 9 months now so we're starting to see the lay of the land a bit better. Here are top 5 picks for major cheapo trends that we saw in 2012 - and only four of them are food and alcohol related! 1. One …
If you live near a Y's Mart, you're a very lucky cheapo. I used to live near one and didn't realise what a treasure of a place it was until I moved somewhere where the closest supermarket was a Maruetsu Petite. While the fruit and veggies are …
Just to let that sink in properly - that's not just for a slice, that's 350yen for the whole damn pizza. All of their pizzas measure 30cm across so that's a full 706 sq. cm of goodness. To put that into further perspective, for the price of one …
So you think McDonald's is fast? Well, they're not compared to Sanuki Udon Hanamaru. To watch the staff of Hanamaru is to see a marvel of Japanese service process design. The kitchen moves like a super efficient production line with commands …
'Zanmai' is Japanese for indulgence or luxury. While sushi is certainly an indulgence compared to a lot of regular fare, Sushizanmai serves it up at a reasonable price—especially if you follow the Cheapo maxim of 'posh lunch, cheap dinner'. …
Ever received a gift card which you can't seem to use unless you go to a flash department store in Ginza? At Daikokuya you can turn these into cash for more useful items - like beer. Daikokuya is a particularly large chain of what are known as …
Beyond dull bronzes of early statesmen, public art in Tokyo is a relatively new phenomenon. Only in about the last 25 years or so have architects and urban planners started to incorporate public artworks into their projects. Luckily, there are a …
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 …
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 idea of free wifi like other major cities. WMost offerings are …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
There are cheaper places to get pasta in Tokyo - like Saizeriya and Pronto, but if our meal choices were based on maximum cheapness, then you'd be standing outside the convenience store with a cup noodle. The great thing about La Boheme is …
As I'm not very interested in the brand stores that line Omotesando, I couldn't help noticing the little coffee truck parked just off the main drag on a side street next to the Benetton shop. This is one of four Motoya vans (I was only able to …