Thread by @wisalallen

Tips For Budgeting for Japan, a thread

First off, I can’t tell you how much money to save or how much you’re gonna need when you’re in Japan, but these tips below will help you figure out your own budget:

Flights: although they’re the most expensive thing to commit to, with date flexibility you can save 100s on your flight. I recommend subscribing to email trackers (I use Scotts Cheap Flights) for alerts and use a flex calendar like Google Flights/Kayak to find the cheapest dates

Flights (2): If you book on the right months (typically 3+ months before your travel dates) you could save a ridiculous amount of money. I’ve never paid more than $550 RT to Japan from Seattle and every flight had short layovers and even flew high-rated airlines like Singapore

Uh...Flex Calendar? Your best friend for traveling (see below). Choose to date to leave with a cheap price and it’ll automatically generate the price for return dates. You could save a few hundred just by flying a couple days earlier (double check layovers, they can be nasty).

By using a flex calendar, you can track multiple dates and you can see how the price trends will change everytime you sign on (see below left). By subscribing to tracker alerts, you can see when those prices will have a giant drop (see below right).

Lodging: Japanese hospitality is pretty amazing, which why choosing the cheaper options (rather than hotels) are worth it. Hostels can be anywhere from $15-$25 a night depending on the time of year, and Airbnbs can be around the same price if you share with multiple people.

Lodging (2): Hostelworld.com is a great site for finding the best deals. Ive stayed in about 15 hostels/Airbnbs in Japan and every one of them was clean, safe, and in fantastic locations

Lodging (3): Japan’s transportation system is phenomenal, so don’t worry about staying in the main tourist areas. I paid $8 to sleep in a shared home in Kyoto that was far from anything, but it was still only a 30 min walk from a train station and 10 min walk from a bus stop

Transportation: It can pricey if you don’t research. Avoid taxis, take buses and trains! Google Maps is great as it shows prices/times for every train (below). If you plan to travel to multiple cities, purchase a JR Pass online PRIOR to your trip. You cannot buy them in country

Transportation (2): Rail Passes are expensive but worth it if you want a full Japan experience. They cover JR lines, buses, ferries, and Shinkansen (bullet train). A one-way Shinkansen to Osaka from Tokyo is about $170, and a 7-day pass will cover that and multiple trips for $260

Transportation (3): If you do a two week trip, you can use a 7 day pass for the middle of your trip to accommodate the days you explore other cities. You can also fly between airports for a fraction of the price if you don’t mind carrying your luggage

Food: Take advantage of cheap eats. The food is wonderful everywhere you go. You can eat conveyor belt sushi and ramen for less than $8 a meal, but I recommend taking advantage of the convenience stores. You can get a rice ball and some protein for $4 or fresh ramen bowls for $5

Activities: the beautiful thing about Japan is most of the activities are free, like temples and walking around the gorgeous cities and parks. Museums are around what you would pay in America ($16-$22), but some (like small Samurai and Ninja museums) are fun and half the price!

BIG TIP! Japan is heavily cash-only, including hostels and food. Make sure you budget enough a few months ahead so you can prepare to pay cash for most stuff. Luckily most convenience stores take international cards so utilize that option when it comes to eating and drinking

Once all your expensive pre-trip stuff is booked, a day in Japan is exponentially cheaper than a day in America.

Anyways here some tips I have. I have a bunch of recommendations for places to visit and I promise I’ll update that soon! 💜

Another thing I forgot to add: if you plan to travel a lot in the future, please consider getting a phone plan with free international roaming (T-Mobile is 100% free and gives you unlimited data for no extra charge). Also, get a credit card with zero foreign transaction fees!

Please keep in mind this thread is for those who aren’t travel savvy and don’t have the budget or time to build miles on point cards. There are better hacks for cheap travel, these are just really simple, basic tips that are risk free for your credit and money 😊

Wow thanks for sharing! I’m no travel guru but I’m glad I could help! Here are some great resources I love:

ABSOLUTE BEST site for all things Japan: japan-guide.com

A close to accurate estimate of what you’ll spend daily depending on your budget budgetyourtrip.com

For those in the NW: Japan Airlines just open direct flights from Seattle to Tokyo this year, and right now you can get a non-stop round trip flight in fall for only $450! If those outside of NW can get a cheap flight to Seattle, it might be worth it!