Prince Hotel BlogsWhen visiting a foreign city, you often find that because you don’t know exactly what’s what, or where to find the city’s hidden gems, you end up falling into what ought to be the most obvious tourist traps but don’t always seem it (especially when you are keeping your eye out for English signs). While Japan is not a cheap country to visit compared to other countries in Asia, that is not to say that you can’t explore the city on a budget. You just have to be savvy, and follow these tips.
Top tip: Ask a local. When eating your Shinagawa Prince hotel breakfast, for instance, you may want to ask around and get some recommendations not only from other guests but also from the waiting staff and the hotel concierge. While their goal will obviously be for you to wine and dine in Tokyo Prince Hotel restaurants to some extent, provided you aren’t actively keeping away from the hotel, most people are very happy to help and want you to enjoy the best the city has to offer. Seeing the city through a local’s eyes is the best way to do it.
One of the most critical pieces of advice you can be given when travelling, whether on a budget or with money to blow, is to understand your hotel package. This is not only so that you can make the most of your facilities and get what you have paid for, but it is also important that you experience what is right on your doorstep. The Shinagwa Prince Hotel, for instance, is hardly just your average bedroom for you to rest in amidst the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Rather, it is a part of that buzzing atmosphere, and has the kind of facilities that could see you spending a day just exploring the hotel, let alone the city. This is no ordinary hotel, after all – there is an aquarium inside it, as well as a movie theatre, a bowling centre and a pool. So, between admiring the fish in real life and on screen, and swimming like one, you have a whole aquatic day planned without even venturing from your hotel. Not to mention, the views from the dinner and bar area of your hotel show Tokyo for the city of lights and glamour that it is.
This may seem like an unusual tip for travelling, especially to hotter countries where you are going to be doing a lot of walking and therefore sweating, but if you are staying in a hotel of the calibre of The Shinagawa Prince Hotel, then you can use the toilettries provided in the hotel’s bathroom and save not only fiscally in the fact you don’t have to purchase any, but this also leaves you with more room in your suitcase to bring home gifts and treats for your family (within budget, of course). A tub of shampoo is tricksy at the best of times when travelling, always waiting to leak on your nicely packed clothes, so eliminate this whole anxiety from your travel. This ties in with understanding your hotel package, though, as it is important to check before arriving without even a spritz of deodorant at hand only to find toiletries are not included in your package.
While in some countries, swapping out fine dining for street food may seem like too big a compromise, even on a budget, in Japan, people would opt for street even if they weren’t trying to save some cash. This is because street food in Japan is an institution and an experience in itself, rather than simply a cheaper way of eating. Whether you have a sweet tooth and opt for a chocolate-covered banana (a market-place speciality), or munch your way through a few yakitori, which are basically deliciously seasoned chicken skewers, you are encouraged to try as many different ones as possible to give yourself a big scope of experience and learn about some new flavours you may want to try back home.
Though the train stations look excitingly futuristic, especially compared to some of the stocky trains to be found across the USA and the UK, they can be far more expensive than the bus system, which is also a very sound way to get from A to B if you are on a budget. Feeling tempted to take a taxi? Where you can, avoid this, as it is the easiest way for a tourist to be taken advantage off, especially if there is a language barrier between you and the driver and if you aren’t 100% on the exchange rate.
On the previous note, it is important to draw a little more on this notion of exchange rates. Knowing what it is, and perhaps a quick mathematical trick to give yourself an idea of what it represents in your own currency, is vital to keeping on budget. For instance, to keep things simple and keep you as far away from a calculator as possible for this little equation, if travelling from a country where the exchange is 10-1, you may think everything seems very cheap and purchase it without first converting it when actually it is a deception of the single figure versus the double. It isn’t hard or time-consuming to keep track of – not when you have got a calculator on your phone. If you don’t want to spend the whole day doing the calculations, though, rather work in generals. For instance, say to yourself, “a decent lunch ought to cost X”, and then when you see a lunch being sold for “Y”, you know it is outside of your allocated budget. This is especially important if you are travelling from somewhere with a weaker currency, as it can be a total buzz-kill constantly being reminded that you are spending a fair chunk of your savings.
Once you’ve looked at the hotels in Tokyo Japan and selected one, the rest of your trip doesn’t have to be the sort which makes it feel like there are holes in your pocket – especially as that may mean spending more money on new trousers! Being pragmatic without compromising on experience is the way to do it, and this outline will help you achieve that.
Traveling to any new country can be a daunting experience, especially if you’re a solo traveler. Whilst safe and secure hotels like the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa provide peace of mind, is the same true for the outside world? Thankfully, Japan is often cited as one of the safest countries in the world, often […]