Would it be expensive to travel to Japan?

Question

I'm thinking about visiting Japan after graduation.

Doesn't U.S. money go a long way there?

How much do you think I would need to save in order to do something like that?

Answer 1

Japan is not a cheap country.

A week = exclude airflight will set you cost you at least USD 1000 per person

I'm not sure about the plane ticket as i do not know where are you flying from.

Family: Usually if you stay at ryokan (japanese traditional inn), you will probably stay with Japanese family, comes with breakfast usually. This range from cheap to expensive, we are talking on USD 50-500/ night/ per person

Japanese hotel system mostly works on per person basis, in the case of hotel, a typical business hotel in downtown like shinjuku, roppongi, will cost you around USD 60-70/per person/per night.

Capsule hotel: USD 30-40/per person/ per night

Food wise, Japan has everything to offer for everyone, from cheap to splurge, cheap: yakitori, noodles, you can find a lot of these in department store or alleyways around subways

Answer 2

Roundtrip tickets are currently very expensive with the fuel charges plus tax and everything from San Francisco or LA expect to pay around $1200 to $1800. Of course prices change as the time of year changes. Golden Week and around New Years is always very expensive so add several hundred or more to Air and almost double hotel if you travel at those two times.

Hotel prices are not too different than the U.S. if you want to stay at a moderate western style hotel figure on $85.00 to $120.00 weekdays and $130.00 to $200.00 weekend for the larger cities Tokyo and Osaka etc. There are many kinds of places to stay in Japan you can find cheaper places but you will want to stay near a train station so plan on an average of $110+ per night or more.

Food is another thing. You can eat so cheap in Japan if you want. A conveni in Japan is much different than in the U.S. you can actually buy a decent meal at 7-11 or Lawsons for a couple of dollars. Or you could spend $150.00 per plate on Kobe beef and exotic Sushi. Food ranges greatly depending on what you choose to do. You can find many reasonable meals at great prices all over Japan.

Do plan on $1500 for air, $800 to $1600 for hotel depending on 1 week or 2 (If you know someone yuo can stay with then of course you can save that), and then think about what kind of budget you want for food and gifts. You will also have to decide on what places you will visit.

If you are planning on riding the Shinkansen or not. You will be riding lots of trains and taking a taxi or bus probably too so don't forget to add those. The train is pretty cheao and so is the bus but they add up quickly if you plan on say going from Tokyo to Kyoto which is around $130.00 each way. You can buy a special unlimited ticket for 7 days, 14 days or 21 days. They start at around $280.00 and you can ride all JR trains including Shinkansen with them It is a great deal if you are planning on a lot of long trips.

http://www.japanrail.com/JR_japanrailpas...