What are the costs?
 

I have been thinking of planning a trip to japan, Im 17 right now but I want to figure out whats needed and such. Looking at plane tickets it seems expensive fro mthe get-go. I was just wondering whether or not the flight to and from is the most expensive part of such a trip.

Depends upon what you do there, where you stay, what you eat, etc. 5 star hotel and steak and lobster dinners or hostels and ramen?

Hostels and ramen sounds more like my kind of style, and price range.

Hotel/food costs depend on where you want to go... middle of Tokyo will usually, for obvious reasons, cost more than an area not in the centre of a city

Plan on a 10 day trip at probably about 300 dollars a day in expenses.

I have been with someone that planned on about 50 dollars a day in expenses, and eating cheap train-station ramen and McDonald's every meal got old after about 48 hours. Save up enough so you can enjoy yourself there. Why go to Japan and live like a homeless person for your vacation?

True, I don't plan on going to japan to eat a big mac I could have gotten down the street from my house.

You are right. The plane ticket is probably going to be the biggest part of the trip, so might as well make it the best you can.

I am not saying you need to stay at 5-star hotels and eat lobster, but you'll want to try a variety of dishes, maybe stay at a ryokan one night, do a variety of things...and unfortunately most of them cost money.

check out my guide.... i broke down the average cost of a trip to japan.

including rent /food/tickets/ and different variations of those that will make it less expensive.

300 dollars a day!? Single hotel room--> about $50, Two meals--> $100, transport-->$30; so unless you're buying loads of souvenirs, this figure can be reduced.

Wow 50 dollars a day? Thats pretty cheap for a hotel room.

lol and the two meals can be reduced to about 75$, you don't have to spend ALL your money and show it all off. You can eat good, but pay less. You might even be able to get that down to 50$ for two meas and still eat really good.

The business hotels (closet sized room...tiny tv) I saw were about $100 dollars a night in Tokyo. The last place I stayed at in Ueno was I think about $170 a night (for two double beds...a normal looking hotel room). The capsule hotels were $40-$60 dollars a night.

Sure, the figure can be reduced. 300 dollars a day is a safe number if you want to do more than just ride on a train all day. If you want to see stuff and buy stuff, I wouldn't go with less than that.

Japan is pretty expensive that way. I'm still saving up in an attempt to make a trip there T_T. Hopefully I'll get there some day :rolleyes:

why isn't anyone considering staying in a hostel ?
It only cost 2500 yen per night (probably around 20$us )

I was about to suggest that myself. Seems quite a few people I've come across go on about how nice hostels were and how affordable they were.

it seems expensive fro mthe get-go. I was just wondering whether or not the flight to and from is the most expensive part of such a trip.[/quote]

I live in Japan. There are many cheap hotels. I sometimes use Manga Kitsa. They open 24 houses and there are comic and we can use Internet in private room. (I think it is need to be resisterd but it is no problem if you can use a little Japanese.) Manga kitsa is about 20 dollers.
However, it isn't comfortable. I stayed there but I wanted to stay at hotel.

I think cheap hotel costs about 50 doller per night.

When I was there, I regularly ate for $30 per day or less, though I wasn't in Tokyo. I got a bowl of good ramen, donburi, or yakisoba for $5-8, a full teishoku meal for $8-12. Drinks are always overpriced in a restaurant, so just drink tea or water with the meal (which are free) and get a soda, milk, iced coffee, beer, etc from either a vending machine or supermarket (where it'll be 1/2 to 1/3 the price it is in the restaurant).

Small business hotel rooms (not in Tokyo) were $40-60 in my experience.

Spend the night in a internet cafe? Again, I ask why fly all the way to Tokyo to vacation like a homeless person?

How about staying in a youth hostel? I know it's a European thing but there's got to be something like that in Japan. The ones in London are totally affordable (about 20 pounds per night = 40 USD/€) and Tokyo isn't more turistic than London, is it?

:eek: :eek: How do you guys spend so much??? My friend recently came back from tokyo and he spent $25 per night on hotel! Fair enough it was the basics, but what the heck are you gonna do with a luxury hotel when you'll hardly be in it??

As for food, he spent about $15-$25 per day (on average) for breakfast, lunch and dinner while still having nice food! But of course, sometimes he went to exquisite restaurants, but he said they wern't that special because a nice meal in a standard restaurant is just as good!

I think people generally let themselves go when they're on holiday, but if you're careful you can have a great time whilst not spending so much. This way you will leave more money for souvenirs or technology or anime or whatever you want!

You know, I can honestly say that if I were to visit Japan, I probably wouldn't buy anime. I barely buy it now here at home. lol I would only buy a series if I really really really like it. The main "anime series" I want is the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers boxset with both dub/sub eps. Good luck on finding an official version of that. >_>;;

Overall, I can see where noodle is coming from. I wouldn't want to spend a lot on a hotel either. Maybe something sensible with the basic necessities, since I would go sightsee and such and probably wouldn't even be in the hotel much.

25 a night at a hotel? I'd REALLY like to know where that is. You don't get those prices in small towns in the US.

tokyo international youth hostel (kagurakashi, shinjuku-ku) - 35 dollars per night

Yoyogi Youth Hostel (Shibuya-ku) - 40 per night

Sakura Hotel (chiyoda-ku) - from 35 per night

there is planty places like that :)

okay lets seed some of the truths and myths out of these posts.

