Frugal Hive says:

Answer 1

Here are some ideas for fun and frugal stuff to do. Sorry, I don’t have the exact details off the top of my head but they can be easily found by searching.

1. Wandering through the small streets of Harajuku and Shibuya is free and fun, and people-watching is great there. And Yoyogi Park is just there as well.

2. There is a free 1-hour guided tour of Asakusa once a week and Ueno twice a week given by Tokyo Goodwill Guides. See: http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=357&pID=1067

3. Pick up a copy of the Tokyo Metropolitan Guide Book (orange in colour). Available at Tokyo Metropolitan tourism info counters and major stations. It has coupons for all the major museums, parks, and some theme parks.

4. Odaiba is good for a day of strolling. There’s the miniature Statue of Liberty there.

5. Rent a bicycle from the Asakusa bicycle-rent place and cycle along the Sumida River.

6. Visit the Metropolis magazine events listing for matsuri (local festivals) and free exhibitions.

Answer 2

Walk Akihabara. Haven’t spent time there in years; used to be all tech stuff, but I understand it’s more of a pop culture mecca now.

Walk from Omote-Sando, through Harajuku, to Meiji Shrine, maybe Yoyogi Park.

Head to the top of the Tokyo government building; last I checked, the observation deck is free. Same view as Tokyo Tower, without the ridiculous fee. (And Tokyo Tower is pretty inconvenient to get to, too.) Lots of electronics shops on the way, on the west side of Shinjuku Station.

Do a Gin-bura (walk around Ginza): traditional craft shops, dept stores, Apple Store… Nearby in Yurakucho, the huge Bic Camera electronics shop and smoky yakitori joints under the tracks, with
Hibiya Park and Imperial Palace not far away… Don’t know whether that’s all of interest to a teen, though. (And I don’t think there’s much to see at the Palace – mostly moat.)

Shibuya is fun for people-watching, but massively crowded. Some tourists love the Tokyu Hands store – pretty fun. (Ikebukuro has one too; also a small one in Takashimaya shopping center at Shinjuku south exit.)

Don’t plan the traditional tour of the Tsukiji fish market; I heard that they finally stopped letting the tourists disrupt work. (Anyone know the truth of that?)

Answer 3

Free guided tours in Tokyo. The guides speak English and are really nice. I sent my parents on a few of these when they were visiting and they enjoyed them a lot

See: http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/guideservice/guideservice/index.html

Frugal Hive questions and answers are taken from the Frugal Japan mailing list. If you have a question about living frugally in Japan, subscribe to our list and ask the Frugal Hive!

Frugal Hive says:

Answer 1

If you have any assets abroad, you might consider using a lawyer who is familiar with international law. There is a list of lawyers who speak English on the American Embassy website. If you’re not American, you might ask your embassy for a referral.

You might consider hiring a lawyer close to your age, so as the years go by, you can continue to get advice from a perspective close to your own — this is true when selecting a financial advisor, too.

Answer 2

If you are talking about a home that you bought here in Japan, you could set up your will through the koushou yakuba. They will ask you about assets abroad, but only to determine how much to charge for their services for writing up the will. The more assets you have, the more they charge you for their services. You may want to think twice about how you handle that.

If you are talking about planning for assets abroad, and want to include both your Japan and US assets in one trust, you may want to go the international attorney route.

It may be easier and cheaper to have one trust for your US assets written by a US attorney (int’l or not) and one trust/will for your Japan assets written here by the local koushou yakuba.

If you have business going on abroad (at least in the US), for example, a rental property, and find you may need legal services from time to time, I would recommend joining PrePaid Legal Services. Their direct marketing agents sell the memberships, but just go through their corporate offices in Oklahoma.

Frugal Hive questions and answers are taken from the Frugal Japan mailing list. If you have a question about living frugally in Japan, subscribe to our list and ask the Frugal Hive!