At least it’s not just us.
A 50-ish woman visiting from London was cruising the street-level concourse at Kyoto Station, a structure roughly the size of Nebraska. She was looking for a nice place to have dinner with her husband, who evidently was off checking out refrigerator magnets.
Now, Kyoto’s rail terminal has like a dozen sit-down restaurants, which, as is typical in Japanese metropoli, have lifelike plastic models of menu items in glass showcases out front, along with prices.
This woman had stopped outside a restaurant whose plastic models suggested generous portions of tempura–prawns and vegetables delicately deep-fried in the Japanese manner–could be had inside for a mere 700 yen, about $6.50.
There was an intriguing but approving half-smile on her face, and I figured I knew why. A reporter asked if she’d heard Japan was expensive.
“Yes,” she said, “but we’re not finding that.”
Neither, the reporter said, was the reporter.
“Good,” said the woman. “We were thinking we were going mad . . . “
Mad? Not hardly. It’s just that everything everybody has heard about Japan being the Tiffany (or, for ethnic consistency, the Mikimoto) of tourist spots ain’t necessarily so.
Here’s the deal with Japan.
According to figures provided by the World Tourism Organization for 2000 (the last year travel wasn’t skewed by 9/11 or SARS outbreaks), the following countries, among others, drew more foreign visitors that year than Japan:
Croatia, Tunisia, South Korea, Belgium, Macau and the Czech Republic.
In 2002, only about 5.2 million folks (business and leisure) came to Japan, versus the 75 million or so who descend annually on France and the 10 or 11 million who make their way to exotic Thailand, a wonderful destination convenient mainly to people from Myanmar.
How many Americans were among Japan’s paltry 5.2 million? An even more paltry 731,900.
I could dazzle you with more figures, but let’s get to the point of this little essay:
If the reasons Americans (and Brits and the rest) bypass Japan had something to do with not liking Japanese food or having no interest in Japanese culture or even residual hard feelings over that long-ago unannounced Oahu flyover, that’d be OK.
But too often, the reasons are bogus.
“There are stereotypes,” said Kunio Kishimoto, executive director of the Japan National Tourist Organization’s New York office. “`Tours to Japan cost too much. They’re so expensive.'”
They don’t have to be.
“There’s also a `language barrier,'” added Marian Goldberg, a spokeswoman at the same office. “Americans get nervous they’re going to get on the wrong train and end up someplace where they can’t communicate.
“But at least when you get on the wrong train, you’re not going to end up in a bad neighborhood and die. That’s one of the advantages . . . “
She was joking, sort of–but the truth is, the language thing with Japan is another worry blown way out of proportion.
The Wife and I just got back from eight nights in Japan. We had a good time. We ate well. We stayed well.
We talked with actual Japanese people who spoke actual English (or something close enough); when they didn’t speak English, we still managed to communicate.
And we got on the wrong train just once–onto a local instead of the express–but, in time, it got us where we wanted to go: Nikko, a samurai vestige, which was pretty cool.
In the end, the costs were no more, and maybe less, than we would’ve paid for eight nights in, say, Italy. I know that, because I’d been there just a couple of months earlier.
Don’t believe it? Read on.
Restaurants
You can spend a fortune here.
At Kamon, a teppanyaki restaurant in Toyko’s luxury-level Imperial Hotel, a dinner featuring a 500-gram (about a pound) portion of prized Matsuzaka beef will set you back about $235 (including miso soup, rice, dessert and coffee; other beverages boost the price). That’s per person.
At the same hotel, the special “best course” sushi dinner at Sushigen runs $215 per person.
Those are the kinds of numbers that make the tourism rounds and scare people.
But . . .
“We Japanese don’t go there,” said Kishimoto, almost laughing. “Business people [on expense account] go there. Ordinary Japanese people don’t go there.”
You don’t have to either. We didn’t.
We went to Ginza Tenkuni. It’s a famous, century-old tempura restaurant with prices slightly bloated by its Ginza location. Dinner for two: $37.
Chin-ya, also in Tokyo. A restaurant since 1880. A fine traditional-Japanese style sukiyaki joint with prices based on the marbling-distribution of the thin-sliced beef. We didn’t go nuts. Dinner for two: $54.
Ganko Sushi. A handsome Kyoto sushi restaurant, well-regarded locally. The bill, for two: $25. Izusen. A seven-course set menu. Terrific. Dinner for two: $58.
Understand, these aren’t the cheap storefront noodle joints favored by the backpacker crowd (and we did those, too–with pleasure). These are restaurants that were full of well-dressed Japanese on a night out with friends, and couples enjoying a special evening.
“I think the prices in the restaurants in New York,” Kishimoto said from New York, “are more than Tokyo or Kyoto.” He’s right. He could’ve added ” . . . in Chicago.”
