Could I go to Japan Next Summer on a Budget?

If you stay in one city, yeah.

What do you plan to do while you're there?

Yes of course you just need to plan accordingly and limit what you do / spend money on. Don't think there are many places on earth where you could not get by with $900 for a week.

2019 yes
2020 Tokyo definitely no

If you can afford to wait out high season, airfare is a lot better in (even early) autumn and the weather is a lot more pleasant.

shira said:

2019 yes
2020 Tokyo definitely no

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I'm going to the summer games and am terrified by the cost and logistical nightmare it seems to be.

Mr.F said:

If you can afford to wait out high season, airfare is a lot better in (even early) autumn and the weather is a lot more pleasant.

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Is high season typically only Spring/Summer?

Does winter also count as a low season, or just the fall? I want to visit after Christmas for about 3 weeks, but have been undecided if I want to do it this year or next.

Mariolee said:

Might be the move tbh.



Unsure. We definitely want to sight see but nothing set in stone yet.



Fair. Just wanna know suggestions for getting the most bang for my buck.



Super fair lol



We can't, we'll be knee deep into rotations at that point.

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Go to clubs.

Parthenios said:

I'm going to the summer games and am terrified by the cost and logistical nightmare it seems to be.

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I would see if you can volunteer with the Games.

Parthenios said:

I'm going to the summer games and am terrified by the cost and logistical nightmare it seems to be.

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Tokyo is one of the easiest cities to get around in.
The cost will eat you alive though.

For a week? Sure in one location, eating cheap is easy in japan and accommodation (go for a hostel via hostel world or go for a pod hotel).

If you are going to multiple cities then no. I went Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo for my trip which cost (including flights) $6000NZD (give a take a couple hundred).

you could and you should.

Yeah I've seen tickets as low as $380-400. Add another 400 or so for a week of the JR pass and then just stay in hostels (which are pretty damn nice for a hostel). Just don't go eating $500 omakase and you'll be fine.

Should do it now since Neo Tokyo explodes next year.

Look into staying in hostels, I've stayed in a couple and they were about ~$25/night.

If it's your first time in Japan and you're on a budget you might as well settle in Tokyo for the week yeah.

There's enough in Tokyo to visit for the entire week plus you can easily go to some decent places like Kamakura/Enoshima, Mt Takao, Yokohama, hell even Hakone.

Im leaving for japan in 2 weeks im so fucking excited AHHHHHHHH

Two summers ago I went to Japan for a week and spend about $1800 total. I could have spend even less, but the second hotel I stayed at I payed a bit more for a nicer place.

I spent a little over $1k on a ticket, and $400 on places to stay. I found a place in Tokyo that was less than $50 a night, and had my own room. It was close to a train station, but not close to anything to do.

Get a JR pass if you plan on traveling to a lot of different cities. If you're just staying in Tokyo, then don't get one.

Yeh you can,

I've been a couple of times over the last 5 years, some trips expensive (travel and see everything) others for just a week in tokyo.

The week in tokyo was basically $25 a night in a capsule hotel, and food was jam doughnuts from 7/11/family mart/lawsons. Pretty easy, you can also get some decent ramen for like $6 for a meal.


Then you can just enjoy the week walking around some main areas (shibuya, shinjuku, akihabara etc) and take a train out to some shrines or just walk around.

Basically Japan's cheap unless you want to start doing things (going to Disney land, universal etc)

Just to warn you, and you probably already know, but Japan is fucking miserable in the summertime. If you're gonna be walking about and going sightseeing, prepare to sweat through all of your clothes. Drink lots of water and take all the proper precautions.

You absolutely can. The age of Japan being an expensive Asian travel destination is over, but with one caveat*; it is pricy to go between cities, so it's best to focus on one area/city, and leave it at that.

I just got back from Tokyo after a week long trip, and I can easily say that day-to-day expenses are cheaper than Seoul or Shanghai. Food is high quality, and, for me anyway, a steal. You can easily find a decent lunch (ramen, udon) for $6-$10, and that's in the heart of the Shinjuku CBD.

There are a ton of things to see and do in Tokyo that are either free or reasonably-priced. The beauty of Tokyo is that the city itself is a destination. Just put your finger on a Tokyo city map, and take a subway there. The city is endlessly interesting and entertaining.

Japan is an alpha tourist destination. It's an well oiled machine. You're going to have a good time anywhere you go on a reasonable budget.

*And taxis. Taxis, in Tokyo anyway, are ridiculously expensive. Just don't get stuck anywhere after the subways close at midnight, and you'll be fine.

DarthSpider said:

Just to warn you, and you probably already know, but Japan is fucking miserable in the summertime. If you're gonna be walking about and going sightseeing, prepare to sweat through all of your clothes. Drink lots of water and take all the proper precautions.

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And this. Everyday was at least 33c. Highest was 36c. I had to shower two to three times a day. The humidity there felt worse than Shanghai for some reason.

My buddy did it on a budget, went on the off-season and are nothing but fast food/convenience store stuff. He still raves about how awesome the experience was.

