Hey Steemit community, I'm the Backpackingchef, and I'm really excited to share this post with you! A lot of people have been asking me to write about my time in Tokyo, and how I managed to keep a low budget during my stay there.
Tokyo is such a beautiful city, I know when I talk to most people about it, the first thing they say is "isn't it ridiculously expensive?", and the second thing they usually say is "Isn't it ridiculously crowded?". Well, yes it sure can be. But it doesn't have to be! This city sure can be overwhelming, but if you look for the peaceful side of it, you'll find it everywhere you look!
The first thing to know about Tokyo, is that there is such a huge array of food here! Food to suit every budget and every taste bud. You could eat a different meal, at a different restaurant, everyday for the rest of your life. I can safely say as a chef and a traveler, a lot of the food here is unlike anything, anywhere else in the world. The Japanese have really mastered the art of food.
For people like me, who are trying to get the most out of Japan, with the least amount out of their wallets, there are a few key things to look out for where ever you go!
The first is O-nigiri, or as I would call them 'rice triangles'. These are in every shopping centre, every convenience store, even some vending machines, and they cost 100JPY (USD0.90). They are made with Japanese sticky rice, and wrapped in Nori (edible dried seaweed. In the centre of them they usually have a little savoury treat, anything from salmon or cod, to pork or beef, and for the vegetarians like me, marinated seaweed or pickled vegetables!
The second is Ramen! If you're like me, once you've tried ramen once, you can never go past a bowl again without craving it! Ramen comes in 4 different forms: Shoyu (soy), Shio (salt), Miso (tofu broth), and tonkotsu (pork broth).
You can find ramen bars all around Tokyo, and Japan and the average price of a bowl of ramen is around 500-900JPY (USD4.50-8.10) which is quite affordable and you'll find one bowl quite filling too!
The third to look out for in Tokyo is grocery shops! Tokyo has so many beautiful shops for groceries as well, if you find yourself in a hostel or hotel with a kitchen I really suggest giving a crack at making some japanese food yourself, or even using their quality ingredients for western dishes you know and love so well! You'll save yourself a decent amount, and will get to see just how fresh and well produced all of Japan's produce is!
Another great tip you'll need for Tokyo if you want to avoid the rush to work in the mornings is quite simple. Just have a nice sleep in, and if sleeping in isn't your thing, then find a nice view, grab a book and relax. Rush hour in Japan tends to go from 6am till 10am, and it's chaotic! If you find yourself wanting to get somewhere between these hours plan ahead, and expect crazy traffic and crowds if not then head my advice and you'll soon be wondering why everyone keeps telling you Tokyo is so busy!
There are plenty of places in Tokyo to sit back and relax, and at the end of most picturesque walkways and paths in Japan are Torii gates bringing good luck and warding off the evil.
There's even a park showcasing Japan's favourite drink, sake! And all the handmade and decorated barrels they use to store the sake.
There's so many things to do in Tokyo, see the local shrines, visit the beautiful temples go hunt down the worlds best ramen or sushi! You can even play real world Mariokart! Cruising through the streets of Tokyo, dressed as Mario or Luigi or any of your other favourites, stop by shinjuku and have the other tourists take a barrage of photos of you!
The Japanese love sports, especially baseball. But my personal favourite which I'd like to share with you is Sumo! Sumo is a sport between two wrestlers with legs like tree trunks and bellys like like a big hot air balloon! The wrestlers compete to push the other outside the ring, i have a tremendous respect for the wrestlers after watching it first hand. It's almost unimanginable watching such huge wrestlers move so fast and pick each other up with what seems like almost no effort. I strongly recommend trying to catch a tournament while in Tokyo, but make aure to buy your tickets very early, as they sell out very quickly.
That's all from me for now Steemit community, I just want to say thanks for all the support and comments, I've been reading them all and really enjoy hearing from you! Would you like to hear more about Japan from me in future blogs? Have you been to Tokyo and seen the Sumo wrestling? What's the best ramen you've had? Did you find my budget tips helpful? Let me know with a friendly comment below and don't forget to upvote and follow for more travel and food stories! I love hearing from you all and replying to your comments so please feel free to let me know what you're thinking!!
Also Steemit community, my partner @jessbear has just posted about a volunteer project we are helping out with, saving abused and unwanted stray animals here in Turkey. You can follow the link below to see what we are up to and how you can help!
https://steemit.com/travelfeed/@jessbear/living-and-volunteering-with-35-dogs-and-70-cats-in-southern-turkey