We did get extravagant one night so we could sample Kyoto’s classic Kyo-kaiseki–multicourses (nine, this time), each uniquely beautiful in presentation, texture and flavor and served with grace–experienced at Yasuda, a spiffy little place in the city’s atmospheric Gion section. Cost: $124 for the two of us, including various beverages, and worth every yen.
Sure, that $124 cost for one “occasion” dinner might blow minds in parts of North Dakota, but it would hardly make a ripple in Rome.
Let’s go to lunch. In Japan, said Kishimoto, “I never paid more than 1,000 yen.” That’s about $8.
Neither did we.
I’ll save you the details, except for this one great noodle shop, Iwao, in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district: $16 for two bowls of soba noodles and broth, one with prawns, one with a regional specialty–stewed herring–that was especially tasty. And we could’ve gone cheaper.
Got the picture? Let’s move on . . .
Lodging
Again, if you want to spend $500 a night for a room where Churchill slept, they’ll sell you that $500 room in Tokyo or Kyoto, and you’ll sleep in $500 comfort, with 84-channel cable TV, mints on your pillow at bedtime and an English-language newspaper at your door the next morning.
We would’ve liked that too. Hey, we aren’t ascetics. But our criteria, for this study: good location near public transportation and restaurants, within walking distance of at least one worthwhile tourist attraction and, for The Wife, our own bathroom with a hair dryer–at a price we’d pay if we were on our own dime.
We found all that, in Tokyo, at the Sunroute Asakusa, in one of the city’s more livable districts. Our double room was reasonably large and, like most things Japanese, immaculate. Good bathroom, including a hair dryer and Western-style toilets that, if desired, provided a post-use spritz. The TV was big enough and had enough channels; there was a mini-bar and same-day valet service; the phone had a modem connection.
There was no shortage of restaurants, a newsstand was around the corner, and the Asakusa metro stop was three blocks away–at a gate to one of Tokyo’s absolutely essential tourist stops, Sensoji Temple.
The one downside: The hotel’s only non-smoking rooms are singles; fortunately, our double was tolerably unsmoky.
Cost, per night, including all taxes, etc.: $130.
In Kyoto, the historic capital, we wanted to experience a traditional Japanese-style inn, a ryokan, the kind where your bed is a mattress rolled out onto tatami mats. The ryokans that include elaborate in-room kaiseki dinners and pampering spa treatments can be Churchillian in price; we found Ryokan Heianbo.
About three blocks from Kyoto Station (which, conveniently, was also the city’s central subway station and bus terminal), the inn was an easy walk to Higashi-Hongashi Temple and a reasonable one to other good things, including restaurants. Full Japanese breakfasts, included, were different (fish, rice, soup, tofu, salad, pickles, fruit and tea) but not as bizarre as you might expect, beautifully and cheerfully presented. Sleep was, well, eventual, but it was worth it for the experience.
Cost, per night, including breakfast and all taxes, etc.: $137.
We also did two nights at a standard, essentially Western-style hotel, on the other side of the railroad station. The New Miyako was a large, bustling hotel (with an $18 buffet breakfast, outrageous considering nearby options–for which we opted) in the Marriott-Westin mode. Cost, per night, without breakfast but with taxes: $205. Not bad, but we could’ve done better. (The comparable Rihga Royal, around the corner, was offering $120 doubles.)
Even at $205, it was cheaper for what it was than midtown Manhattan, or, most of the time, downtown Chicago–or, for that matter, Bologna.
Lost in translation
There’s a barrier. Can’t deny it. Most “ordinary Japanese” either speak no English or decline to embarrass themselves by speaking it poorly to an American. Many restaurant signs are only in Japanese script.
On the other hand:
– Most personnel in hotels that deal with tourists speak passable English.
– All major stores and many small shops seem to have someone on staff who speaks English.
– Restaurants typically have at least one designated English-speaking server and at least one English menu–or a menu with color photos of the offerings. At restaurants that don’t, servers routinely walk patrons outside to the plastic models, where they can simply point to their selections. Or you can point to what’s on someone else’s plate at the next table or across the room; servers get the message.
As for the restaurant signs: There are enough you can read. Or you just walk in.
– Signs, explanations and literature in museums and shrines in Tokyo and Kyoto are almost always bilingual.
– Route maps and stop announcements (voice and written) in trains, subways and buses are almost always bilingual.
– And here’s something else.
One night in Tokyo, we took a different stairway up to sidewalk level at Asakusa subway station and were (pardon the expression) disoriented. A few steps ahead, a woman was passing out leaflets advertising a bar; we asked, in our way, if she could tell us where we could find Sensoji Temple, where we could get our bearings.
That woman, who evidently spoke almost no English but understood “Sensoji,” walked us two blocks to within sight of the temple. We thanked her; she bowed and smiled. We had to ask her for a leaflet . . .