I am so envious of people visiting japan for the first time. I wish I could experience Japan again like that. Living in Japan changes things. It becomes too normal and everyday. The magic disappears. I still love living here, but people visiting for the first time are going to have the time of their lives.

Yes, it's possible and I couldn't recommend it enough. I went with 5 others a month ago (3rd to 16th June) and had an amazing time. Highlight for me was probably climbing Fuji - although it was out of climbing season and there was a lot of snow on the mountain so coming down the mountain in the afternoon was one of the worst experiences of my life and I'm so glad I did it. We spent most of our time in Tokyo and Osaka, both really fantastic cities. I honestly couldn't recommend visiting Japan enough.

I went in May with my sister for 10 days and spent about $3000 total each, but that involved getting a rail pass and going to Kyoto and Hiroshima. We could have saved a lot more on airfare too. If you just stay in Tokyo and get one airbnb for the week it will be doable, although certainly tight if you're considering it a hard budget

One week is not enough my friend. You'll be immediately thinking about your next trip.

$2000 for a week long trip to Japan?

Don't even bother going.

subpar spatula said:

$2000 for a week long trip to Japan?
Don't even bother going.

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It's better to go poor so you can just walk around and enjoy sites rather than recommended trash like Ghibli museum.

signal said:

It's better to go poor so you can just walk around and enjoy sites rather than recommended trash like Ghibli museum.

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It actually isn't. You're not going to get the experience you want with $2,000 for a week. You'll be eating cheap, not traveling far, and won't be able to enjoy any night life or areas requiring admission.

Yeah, you could spend $900 to fly around the world to Japan and walk around the streets on a shoe string budget but then you'll just regret it.

subpar spatula said:

It actually isn't. You're not going to get the experience you want with $2,000 for a week. You'll be eating cheap, not traveling far, and won't be able to enjoy any night life or areas requiring admission.
Yeah, you could spend $900 to fly around the world to Japan and walk around the streets on a shoe string budget but then you'll just regret it.

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You don't know how to find enough interesting things to do if you can't enjoy yourself in Tokyo for a week with that money.

I'm not saying you will have an objectively better time with little money as opposed to going with a lot of money, but you need to look harder if you can't spend a week in Tokyo with $2000 and not feel something besides regret.

Don't come in the summer, Tokyo is downright uninhabitable in summer.

shira said:

2019 yes
2020 Tokyo definitely no

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Lord Akira.

Don't go in summer months unless you are used to 100% humidity. Food in tokyo is extremely reasonable and the billion companies that run the subways are not too bad. Hotels are expensive, air bnbs are outlawed so find a good hostel or capsule hotel.

subpar spatula said:

It actually isn't. You're not going to get the experience you want with $2,000 for a week. You'll be eating cheap, not traveling far, and won't be able to enjoy any night life or areas requiring admission.

Yeah, you could spend $900 to fly around the world to Japan and walk around the streets on a shoe string budget but then you'll just regret it.

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Not sure what kind of Japan you go to, but I go multiple times a year for about 2000 for 10 days and have a blast each an every time

Since you're going during the summer, its gonna be hot and humid. A friend of mine went towards the end of summer and he said it was boiling hot lol.
If you're staying in Tokyo and not traveling far, your budget is doable.
Enjoy all the convenience store food.
I didn't even spend $2,000 in a week after visiting Osaka and Tokyo.

subpar spatula said:

It actually isn't. You're not going to get the experience you want with $2,000 for a week. You'll be eating cheap, not traveling far, and won't be able to enjoy any night life or areas requiring admission.

Yeah, you could spend $900 to fly around the world to Japan and walk around the streets on a shoe string budget but then you'll just regret it.

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The hell. 2,000 for a week is more than enough in japan

subpar spatula said:

It actually isn't. You're not going to get the experience you want with $2,000 for a week. You'll be eating cheap, not traveling far, and won't be able to enjoy any night life or areas requiring admission.

Yeah, you could spend $900 to fly around the world to Japan and walk around the streets on a shoe string budget but then you'll just regret it.

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What? I went 2 months ago with $1000 CAD and had an absolute blast. I spent 8 days across 2 cities and not once did I feel like I didn't have enough money, and that was with spending way too much on old video games.

Is 3 weeks enough to see Tokyo itself? That is what I mentioned above, that I was hoping to do around Christmas/New Years this year. Leave on 12/21/18 and return back on 1/11/19.

I am looking at AirBnB options instead of a traditional hotel, as I enjoyed it more when I was in Australia for a month earlier this Spring. Gave me a sense of privacy, and comfort.

My budget would be $ 3500 CAD not including the flight.

.Detective. said:

Is 3 weeks enough to see Tokyo itself? That is what I mentioned above, that I was hoping to do around Christmas/New Years this year. Leave on 12/21/18 and return back on 1/11/19.

I am looking at AirBnB options instead of a traditional hotel, as I enjoyed it more when I was in Australia for a month earlier this Spring. Gave me a sense of privacy, and comfort.

