YEBISU BEER MUSEUM: Free admission and cheap Japanese beer!

The Yebisu Beer Museum is definitely a must experience. First off, admission is FREE. Secondly, you get to learn about the history of Yebisu Beer! Secondly, you get to sample beers for CHEAP! Here I'll show you the experience of the museum:

The memorial room

Ingredients!

Poster Ads!

Tools!

The best part: The Tasting Lounge (good thing we were there on a weekday)

They have many kinds of beers you can sample.

Of course we had to get the sampler. Four beers for 400 yen! That's like a buck each! Yum!

So we ordered our sampler using the coin-operated machine. (The Japanese are so smart!)

And we were able to taste the yummy goodness of Sapporo.

And of course we had to get a second sampler because one just wasn't enough!

Total cost of the whole experience split between two people: 800 yen! That's equivalent to a little less than $8. Holla! Always remember: DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Free and important destination: Meiji Shrine

The Meiji Shrine is another place to go which is also free. It is located right by the Harajuku station and where the Harajuku kids hang out.



The Meiji shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken

The only thing I did that cost money was write down a prayer and donate 100 yen to the shrine.

Here is a video of me writing out my prayer:

Barrels of wine...

Barrels of sake dedicated to the shrine...

Write your own prayer and make an offering to the shrine.


Other visitors' prayers on display...

We even got to see a wedding!

The central sanctuary

Free entertainment and CHEAP TRENDY SHOPPING: Harajuku Station and Takeshita Dori

I remember a few years back being at the bookstore and seeing a photography book on Harajuku kids. If you look them up, they have these outrageous, creative (many people would probably say "weird") outfits. Some are cute, but they're all just so extreme! Anyway, they hang out at Harajuku Station on the weekends and love to show off their creativity. Unfortunately for me, I didn't see too many of them because it was also the weekend of the Nagisa Music Festival (which I went to on Sunday). So most of them were probably at the festival. OR we got there late in the day.

Anyway, normally the Harajuku kids DO hang out by the Harajuku Station. It's a cluster of them so it doesn't really take that much time to check them out. This is where you would see them:

OH and apparently....these kids right here with the "FREE HUGS" sign are supposedly part of a sex cult that was started in France (or somewhere else in Europe) and so when you go up to them to hug you, they start telling you about the cult. HAHAHA is this true? Crap....it all starts with a free hug...

But since we didn't get to see Harajuku kids, we checked out Takeshita Dori, which is a shopping street right by the station which has mostly cheap and trendy stuff. Here are some pics of Harajuku shopping (sorry I couldn't get the kids!):

Smart, cheap shopping in Ameyoko!

Before we even came to Japan, Steph and I had been so excited to hit up Ameyoko, "Candy Store Alley". After World War II, Ameyoko was basically the black market. Now it's a bargain area (think flea market but better) where people can get imported products for cheap. Ameyoko is in Ueno, a district in Taito which is a ward in Tokyo. I know. It is set up right by the Ueno Train Station.

We were very careful about spending our money though. I mean, HELLO, we didn't come to Japan to spend our yen on American stuff when we live there. And to us, it's not that much cheaper. However, we WERE able to get some other cool stuff.

Now because this is an HONEST, budget blog, I will say that personally, it's a bit hard to shop for authentic Japanese souvenirs here as this place seems to cater towards shopping for Western products.

Here are some photos to give you an idea of the things you can find in Ameyoko:

Yummy street vendor goodies with friendly, cute kids. They're so adorable!

Lots of different types of fish for good prices.

See this dress? It cost only 599 yen. You bet your ass I bought it! I've always wanted to look like those cute Japanese women on those game shows who are dressed up to look like obedient little schoolgirls! Kidding.

Big crowds. I got a little overwhelmed at one point actually. It's okay to take breaks.

We took our break at Mister Donut on one of the side streets. Now Mister Donut wasn't cheap at all. It cost me about $5 for all this. And the donut wasn't even that good but that's probably due to my spoiled, unhealthy, American taste buds. I think it's a bit more health conscious here in Japan because it wasn't sweet at all - at least not to me. Although it did taste VERY FRESH. Maybe that's why fat people don't live in Japan. Maybe we Americans can learn from them heh? I'm not kidding this time.

Now we did come across some really beautiful postcards for 86 yen each. That's about 86 cents. I think it's 100 yen for 97 cents so do the math yourself. Now, I have only been in Japan a few days so I don't know if this is cheap or not. To me postcards seem to all be the same = pricey. But whatever. I did pick some up though just because they were just too freakin cute!

Drinks for 300 yen? Say what?

We are currently couchsurfing with Andrew at in Daikanyama, an area in Shibuya, which is a ward in Tokyo. I know. Hehe!

If you don't know what Shibuya is, then you'll probably recognize this as Shibuya, a very colorful district reminiscent of Times square in NYC, in movies that are filmed in Japan.

