by Nico Crisafulli
7/23/2009 3:38:00 PM
Recently topping the Guardian UK's world's most expensive cities list, many people may think Japan is an absolute exclusion from a budget-driven travel itinerary. While you may have your reasons to bypass the island nation on an multi-stop trip, don't think you can't get there and around for a budget size you're comfortable with.
For planning purposes, you should be aware of the four unavoidable expenses: airfare, transportation, accommodations and sustenance.
Flights:
Getting to and out of Japan can be an expensive proposition, but it doesn't have to blow your airfare budget. When planning your multi-stop route, be sure to put Tokyo directly before or after a flight across the Pacific, and try to have the adjacent destination nearby in nautical distance, for example, Seoul or Beijing are good counter-stops. Bangkok is another cost-shaving option as a few international carriers hub in Tokyo and make it available for stopovers. Including Japan in a trip that doesn't have other destinations in northern Asia will usually end up being cost-prohibitive.
Domestic ground transportation:
Trains are a valuable and super-efficient way to see more of Japan than just big cities, but you have to be prepared for the costs associated with them. If you know you're visiting more than a handful of places, a Japan Rail Pass or "JR Pass" is essential. At $478 per person a two-week pass will inevitably pay for itself after adding together a series of simple point-to-point tickets. Remember to get the JR pass before you arrive as they cannot be purchased in-country. To save your budget use the subway to get around cities. A taxi's flag drop is about $6 and the fare adds up quickly. Compare that to an all day pass on the subway for $11 and you can do the math.
Accommodations:
If you value your privacy, hotels are a necessary evil, but are the one of the best budget-killers around. It's easy to tally $75 – 100 per night for 2-3 star hotels, of course going all the way up to the über-luxurious. Hostels are available in and around most cities and at $20 – 50 per night are a much cheaper alternative, if of course you can tolerate the "hostel" environment. Ahem. Guest houses or Ryokan can be a nice, although sometimes expensive native experience. Get one out of a tourist or scenic area and find one for as little as $40/night.
Food:
Dining doesn't have to cramp your budget or your stomach. Vending machine food will be the cheapest option, but why? It's possible to eat for about $4 and have your fill of rice or noodles and meat. Soba and udon restaurants are an effective and tasty option but it's definitely possible not have to splurge on dining. Tachigui Soba just cannot be beat for price and food quality. Of course, it may worth a gourmet dinner or two with waitresses dressed in kimonos. Bring your credit card.
Other expenses come in the form of night-life and tourist activities, which are fairly discretionary, the former being a good way to blow some cash. With $8 beers and $10 shots, alcohol is an perfect way to clean yourself of some excess cash. If you're looking to make some friends, offer to buy shots.
Expect to drop about $200-250 per day on expenses when all is said and done, depending on your level of frugality. Of course, it's entirely impossible to shed $100 or add $1000 to this number if you're interested.
** all prices are approximate due to fluctuating rates between the Japanese yen and US dollar.