Living in Japan
For foreigners who live here, not just visit. Cheap lunches, free weekends, sento for ¥600, the train passes worth buying and the neighbourhoods locals actually hang out in. Tokyo on a resident's budget.
Ikebukuro for Foreign Residents: Where to Eat and Play
Late-night tonkotsu ramen, the real Chinese food of the North Exit, a sky deck from ¥700, a free earthquake training...
Koenji in a Day: A Local's Walk
Morning bath at a 1933 sento, Japan's only weather shrine, old shopping streets, vintage shops and bars under the train...
Cheap Coworking Spaces in Tokyo: Drop-ins, Booths and Monthly Desks
Station booths by the 15 minutes, ¥550-an-hour drop-ins, desk rentals from a few hundred yen and monthly memberships around ¥10,000....
Shinjuku Cafés With Wi-Fi and Power Outlets for Remote Work
A café built for laptops, a big New York-style lounge, a quiet coffee bar on the west side and the...
Tokyo Train Passes That Actually Save Residents Money
Your commuter pass is a free weekend ticket, the Tokyo Metro 24-hour ticket is ¥700, and some one-day passes went...
Cheap Day Trips From Tokyo by Train
Mountain air for under ¥500 each way, an Edo-era town with a ¥1,110 all-in coupon, the sea at Kamakura and...
Day-Trip Onsen in Tokyo That Foreigners Can Easily Use
Real hot springs without leaving the city: a garden onsen in Itabashi under ¥1,000 on weekdays, Spa LaQua's new night...
Tokyo Sento Under ¥1,000: 6 Public Baths Worth the Trip
Tokyo's public bath price is now ¥600. Six sento worth crossing town for, from Koenji's famous hot-and-cold bath to an...
Where to Buy Used Designer Clothes in Tokyo
Harajuku for designer resale, Shinjuku for brand hunting, Shimokitazawa and Koenji for vintage, Nakano for watches. The Tokyo areas where...
Furnish Your Tokyo Apartment Second-Hand: Recycle Shops, Apps and Sayonara Sales
Japan's recycle shops sell fridges, desks and rice cookers in great condition for a fraction of new. Which chains to...
A Shitamachi Walk Locals Love: Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi
Old Tokyo on foot: a cemetery lane, a bathhouse turned art gallery, the sunset steps of Yanaka Ginza, a snake-shaped...
Tokyo's Quiet Side: 6 Spots With Fewer Tourists
A temple carved like a picture book, a ¥400 tram day, a rose garden with a mansion, a hidden valley....
Tokyo Nightlife Areas: Where Foreign Residents Actually Go Out
Golden Gai, Ebisu Yokocho, Koenji's under-track bars, Sangenjaya's triangle and Roppongi's international crowd. Seven Tokyo nightlife areas, matched to the...
Missed the Last Train in Shinjuku? Where to Go Until Morning
Last train gone? Shinjuku never closes. 24-hour ramen, a food hall open till 5am, a hot spring, karaoke packs and...
Tokyo's Best Local Summer Festivals (and How to Join In)
Bon odori at a temple, Awa Odori in Koenji, a whole shopping street turned food festival. Four local summer festivals...
Free Events in Tokyo This Weekend (Oct 24–25, 2026)
A used-book festival, a night market in Yoyogi Park, a free-entry tea ceremony festival and street parties. What's on for...
Shinjuku for (Almost) Free: Gardens, Rooftops and a Hill
A free 45th-floor view, a giant 3D cat, the highest hill inside the Yamanote loop and a ¥2,000 garden pass...
10 Free Things to Do in Tokyo (That Residents Actually Enjoy)
Gardens, a walk across the Rainbow Bridge, a hidden valley, museums of fire and money: ten genuinely free days out...
Shibuya on a Budget: 5 Cheap Eats Locals Keep Going Back To
Shibuya looks expensive, but people who work here eat well for under ¥1,000. Bullet-train sushi, a reborn station soba, chicken...
Lunch in Shinjuku Under ¥1,000: Where Locals Actually Eat
Stand-up soba, a basement café that never sold out, and the chains that keep office workers fed. Lunch in Shinjuku...