Yes, it IS possible to find a place to stay for 30-50 dollars a night.

No, it will not be comfortable and very small limited space where you can barley put your luggage.

Yes, you will most likely have to share a room with a stranger who is traveling around.

No, a DECENT one room hotel will not be under 100 dollars a night.

Your looking at 100 min to 175 a night for a one room, one bathroom 1 desk hotel room.

You CAN lower your costs of living and what not.. but dont expect to be comfortable by any means.

Remember, you get what you pay for.

I personally do not like youth hostels.

1 there usually full of other travlers
2 your usually sharing
3 i dont trust my items being around other travelers
4 facilities arent that great or clean
5 your sharing the bathrooms and showers with many other people
6 your also sharing the kitchen with other people

HERES the main point i want to get through.

if your planning on staying a week or two at a hostel

most Hostels have a 7 day maximum stay limit.

ALSO you are not guaranteed you keep you room for 7 days
they can move you around from room to rooms.

example of this is

say you have a 4 person room for 25 dollars a night, and you share with another person and a couple.

if a group of 4 comes in and is lookin for a room, all 4 of you will be moved and split into another rooms to accommodate the 4 that just came in so they can be 2gether..

this means you have to move all your stuff to another room.

this can happen a lot.

some youth hostels also have a 3-4 max stay.

also some have weird rules that i won get into but ill say it again, you get what you pay for.

if your gona plan a trip to japan, just make sure you have the funds to do so.

and as for the person talking about those 20 dollar a night places with comics and computers.

those are basically like lil lan centers, you dont get a room, you get a cubical.

there are shower facilities which is shared by every one, and you cannot be loud what so ever...

very strict rule about noise.

also they will not let you stay there all night with luggage and stuff.

also some places now charge by the hour. around 500 yen per hour

if your goin for a week just get a hotel for 100 a night, if your goin for any thing longer then 2 weeks, go with a apartment you can rent from sakura house.

My apartment in takanawa was awesome, 2 bedroom down stairs livin room and kitchen and shower. around 600 a month splitting with a roommate.

it ends up to be 20 dollars a day with a roomy or 40 if you want a pimp apartment to your self. and have room for guest.

what i did was registered the room for one person and then had my friend come stay with me any ways.

ended up bein super cheap

as for food, if you can live on Yoshinoya and Pepper lunch the entire trip then its more like 12 dollars for 3 meals.

i personally cant and like eating sushi and going to nice restaurants.

i basically traveled from Takanawa to Shibuya to harajuku to roppongi and back to takanawa every day. only cost about 10 dollars taking buses and trains.

if your gona take cabs then yes it will be very expensive.

I found many business hotels for $40-60 per night all over Japan. I never shared a room with anyone, and I always had a tiny bathroom of my own in the room. Yes, it was very cramped and small, basically a bed, small desk with a tv on it, 1 chair, and the bathroom. But it was comfortable and clean, and you are only going to sleep and shower there, the day will be spent exploring the town.

Now, Tokyo may be different... I used the JET Tatami Timeshare when I visited Tokyo (you put your name on a list agreeing to let other JETs stay in your apartment when they come to town. In exchange, you get a copy of the list and may stay at their places, with prior approval of course). But from Nagasaki to Matsuyama, Matsumoto to Hiroshima, I found reasonably priced business hotels with ease, either no reservations or just a few days ahead.

I'm not sure WHERE he stayed. But this litteraly took me a couple of seconds to find!

Economy Backpackers Hotel NEW KOYO

Wow. That's pretty amazing.

I'm sorry Housetek, but I think you've exaggerated a bit there! 100 - 175 for a decent room? For that price my friends have stayed in a 4 star hotels in tokyo! And by 4 star, that means luxurious room, not decent!

As for Youth hostels and sharing. Yeah, sometimes they can be a hassle if you want to be alone, but sometimes, it can be a great experience! There are also plenty of youth hostels that can give you single rooms with a shower and tv in your room.
Most places i've travelled i've stayed in hostels. HK, Edinburgh, Rome, Milan, Barca, Beijing etc. and i've never had a problem. For example in HK. I stayed at a youth hostel for $15 per night. They gave me a compacked room with a high bed and shower and tv. This was during a busy period where EVERY hotel seemed to be filled. Yet, this was really great. There was a small internet and cafe room to chat with other travellers. Yeah, it was tight and we weren't allowed to make a lot of noise, but that was one of the best things about it. I think when you're travelling and exploring a lot, you'd like some peace and quiete when you finally get to sleep!

Anyway, the point i'm trying to make. Of course going for the expensive stuff might be nice, but it definately isn't a necessity! Heck, i'd prefer to sleep at a camp sight for $5 rather than spend 175 on a hotel room that i will spend 6 hours in!

@Housetek- Is there a website for sakura house?

And how much is everyone spending on tickets. I know my school can send me there for $800 roundtrip.

Airline tickets differ depending on the time of year that you go to Japan so it all depends.

Doesn't this also depend on where you're flying from? I know for my city, it's expensive to fly out. I've known some people who'd drive up to DC and fly out from there.