Useful Links & How To Go To The Butler Cafe

So my time in Japan studying abroad is now over, which means I will also no longer post in this blog anymore. I hope it can still remain a good educational tool for anyone considering studying abroad in Tokyo/Japan, however, and that anyone reading these entries gains insight into the experience. Here I'll provide a list of helpful links and advice for anyone needing help and information about studying abroad in Japan.

Programs
- IES Tokyo (this is the one I did. There's also IES Nagoya)
- List of other study abroad programs in Japan (the first thing to do, however, is to check with your school and see what programs they offer for studying abroad in Japan. Often those will limit which program you can do)

Financial Aid/Scholarships
- Freeman Asia (I wound up getting $5,000 from them, which helped me out immensely, so it's definitely worth a shot)
- Bridging Scholarship
- IES scholarships (if your program is IES, of course. I got $500 from the Foreign Language scholarship, and $250 from the Need-Based scholarship)
- List of other study abroad in Japan scholarships
- your school's own scholarships; mine has study abroad-based scholarships

As for studying abroad, I can say wholeheartedly that it is a worthwhile experience and if you want to do it, you definitely should. Don't let financial problems get in the way, there are always scholarships you can apply for and if you're passionate about going you're likely to get them.

If you have any more questions, you can feel free to email me or leave a comment on this entry (link at the bottom). I'd be more than happy to answer whatever you want to know. :)

One more thing...

How To Go To Swallowtail Butler Cafe In Tokyo

I'm sure there are people that want to know how to do this, so I wrote this how-to to help you all out. I hope you have a more successful experience than mine (where, in the end, I didn't make the reservation right and didn't get to go, even though I found it!). :)

Making The Reservation

Basic Japanese knowledge is pretty much necessary for this step, so if you don't know any, try to ask a Japanese friend or a friend who knows Japanese to help you here. (If you don't know much, you can use Rikaichan on the pages to help you figure out what's going on.) Because Swallowtail is so popular, reservations fill up fast. You make your reservation online (HERE), and new reservations for a date exactly a month from a given day are made available at midnight, Japan time. (So if you want to reserve for December 17, be online at midnight November 16 [as it becomes the 17th].)

1. Have the window with the list of reservations open about 5 minutes before midnight, and keep refreshing (there will be several pages, with the oldest times on the first page. The newest times will show up on the last page, so be sure to click through to the end). Pretty soon a new list of times will appear. You will need to know beforehand how many people are coming (if you don't know exactly, make a larger reservation than necessary. They can't add seats) and it's best to be flexible about the time.
2. Act quick. When you find a time and a number of people that suits you, click on the link immediately (they really do go fast). Put in your email address and your number of people, and hit the button.
3. You will get sent an email asking you to confirm your reservation. Follow the instructions in the email and finalize your reservation (this is the step I missed, so it's very important. If you don't finalize it, your reservation becomes invalid).
4. Wait for a month until you can go.

It's also not necessary to reserve a month in advance if you see a date and time on the website's list of open reservations that suits you, but those are usually for weekdays and/or for small numbers of people--which is why no one wants them--and probably won't work with your schedule if you're not a tourist, which is why reserving for a month in advance is good for trying to get weekend times with larger amounts of people.

If you don't live in Tokyo and you're planning to visit either from somewhere else in Japan or from another country, you can also plan out a day to go to the butler cafe and make the reservation in advance accordingly. Be sure to look up what time Japan time midnight is where you are (Time Zone Converter). For example, midnight in Tokyo on a certain day is 9:00 a.m. U.S. central time the PRECEDING day.

Getting There

Swallowtail Butler Cafe is located in Ikebukuro, which is a major station that both Tokyo Metro and JR Yamanote stop at. You can use the website Hyperdia to help you find the fastest and cheapest route there from wherever you are. Arrange to have your party meet at the East Entrance about 30 minutes before your reservation.

(These directions are translated and adapted from the Japanese directions provided on the Butler Cafe website)
1. From the East Entrance, cross the street directly. Once you are across, begin walking right.
2. Continue walking for a couple of minutes. You will come to a fairly busy-looking street (one landmark is the Sanrio Hello Kitty store on the right side). This is Sunshine 60. Turn left onto it and begin walking down it. You should pass by a couple of movie theatres, as well as a Saizeriya and some other things (a Tokyu Hands too).
3. You will come to an overhead pass. Go straight underneath it. There should be a Libro bookstore, a Family Mart, and an am-pm on the left side of the street. You should also begin to see some billboards that will let you know you have arrived at "Otome Doori."
4. Keep walking. When you see a second Family Mart, you are there and you should be able to find it easily. The Butler Cafe is on the basement level, so there will be steps leading down to it. There will probably be a line of women going up the steps. Join the line, and wait for the butler with a clipboard to get to you. He will ask your name, and if you did everything right your reservation will be there and you can soon go in. Have fun!!