HOW I TRAVELED TO TOKYO

FOR FREE!
BY: BRANDON WEAVER
 READ THIS EBOOK IN FULL BEFORE STARTING YOUR JOURNEY TO TOKYO FOR
FREE!!!

SIGN UP FOR A FREE FREQUENT FLYER MILES ACCOUT WITH:

AMERICAN AIRLINES @ http://www.aa.com/

American Airlines Frequent Flyer Mile Program is called: AAvantage

Click AAvantage (A drop down menu will appear)
Click Join AAvantage Loyalty Program
Fill out the form.

MAINTAIN YOUR AAVANTAGE NUMBER BY PRINING IT OUT AND TYPING THE

NUMBER INTO A WORD DOCUMENT. THE WORD DOCUMENT SHOULD MAINTAIN ALL
YOUR FREQUENT FLYER NUMBER(S) AND CREDIT CARD INFORMATION. WE WILL
DISCUSS CREDIT CARDS LATER.

Now that you have a frequent flyer number you can fly with American
Airlines and gain miles to use on a free ticket. However, this is
only after you pay for and fly with American Airlines therefore you
will need to get the Citi AAvantage Credit Card to get FREE miles.
 Before I talk about signing up for the CITI PLATINUM SELECT /
AADVANTAGE WORLD MASTERCARD let us look at the American Airlines Award
Chart.

Look at Asia Zone 1 Economy Off Peak Season Dates: October 1 to April
30. Japan is in Asia Zone 1 so if you travel during this time period
in Economy class each 1 way ticket will cost you 25,000 miles.
 APPLYING FOR CITI PLATINUM SELECT / AADVANTAGE WORLD MASTERCARD
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/earnMiles/beyondTravel/creditDebit/citi-
platinum.jsp

The above link should get you to the landing page to apply for the card,
however, you can also google: Citi AAvantage Credit Card.

First you must have excellent credit. Fico scores of 720 and above will most
likely get you approved. Ideally it is easiest with a Fico score of 760 or
above. Of course there are other considerations like income and other
outstanding monthly obligations, but this is a good rule of thumb. You can
check and make sure your credit is excellent at www.myfico.com Currently the
$24.95 a month plan is the most economical. Cancel anytime. But most credit
cards give you a FREE fico so you probably have a card with a FREE Fico
score.

If you need to fix your credit please see the Fix Your Credit Auxiliary at
the end of this ebook.

The Citi Platinum Select / AAvantage credit card comes with a sign up
bonus of: 50,000 American Airlines miles after spending $3,000 in 3
months. (Pay this off every month. If you carry a balance you will
be paying for miles and your trip will no longer be free. You must
complete this minimum spending in 3 months or no bonus miles and you
will not travel to Tokyo for Free.)
Annual Fee: No annual fee for the first year, then $95 each year
after. Cancel the card after the first year to avoid the annual fee
and keep your trip FREE.
Foreign Transaction Fee: 3% (Do not use this credit card in Tokyo or
outside the United States of America)
Mileage Earning: 2x per $1 spent on AA purchases, 1x per $1 spent
across all categories.
So, after spending 3,000 dollars in 3 months you will get:
50,000 bonus miles + 3,000 miles (from purchases) = 53,000 AA Miles.

THESE ARE ENOUGH MILES FOR 1 ROUND TRIP TICKET TO TOKYO, JAPAN DURING
THE OFF SEASON PERIOD IF YOU FLY ECONOMY.

BE AWARE THAT YOUR CREDIT SCORE WILL GO DOWN 5 TO 7 POINTS AFTER

APPLYING FOR A CREDIT CARD (EVEN IF YOU DO NOT GET IT) HOWEVER, AFTER
USING AND PAYING IT OFF YOUR SCORE WILL GO BACK UP.
 APPLYING FOR ANOTHER APPLYING FOR CITI PLATINUM SELECT / AADVANTAGE
WORLD MASTERCARD

If you want to take someone with you, I took my girlfriend, you can apply for
another card. I recommend finishing the minimum spending on 1 credit card
first and they apply for another one.

You will do the same process with the second credit card from Citi and get
another 50,000 miles bonus. This is enough for 2 people to travel to Tokyo
for FREE!
 BOOKING YOUR AWARD FLIGHT

Log-in to your American Airlines Frequent Flyer account and take (AA)vantage
of the off peak economy fares. Book several months ahead of time to make
sure you get a flight. We booked our trip 5 months in advance.

