Day 179: Tokyo?

So I have another holiday coming up next month and I'm trying to figure out what I should do with my time. At the end of September is Chuseok which is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving. It means a five-day weekend (we get a M, T, and W. off) and our only other holiday for the next long while excluding Christmas. Korea becomes a massive traffic jam during this time as the vast majority of Koreans leave Seoul to return to their respective hometowns to spend the holiday with their family. I don't get many long breaks so I'd like to take this opportunity to go and travel somewhere cool.

And I'm thinking about Japan. Ever since my Osaka visa run I've been intrigued by the Land Of The Rising Sun and since it's not in my backpacking travel plans for next year I thought I should check out while I'm here in Asia. I'm thinking of spending a couple days in Tokyo for the Chuseok holiday, but the cost may prove to be a bit of a challenge...

If Japan is notoriously expensive, than Tokyo is astronomically expensive. Last time I heard it was the most expensive city in the world to live in, and I'm not surprised considering the preview I was given when I was in Osaka. Accommodation is the real killer, I've been told, and I keep thinking there *must* be some cheap places to stay somewhere there. Hostels are probably the best option, but I'm not sure what those are like over there. I know that a hotel room is definitely out of the question, and unfortunately I don't know anyone in Japan that I can crash with for a few days. Hmmm....

I really wanna go somewhere fun and cool but I don't want to break the bank doing it. I'm gonna call some travel agencies here and see if I can find some cheap(er) package deals maybe, or perhaps just a half-decent airfare price. I'm also gonna pick up the Lonely Planet: Tokyo I think to see what I can find out in there. Good ol' LP usually has some good tips for bargain-hunters and I definitely fall into that category. Hong Kong is another option I'm considering, but that would probably prove to be just as expensive....

Either way I don't want to just hang around here and waste a perfectly good holiday. Since I decided to stay in Korea for my summer vacation (and I did have a blast) I figured I deserve a little out-of-country trip. Hanging out in the world's most populous city sounds like great fun to me. I've heard that Tokyo is tons of fun with loads of fascinating places to check out. I'd love to join the hustle and bustle of Japan's capital for a few days, but I guess we'll see if I can afford it...