How to Turn High-Cost Japan into a Cheap Place to Visit

For years, I put off traveling to Japan because I was afraid of how expensive it would be. The rumors I’d heard about the country’s high prices made me hesitant to go. I’ve always loved Japanese culture, and I knew any visit would involve gorging on sushi and ramen, visits to lots of temples, and heavy train travel through the countryside.

But the thought of how much it would cost always made me think, “I’ll wait until I have more money.”

When I finally visited Japan years ago, I was shocked to discover that, while it isn’t exactly cheap, Japan isn’t the prohibitively expensive country many people think it is. In fact, I actually found Japan to be affordable and on par with (and sometimes cheaper than) countries in Western Europe.

In subsequent visits, I’ve learned to further master the country and turn high-cost Japan into an affordable place to visit.

Traveling in Japan doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. To help you plan your trip and avoid breaking the bank, here’s a detailed breakdown of how you can cut your expenses to visit Japan on a budget!

 

How to Save on Transportation in Japan

Trains
The bullet train, while awesome, comfortable, and fast, is not cheap. Individual tickets can cost hundreds of dollars. Yet I think train travel is the best way to see the country, so in order to reduce your train costs, purchase a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass). The pass is indispensable for travel in Japan.

The pass has several options (each valid for consecutive days, not just travel days):

• 7 days: 50,000 JPY (70,000 JPY for a Green Pass)
• 14 days: 80,000 JPY (110,000 JPY for a Green Pass)
• 21 days: 100,000 JPY (140,000 JPY for a Green Pass)

All pass times are for consecutive travel (the Green Pass is the first-class option, though this isn’t really necessary as even standard cars are quite luxurious).

Compare that to single tickets, where the three-hour journey from Tokyo to Osaka costs around 32,000 JPY (round-trip), yet you can get a 7-day rail pass that includes unlimited travel on JR trains for 50,000 JPY. That single round-trip trip is almost the same price as the entire seven-day pass!

Moreover, these JR trains also serve local city areas and so can be used intra-city. I used my pass to get around Kyoto and Tokyo instead of buying metro tickets. So, even if you aren’t going to do much traveling around Japan, buying a pass is better than buying individual tickets. While the high price of the pass can cause sticker shock, the alternative is even worse.

While you used to be able to purchase passes in Japan, you can no longer do so. You must buy your JR pass online in advance so it can be mailed to you. Read more about how it works in my complete guide to the Japan Rail Pass.

Metro
Most of the city metro tickets cost 150–300 JPY for a single journey. The price varies by distance and may often be higher. You can buy a day pass in most cities which gives you unlimited travel for 24 hours for 800–1,200 JPY.

Buses
Buses are a less expensive alternative to the bullet train system in Japan, but they take more time. For example, the three-hour train ride from Tokyo to Osaka becomes a nine-hour bus ride. The price for that seat is around 7,000 JPY, but at some point, you need to think about how much your time is worth.

For me, the savings weren’t worth the extra hours of travel, since I had such limited time during my visit. If I’d had more time, I’d have taken the bus more often.

There are also bus passes available that offer unlimited travel and begin at 10,200 JPY for three days of travel.

Flights
There are many budget carriers now serving Japan — you can find them on sites like Skyscanner. Peach and Jetstar are two of the main budget airlines available.

Most flights within the country are between 6,000–12,000 JPY USD. There are frequent departures between all the major (and not so major) cities in Japan and, combined with all the competition, helps keep prices down.

Just keep in mind that, by the time you get to and from the airport (and go through security), you might not be saving much time.
 

How to Save on Food in Japan

Surprisingly, I found the food to be inexpensive in Japan. True, my sushi addiction dramatically increased the cost of my trip but, overall, I found that I was spending far less on food than I’d anticipated.

As long as I didn’t feed my sushi addiction, I found I could eat for less than 2,000 JPY per day. Some typical prices were:

• Sushi lunch sets (sushi, soup, salad): 1,600+ JPY
• Traditional Japanese set lunches: 1,500+ JPY
• Sushi trains: 150–700 JPY per piece
• Western dishes (sandwiches, burgers, pizza, etc): 1,800 JPY
• Fast food: 800 JPY
• Ramen: 1,300 JPY
• Tempura: 1,200–1,500 JPY

There’s an array of cheap food options in the country so you don’t really need to spend much money on food (unless you want to splash out). You can save money on food in Japan by doing the following:

