Actually I have nothing to say about men...but it was a nice title...hehehe...gotcha!!
Bring cash if you plan to travel outside of the big cities.
While credit cards are widely accepted in Japan, there are some stores in out of the way places which may ask you to pay in cash. Please remember to pronounce "credit card" as "ku-re-jit-to-ka-do" so you can sound more authentic.
Yen is the Japanese currency. There are three types of notes and six different coins:
1K, 5K and 10K yen notes
1, 5,10,50,100 and 500 yen coins
The coins are very easy to accumulate but easy to dispose when one buys all those drinks from vending machines which are located in every nook and cranny and when one makes all these subway trips and phone calls through the public pay phones.
Watch out though, some phones are wonky...mine in Nara refused to give back my 100 yen after I was unsuccessful in making a call...as I could hardly kick it as it was near the temple grounds, I resigned myself to a Buddha-like chant and left.
I had not seen a lot of ATMs while I was in Japan, and an officemate working there also warned me to bring dough/moolah/cash in yen as I may have some difficulty in either getting to an ATM (I didn't want to incur additional fees for withdrawing in Japan so I was agreeable) or to a money changer.
By the way, a tip for meals - for delicious meals, try to budget 1K to 1.5K yen...for ryokans, if you can get one at 10 to 15K yen per night, thats a good bargain already as that would include dinner or breakfast or maybe both if you can swing it.
Here in the Philippines, you can buy yen from BPI Main in Ayala. I bought mine there (reserved by an officer in one of BPI's branches where I have my account) and at BDO Makati but had to make a reservation as its not readily available in the latter. I thought it would be the same in Cebu City where I would just say I wanted to buy 2K USD...but here, my 20K Yen had to be picked up by Tuesday when I called in Friday at BDO.
Supplement with atm, credit card and traveller's checks....but I cannot vouch for the latter item as I am unsure if its accepted in places outside of the main city.
ATM's are everywhere here. In fact your could find one in all convenient and department stores. Pero on the other hand maganda na rin laging may "ready cash" kasi baka mapalpak ang pag-swipe sa card like that one in Nakano Store.
ReplyDeleteHi. nice blog about your trip to japan :)
ReplyDeleteHow much money do I need to have a 1 week trip there? :)
Your Japan Journal can be compiled, edited and published. Seriously. And I have a suggested title: "Cat Walking In Japan - Or How to Travel Japan on A Filipino Budget." What do you think, hehehehe..
ReplyDeleteI like those titles, Chito.
ReplyDeletebtw, I got to speak to Jack "live" on the phone mga 3X. He is in Vegas with Oselle. I also was able to greet Oselle Happy Birthday on the phone. Saya ng usapan namin.
I forgot to mention din pala, that earlier in Nara, ayaw din nya sa restaurant, pero weirdly, ok sa ryokan when I paid up...
ReplyDeleteanother tip: magdala ng more than 1 credit card..and put it in separate wallets...and separate bags...and photocopy all your important papers and put copies in diff bags too..
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! Title lang po ng movie yan. Buti pa sila, pa-Vegas-Vegas lang. Sana maka-jackpot sila para sama tayo sa saya via pasalubongs, etc., etc. hehehe....
ReplyDeletehi Kikaypixels..thanks for dropping by...
ReplyDeletethat would depend on where you plan to go and what you want to do...
I would say, and using yen as base currency -
for meals, budget 1K to 1.5K for EACH MEAL if gusto mo ayos ayos ang kain mo....on the other hand you can budget 500 or 800 yen since there are noodles or meals available for those who work at offices..
or you can buy bread at convenience stores or groceries and just budget 150 to 200 yen per drink from the vending machines...
for hotels...that depends din -
4K to 5K yen per day for mga budget-budget accomodations or
10K to 20K yen per day for medyo more expensive hotels or
15K to 40K and upwards yen per day per head for ryokans
for shopping...I can't help you there...hehehe...whether you buy kimonos, cameras, tabi socks, tea sets...it depends...though of course you would find these higher in price when you buy them at Gion, Kyoto
for taxi - its expensive...so try to get a train pass or a bus pass..otherwise like in Tokyo, I was spending 150 to 210 yen per train station I was moving around...
hope that info helps you...but I'd say, try to budget 15K to 20K yen per day so you can be comfortable...better more money than less when you are in Japan...
hahaha..as if ayos naman ang sulat ko......sinalpak ko lang to madalian kc may nagtatanong na ano daw ang nangyari...but aside from photographs, what I really wanted was to share the information I had gleaned from the trip with all those wanting to visit Japan but were afraid of the expenses to be incurred...
ReplyDeletethat explains it...would you believe that I had not really ventured inside department stores until I came to you in Tokyo? LOL...grabe no?
ReplyDeletehi Joey!
ReplyDeletenagbalita si Ms G kanina sa akin EB daw this June...at last I hope to see you here in the PHilippines by next month...
Editing is the least of your worries Cat. Publishers have professionals to do that. What's important is the content. An alternative title could be,"Everything You Wanted To Know About Spending In Japan But Were Afraid To Ask." O, di ba? Patok yan! I believe you have a market for that especially in Pinas.
ReplyDelete