any good net cafes in central tokyo?

[kotatsuneko]

a mate is going over to test out her new camera/camcorder for a while, and will be staying with some of my relatives [who are too old to notice/use net cafes] in either Asagaya, or nearby Ogikubo [spelling?] thing is, she has never been there before, and wants to email everyone reguarly, could anyone post some info so she has some pointers when she arrives?

cheers!

[Mulboyne]

Most manga kissaten also offer internet by the hour. They are usually close to the main station. The major centres - Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Shinjuku, Roppongi, Akihabara - have a lot of choices. Ogikubo would have at least one.

[emperor]

Virgin Megastore in Shinjuku and Apple store in Ginza = FREE

[Mulboyne]

Virgin Megastore in Shinjuku

Not there any more. It has been turned back into one of Marui's stores.

[emperor]

Virgin Megastore in Shinjuku

Not there any more. It has been turned back into one of Marui's stores.

Bummer ... well I guess it gives one an excuse to familiarize themselves with Tiger ... and while one search for cheesy pics of monkeys drinking their own peepee to stick onto emails telling people your breaking up with them cause youve just found out from a grand-aunt that youre actually related to them ... automator can run through a series of combinations to gain access to fbi, cia and nsa databases so you can sell national secrets to the highest bidder then buy that marui building and stick an internet cafe on the top floor of tokyos biggest pizzeria staffed entirely by italian pornstars ...

[kotatsuneko]

hmm, really need something local to those areas, relatives live within 5 mins of both, looking for everyday use, rather than trekking out by train. addresses in japanese would be really appreciated for anyone in the know

edit: the manga cafe thing would be a good idea, but they can be expensive, but if nothing crops up, thats at least somewhere to go, thanks Mulboyne

[ketchupkatsu]

Don't know if this will help, but maybe you could try Kinko's.

They rent computer/internet access and are located all over Tokyo.

Don't know the rates.

Also try and see that the hotel doesn't offer broadband access. It seems that more business hotels in Tokyo are offering this.

here is the link for Kinkos in Japan:

http://www.kinkos.com/locations/intl.php?countryCode=JPN

[kotatsuneko]

cheers for that info, actually she will be staying at one of my relations houses, not a hotel, will check and see if there is one nearby, ta for the linkage

[FG Lurker]

Is she taking a notebook? There are open hotspots all over the place now... In Kansai even Mos Burger has them, as do many other places. Seattle's Best Coffee I think has them free too.

Either at my desk at work or at home I can fire up a wireless-equipped notebook and immediately find 2 or 3 open access points.

[kotatsuneko]

unfortunately not, she's not exactly that "into" computers and is one of those that refers to the net as "email" as that is all she uses/abuses it for... good point tho, hadnt thought of that

[yellowlightman]

In places like Shibuya and Ikebukuro, there's a ton of internet cafes. I think there's about 5 Manboo net cafes within 5 minutes walking distance from Ikebukuro station, including one right outside the north exit. Just have her look for 'net cafe' or something similar in english and they'll be easier to find.

I would avoid Manboo's though, they advertise fake prices and are way too overpriced. Although I found they're best for spending the night in because they're so dark and have comfy chairs.

[FG Lurker]

unfortunately not, she's not exactly that "into" computers and is one of those that refers to the net as "email" as that is all she uses/abuses it for... good point tho, hadnt thought of that

That's too bad... There doesn't seem to be any shortage of cafes around though, especially near larger stations.

Someone earlier mentioned an Apple Store, but I find that in general any large electronics retailer has net access on many of their machines. I suppose if you stood there all day they might say something, but 30mins or so for email should be easy enough to get away with.