Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
51
What Things Cost in Tokyo
Japanese Yen
Narita Express from airport to Tokyo Station
2,940
Metro subway ride from Ginza to Asakusa
1.90
Local telephone call (per 1 min.)
.10
Double room at The Peninsula Tokyo (deluxe)
60,000
Double room at Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Ginza
30,000
(moderate)
Double room at Asia Center of Japan (inexpensive)
12,390
Lunch for one at Ginza Daimasu (moderate)
2,100
Lunch for one at Limapuluh (inexpensive)
1,050
Dinner for one, without drinks, at New York Grill (deluxe)
11,000
Dinner for one, without drinks, at Waentei-Kikko (moderate)
6,825
Dinner for one, without drinks, at Gonpachi
3,500
Glass of beer
600
Coca-Cola
300
Cup of coffee
400
Admission to the Tokyo National Museum
600
and see some of Tokyo's sights with
reduced admission.
In any case, you'll probably want to
arrive in Tokyo with cash, credit cards, and
maybe even traveler's checks. Luckily, it's
much easier to obtain yen than it used to
be even just a decade ago.
not as convenient in Japan as it is in many
other countries. And remember, Tokyo is
one of the most expensive cities in the
world; see the chart above and refer to the
listings in this topic to get an idea of how
much money you should have on hand
each day.
Personal checks are not used in Japan.
Most Japanese pay with credit cards or
cash—the country's overall crime rate is so
low, you can feel safe walking around with
money (but always exercise caution). The
only exception is on a crowded subway
during rush hour or in heavily touristed
areas such as Tsukiji or Asakusa. Although
the bulk of your expenses—hotels, major
purchases, meals in classier restaurants—
can be paid for with credit cards, bring
traveler's checks for those times when you
might not have convenient access to an
ATM for cash withdrawals, especially out-
side Tokyo in more rural areas.
AT M
S
The best way to get cash away from home
is from an ATM (automated teller
3
CURRENCY
The currency in Japan is called the
yen,
denoted by ¥. Coins come in denomina-
tions of ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, and ¥500.
Bills come in denominations of ¥1,000,
¥2,000, ¥5,000, and ¥10,000, though
¥2,000 notes are rarely seen. All coins get
used (though you may find it hard to get
rid of ¥1 coins).
Some people like to arrive in a foreign
country with that country's currency
already in hand, but I do not find it neces-
sary for Tokyo.
Narita Airport
has several
exchange counters for all incoming inter-
national flights that offer better exchange
rates than what you'd get abroad, as well as
ATMs. Change enough money to last
several days, since exchanging money is