But back to the title...Drinks for 300 yen? Say what?

Yes! They do exist. Yes 300 yen drinks as in $3 drinks. In Tokyo.

And yes, that's an ashtray. I guess smoking is big here. They allow that shit in coffee shops, donut shops, bars, etc. But it's different in outdoor areas. Heh! Kind of the opposite of the states I guess!

After having dinner at another coin-operated restaurant (man, I love those haha!) Pepper lunch, we headed back to Andrew's area called DAIKANYAMA (the Daikanyama stop on the train does not appear on maps so be careful when taking the train) and went to this bar next to where he lives.

It's called "Stand 300 of Joy". Every alcoholic drink on the menu is 300 yen or less!

They have the typical mixed drinks like we do have back in the states only they're BIGGER and their well vodka is better. They even have bar food such as: takoyaki, mix pizza, chocolate, chips, cheese mix, potato chips, etc. Lots of options.

And for non-alcoholics they have normal drinks such as: iced honey lattes, milk tea, caramel milk, hot chocolate, orange juice, etc. FOR LESS THAN 300 yen.

Wait, if you get a bigger sized version of the REALLY good coffee drinks it could cost 340 yen though so watch out. But for the most part it's all about 300 yen. Holla!

It's a cute little bar but if you notice the title it says STAND. So make sure your feet are taken care of because you're going to be on your feet the whole time. No chairs! But hey, who needs chairs while socializing!? haha jk.

It is definitely a chill environment. Nice lighting too. Here are some more pics of the place and the very nice bartender:

If you're ever in Daikanyama, go ahead and check out this little joint. Very very nice and inexpensive.

Free sightseeing, curing yourself AND your fortune for 100 yen: Sensoji in Asakusa

Sensoji is a very popular Buddhist Temple in Asakusa (one of the 43 wards of Tokyo). It is dedicated to Kannon Bosatsu.

You start off at Kaminarimon (Kaminari Gate). Go ahead and take pictures. Pictures are the best souvenirs. Now, this gate is the outer gate of the Sensoji Temple. It is a restored gate. It has been rebuilt throughout the ages. Observe the gods of Wind and Thunder at each end of the gate. Take in the huge lantern which says "Kaminarimon" which means "Thunder Gate". Walk through the gate but don't forget to check out the dragon carving underneath the lantern.

Once you walk through, you are entering Nakamise Shopping Street. Yes, the walkway to the temple is a shopping street! 

Being that this IS a budget blog, I must be honest and not recommend shopping here right away. This place IS a famous tourist destination. So just enjoy the scenery for now and save your yen for when you get to the temple. 

Take in the smell of Agemanju (deep fried manju, soft cake with red bean paste filling...yummy!) Try some maybe but make sure to shop around for it, even if only on that street. They have as you walk through. Search for souvenir gift ideas for your friends and family back home. They have tons of trinkets here for everyone. They have fans, kimonos, hello kitty, Maneki Neko (the beckoning cats)! But my favorite is actually getting to see people make fresh sweets!

See see no touch! This is sightseeing only, if you are trying to budget.

This gives you a chance to figure out what to get for who but not have to buy it right away. Believe me, this street will be here before you leave and if you have to come back because you saw something you want to get for someone but couldn't find it ANYWHERE else, then just do it.

Once you get to the end, just chill and take in the beautiful scenery. As you walk along towards the entrance of Sensoji, you will notice a huge smoky black thing with a bunch of people around it and you're probably wondering (if you don't know your Japanese culture) what that is. Well, it is called a censer.

It is believed that the smoke from the censer can cure diseases! Of course everyone has different beliefs but if you think you can and want to believe in that, then go up there, brush that smoke against you and just take it in! Have a stomach ache? Wave it towards your tummy! Be respectful about it though. Do it genuinely and judiciously.

Once you are done, go to the temple and do this for yourself: Get your fortune for 100 yen. That's only a dollar and they have your fortune written in English as well as in Japanese. Do it.

You'll notice different boxes of drawers around the temple. Go to any one of them. I chose to go to whichever one was closest to me. Drop a 100 yen coin in the slot and pick up the silver cylinder and shake it around. It'll make a lot of noise and that's because there are a bunch of sticks in there. There is a hole at the top. When you are ready, you take out one of the sticks (resembles a chopstick) and note the Japanese symbol at the top. Match it to the drawer that is labeled the same symbol. Open that drawer and pull out the top sheet of paper.

What you just pulled out is your fortune. You either get bad fortune, regular fortune or best fortune. And if you are wondering, what I got...it was BEST FORTUNE. I definitely needed it!

If you get a bad fortune, get rid of it! You do this by folding it up and tying it into one of the many bad fortune hanging racks and leave it there! If you want, spend the measely 100 yen to try and improve your fate! Focus on the positives, people! Focus on the positive.