My budget would be $ 3500 CAD not including the flight.

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You can do and see a lot in just Tokyo in that time, but a fair warning, the New Year holiday is pretty large over there, and everyplace is absolutely jammed packed over it.

AnimeFantasy said:

You can do and see a lot in just Tokyo in that time, but a fair warning, the New Year holiday is pretty large over there, and everyplace is absolutely jammed packed over it.

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Thanks. So a safer bet would be to push the 3 weeks to after January 1st?

I did not realize that the Japanese made a big thing out of New Years as well. I knew about Christmas, but this extra info is helpful.

I've been to Japan/SK a few weeks ago, staying on the rather low-budget side

since you're traveling as a group, you can split the cost of Airbnbs among you, or share rooms in hostels. The cheapest (yet still quality) hostel I've been to was in Osaka for 8 Euros a night in a multi-bed room. All of my accomodation, save for one hostel run by an British expat out of a private house, were absolutely fine for the price, even the 1 star rated ones. Book well in advance. The one capsule hotel I've been to was quite nice as well, though they tend to be a little more expensive than hostels

for food, you can cook your own food if the hostel/Airbnb has a kitchen. You can buy cheap stuff from the 7/11s and FamilyMarts at practically every street corner, or get fast food. You can probably find good cheap-ish restaurants and bars too if you look up the right restaurant guides online. Wikitravel is a good start for that

transportation shouldn't be that expensive. When traveling between cities, look up buses, they are nearly always considerably cheaper than the normal commuter trains, which are always considerably cheaper than the Shinkansen. For long-distance trips, consider flying with one of the budget airlines. I didn't get a Japan Rail Pass since it was impractical for me for the cost

the day-to-day expenses in Japan are comparable to staying in Central Europe (Germany, NL), maybe even somewhat cheaper actually

JK-Money said:

Im leaving for japan in 2 weeks im so fucking excited AHHHHHHHH

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Dude you will sweat buckets. Hope the weather wont kill you.

subpar spatula said:

It actually isn't. You're not going to get the experience you want with $2,000 for a week. You'll be eating cheap, not traveling far, and won't be able to enjoy any night life or areas requiring admission.

Yeah, you could spend $900 to fly around the world to Japan and walk around the streets on a shoe string budget but then you'll just regret it.

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That is absolutely not correct.

.Detective. said:

Is 3 weeks enough to see Tokyo itself? That is what I mentioned above, that I was hoping to do around Christmas/New Years this year. Leave on 12/21/18 and return back on 1/11/19.

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four or five days were enough for me, but city tourism isn't really my favorite way of traveling and I didn't really do the nightlife thing

FiraBud said:

For a week? Sure in one location, eating cheap is easy in japan and accommodation (go for a hostel via hostel world or go for a pod hotel).

If you are going to multiple cities then no. I went Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo for my trip which cost (including flights) $6000NZD (give a take a couple hundred).

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Jesus!. Fuck that.

What would cost a lot of money (& time) would be hopping between regions, so as long as you stay in Tokyo region you won't have spend that much of money. Even you go from Tokyo to Nikko (where you see great temples) train would cost only $26.

.Detective. said:

Is 3 weeks enough to see Tokyo itself? That is what I mentioned above, that I was hoping to do around Christmas/New Years this year. Leave on 12/21/18 and return back on 1/11/19.

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It depends what do you mean by "Tokyo". For the city of Tokyo I'd say it's more than enough. If you mean by greater Tokyo area then you'll never have time to see everything, but that also means you'll never run out of things to enjoy.

Technosteve said:

Lord Akira.

Don't go in summer months unless you are used to 100% humidity. Food in tokyo is extremely reasonable and the billion companies that run the subways are not too bad. Hotels are expensive, air bnbs are outlawed so find a good hostel or capsule hotel.

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This is why it's best to read more than click-bait headlines. AirBnB is absolutely not outlawed here. In fact the majority up until now were actually
operating illegally, as there have been accommodations similar to what AirBnB does in Japan for decades and they were falling under those zoning laws while usually not actually following the guidelines.

Recent laws just in went into affect to make them perfectly legal. The drop in registered accommodations was just a result of the landlords being too lazy to do the proper paperwork, etc.

So, AirBnBs are still more than accessible for traveling. I have actually been looking at prices in Fukuoka for Evo Japan next year just in case the company decides not to send me. ;)

I'll echo what others said: you absolutely can, as long as you're willing to compromise a bit by for example staying in hostels. When I was there, I mostly spent less than or about 100$ a day and never felt like my enjoyment of the country was being held back by lack of money.

Even if you wanted to do more long distance travel (such as going from Tokyo to Kyoto), you could easily take a night bus, which are super cheap, particularly when you consider you're also saving a night of hostel costs. Not that I'd recommend doing that, since one week isn't even enough time to see Tokyo (or Kyoto+Osaka).

Yes.

Have fun living on food from Family Marts, and Lawsons.

I'm serious though, just live with food from those konbinis.