Also, if you wined up on one of American Airlines partners (i.e. Hawaiian

Airlines like we did since we had a day layover in Hawaii which was totally
worth it) make sure to call that airline to get assigned seats.

Click AAvantage
Click Award Travel
Scroll Down
Click Book Award Travel

Put in your dates of travel, make sure round-trip is selected, put in how
many people are traveling and of course the airport you are leaving from.

Make sure Economy and MileSAAver are selected. They should be the default.

You can fly into HANEDA INTERNATIONAL (Tokyo), or NARITA INTERNATIONAL

(Tokyo) to get to Tokyo for FREE. You could fly into KENSAI INTERNATIONAL
(Osaka) to go to Osaka and be closer to Kyoto, but this is not my first hand
experience. You can fly to all over Japan and other off season locations.
Your Miles May Very.

YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE AWARD TRAVEL HAS SURCHARGES AND TAXES NOT COVERED BY
YOUR MILES. SO USE THE CAPITAL ONE VENTURE CREDIT CARD TO PAY FOR THOSE AND
 APPLYING FOR THE CAPITAL ONE VENTURE CREDIT CARD
http://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/venture/

The Capital One Venture credit card comes with a sign up bonus of:
40,000 miles after spending $3,000 in 3 months. (Pay this off every
month. If you carry a balance you will be paying for miles and your
trip will no longer be free. You must complete this minimum spending
in 3 months or no bonus miles and you will not travel to Tokyo for
Free.)
Annual Fee: No annual fee for the first year, then $59 each year
after. Cancel the card after the first year to avoid the annual fee
and keep your trip FREE. (or keep this one if you like, Capital One
Venture is very useful)
Foreign Transaction Fee: No foreign transaction fees. Use this in
Tokyo, Japan.
Mileage Earning: 2x per $1 spent across all categories.
So, after spending 3,000 dollars in 3 months you will get:
40,000 bonus miles + 3,000 miles (from purchases) = 46,000 miles.
This comes out to 460 dollars worth of travel.

THESE ARE FLEXIBLE TRAVEL MILES THAT CAN BE USED ON AIRLINE TICKETS,
BUSES, TAXES, UBER, HOTELS, AIRBNB, ETC.

YOU CAN ALSO USE ON FOOD, ENTERTIANMENT, ATTRACTIONS AND MORE WHILE
YOU ARE IN TOKYO, BUT YOU MUST GET A COSTUMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
THAT WILL REIMBURSE YOU FOR THOSE ITEMS WITH YOUR MILES. YOUR MILES
MAY VERY, BUT I WAS ABLE TO GET MOST OF MY TOKYO TRIP FREE WITH THESE
MILES. WE EVEN PAID FOR MY DOG'S SITTING WITH THESE MILES.

So, you use the card on a purchase (that is travel related) that you want to
use your miles on, like the taxes and surcharges with American Airlines.
Then you call Capital One and tell them you want to use your miles on that
purchase. Make sure you use them as travel miles and not as cash because
they will not be as valuable.
 Applying for IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card
https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/ihg-credit-card.aspx

Before signing up for the credit card you should create an account to
get an IHG member number: http://www.ihg.com/

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC informally InterContinental

Hotels or IHG is a British multinational hotels company headquartered
in Denham, UK. IHG has over 710,000 rooms and 4,800 hotels across
nearly 100 countries.

My girlfriend and I stayed in the Tokyo Bay InterContinental our

first night and the Tokyo ANA InterContinental our last night and
they are AMAZING hotels. You will love them.

The IHG credit card comes with a sign up bonus of: 70,000 points
after spending $1,000 in 3 months. (Pay this off every month. If you
carry a balance you will be paying for miles and your trip will no
longer be free. You must complete this minimum spending in 3 months
or no bonus miles and you will not travel to Tokyo for Free.)
Annual Fee: No annual fee for the first year, then $49 each year
after. Cancel the card after the first year to avoid the annual fee
and keep your trip FREE. (or keep this one if you like, you get a
free night with IHG on your anniversary very valuable)
Foreign Transaction Fee: No foreign transaction fees.
Points Earning: 1x per $1 spent across all categories. 2X per $1
spent on gas, grocery, restaurants. 5X per $1 per on IHG hotels.
So, after spending 1,000 dollars in 3 months you will get:
70,000 bonus miles + 1,000 miles (from purchases or more depending on
category you spent in) = about 71,000 points. This should be enough
for 2 nights in Tokyo.
 STAYING IN MANGA CAFE'S

I learned this technique from http://tokyocheapo.com/ You can stay

the night in a Manga Cafe for pretty cheap. This will most likely
have to be paid in cash. We stayed at the Manboo's in the Shinjuku
area. We will discuss making extra cash before you leave so your
trip will still be FREE!

