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Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame
Tokyo can most definitely be done on the cheap. I found it comparable to Calgary in terms of day-to-day cost of living, and you can most certainly find great deals on food, electronics and entertainment. As someone said earlier, grocery stores are a great way to get a tasty meal on the dime. They always have pre-wrapped delights (gyoza for example), and is usually better than most places that serve them fresh in Canada lol.
As for suitcases - I call it the "pinch" method. Only bring clothes that you know you can throw out / give away at the end of your trip. Before you leave, just rid yourself of crappy clothes that are on the brink anyways, and then you usually have significant space to haul back goods. I usually always buy a second backpack / duffle bag coming home from Japan, as I do bring back quite a bit of stuff.
The other method is to bring a suitcase or backpack, and then use an oversized duffle bag to carry it in afterwards. You can put all of your gifts/souvenirs in your protected case/bag, and then stuff clothes around it in the duffle bag. Great way to protect your gifts, bring more things home, and still squeeze well onto the aircraft.
ALSO - Stay out of Roppongi, Ginza, Shinjuku and Harajuku if you're on a budget. Stick to places like Ueno, Asakusa and the surrounding suburbs if you want cheap food. My favourite place for the best balance of prices / shopping is Ikebukuro, especially for the nightlife.
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No, you definitely want to see all those areas. The Canadian dollar is very high right now, and the priceness of Japan is overated. Keep in mind that tipping in Japan is considered rude and on par with begging. So if you have to pay $7 for a drink, that's the total. Even relatively expensive bars, aren't as expensive when you factor in the no tipping. I found even in places like Shinjuku prices weren't all that out of control.
The only place I found truly expensive was the Hyatt bar, located on the 50th floor in downtown Tokyo. We paid $15-25/drink, but that included live piano, a guy who would pull your chair in and out for you as you sat, and the best view in the city....and once again no tip. If you have an extra big of cash to splurge with, I'd highly recommend this. It was like stepping into a scene from the 50s.
In Japan, everyone is extremely proud of their work. No one ever does a bad job. So even whole in the wall restaurants will all have extremely good food. Even cheap noodle places will give you the best service and present you with food that is above average by North American standards.