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so i'm going to tokyo soon

MrsAmberface

=] how many am i at?
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and i need help. it's sort of a run-away-trip so we need to get jobs and know how much money we need for everyday life for a month and what to wear (which i've seen in a post) but i have the more "street style" of tokyo..will i find a job do i need to change? is KNOWING japanese well Esential
 

You won't be able to work on a visitor visa. You'll need a B.A. degree and a sponsor for a work visa. At age 17, I think your chances are nil and none.
 
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Hmmm, I don't want to discourage you but you cannot engage any job without working visa in Japan.
For some countries Working Holiday programme is available but unfortunately the US is not among them.
If you want to experience Japan, the options I can think of is (1) to come to Japan as an exchange student (2) to come to Japan to learn Japanese language (then you can do some part-time job if you get permission from the immigration office in advance) (3) to travel around using WWOOF Japan (working for farms and get accomodation and food in return, but no money).
You need some fund for either of the above, so maybe it does not fit your "run-away-trip" scheme.

I hope other members would be able to offer more practical help than mine...
 
Hey grats, I'm going to Tokyo to!.

I'm 21 and I cant get a job in Japan yet.

The Japanese dont want you unless your highly edumacated to teach pretty much English or jobs that involve foreigner knowledge or skills.

Least thats what I gather.
 
The immigration policy from what I've heard says that working visas can only be given to those with a bachelor's degree or higher, I imagine the reason jobs aren't given to foreigners without degrees is because they don't have a visa.
 
well sounds like a week or two then. can anyone give me some advice on passports hotel accomodations i do want to buy stuff so maybe money accomodations. will i have to swap american money for japanese. do travelers checks work? and if so at what kinds of places would take them. is there anyone from tokyo that i can talk to maybe private messages so that i understand things a little bit better maybe some one can show me and my boyfriend around? any help is great
 
Hey, this is Ambers boyfriend. I just had a few quick questions that hopefully someof you japan guru's could answer. We have a few goals that we want out of this trip, and are determined to meet them. This will probably be our only vacation for a lonnnngggg time with school and everything so we want to make the best. Anyway... Amber wants to shop for sure. We really want to experience the city, and the culture. We really need advice on which district to stay in. Or at least which ones we should take subways too. We would really like to be in the city. I heard the drinking age is 20, so we probably won't be able to get into many fun places. I also heard thats rarely inforced though . The last thing I need is to get arrested overseas though soooo, any thoughts on the subject? I guess all in all, our goals are...
-Shopping
-Experiencing city/culture
-Seeing as much as we can
-Little hastle as far as location of hotel in relation to places to go
-Seeing tokyo!!!!
-Not getting arrested lol
-Not going bankrupt
-Things to do, places to see, where to go
-Advice on what would be a decent 2 week budget (USD)
Thats all I can think of for now, but I guarantee I'll be back with more lol. Thanks again! -kris
EDIT Already thought of some more... Will we be able to even GET a hotel in my name if I'm 19? Will we be able to get around ok using the subways? What time do subs close? Do you guys know any good travel guides we could go through? What will the weather be like around June?
 
I really wish I could help out my Alabama friends, but I know so very, very little of Tokyo. I live way out here in the sticks...where it's like it is over on the opposite side of Mt. Montesano--it that's how it's spelled.

I have to say, though that it may be as much of an adventure as it is hard...so maybe just kind of like a gamble. I hope some who can give you two more information will soon pitch in with some good news. Catch you later !! MM
 
You'll need A LOT of money And with a lot of money I mean A LOT OF MONEY ! At least around 3000$ each to get by (tickets not incl.)
 
well so far its looking like we would be spending roughly 2500 on tickets and hotel. according to orbitz... so we were thinking about 6000 dollars total for the whole trip?
 
is there a better place to put this thread so i might get more responses
 
$6000 sounds a lot, but I'd forgotten how expensive everything was in Japan. You can find useful info about going to Japan in "Practical-Traveling Japan" section. ;-)

You can do a lot of shopping in Tokyo, and if you are willing to walk around, there are many little shops that are not so expensive.
I hope you have a good time.
 
Just a question. Why do you feel the need to say something negative and completely unhelpfull? Seems kind of pointless to me. Thanks for checkin out the thread though! -kris

Thanks! I'll check that out. -kris
 
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This thread was probably better-suited to be in the Practical section.
 
hi,it's a good idea that you're coming to japan.
i'm a japanese guy and live in tokyo.
i'm ken.
my advice is that you can come to japan,but you can't work there.
you are only 17 yrs and you don't speak japanese,right?
if you wanna come to japan,you need to save money that you can stay in tokyo fully.
i think you can stay in tokyo about 6000 yen(50$) for 1day in tokyo.
it's including accomodating and food.not to including buying clothes or something.
please tell me your plan and see us if you come to tokyo!
it's a beautiful for X'mas in tokyo now.
 
that grea man! I was looking into some places that were more for Backpackers rather than hotels. I found a few that we would be able to get away with 20 dollars per night there. I guess our biggest worries as of right now is food. If we do stay at a place like that, we probably won't have our own kitchen to cook or anything lol. We will have to keep in touch, maybe you could give us idea on places to eat/stay. Will we be able to get around and see the city ok from subways? As for age... I will be 19 at the time of the trip, and Amber will be 18. Thanks again! -kris
 
MrsAmberface said:
EDIT Already thought of some more... Will we be able to even GET a hotel in my name if I'm 19?
Click to expand...

She's 17. You're 19.

You ever heard of the Mann Act?

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You better make damned sure this isn't a "runaway" sort of situation, or you might come back to find yourself looking at up to five years in a federal prison.

