I have been impressed with the Japan Forums about Tokyo on Fodors.A lot of good and current advice, which is very different from most of the other advice out there. In my opinion,a lot of advice people read in guidebooks or online is a little outdated. More so there than other locations.There are some great resources too online and in the guidebooks, but still I hear the same advice which is not the whole story

A few examples:Many people ask about cheap restaurants in Tokyo.Their answer,Just pick any place that's crowded,no need to worry about finding a special place. All places are good.In reality there is an excellent restaurant review site called bento.com.They have good reviews and list many set meals which can save a lot of money.Also they have good search and mapping features.Since foreign food is big in Tokyo,they can a help you find some unique places.Another question is how to find cheap places to stay.Their answer,buy a guide book and stay in youth hostels or traditional housing.In reality, booking.com and agoda have made finding a cheap clean hotel room pretty easy.I stayed last year at clean hotel in Tokyo with free ramen that was $42 a night. A lot lower than the guidebooks were listing for a single room with bath.How about questions about cheap transportation around Japan?Their answer ,always buy the Japan rail pass.While good ,they never mention the cheaper passes that are good on rapid trains or local trains only.There are even some regional passes. And finally is the question,Where can I buy cheap snacks or ready to eat meals?Their answer,Go to 7-11 or Lawsons. In reality now ,Seiyu (the Japan Walmart) and Costco is where most of the Japanese go to save money on those things.Seiyu even has some pretty tasty ready to eat meals in good locations.

Just a few examples that I read in guidebooks or online that might not tell the whole story to budget travelers.