Another time, we couldn’t find the Kabuki-za Theater. We knew we were close. We asked a businessman on the street–“Kabuki Theater?”–and he, too, led us . . .
More than once, an open map on a street corner, or just a look of bafflement at a subway station, brought help from a local who did speak English and only wanted to help.
Language barrier? Like a lot of barriers, like a lot of irrational fears, they can be overcome by the will of good people. So it is in Japan.
Other things.
– $200 taxi rides from Narita Airport to central Tokyo. That’s no exaggeration. But an airport train can get you there for $9. Another $9 (for two) got us a taxi ride to our hotel’s front door. Buses are another reasonable option.
– Expensive taxis. The most we ever paid for a taxi in Japan: $15, in Tokyo, for a ride from our hotel (we had baggage) to Tokyo Station. Tokyo metro tickets–we used the subway a lot–averaged about $1.75. Kyoto metro and bus tickets, which we also used a lot (the buses were shockingly easy to figure out there) ran about $2.15.
– High train fares. A Japan Rail Pass, which gave us a week’s worth of unlimited train transportation (including most of the justly famed Shinkansen “bullet trains”), took us to Kyoto, Nara, Nikko and other points–and to the airport from Tokyo–for $240 each, about the same as the cost of a Tokyo-Kyoto round-trip ticket alone.
– High-priced Kabuki tickets. A ticket to a Kabuki-za Theater performance can run more than $150. But you can pick up stand-by tickets on the day of performance that will give you a satisfying one-act dose (usually about an hour) for as little as $6.50. We did it. Unforgettable.
So?
Japan doesn’t have to be expensive. Really. If you don’t believe my numbers, ask the Taiwanese, or the Koreans.
“They’re good at finding cheap restaurants,” said Kunio Kishimoto. “There’s an information [gap] between the tourists from Western countries and tourists from Asian countries.”
It just got a little narrower.
IF YOU GO
FINDING CHEAPER AIR FARES
United, American and Japan Air Lines, as well as All Nippon Airways, offer non-stop flights (some will involve code-shares) between O’Hare and Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Fares are variable; a recent check found averages around $700–but United is offering a promotional fare (travel through April 4) of $598. Expect the non-stop flights to take about 13 1/2 hours to Tokyo, 11 1/2 back to Chicago. One-stops may not save you money but do add to the airline and flight choices, as well as adding a potential West Coast layover to break up the long flight.
FINDING CHEAPER HOTELS
Start with a trusted guidebook, get a sense of preferred locations (a huge consideration in sprawling Tokyo) and what might be available at your comfort-level (pricewise and otherwise), add other guidebooks to the mix, then hit the Web. Search the discount sites (there are dozens) and always check the hotel’s own site for promotional rates and packages. If a hotel promotion is due to expire before your arrival, call or e-mail the hotel directly and ask for an extension; it often works.
Check hotels in higher categories for promotions that may drop them into your price range, a frequent practice in Asian markets.
Finally, understand that rooms for singles in Japan can be tiny, especially at lower price ranges; many hotel Web sites actually give room dimensions. If size matters and the price differential is modest, consider paying extra for a double.
FINDING CHEAPER RYOKANS
Again, the guidebooks can be a start to find a room in these Japanese inns, but all books aimed at the American market necessarily list only a fraction of the hundreds out there.
This Japan National Tourist Organization link–www.jnto.go.jp/eng/PS–can help expand your search; or you can log on to the Welcome Inns Reservation Center site–www.itcj.or.jp/indexwel.html–for listings of these widely endorsed properties, and help with reservations.
Do try an outfit called Japan Guest Houses–japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm. Its listings, by style and price (perfect for our purposes), include reviews–remarkably objective reviews–as well as a reservation service, plus helpful follow-up suggestions if your first choices aren’t available. Inquiries are answered quickly. We used this company and highly recommend it.
FINDING CHEAPER RESTAURANTS
Japan has 127 million people, and not all 127 million are rolling in yen or are company-subsidized. Books are nice, but actual people can be your best source for restaurants in their (and, therefore, your) price range.
Ask hotel staff (not necessarily the concierge, if there is one) or, in a ryokan, your innkeepers to recommend their favorite spots, and emphasize your interest in local places, not tourist-hungry high-ticket restaurants.
If you’re winging it, do what you’d do in Boston, Guadalajara or Naples: Peek into the place, check the menu (or the outside showcases) for prices and offerings, check out the clientele and trust your instincts.
And don’t avoid Japanese non-Japanese restaurants: One of our best meals in Tokyo was Italian.
