How much per day for drinks, snacks?

Hello. I am a teacher bringing a group of junior high students on a tour of Tokyo, Kyoto and severa other areas in Japan. Our tour includes all meals and entry fees, but students want to know how much money to bring for snacks and souvenirs. Can anyone suggest a daily budget for water or soft drinks, snacks, souvenirs, that you might purchase during a tour? Thank you in advance!

It might be easier if you could list things that your students *typically* want to buy in a day of being on a tour, and someone here can give you typical prices in Japan for those items :)

Bottled water 500ml 105yen +
Can of coke/pepsi 120yen
snickers

Drinks from vending machines are 120-150yen for bottled water, soft drink etc.

I guess souvenirs depend on what the students would like to buy. You can get lots of small things like key rings for a few hundred yen, but obviously there are more expensive options. So I guess it's up to them how much they want to spend on souvenirs.

Bottled water 500ml 105yen +
Can of coke/pepsi 120yen
snickers 120yen
bag potato chips 105-155yen
bag peanuts 120yen
french fries McD(s) 150yen
Baskin single cup 320yen
reg. ice cream 105yen+

As mentioned, generally speaking bottled water is the 105-110 yen range, and soft drinks (colas) are in the 125-160 range at convenience stores and vending machines. Same for chocolate bars, bags of chips etc usually same price.

If you find a supermarket, the prices for bottled drinks and snacks are a little cheaper, also 100 yen shops where you can get everything for 105 yen (5yen tax + 100 yen).

Be sure to train yourself and the students to think in yen while you are in Japan, not in $. Price comparisons are meaningless as what is cheap in one country is expensive in another and vice- versa. Just have each one of them set a daily budget, for example 50 $, find out just before you go how much it is in yen and go from there. You are likely aware that there are 7-11 all over the place? (7-11 US is owned by the parent Japanese company). Their banking machines accept North American debit and credit cards.

pop/tea/drink from store or vending machine 150 yen

chips/rice crackers/munchies 150-200 yen

real snack like rice with fish/egg 350 yen

gum 150

better overestimate than be short.

estimate 500 to 3000 per person.

100 yen shops sometimes carry drinks and snacks. This can make things cheaper. Drug stores are also a little cheaper.

I would have them set a budget per day for snacks/drinks and a general budget for other things.

Just for reference, according to a survey as of the year 2004, Japanese high schools allow students to bring an amount between 5,000 yen to 100,000 yen per a week worth trip, and the average is 26,228 yen.
http://www.kknews.co.jp/ryokou/2005/news/050129_1a.html

I know the range is very wide, and this allowence often includes transportation fee that would be used during their free time. My son's school allowed quite a large amount, and the teachers explained that a lot of it usually ends up at game archades. I suppose the school was trying to allow the students some extra freedom just so that the students can bring back better memories.

It's up to your school to decide what is appropriate for your students.