How much money would I need to see ayu?

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

Trying to take everything into account.

Hotel
Flight
Food
Concert Ticket
Spending Money

Hotel + Flight would obviously be the most expensive...thinking about $2300 total if I use a site like Priceline. So then $100 for the ticket, and almost $1000 for spending money and food. Damn. $3500 sound about right?

Am I missing anything?
Anyone know of some good money-saving tips?
I REALLY need to see ayu in concert at least once.

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

I spent 5k when I went to the 7 days final last year.

I was in Tokyo only for 7 days, and went to only 3 concerts

I didn't stay in a hotel, I think hotels would be expensive... I preferred spending my money on buying stuff than on an expensive hotel, I wasn't gonna be there for long anyway!

I stayed at Khaosan (Asakusa one) http://www.khaosan-tokyo.com/en/original/


You forgot about Transport. Transport in Japan is sooooooooooooooooo expensive D:


And also, if you buy heaps of things, don't bring too much with you, hopefully just an almost empty luggage so you can chuck it all in, unless you're willing to post everything to yourself lol which is what I did, and it was really expensive

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

^^is public transportation expnsive? In my city, you can buy a weekly pass (unlimited use on trains and buses) for about $25.

What is khaosan? A hostel? I think a hotel (or some type of inn-type place with privacy) is a requirement for me...lol

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

If you can sacrifice other things, such as buying random kawaii **** or saving up more to stay in a hotel, then do it

I didn't mind staying in the hostel, but yeah, you don't get much privacy



I heard about the train passes or whatever they're called, but I guess it was too late lol I spent heaps in transport, specially since I stayed in Asakusa which is ages away from yoyogi Still, I wouldn't have changed a thing xD

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

Interesting...considering I have absolutely NO sense of direction, I think I'd wanna stay in Tokyo...LOL how far is that from yoyogi? doesn't she perform in Tokyo at certain stops on her tours as well (or am I mistaken)?

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

Asakusa and Yoyogi are part of Tokyo LOL But kinda really far away from each other. Don't worry, I was super lost and scared before I went to Japan all by myself

But once I had a map with the subways, important places, etc I didn't get lost



EDIT: This is a very simplified map of Tokyo, Asakusa is in Taito and Yoyogi in Shibuya.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:To...cial_Wards.png

[Energist]

Yoyogi's in Tokyo, so you could potentially get a hotel close to Yoyogi Stadium. if you don't, it's still easy to find because you can see it from the Harajuku stop on the Yamanote Line. If you can, I'd say find a hotel in Yoyogi or anywhere close to the Yamanote Line because that line will get you most place you'll wanna go and the quickest. If I remember right, riding the Yamanote is like 100-something yen to 300-something yen depending how how far you go.

Also, you might wanna splurge on food because there's so many awesome places to eat, but you can do it cheaply (especially if you find a 100-yen Lawson)

[LacusClyne]

there are some cheap food/drinks in 100 yen shop too. if you are hungry at night, just stock up with some stuff from 100yen shop and you should be okay.

as for the subway, most stations have maps in romanji, so it should not be that much of a problem, except for harajuku station, the subway map for you to purchase the ticket is written in kanji. so be sure to memorise the right kanji of your station.
yoyogi stadium is at harujuku station.

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

Yep, Yamamote line (which goes in circles = you can't get lost, that is just impossible lol), speaks to you in English, and it has Romaji and English inside the trains, and perhaps in all the stations as well?

[Earth_maiden]

I had... 2k spending money, which covered accommodation, food, entertainment (10,000 yen for a 2 day pass to Disnyeland/DisneySea) plus 1k on my credit card, so with planes tickets I spent about 4.5k.

We stayed in Ikebukuro, which is about 6 stops away from Yoyogi. I'd recommend staying there if you can, it's very convenient. We stayed here:

http://www.kimiryokan.jp/

It's only 4000 yen for a room of your own, no sharing! The bathrooms are shared, but its not too bad.

[thatstacey]

^ I had a similar budget as Earth_Maiden. I stayed in Japan for a few weeks, saw Ayu, and bought a looot of used CDs and games. I survived on cheap Family Mart meals lol.

