So How Much Does Actually Japan Cost??

If you are travelling to Japan, you may wonder how much you should expect to spend during your trip. Generally, Japan seems to be one of the most expensive countries to travel, but how much does it actually cost??

Here are some hints for you to get budget idea for travelling in Japan.

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Accommodation (price per person and night)

Low Budget: 5,000 yen- a dorm bed at hostels and a cabin at a capsule hotel in Tokyo cost around 5,000 yen. Click here to find budget accommodations in Tokyo.

Mid-range: 6,000 to 10,000 yen- double room at business hotels, guest house, cheap hotels costs around 15,000 yen per room (7,500 yen per person). (e.g. Dormy inn Premium Shibuya Jingumae and Shibuya Granbell Hotel)

High-end: 15,000 yen~-double bedroom at Ryokan and better quality hotels such as Park Hotel Tokyo. For high-class Western hotel and luxury Ryokan, you should expect to pay over 30,000 yen per room.

Food (price per day)

Low Budget: 2,000 yen- Have a breakfast at convenience store (bread, rice ball etc), lunch and dinner at various fast food restaurants such as Ramen, Gyudon, Curry and Belt conveyor Sushi could be less than 1,000 yen each. Click here for under 1,000 yen restaurants.

Mid-range: 5,000 yen-Breakfast at inexpensive cafe (500 to 1,000 yen), lunch deals cost no more than 1,500 yen and dinner at mid-range restaurants or Izakayas costs around 3,000 yen per person. (e.g. Tempura Tsunahachi and Sushi Zanmai)

High-end: Breakfast at hotels costs around 2,000 yen. Lunch at nice restaurants is around 2,000 yen and dinner at posh restaurants such as French, Sushi, Sukiyaki and Kobe beef costs over 10,000 yen per person. (e.g. Asakusa Imahan and Teppanyaki HAKUSHU)

Sightseeing

Temples and Shrines– Most of temples and shrines are free to enter in Tokyo, unlike in Kyoto.

Parks– Many parks in Tokyo are free. But some of them with special gardens require entrance fees around 300 yen.

Museums– Some museums are free in Tokyo but average costs 500~1000 yen. Some of special exhibitions might costs over 1,500 yen

Observatories– Admissions to most of observatories including Tokyo Tower are around 1,500 to 2,000 yen. The most pricey one is Tokyo Skytree, which costs 2,700 yen.

Transportation

Tokyo Metro: 170 yen~ per ride/ 600 yen for 1 day pass

JR(Japan Railway): 130 yen~ per ride/ 730 yen for 1 day pass in Tokyo

Taxi: 730 yen up to 2km

Water bus: 310~2,160 yen-Water bus services on Sumida river are run by two companies Tokyo Cruise or Tokyo Mizube Cruising.

Tour bus: 3,000~10,000 yen -If you wish to see around multiple sights in a short time, this is a good option. Hato Bus provides plenty options for touring in and around Tokyo.

Others

Big Mac Meal @McDonald- 750 yen

Short Drip Coffee @Starbucks-290 yen

Bottle Water (550 ml) @convenience stores-140 yen

Domestic Beer (500 ml) @convenience stores- 341 yen

Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro)-600 yen

Other Tips

One thing to remember for foreign tourists in Japan is that Japan is more cash-based society comparing to many other countries. You can use credit card at many places (debit cards are not very common in Japan), yet there are still some places that do not accept credit cards or you need to spend certain amount to use them (especially in countryside).

If you are bringing foreign money to Japan, you can exchange to yen at Japanese banks or money exchange in town or in the airport. Usually, money exchange shops within the city have better exchange rates than banks or ones at the airports.

The last tip I would give is there is no tip in Japan. At restaurants, hotels, tour guides, etc, you don’t necessarily leave tips in Japan. Of course, if you are really happy about the service, you can leave some, but there is no tip culture existing in Japan!

Thanks for reading! I hope you have enjoyed the story and get some idea for how much to bring to Japan for your trip.

For more idea about visiting Japan, please check out listed articles, too!

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