Hello everyone.

If you go to Turkey without knowing anything about it, there is a high possibility that you will experience a culture shock, and before you know it, you will lose money or not be able to enjoy your visit to the fullest! (And I think so at least as a Japanese person.)

Therefore, I would like to write this article for your mental preparation.

　So here you go.

If you can use eSIM, do it because local SIM cards are damn expensive.

Local SIM cards are way too expensive.

I watched a few videos of people paying around $4,000 (and even those who had been there less than a year).

The procedure is not obscene, and why not take this opportunity to try eSIM?

I also made my first eSIM debut in Turkey.

Most phones bought recently should have eSIM enabled.

By the way, I was able to use 5 gigs for about $2. Lucky! (I just used it in conjunction with a campaign, etc.)

If you are interested, you can check byClicking herefor more details.

The manuals and other information are very detailed in the app and on the website, so if you're worried, take a screencap. If you're not sure, just take a screenshot. It's not just text, it tells you to press the individual buttons with instructions so you don't get lost.

Alternatively, you can get by with a SIM card from another country that allows roaming. This one may be more expensive, though. Personally, I would recommend eSIM for Turkey.

Take the bus because of the distance between the airport and the central location where you are likely to stay.

There is a long-distance bus from Istanbul Airport (the newer one) to the city, so please do not take a cab.

It is safe and secure as locals also use it.

The center of the city is usually across the river and down the street, so you can get to most of the places you want to go.

Where do I check the time of that ride? If you are asking yourself, I recommend you to checkthe page named Havaist. Unfortunately, Googlemap does not tell you about long-distance buses at this time.

You should be able to get off at Aksaray Metro or around Duraktan Geçen Hatlar. Please decide which one is closest to you by checking your accommodation and other details.

Buses run even at 2 or 3 a.m., so I think it's quite convenient compared to Japan (?)! I think it is quite convenient!

If you are in the center of the city, there are many people getting off, so you don't have to worry about being late getting off.

There are various bus companies, but I think it is OK if you get on a bus that costs up to 150 lire or so. Then, if you see a line of people who look like locals, you should be able to go. Ask them where you want to go, and they will tell you if it is yes or no.

Just be aware of where you are getting off, and keep an eye on Googlemap.

I think it took roughly an hour or more from the airport to the city.

Finding an airbnb room is a crazy difficult task.

Finding an airbnb room was extremely difficult, so be careful if you want to do it cheaply. If you are looking for a cheap room, be careful.

My personal requirements when I was looking for a cleanliness concern as well.

...Where there are beds that are absolutely high enough to prevent bed bugs.

・Clean-looking place

・A house that seems to have two or more floors.

・But good cost performance

Those are the list.

Some Airbnb listings in Istanbul can be tricky to find, especially those with multiple floors or even underground spaces. And yes, there are quite a few homes with reviews that are just outrageous!

Surprisingly, in terms of cost, Airbnb doesn't differ much from mid-range hotels.

But I decided on a place close to private homes because I thought it would be nice to have the opportunity to talk with Turkish locals.

I've been with Airbnb for about 10 years, and I've seen more suspicious houses than any other place I've ever seen. However, the reviews of such places are usually dead, so be sure to look carefully at the reviews of properties with less than three stars.

Also, the good thing is that (as of 2024) it is usually not possible to make reservations using the instant reservation function, and you have to tell them in advance that you will be there on the "● day".

I was turned down the first time and was accepted the second time, so there is a possibility that you may be turned down a little (sometimes due to difficulties in the landlord's schedule), so I think it would be safer if you can get your housing arranged about one week in advance to give yourself a little extra time.

You can't go wrong with buying the Globe-Trotter.

Chikyu no Arukikata, the travel companion of Japanese people!

There are many historical buildings in Istanbul, so there are many places to remember. Moreover, most people's first visit to Turkey will probably be to Istanbul.