HERE IS A LIST OF MANGA CAFE'S COURTESTY OF TOKYO CHEAPO. THEY WILL

HELP YOU WITH MORE FREE AND CHEAP STUFF IN TOKYO SO GO CHECK OUT
THERE SITE AND BUY THEIR EBOOK IF YOU LIKE.

Prices will very, but they are almost always cheaper then a hotel and
they have free drinks and some cheap food for sale. It is small, but
cheap. My girlfriend and I stayed in one 2 nights.

Prices for Manga Cafs in Tokyo:

Prices run for most manga cafes are:
30 minutes: 250yen to 400yen
Three hours: 900yen to 1,300yen
All night (seven hours): 1,400yen 2,500yen
The Cheapest and Most Convenient Manga
Cafs in Tokyo:
GeraGera Manga Caf:

Roppongi (Siseido Bldg. 3F, 7-14-10 Roppongi, Minato-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-3408-
3750)

Komagekijo (Humax pavilion 2F, 1-20-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-
5285-0585)

Ikebukuro (Ikebukuro Hata Bldg.67F, 1-40-2 Higashi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku , Tokyo.

Contact: 03-3980-3733)

Asakusa (Akasaka Kyodo Bldg.2F, 4-3-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-3505-
8186)

Akihabara (Kogure Bldg.3F, 1-11-6 Soto-kanda, Chiyoda-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-3254-

2243)

Ueno (Marutoku Bldg.2F3F, 4-5-11 Ueno, Taito-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-3834-6683)

Shibuya (KN Shibuya Bldg.7F, 13-11 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-3463-
1982)

Com Com Manga Cafe

Tsukiji (104-0061 4-14-8 3F. Contact: 03-5565-5584)

Naogomi Manga Cafe

Akihabara (Sakaisuehiro Bldg.B1F, 6-14-2 Soto-kanda, Chiyoda-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-

5812-9753)

Media Caf Popeye

Shibuya (Chitose kaikan Bldg.3F, 13-8 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-
5459-3375)

Ikeburkuro (Humax pavilion 7F, 1-21-2 Minami-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku , Tokyo.

Contact: 03-5958-5230)

Shinjuku (Rainbow Village Bldg.5F, 3-5-4 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-
5367-8909)

Kichijoji (Sunroad Bridal Palace 3F, 1-11-30 Kichijojihoncho, Musashino city , Tokyo.
Contact: 0422-29-0315)

Yokohama (Sankyo Bldg., 2-8-19 Minami-saiwai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama city, Kanagawa.

Contact: 045-410-0369)

Manboo Manga Cafe

Shibuya (12-3 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Contact: 03-5428-5188)

Shimbashi (2-15-7 Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Contact: 03-5156-0061)

Shinjuku (3-32-10 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Contact: 03-5368-6116)

Asyl Esse

Takao (Takao Park Heights Bldg. B 1F, 1231-19 Hatsuzawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo.
Contact: 042-668-8490)

Chigasaki (Sashihata Bldg. 1F, 8-13 Shineicho, Chigasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken.

Contact: 0467-59-5001)

Warabi (Hanami Dai 3 Bldg. 3F, 1-2-14 Tsukagoshi, Warabi-shi, Saitama-ken.

Contact: 048-434-8100)

Toritsudaigaku (Toritsu Center 2F, Nakane 1-2-10, Meguro-ku, Tokyo. Contact: 03-5731-
6528)

Chiba (266-0026 Furuichibacho 718-1, Midori-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba-ken. Contact: 043-

209-1280)

Manga Teikoku

Ebisu (High Life Ebisu 2F. 1-7-9 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Contact: 03-5420-5211)

Comica

Ebisu (4F, 1-13-2 Ebisunishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Contact: 03-5459-1635)

Mangaland

Roppongi (Siseido Bldg. 3F, 7-14-10 Roppongi, Minato-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-3408-
3750)

Manga Hiroba

Roppongi (Syuwa Roppongi Bldg. 2F, 3-14-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-
3497-1751)

Internet & Comi Rakuda

Akihabara (Suzuki Bldg., 1-3-7 Soto-kanda, Chiyoda-ku , Tokyo. Contact: 03-3526-6206)

Chi Kou Raku

Asakusa (3-10-4-B1F Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo. Contact: 03-5545-0984)

i-Cafe

Akihabara (Akibaplace Bldg. 7F-8F, 3-15-1 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Contact: 03-
5298-0126)

You can use these for a quick nap or place to eat, we did and it helps a
bunch.

