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Home - Travel - Itineraries

Budgets

basic information

This page is meant to give you a rough idea of the cost of individual travel in Japan, by introducing some sample budgets. View our suggested itineraries to see the sample budgets applied to specific itineraries, and visit our page about package tours.

One US dollar is roughly 100 Yen. Click here for the current Yen exchange rates.

Sample daily budgets Not including cost for a 7-day Japan Rail Pass, but excluding airfare.
	Single Traveler	Two Travelers
Low Budget	6,500 - 10,000 Yen	13,000 - 17,500 Yen
Medium Budget	10,000 - 16,000 Yen	17,500 - 28,000 Yen
High Budget	over 16,000 Yen	over 28,000 Yen

Accommodation:

Check our accommodation page for more information on different accommodation types and corresponding price ranges.

Low budget:
1,500 - 3,500 Yen per night and person
Dormitories and youth hostels, found in most cities and regions of Japan, typically charge between 1500 and 3500 Yen per night and person. Furthermore, booking services like Hostelworld offer great deals.

Medium budget:
3,500 - 7,000 Yen per single room and night
5,000 - 10,000 Yen per double room and night
At this level, you will find rooms in cheap business hotels and inexpensive, no-frills minshuku and ryokan. Some tour packages (for individual travelers) include accommodation at quality Western style hotels at this price level.

High budget:
over 7,000 Yen per single room and night
over 10,000 Yen per double room and night
Starting around 7000 Yen per person, you can get rooms in good business hotels and inexpensive Western style hotels. A stay at a ryokan with two meals included typically costs between 10,000 and 30,000 Yen per person and night. For a room in a high class Western style hotel, you typically pay 20,000 to 50,000 Yen per room and night.

Breakfast:

Low budget:
200 - 500 Yen per day
At this level, you will have to live from convenience store food (bread, rice balls, etc.) or visit fast food restaurants like McDonald's or Mister Donut which offer inexpensive breakfasts.

Medium budget:
500 - 1,000 Yen per day
Many coffee shops and some restaurants in shopping areas and around train stations offer breakfast sets for around 500 to 1000 Yen.

High budget:
above 1,000 Yen per day
Hotel breakfasts and breakfast buffets will usually cost you more than 1000 Yen. Breakfasts buffets in first-class hotels typically cost between 2000 and 3000 Yen.

Lunch:

Low budget:
400 - 700 Yen per day
Inexpensive lunch boxes are available in convenience stores and stands in railway stations and business districts. Various fast food restaurants, specializing in noodles, curry, domburi or hamburger, also offer relatively filling meals for 700 Yen or less.

Medium budget:
700 - 1,200 Yen per day
At this level you will have an even larger range of inexpensive restaurants such as the above mentioned fast food places, plus restaurants which offer lunch set special, so called teishoku, for around 1000 Yen.

High budget:
above 1,200 Yen per day
A lunch at most conventional restaurants cost typically between 1000 and 3000 Yen.

Dinner:

Low budget:
400 - 700 Yen per day
Convenience stores sell various, inexpensive ready-to-eat meals. Other options are again cheap fast food restaurants.

Medium budget:
700 - 2,000 Yen per day
Conventional restaurants are generally more expensive in the evening than during lunch time, as there are no lunch specials. At this level, you will be able to enjoy a nice dinner at a wide range of fast food and conventional restaurants, including the restaurants found in department stores where meals typically cost between 1000 and 2000 Yen, not including alcoholic drinks.

High budget:
above 2,000 Yen per day
With 3000 Yen per person you will be able to have a good dinner at a wide range of restaurants. Calculate 5000 Yen upwards per person for a dinner at upper class restaurants specializing in sushi, French cuisine, sukiyaki, kaiseki ryori, steaks, etc.

Sightseeing:

Low budget:
0 - 500 Yen per day
Japan offers many free attractions. Most shrines and some temples do not charge admission fees. A few museums charge no admission on one day of the week or month.

Medium budget:
500 - 1,000 Yen per day
Admission to famous temples costs between 100 to 700 Yen (around 200 Yen in Kamakura and around 400 Yen in Kyoto and Nara). Most museums and castles charge about 200-1000 Yen per person.

High budget:
above 1,000 Yen per day
Some museums and attractions (usually outstanding ones or tourist traps) charge between 1000 and 3000 Yen per person. Admission to large theme parks typically cost around 5000 Yen per day.

Transportation:

Low budget:
The Seishun 18 Kippu (only available during certain times of the year) and highway buses are the cheapest ways of traveling in Japan. Adventurous travelers may want to consider hitchhiking (check out Will Ferguson's Hitchhiker's Guide to Japan) or exploring Japan by bicycle.

All budgets:
Travelers of all budgets should consider purchasing a Japan Rail Pass or a regional rail pass. The cost for a 7 day Japan Rail Pass, for example, roughly corresponds to the cost of a single return trip from Tokyo to Kyoto by shinkansen. Two and three week passes are even more cost-effective. Over long distances, domestic flights can be as economical as a rail pass, if you take advantage of the various discount offers.

Any advice or questions? Voice them in the forum!

September 9, 2005

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