MrsAmberface said:
and i need help. it's sort of a run-away-trip
Click to expand...

Hard to run away internationally when your Mommy has to go with you to get your passport. Sort of lets the cat out of the bag.

so we need to get jobs
Click to expand...

A legal impossibility for you.

and know how much money we need for everyday life for a month and what to wear (which i've seen in a post) but i have the more "street style" of tokyo..will i find a job do i need to change? is KNOWING japanese well Esential
Click to expand...

This is a horrible idea.
 
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Mike is right. Mrs. Amberface, do your parents know about your trip? do you have their consent? If not, your boyfriend could potentially get into a lot of trouble for this trip!

What do you mean by a "runaway trip"?
 
LOL not runnaway like you are thinking! This is Kris again btw... we aren't really running away, yes our parents know. I guess a better term would be a "getaway trip"? As for our ages, we met at 16 and 15, we are currently 18 and 17, AT the time of the trip we will be 19 and 18. We aren't even a year about, 363 days. LMAO @ Mike, thanks for looking out man but we are within our legal rights hahah. Wow that first post she put did sound bad though huh?
 
Well, if the lead on the Mann Act is resolved and your boytoy doesn't get a threat of a fine/imprisonment, some things about Tokyo:

Tokyo and Japan aren't as expensive as most people think. You can stay at decent hotels in Tokyo for around $140-$160/night with breakfast included for two people. In Tokyo I have stayed at Shinagawa Prince Executive (nice rooms, eh breakfast, $160-$170/night for 2), Takanawa Prince (older, not as nice, better breakfast, a little more expensive), Tokyo Prince (older, not as nice, pretty good breakfast, very convenient to subways and 10 minute walk to JR station), Ikebukuro Metropolitan Tokyo (nice, no breakfast, relatively expensive), and the Tokyo Hilton (very nice, $200+/night, best breakfast in town). You can stay for much less if you don't mind "roughing" it. At your age I assume you would rather have a cheap place to sleep than a fancy room. You can find rooms for under $100/night.

Food can be found for the same or even less than what you are used to paying in Huntsville. A typical meal may be 700-1500 yen, which considering that would cover tax and tip in the US, you are looking at some cheap eats. Just drink water and avoid paying $3 for a Coke. Avoid fast food (McD's) since the value isn't there. You get more for your yen/dollar at a real restaurant.

My favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo are near Tokyo Tower (I like the quiet neighborhood feel) and also Ikebukuro (the other extreme - lots of activity). I actually prefer Ikebukuro over Shinjuku.

There are many things to see and do in Tokyo for free. Plenty of shrines and museums. If you only stay in Tokyo, make efficient use of transportation. Subway/train tickets can quickly add up. Get the day pass on the subway which pays for itself in 4-5 one-way trips. Plus it saves on walking.

For shopping, Harajuku caters to your age. That's where you'll also find some of the cheapest clothes around. The name brand department stores are pricey. One of our Japanese friends was just visiting us in Texas and we took her shopping. A couple of months ago she bought a suit in Tokyo for $1600. Monday she bought 5 at Macy's of similar quality for under $800. Don't expect to find many deals on anything over there.

June weather is pretty good. It starts to get nasty around then. Tokyo gets hot and moist in the summer.
 
i think accomodation fee is not so expensive if you don't stay a hotel.
she already found a cheap youth hostel in tokyo,right?
youth hostel in tokyo cost about 3000yen(25$)
food is about 2000yen(15$)in a day if you cook at a hostel.

i don't know why you come to japan and i also think your parents worry about your trip,but tokyo is not so dangerous like NY or other countries.
i think you can get a nice experience there.

but if you wanna work there or live there for a long time,i think it is not a good idea.
i reccomend you take just a trip with your boyfriend.
i think trip in tokyo takes from 1week to 2week.

i think you are not kids,but you are still under 20,so you need to talk about trip with your parents.
if you wanna take a good trip,relieve your parents first of all.
 
^^^Wow that was horribly usefull. I know we will probably be hitting harujuku multiple times. Amber is dying to go there, I can't wait myself. I really want to hit the city, see all the interesting shops etc etc. I'll get to the serene countryside/gardens when we go back in 10 years after med school lol. I would love to be able to do both if time/money allows though. Thats just the order of priorities right now. Thats kinda why we are giong, I wanna go before I start pre-med, because I probably will be studying for the next 8-12 years....

KenKen - Our parents do already know about our trip and have no problem with it. Actually saftey is one is key factor for me, I really don't want to take my 18 year old girlfriend to LA or NY. Plus it's been a dream of ours for a lonnngggg time. We want to stay at least 2 weeks, but might have to be shorter depending on our funds. I'm actually giving my motorcycle (kawi 636 if anyone cares) for this trip . And yea we don't mind "roughin it" in a cheap little hotel. I'll worry about luxory next time.
 
"Nobody was whining, simply asked if there was a spot for better traffic. I didn't expect a response at all actually. You obviously have a big mouth, so please see if you can fit all of it through the door out of this thread. Nobody did anything to offend you, and you had to come flapping that hole you call a mouth for no apparent reason. I feel sorry for people like you, I truly do. You are 17? It really shows. Good luck with life, and hopefully one day making yourself a friend. Don't come back into my girlfriends thread, you are useless. Thanks again. -kris
Anyone else who is reading this thread, I'm sorry and please don't let this person differ you from throwing some input out lol! Please revert to post number 7. -kris"

Please refrain from insulting other members, thanks.
 
What's funny is that he has such a poor opinion of 17 year olds....yet dates one.
 
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