Most of these places can not be booked in advance and the bigger nicer rooms
get taken as it gets later and on weekends. You also may not be able to walk
in and out of the cafe once you are in for the night.
QUICK TIP: IF YOU DON'T HAVE A HOTEL ROOM DURING THE DAY TO KEEP YOUR LUGGAGE
IN YOU CAN USE THE LOCKERS AT THE JR METRO LINES. THE LOCKERS ARE AVAILABLE
ALL DAY UNTIL MIDNIGHT. IF YOU GET YOUR STUFF AFTER MIDNIGHT YOU WILL HAVE
TO PAY MORE, BUT STILL PRETTY CHEAP. THERE ARE ALSO LOCKERS IN HARAJUKU DOWN
THE MAIN STREET AND AT THE TSUKIJI FISH MARKET. USE THEM, CARRYING YOUR
LUGGAGE AROUD IS HARD. GET AN INEXPENSIVE DAY PACK AT REI FOR 20 OR 30
DOLLARS AND TAKE YOUR ESSENTIALS WITH YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR LUGGAGE IN A
LOCKER.

ANOTHER QUICK TIP: IF YOU CAN BUY CELL PHONE SERVICE FOR YOUR TRIP IT WILL BE
WORTH IT. HAVING GPS AND THE ABILITY TO LOOK UP STUFF ON THE INTERNET WAS
PRICELESS. SPRINT, AT THE TIME WE WENT, HAD A DEAL WITH SOFTBANK. I COULD
USE SOFTBANK'S SERVICE FOR AN EXTRA $5/MONTH AND MY PHONE HAD UNLIMITED TALK,
TEXT, AND WEB AS LONG AS I USED IT LOCALLY (NO LONG DISTANCE OR INTERNATIONAL
CALLS OR TEXTS)TRY TO FIND A DEAL LIKE THIS.
 OPEN A CHARLES SWAB CHECKING ACCOUNT
https://www.schwab.com

The Charles Swab Checking Account allows you to withdraw cash from ATM's
worldwide without any fees.

While in Tokyo, we pulled Yen out of the Chase ATM's with our Charles Swab
Checking account.

If you get a fee from the owner of the ATM Charles Swab will (and did)
reimburse you those fees at the end of the month.

Transfer your cash over to the account at least 5 business days before your
trip so it will be available to you.

This is important since Tokyo uses more cash then credit.

And with say that here is how we made extra cash before we went to Tokyo.

MAKING EXTRA MONEY

My girlfriend and I dog sat during the holidays using

www.dogvacay.com

We collected bottles to recycle out of our apartments recycle bins.

This would get us an extra 5 to 10 dollars a week that we could then
use on cheap, delicious, food in Tokyo.

We found furniture, electronics, and other stuff on the side of the

road to sell on Craigslist. If we could sell if for 5 dollars or
more we would do it. If not, it's not worth your time. We found
awesome bar stool from Ikea that we sold for 60 dollars. You can
make extra cash and then put it right away into your Schwab account
or another account you will not touch until you get to Tokyo.

EATING IN TOKYO

There is no need to tip in Tokyo, however, if you have a sit down

meal you most likely will be hit with a table charge. Could be 5
dollars or more per person. I would say stay away from those places
and use the restaurants with vending machine tickets. They are
delicious and no table charge.

7-11! Yes, 7-11 is cheap and has great food keeping you full and
saving money. Everything is great so try all the food. Get sushi at
the Tsujiki Fish Market and if you're a drinker try Suntory's Strong
and Suntory's Strong Zero.
 Thank you for in trusting me with your vacation to Japan. I
hope you will be able to get to Tokyo for free. When you make it to
Tokyo, enjoy your time as it will feel like it flies by, especially
when you return home.

If you would like anymore information feel free to email me at

teambweave@gmail.com or hit me up on social media.
Twitter:@brandon_weaver
Instagram: brandonaweaver
Facebook: facebook.com/brandonaweaver