Super Cheap Hokkaido Book Review

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island and is home to an abundance of unspoiled nature, hot springs and ski resorts, along with arguably some of the country’s best-kept culinary secrets. This northern wilderness attracts many fans of the outdoors with fantastic skiing and snowboarding in the colder months and hiking and camping in the summer months.

This often overlooked part of Japan might seem a little scary due to its sheer size but with the right travel guide, you’ll have no trouble in planning your long overdue trip to Hokkaido.

The Book’s Content 

Super Cheap Hokkaido is the ultimate budget travel guide for exploring Japan’s nature paradise on a shoestring budget. The travel guide covers Sapporo and Hokkaido Prefecture and the must see destinations such as Sapporo, Hakodate, Niseko, Furano, Otaru and Noboribetsu.

The book covers a wide range of money saving tips such as how to spend next to nothing drinking local beer in Sapporo, relax in free hot springs, spend a cheap day’s hiking in the mountains or where to find the best, inexpensive super fresh sushi and sashimi. It’s all here in this amazing travel guide.

Inside the book you will find:

Budget Food – comprehensive listings of low-cost restaurants, take-outs, cheap roadside stations and supermarkets.

Budget Shopping – all the best attraction discounts, free sample hot spots, 100 yen shops and tax-free shopping.

Colour Maps – ideal for budget travelers, making it easy and stress-free to get around.

Highlights and Itineraries – for those with rental cars or using discount train passes.

Cheap Accommodation – the best and cheapest hostels, family-friendly hotels, campsites, mountain lodges, capsule hotels and net cafes.

Travel Guides – all the major destinations are covered with Sapporo, Niseko, Furano, Otaru, Biei, Hakodate, Matsumae Castle, Daisetsuzan National Park, Lake Mashu, Shiretoko National Park, Abashiri and much more.

My View 

Why I really like the book? Like the other books in the Super Cheap series, Super Cheap Japan and Super Cheap Tokyo, it is compact and easy to use with all the information at your fingertips. I like how the book provides a quick guide on how to use it and how to save on your holiday before moving into the travel guide and covering the must see places.

The travel guides provide information on how to get around, discount passes and tickets, transportation maps, things to do, budget food, best places for shopping, recommended cheap accommodation and how to get there.

It is easy to use with colour maps making it easy and stress-free to get around. The maps use landmarks and walking routes to help get you around and include convenience stores, cheap supermarkets, 100-yen stores, budget accommodation and tourist information.

This book is perfect for backpackers, budget travelers, families on a tight budget, students and those of us who just want an amazing time, without blowing all their cash in a day.

About the Writer 

The author, Matthew Baxter is a British travel writer living in Tokyo. Having traveled across the country for more than a decade, without much money, he has built up an extensive knowledge of budget travel in the Land of the Rising Sun. He now writes professionally for several websites and publications, such as the Japan National Tourist Association, Japan Visitor and All About Japan. He is the author of Super Cheap Japan and Super Cheap Tokyo.

Super Cheap Hokkaido is all you’ll need for a fantastic budget friendly trip to Sapporo and Hokkaido. This book gives you some great money-saving tips all in an easy-to-use travel guide. Take the plunge and explore Japan’s northern frontier on your next trip.

Super Cheap Hokkaido is available now from Amazon.

Super Cheap Tokyo Book Review

Tokyo is one of the most exciting cities on the planet with its mix of the traditional, from historic temples and colourful shrines to the ultramodern, with neon-lit skyscrapers and pop culture. Tokyo has it all. With so much to see and do in Tokyo, it can be overwhelming trying to plan a travel itinerary without the right travel guide.

The Book’s Content 

 

Super Cheap Tokyo is the ultimate budget travel guide to exploring Japan’s capital on a shoestring budget. The travel guide covers the greater Tokyo metropolis and the surrounding Kanto region on the cheap. Unlike other Tokyo guides, this book shows you exactly how, where and when you can save money.

The book covers a wide range of money saving tips such as how to grab a traditional Japanese meal for only $3, buy clothes in the fashion mecca, Harajuku for under $10, and how to spend next to nothing on a day’s hiking or relaxing in a Japanese garden.

Inside the book you will find:

• Budget food – a comprehensive list of low-cost restaurants, take-outs and supermarkets.
• Budget shopping – the best tax-free shopping, shopping hot-spots and 100-yen stores.
• Highlights and itineraries – based on discount subway and train passes, so you can explore while keeping the costs down.
• Tokyo’s hidden treasures – walking routes to all the hot spots and must see places to visit.
• Cheap accommodation – the best and cheapest hostels, budget hotels, family-friendly hotels, internet cafes, overnight spas and more.

My View 

Why I really like this book? It is compact and easy to use with all the information and tips at your fingertips. I like how the book provides a quick guide on how to use it and some useful information about Tokyo before moving into the travel guide and covering the must-see places. Each area of Tokyo is broken down into a brief intro, a little bit of history about the area, things to do, and getting around, before moving into budget food and shopping.

Tokyo offers countless tourist attractions to visitors, and this book gives you plenty of great travel options to explore without breaking the bank.

It is easy to use with colour maps making it easy and stress-free to get around. The maps use landmarks and walking routes to help get you around and include convenience stores, cheap supermarkets, 100-yen stores, budget accommodation and tourist information. The book covers all the best of the region including the highlights of Tokyo such as the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Skytree, Harajuku, Asakusa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno, Akihabara, and Odaiba, as well as the Kanto region with Mount Fuji, Kamakura, Yokohama, Nikko, Hakone along with many other off-the beaten-track spots.

Shibuya Map

The colour photos in the book add to content giving you a glimpse of the amazing places that you will visit.

This book is perfect for backpackers, budget travelers, families on a tight budget, students and those who just want an amazing time, without blowing all their cash in a day.

About the Writer 

The author, Matthew Baxter is a travel writer living in Tokyo. Having traveled across the country for several years, without much money, he has built up an extensive knowledge of budget travel in the Land of the Rising Sun. He now writes professionally for several websites and publications, such as the Japan National Tourist Association, Japan Visitor and All About Japan. He is the author of Super Cheap Japan.

Super Cheap Tokyo is all you’ll need for a fantastic budget holiday in Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto region. This book gives you some great money-saving tips all in an easy-to-use travel guide. There is no better time to come to Tokyo and Japan than now.

Super Cheap Tokyo is available now from Amazon.

10 Things to do on a Budget in Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan’s modern capital is one of the most exciting places on the planet, but this doesn’t mean a holiday to this amazing destination has to break the bank. Like most places in the world, a trip to Tokyo can be done either in luxury or on a shoestring budget. I’ve been lucky to have been able to travel around most of Japan in my ten years of living there and overall I have found Japan to be an incredibly affordable holiday destination.

If you are planning a trip to the land of the rising sun, be sure to check out these things to do in Tokyo, for people travelling on a budget!

Japan on a Budget

Japan is a great tourist destination and it is possible to visit Japan on a budget. Here are some money saving tips to help you on your next trip.

Travel

If you plan to do a lot of travelling in Japan then it is worth getting the Japan Rail Pass, which allows unlimited travel on almost all JR trains, including the shinkansen (excluding the Nozomi superexpress). This pass can only be purchased outside of Japan and will save you travel money in Japan.

In Tokyo, most of the main sights and hot spots can be visited via the JR Train Line (Yamanote loop line) with a one-day JR train pass for 730 yen (about USD$9). You can also look at regional pass like the JR Kanto Area Pass.