Back packing through Japan?

Question

I plan to backpack through the whole country of japan from the very remote places to the biggest city's i hope to be there for about 6 months...

But i think by the time i go ill only have about 5500 dollars Now i will be trying my very best to be living off of very little.. Hostels Cheapest food etc any tips and would this even be enough money? please anyone with experience can help me i would appreciate it.

Answer 1

No way.

First of all, you cannot stay in Japan for 6 months without visa. You can stay in Japan up to 3 months if you are certain citizens like US citizen. But you need tourist visa even for 1 week stay if you are like Filipino.

Accommodation is at least $30 a day even if you stay at youth hostel. That means $5400 for 6 months. If you stay at a hotel, it's like $100 a day and $18K for 6 months.

You have to spend at least $20 for food every day. Even $20 could be difficult as you don't know how to save on Japanese foods.

If you need transportation like train for 6 months, you will spend $3000-5000 at least.

Answer 2

I don't have any experience backpacking through Japan, but I can tell you that I don't think $5500 USD will be enough for 6 months.

Even if you spend just $5 a day in food, that will cost $900.  That's 15% of your budget already.

Not sure if backpacking means NO public transportation at all...but that's something else I'd be worried about.  The buses to and from Mt. Fuji are around $25 each way.

When I hiked Mt. Fuji (and I'm assuming this is something you'd probably like to do), it cost around $200.  The food on the mountain is outrageously priced, and so are the lodging options.

Also, when you say Japan, do you just mean the mainland?  What about Okinawa or any of the other islands?

I would suggest that you first map out your six month journey through Japan.  This will help you organize the things you plan on doing and seeing (for example, do you just plan on seeing "free attractions"??).  Also, if you're going to be relying on cheap lodgings, it's very important to map out in what general area you'll be for each day of your trip, so that you know what is available to you.

Good luck with your plans!