DETAILS

Budget Tokyo

GETTING THERE: I found an amazing fare for $563.76 round trip -- including fees and taxes -- from Atlanta to Tokyo during a United Airlines winter sale to Japan. Admittedly, that sort of fare doesn't pop up too often. To get airfares from Washington to Tokyo's Narita International Airport for close to $1,000, you have to book at least six weeks in advance. Nonstops start at about $1,050 from Dulles on All Nippon Airways. Numerous airlines provide connecting service from Reagan National, Dulles or BWI from about $1,085.

The airport is about 40 miles northeast of central Tokyo; a cab costs about $180. But several economical bus and train options exist. Japan Railways' "rapid train" gets you to Tokyo Station in 80 to 90 minutes for a bit more than $11. The reserved Narita Express gets you there in just under an hour for fares starting at $25.50. I took the cheapest option: the Keisei Electric Railway's "limited express," which gets you to the Keisei Ueno station in northeast Tokyo in about 1 hour 15 minutes for about $9.

ADDRESSES: Tokyo addresses don't use numbers and street names but rather a hierarchical system that moves from large wards (ku) to smaller districts (cho) to smaller divisions (chome) and finally to blocks and buildings. For example, 1-29-2 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, denotes building 2, block 29, chome 1 in the Kabukicho district of the Shinjuku ward. To make things more confusing, "ku" and "cho" are not always used. My advice: Ask for directions. Better yet, get a good guidebook with maps, or at least get a free map from a tourism office.

WHERE TO STAY: A good way to find and book inexpensive lodging is through Hostelworld .com ( http://www.hostelworld.com/ ), which allows comparison shopping and has user reviews.

I spent five nights at the pleasant, subway-convenient Oak Hotel (6-1-2 Higashi Ueno, Taito-ku, 011-81-3-5828-0551, http://www.oakhotel.co.jp/ ), with private and dorm rooms that have in-room baths. Dorm bunks start at about $26, $18 on the Internet.

For some of the city's cheapest private rooms, head to the Hotel New Koyo (2-26-13 Nihonzutsumi, Taito-ku, 011-81-3-3873-0343, http://www.newkoyo.com/ ). The tiny shared-bath rooms come in Western (bed) and Japanese (futon) varieties. Singles begin at $22, doubles from $42.

For a splurge, go to a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn, with tatami-mat floors and futons instead of beds. I spent a night at Homeikan (5-10-5 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, 011-81-3-3811- 1181, http://www.homeikan.com/ ); my building had an interior garden and hallways of black stones and lacquered wood. Rooms begin at about $55 for a single, $100 for a double.

Another Japanese-style alternative is Taito Ryoka n (2-1-4 Nishi Asakusa, Taito-ku, 011-81-3-3843-2822, http://www.libertyhouse.gr.jp/ ), which combines the prices and privations of a youth hostel with the dark wood, tatami mat floors and sliding doors of a ryokan. Solo travelers may have to share a room; it's not luxurious, but it is cheap ($26 per person).

At capsule hotels, geared toward one-night stays, your bed is a tube big enough for one person. They often accept only men, tend to cluster around subway and train stations, and frequently ban anyone with a tattoo (which are associated with yakuza gangsters). The men-only Green Plaza Shinjuku (1-29-2 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, 011-81-3-3207-4923, http://www.hgpshinjuku.jp/ ) is a six-story facility in Shinjuku, near the Seibu Shinjuku train station, with public baths, saunas and masseuses. Standard capsules run $38 a night.

WHERE TO EAT: Eating cheaply in Tokyo is easy, thanks to the profusion of chains and countertop restaurants.

The ubiquitous and now international Yoshinoya chain features countertop seating and lots of beef or pork and rice dishes, generally costing $3 to $5.50. With similar prices and food, Matsuya is Burger King to Yoshinoya's McDonald's. Unlike Yoshinoya, its signs generally aren't in English, but you'll develop an eye for the yellow-and-blue signs and learn to order from its vending machines.

If you need a cheap sushi fix, stop by a kaiten-zushi , where plates roll by on a conveyor belt. Among the cheapest is Kaiten-zushi Shion (3-25-9 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku), in the same building as Kirin City bar. All plates are either $1 or $2 and usually contain two pieces.