Budget travel in Japan

[spodletela]

With my girlfriend we are getting ready to travel to Japan for one month. We are coming from Slovenia (EU), but we are not really a rich country (former Yugoslavian republic), so i want to make an """investigation""" about expenses if we travel on a low budget (i dont want to sell a car when we come back )...

Has someone travel there with Japan Rail Pass and sleep in a hotels/whatever that are as cheap as possible but still not like 50 km from city centers? Can you please tell me how many yens/euros/dollars you spent for living? (we wont be staying on one place for more then 2 days, probably moving around all the time, so any advice how to find cheap sleeping place fast is more then welcome)

The second question is a little bit exotic; is it possible to "survive" in Japan without eating meat, eggs or fish?

Thank you for response...

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

I never went to Japan, so I cannot help you with your budget, but I can tell you that there are many other types of foods in Japan other then fish, meat and eggs. Meat, one example, Beef can be pretty expensive. There isn't much space in Japan so there isn't a lot of livestock, so meat can get pretty costly. (As far as I know.) But you don't want to get that, so you don't have to worry.

Instead of fish, you can buy Japanese noodles. (Ramen) Ramen is very popular, and comes in many different forms. Some come pre-made in easy to make containers. Others you boil water on a stove and add the noodles and the flavor packet.

I am sure there are other types of foods as well. Vegetables are popular I am sure. They probably have dishes with a vegetable theme. Fruit is very expensive. I know that a Honeydew Melon is one of the most expensive products there. I still have yet to go to Japan, so I don't know as much as other members...

[Hatredcopter]

Unfortunately, accommodation is quite pricey in Japan. The cheapest place to stay that I can think of would be a hostel. I've never been to one myself, but I believe they run around 4000 yen or so a night. Obviously you'll be sharing your living quarters with other people as well. There are also 'bed & breakfast' style places in Japan (usually often shared with other people as well) that can go maybe from 6000 to 10,000 yen per night. These are really your cheapest options - actual, private hotels are not too cheap in Japan

As for transportation, definitely go with the JR Rail Pass. I can't think of a better way for tourists to get around Japan than by picking up a rail pass. Buses are also a decent value - I took the bus all around Kyoto when I visited there - they go by many of the tourist spots.

As for your food question.. eggs, meat, and fish are served in 90% of Japanese meals it seems - even ramen. There are definitely places where you can get a vegetarian meal though, so I wouldn't worry too much. Many restaurants serve noodle dishes that have just vegetables in them.

[samokan]

Ive compiled some information but unfortunately this are mostly on transportation:

Journey

I do not know much about hotel but japanguide.com can maybe help you with that.

We were able to find a hotel that cost us 3500yen( each) a night when we went to hiroshima.

[enyafriend]

Like the earlier poster said, yes, even ramen has meat in it. If you are a vegetarian or a vegan, then you would want to even skip the ramen as the soup base are made from meat stocks. Bread would be a great choice and they are everywhere. You can pop into one of the many mini-markets around and get yourself some greens and make your own salads and sandwiches back in the hotel room.

Since you are always moving around, that means you will be moving from hotel to hotel, every other day or so. The price of many hotel rates depends on how far it is from the train station. Some are 5 mins walk or even right in front of the station. But these are the more expensive ones. If you do not mind walking, you may find some, say 20-25 mins walk from the station, and maybe get about 1,000 to 2,000 yen cheaper.

Good luck and plan your route well.

[Sanchome]

I think you should be able to find hostels in some places in Japan for around US$30 per night. You will have to stay in the same room with backpackers or other people. If you are really cheap, some Japanese people sleep in manga cafes or even in 24 hour fast food restaurants, but I don't know if they will let a foreigner get away with that.

As far as the food, the user who said you can check convenience stores gave good advice. Also, maybe check out the Tokyo Vegetarian site here.

[DXL]

cheapest 'hotels' in Japan would definately be the capsule ones. You can get some for about 2000 yen a night. Most are men only though but you can check.

I used a Japanese website to book my hotel and it was pretty cheap about 6000 yen a night and there were still cheaper ones on there (this was for Kyoto). try here Rakuten Travel

As per food, have something light in the morning, liquid thruout the day and something filling at night.

Get the JR pass if seeing many different cities, definately worth it

[jasonbvr]

Vegetables and fruits are far more expensive than meat in Japan. At least that is my opinion. It seems that Japanese eat mostly meat and carb stuff like rice or bread.

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

Isn't is possible to order Ramen without Meat in it? I forgot about Rice, that must be the most popular grain, since they have such an abundance. I am surprised that Japanese eat mostly meat. I imagined that they eat mostly seafood.

I have a question, I know it's a bit off-topic, but it is still related to this thread in a way:

How much yen equals $1 ? I heard somewhere that 100 Yen is $1. Is this right?

[seiki]

i think right now 1 dollar equals like 124 yen