FINDING CHEAPER GUIDANCE
Volunteer guides, called Goodwill Guides, offer free walking tours in Tokyo, Kyoto and other cities and towns popular with tourists. Most guides are students. Your only cost is the guide’s carfare to your meeting point, his (or her) entrance fees (if any) and lunch, if you stop for a bite. Advance notice is usually required. Go to www.jnto.go.jp/eng/GJ/BTG/goodwill.html, then click on “List of Volunteer Guide” for details.
City tourist offices have all kinds of free English-language literature detailing attractions, walking tours, etc. Most can be found near rail stations. Ask also about “Welcome Cards,” which provide some discounts.
IF YOU’D RATHER THEY DO IT
Abercrombie & Kent (www.abercrombiekent.com), Geographic Expeditions (www.geoex.com), Tauck (www.taucktour.com), Absolute Asia (www.absoluteasia.com) and other leading tour companies, plus airlines (United and Japan Airlines, for sure), will, happily. Prices will be all over the place. A travel agent can help sort it out.
MORE FREE INFORMATION
Start with the Japan National Tourist Organization’s New York office (Chicago’s office has closed) at 212-757-5640 or check its Web sites: www.jnto.go.jp and www.japantravelinfo.com.
For Japan Rail Pass information, check www.japanrailpass.net.
— Alan Solomon
JAPAN HIGHLIGHTS
TEMPLES, TOWNS AND TASTY STUFF
Japan deserves exploration from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and someday we’ll do that. For now–our travels limited pretty much to Tokyo, Kyoto and nearby towns–these are some of our favorite things.
1. Sensoji Temple, Tokyo. Along with being strikingly beautiful, it’s bordered by some of the city’s most interesting streets.
2. Tsukiji Fish Market at dawn, Tokyo. If you haven’t seen this, you’ve never seen anything like it. Then have a sushi breakfast.
3. Kaiseki. These multi-course dinners can be a bit of a splurge, but the better ones are everything fine about Japanese cuisine and sensibilities.
4. Kamakura. A day-trip out of Tokyo. A Great Buddha and other shrines, plus fine shopping and, in mid-November, kids in kimonos.
5. Nara. A day-trip out of Kyoto. Temples, a Greater Buddha, jillions of lanterns and tame deer everywhere.
6. Gardens. Big and small, public and backyard. Blossoms in spring, brilliant red maples in late fall. Thank you.
7. Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto. Catch it on a clear day when the late-afternoon sun hits it just right. Warning: Wear shades.
8. Street food, especially in smaller towns. You may not know what it is, but this being Japan, it won’t hurt to try it.
9. The Bullet Trains. Fast, comfortable and on time. What a concept.
10. The people. Sounds like a cliche, but in three visits, they have invariably been generous of spirit and helpful to strangers.
— Alan Solomon
JAPAN VS. ITALY: A COMPARISON
In June and early July 2003, a travel writer–this one–was sent to Bologna (big city) and Ravenna (smaller town, revered for its ancient churches and mosaics), on assignment. A few months later, an assignment took him to Tokyo (big city) and Kyoto (smaller city, revered for its ancient temples and shrines).
Italy is generally considered a good value for tourists. Japan is generally considered outrageously expensive.
The reality? Here, in real life and with reasonably comparable choices for meals and lodging, were the actual costs:
BOLOGNA-RAVENNA
Airport transport (Bologna taxi): $5.35.
Hotels*
Average cost, including taxes and inclusive hotel breakfast: $166.25.
High: $281.43 (Grand Hotel Baglioni, Bologna).
Low: $138.04 (Hotel Bisanzio, Ravenna).
Dinners
Average cost, including, typically, a glass of house wine and tip: $51.87.
High: $88.65** (Trattoria Battibecco [multiple courses, including foie gras and venison], Bologna).
Low: $30.94 (Da Cesari [antipasto and a pasta, plus the wine], Bologna).
Essential cultural experience
Opera (main floor seat, “Madama Butterfly”): $40
TOKYO-KYOTO
Airport transport (train/taxi): $18.50.
Hotels*
Average cost, including taxes and cost of breakfasts when not included in the rate: $154.47.
High: $212.29, including outside breakfast (New Miyako, Kyoto).
Low: $136.54, including Japanese breakfast (Ryokan Heianbo, Kyoto).
Dinners
Average cost, including, typically, a bottle of beer and service charge, if any (no tipping in Japan restaurants): $29.47.
High: $62.13 (Yasuda [lavish multiple-course kaiseki], Kyoto).
Low: $12.18 (Musashi [various sushi, plus the beer], Kyoto).
Essential cultural experience
Kabuki (fourth level, one act): $7.50.
* Italy hotels were singles; Japan hotels all were doubles. Doubles in most hotels are more expensive.
** Cost elevated by a second glass of wine and a dessert wine. Hey, it was a happy night.
— Alan Solomon
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E-mail Alan Solomon: alsolly@aol.com