In such cases, if you can get some background information during a gap in time, such as on an airplane, you will be able to double the depth of flavor you feel when you see the real thing in person at the site!

The Istanbul Globe-Trotter is 700 yen, packed with lots of information, and no matter how short your stay, you won't lose it!

You can gather information on the Internet nowadays, as in articles like this one, but it is not possible to find information in a coherent manner.

Especially in countries where information is not readily available in English or Japanese, this is an essential level.

I think it is better to have such a book in a place like Istanbul, which has become a tourist destination.

Isn't it easy to buy the following divided edition for much less than 1,000 yen?

It will be a reassuring travel companion. Please read it!

Be suspicious of anyone who shows you the price on a calculator & always check the price before you buy.

When I tried to buy an Istanbul Card at Istanbul airport, I was told that they sell calculators for 850 lira! I was told "850 lira! They even offered me a good deal, saying something like, "Now!

It is too expensive.

850 lira was about 5 Japanese yen per Turkish lira at that time, so it was just under 5,000 yen. It is a horrible rip-off.

When I told a local person living in Turkey that this had happened, he told me that it was a rip-off.

Originally, it should not cost more than 1,000 yen even if you buy an Istanbul Card and buy the right to ride 5 times.

Even a bus going from the airport to the city is about 125 lire by itself. In Japanese yen, it costs about 700 yen.

It's okay, you can buy a ticket to go from the airport to the city by bus and buy a card later. You can buy the Istanbul Card anywhere, so don't worry, you can buy a ticket to take the bus from the airport to the city on the bus and buy the card later.

No longer a cheap country due to inflation.

Clothing, souvenirs, museum entrance fees! Pricing is normally integrated into European western culture at a level that is sometimes cheaper than in Japan.

For museum-affiliated institutions, Turkish and foreign prices are established, and foreign prices are exorbitantly high.

To my surprise, I paid about 1,600 liras for the Topkapi Palace, which can be visited in about three hours. That is about 7,000 Japanese yen!

Chai grass, there is my personal theory that it is more cost-effective to buy from people who are no longer using it in Japan because of the high inflation.

Inflation is really too great and prices are stupid.

Turkey is no longer a cheap country.

Just in case the pattern you want is cheaper than the local one, check in advance on Mercari or other places.

If you buy them in Turkey, it will be difficult to bring them back home, and moreover, you can get them cheaper than in Japan! If you buy in Turkey, it's hard to bring back home and above all, you can get it cheaper than in Japan! (That's me.)

It would not be an exaggeration to say that I wrote this article in order to write this.

Please be prepared! But I would like you to go there when you can, because it is a country I would like you to visit at least once!

Bargaining (haggling) is part of the culture, so shop well in advance.

Middle Eastern culture is a culture of bargaining. It is advisable to bargain patiently. And it is best to look at as many different stores as possible before choosing one to buy from.

Once you have established a target for the product you want to buy, the basic approach is the following:

Ask how much it costs > say it's too expensive > ask how much I'd like to buy it for, so I say something much less than what I want > they say "that's impossible" > then I say I'd like to pay ●● yen (the price I really want) > they say "that's too cheap, it should be 100 yen" > then they say they'll leave and make a move to leave > "well, wait, that's fine (that should be enough)" > "thank you, I'll buy it" > "thank you, I'll buy it".

If it's expensive, be firm that you don't want it. Also, it is best if you can go with two or more people if possible, because you will get rather licked if you are alone.

My personal experience (unfortunately) is that it is easier for women to negotiate a root cutoff if they go with a man.

I really think it's a place you should go when you can go for a week or more, even if you are negotiating the price.

However, this bargaining culture is mainly found in the bazaar-type stores (e.g., Egyptian Bazaar and Old Bazaar), which are super-touristy spots in Istanbul, and it seems that most ordinary stores with price tags written one by one and store structures are not able to bargain.