Originally Posted by Pieces_of_SEVEN

^^is public transportation expnsive? In my city, you can buy a weekly pass (unlimited use on trains and buses) for about $25.

What is khaosan? A hostel? I think a hotel (or some type of inn-type place with privacy) is a requirement for me...lol

You can order a Japan Rail Pass (http://www.japanrailpass.net/) before you leave for Japan; it's a special pass for foreigners that can be purchased at a flat rate of about $500+ (depending on the pass) and it allows you to use any train in a set period of time (7 days, 14 days, or 21 days).

The JR Pass does not cover the metro, however. If you take SURREAL__RAINBOW's suggestion and stay in Asakusa, you'll have to take the metro to get anywhere. That said, I also stayed in a Khaosan hostel in Asakusa when I went to Japan. I think they have a couple in the area? The one I stayed in was called the Tokyo Samurai, and it was great. I really want to stay there again The metro costs are something to keep in mind, however.

Edit again: Oh, and my friend and I booked a private room at both hostels we stayed in (including the Khaosan Tokyo Samurai in Asakusa). Even if you don't get a private rooms, the hostels in Japan are usually really clean. Not at all like the ones in the US lol.

[everlastingRAINBOW]

I stayed in Asakusa and loved it. The hostel was only about $35-40 a night, and I had internet, shower, and a place to sleep.

[Corybobory]

I went to Japan for three weeks and spent about $3000. One of the most expensive things I spent money on was the railpass though, so you can do the trip a lot cheaper. Once in Japan it's really not expensive... There's actually a hostel in Yoyogi I recommend, and I hear the Asakusa one wasn't as nice (I met people who were staying there). It was 3000-3500 yen a night and you get your own room and shared bathroom I'd budget 1500 yen a day for food (that's not starving yourself or just eating from konbinis), and then a ticket might set you back 6000 yen depending on how good the seats are...

Will the flight really cost you $2300? I flew from Vancouver for about $700, I'm sure it cant be that expensive!

[Zeke.]

If your gonna do it, go all out. Get the best seats you can! I got 4th row, next to catwalk and it was worth it! Tickets from Yahoo Japan Auctions shipped to my hotel when I was there. Cost me about $1,300 for two tickets.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

For a foreigner who doesn't speak Japanese, the subway/train system is wonderful. Everything is basically in English (Signs, directions, etc.) however, busses could get a bit more confusing. They also have everything written in Romaji, but I still don't understand the routes, haha.

I'm not sure about weekly passes (I've never tried) but they do sell daily passes, I think. It's like 1000 yen and you can use it all day. But don't quote me on the price...and I don't know all the details...I feel like I've used one before though...

But I would stay at a youth hostel. They aren't the nicest of places, but I'd say Japan has the cleanest, haha. And if you are planning on buying things, be prepared to spend money. Clothing is not cheap here, for instance.

Food, in my opinion, can be pretty cheap. Family restaurants like Saizeria (Italian) and Gusto ("American" style) are in most places and you can get food from 300-400 yen. Of course it depends on where you go.

[CZECHayu]

yeay I'm in Tokyo now and you can find the cheap things. I'm staying in Sakura Hostel at Asakusa and with their summer sale is one night stay for 2 000 yen. I think it's pretty cheap.
And like people before me said the subway and train system is really okay. Maybe you need a little more time to orient but it's really easy to understand.
I think that the price depends on the Ayu ticket. When you have someone who can buy it in Japan for you it's really the best thing. The normal price for the ticket is 8 500 yen. But when you buy it from the resell shop it's much more higher. I spent so much money on the tickets.

[YUKARI]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

If your gonna do it, go all out. Get the best seats you can! I got 4th row, next to catwalk and it was worth it! Tickets from Yahoo Japan Auctions shipped to my hotel when I was there. Cost me about $1,300 for two tickets.

Jesus, 1300$ for 2 tickets!! Unbelievable @___@

I dreamed that someday I'll be able to tour with ayu and see her live in different cities, but now I see how expensive it might be ~.~