• Eat at “100-yen” shops – There are many 100-yen shops (the Japanese equivalent to dollar stores) in Japan, where groceries, water, toiletries, household items, and more are simply 100 JPY. I did all my shopping at these stores. Their names vary by region, so ask your hotel/hostel reception where the nearest 100-yen shop is located.
• Use sushi trains – Sushi in Japan is delicious at all levels. While I had a few fancy meals, you can’t beat the sushi trains for value. I could stuff my face for less than 2,000 JPY most of the time.
• Eat at 7-11 – 7-11, Family Mart, and other convenience stores have a lot of pre-set meals for under 500 JPY that make for cheap lunches. Additionally, supermarkets have many set meals at similar prices. I noticed this was a popular option for many Japanese people.
• Cook your food – Hostels (as well as many Airbnbs) have kitchens, where you can cook and cut your food expenses.
• Buy food before grocery stores close – After 8pm, many supermarkets discount their fresh food, as they have to get rid of it. You can save up to 50% on almost all ready-made meals. It’s a great cheap dinner.
• Avoid fresh fruit – The one rumor about Japan that turned out to be true was that fresh fruit and vegetables were expensive. Outside of shopping for an apple or banana at the market, I generally avoided fresh fruits and vegetables. They were too expensive.
• Eat curry, ramen, and donburi – I essentially lived off these three foods during my three weeks in Japan (on my first trip). Curry bowls and donburi (bowls of meat and rice) are the best ways to eat cheap and filling meals in Japan. You can usually find them for just 600–800 JPY.
• Stick to beer – If you’re going to drink, stick to domestic beer. At just 450–800 JPY, it’s your cheapest option.

 

How to Save on Accommodation in Japan

Living costs in Japan are incredibly high due to the limited space, high population, and rising housing prices. Unfortunately, those high costs transfer over into the tourism industry, making finding cheap accommodation a real pain.

Hostel dorms typically cost 3,800–6,800 JPY per night and budget hotel rooms start at 8,000 JPY. Capsule hotels cost around 4,500 JPY for a tiny pod that’s essentially just a bed. It’s not fancy, but it’s a unique (and very Japanese) experience.

If you love the outdoors, camping is allowed in Japan in national parks. There are more than 3,000 campsites scattered all over the country, owned and managed by local municipalities. Metropolitan areas don’t have campsites, so don’t expect to camp anywhere other than in the woods. In the national parks, camping outside the designated areas is strictly prohibited. It costs about 600 JPY per night for a basic plot (you bring your own tent and equipment) or about 3,800 JPY per night for a pre-pitched tent site.

Here are some ways to save on accommodation:

• Work for your room – Many hostels in Japan often let you stay for free if you clean for a few hours a day. Use a site like Worldpackers to find opportunities before you arrive.
• Stay with a local – Hospitality exchanges are not as widespread in Japan as elsewhere in the world, but there is a small, active Couchsurfing community here. A lot of expats enjoy hosting because it lets them get back in touch with other westerners so don’t hesitate to reach out to them as well. Just make sure you send a request ahead of time to increase your odds of success (especially in popular cities like Kyoto and Tokyo).
• Use credit card points – It’s times like these that points and miles come in handy. With the large sign-up bonuses that many hotel cards offer, you can get up to a week’s free accommodation! Here’s a list of my favorite travel credit cards!
• Capsule hotels – A step up from hostels and a step down from hotels, capsule hotels (pictured above) are tiny capsules you sleep in. You share bathrooms and common areas, and your capsule has a light, outlet, and sometimes a small television. They are frequently used by businessmen who work late.

 

How to Save on Attractions in Japan

Most attractions are either free or very cheap. I didn’t spend more than 500 JPY per museum or temple. There are also different tourist passes available that can save you a lot of money.

The Grutto Museum Pass, for example, provides free or discounted admission to over seventy-five attractions in the Tokyo area. The pass costs 2,500 JPY and is sold from April through January. It’s valid for two months after purchase. For those doing a lot of sightseeing in Tokyo, it’s a must buy.

Overall, I found these passes to be the best way to save money on temples, museums, and other attractions. Additionally, there are many free gardens, temples, and parks! I hardly spent any money on attractions while I was in Japan.

Additionally, free walking tours are just starting to take off and there are three major ones to choose from in Tokyo as well as some in Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Osaka.

If you do want to visit paid attractions or do tours (like walking tours), Get Your Guide is the best place to book tickets and tours.
 

How Much Money Do You Need to Visit Japan?

Japan has an image of being one of the most expensive countries in the world — and it can be. If you are staying in Western hotels, eating luxury omakases, doing lots of excursions, and moving around a lot, you can easily spend over $350 USD or more per day.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

If you’re staying in a hostel dorm room, buying a rail pass, eating relatively inexpensive local food like ramen or donburi with the occasional nice meal, and visiting a few attractions and doing a couple of days tours, you could spend between $90–100 USD per day. You wouldn’t live large or be able to eat any high-end meals or drink a lot but it’s a totally doable backpacker budget. If you want to fit in more food or drinks, you could take the bus instead of the train depending on how much time you have in the country.

But trains (i.e. the rail pass) is going to be over a third of your daily budget as they are just expensive so, if you plan on taking high-speed trains, it’s going to be really hard to go lower than this.

If you were to stay in private hostel rooms or budget hotels, eat more with more sushi and nicer meals, drink more, take a few taxis, and just generally sightsee more, you’d need to budget around $170 USD per day. At this range, you’ll be staying in simple accommodations (no Park Hyatt for you!) but you won’t want for anything when it comes to activities or local cuisine.

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To me, budget travel is value travel. Japan is never going to be as cheap as traveling through Southeast Asia, but Japan has plenty of ways to visit on a budget. Japan will never cost $20 USD per day, but it also doesn’t need to cost hundreds either.

Whenever people go to Japan and come back, they always say, “It wasn’t as expensive as I thought.” I hope this article taught you that! Stick to the discount transit, local food, and local accommodation, and you’ll keep your costs low.