I think such a culture was more like that of Kadiköy and other places across the Bosforas Strait. If you want to go to Kadikoy, you might as well go to Kadikoy (but be careful, Kadikoy has very few so-called tourist souvenirs. It might be like Shibuya in Japan)

Artpath seems to have the best total cosmetic value.

You know, it's really expensive, going into museums! Also, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Hagia Sophia, and so on!

In such cases, buy an art pass, which has recently started to be sold. Oh, and if you are a Turkish citizen, you don't have to buy it because it is quite inexpensive.Buy Artpass by clicking here.

Museums are expensive, but I don't want to spend 100 euros on an art pass for a short stay!

If you are such a person, please first search for the name of the museum or art museum of the place you want to visit on Youtube, etc., and watch the review videos.

If you are satisfied with the video, don't go. You saved money!

Surprisingly, many places have been redesigned to be "museums," but when you enter, you may find that there is surprisingly little to see.

What I personally learned from it was at the museum of the old water system.

Many things can be bought in supermarkets.

If you are not particular about the pattern of chai glasses, or if you just want glasses of that shape, you can buy them at mini-marts (supermarkets) in the area, or you can see if there is anything you can buy at the supermarket and then buy the ones at the bazaar.

You can also find candy and other snacks at mini-marts.

(Of course, it is more expensive than buying glasses in Turkey, but considering the hassle involved, I think there is an option to buy them on the Internet.)

I also have the impression that the good chai glasses in Turkey are still expensive, and the ones with just a messy print are cheap. I have thought that they are beautiful at first, but after a few washes, the beautiful prints seem to go bald.

If you just want to drink chai tea in a chai glass, you can drink it on the boat!

Cheap and tasteful! You can make your local chai drinking debut. Take a boat near the Egyptian Bazaar! If you go to Kadokoy on the other side of the river, it takes about 30 minutes to get there! Convenient for those who have hotels in the north!

Looks like you should come when you're young.

I thought that it would be better to visit the country when you have a lot of physical strength (or when you have gained some physical strength), so that you can enjoy a wider range of activities.

There aren't many elevators or anything like that, so you might want to get there relatively early in life when you are strong on your feet.

Also, crossing under a big road on stairs tends to happen quite often, so it would be better to wear it when you are physically healthy (I think it is better to travel when you are basically physically strong, but I think this is especially true in Istanbul, Turkey). (I think this is especially true in Istanbul, Turkey, where there are many hills and such.)

If you want to wait until it becomes convenient, that's fine...but I don't know when that will be.

Buses are usually late & sometimes boats and other things are cancelled.

Buses are usually late. Sometimes it is even better to walk during rush hours.

Be sure to allow plenty of time for your activities!

And personally, I've run the opposite way because I don't have much of a nameplate (or I don't see it) ^^^ (by streetcar).

The inside of the streetcar is fairly self-explanatory and written like a Tokyo nameplate, so you may not make too many mistakes, but you may not have time to look since the default is usually a mess of people.

If you are moving around the same area, it is more fun to have a little time to walk around than to take a vehicle!

I feel that Istanbul is all about walking.

This is because there are many things to discover when walking around ・・・・ such as small stores on the side of the road, cats, food, etc.

It may be a good idea to spend some time as if you were living with time to spare and make many interesting discoveries.

Also, museums are pretty expensive right now...

Hamamu（ハマム）など民衆的な体験をしたいならカドキョイに行こう

Hamamu（ハマム）など民衆的な体験をしたいならカドキョイに行きましょう。

レストランでおいしい料理を手ごろに食べたい場合もおすすめ！

Conclusion

How was the article?

Turkey is known as the gateway to the Middle East, accessible from both the European and Asian sides!

It is an exciting and fun country, so if you are interested, please visit at least once.

I think I learned a lot of other things, but if I remember anything additional, I'll sneak it in here.

The rice is delicious! Turkish ice cream is totally different from the Japanese one, so try it once.

Other articles on international culture are available byClicking hereand articles about Turkey by keyword search in the blogClicking here.