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Japan – great tips on costs & travel expenses

liesbethhellemans

What does it cost, travelling to Japan? I expected Japan to be very expensive. It turned out not to be the case, at least not compared to European prices. It’s hard to give an estimate of travel expenses per day, but in post I shed some light on some costs and travel expenses we made.

Cost in general

I expected Japan to be very expensive. It turned out not to be the case, at least not compared to European prices. Prices in Japan are however higher then in other Asian countries, such as Thailand or Bali.

The most expenses are on accommodation and transportation, at least if you intend to travel comfortably. Eating in restaurants is rather cheap, supermarket prices are in line with those in Europe, except for some products.

It’s hard to give an estimate of travel expenses per day. Below an indication of some prices.

How to pay?

You can easily use your credit cards in Japan, at least from Belgium, in supermarkets, resturants, temples, …

We used the following payment means

Transport

International flight Brussels – Tokyo round trip: 1000 euro per person

JR Pass: 400.000 yen (about 2.500 euro, or 625 euro per person, adult, 21 days ). Prices increased significantly as of October 2023. Once you have your itinerary mapped out, compare the full price of train tickets in Japan with the price of the JR Passs on the JR pass website or the Japan Rail Pass Calculator.

Metro ticket Tokyo: as of 180 yen, depending on the area you are travelling. You pay the ticket upfront and use the ticket when leaving the station. Should the ticket not cover the trip you made – you paid not enough – you pay up at that moment by using the ticket machine again.

You find much more information on transportation in Japan here.

Daytrips and things to do

There are a lot of things to do in all cities. You can easily reserve tickets yourself, no need for a group tour. We made one exeception in Takayama. The entrance fees to the various shrines and temples are reasonable or even free of charge.

Fushimi Inari Shrine: free of charge

Itsukushima Shrine and Treasure Hall (Miyajima – Hiroshima): 500 yen per person (combined ticket, 300 yen for the shrine) – the ferry is included in the JR pass

Universal Studios Japan: 8600 yen per person

Shirakawago and Ainokura Bus Tour: 8000 yen per person

Hirayu no mori: 700 yen per person (day ticket)

Goshuin

One tip. In temples and in shrines, you can ask for a specific ‘stamp of each temple or shrine, the so-called ‘Goshuin‘. It’s a beautiful, handwritten ‘honorable red seal’ of the temple, a kind of proof that you visited the temple or shrine, handwritten by monks. You can obtained it from Shinto shrines or Buddhist Temples in Japan. Simple in concept, this document is full of symbolic, religious, and historical meanings.

I collected the Goshuins in a small book, the so- called ‘Goshuincho‘ which I bough at the first shrine we visited, the Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima.The kanji for goshuincho is written on the front, while the name of the shrine is written on the back, also in kanji.

The book serves as a kind of record or proof of faith. It houses evidence of one’s pilgrimages to various shrines and temples during their lifetime.

The kanji for goshuincho is written on the front, while the name of the shrine is written on the back, also in kanji.

You can only obtain the stamp in the goshuincho. I first tried to obain one in another booklet, but that doesn’t work. Also, the goshuincho can only be used for collecting the stamps, not as

As from then, I took my booklet to each shrine and temple for a stamp. It costs I paid between ¥300 to ¥1000 for a stamp. You can also make a donation to a temple or shrine to receive a goshuin.

It’s a souvenir I’m very fond of!

Accommodation

On accommodation, as you already read in this blog, al is up to your own choice, given the wide range available. In the major cities, rooms tend to be very small. If you want a bit more space, then opt for a house or an apartment.

Houses or apartments are less expensive then hotels, they are self catering.

We paid the following for a variety of lodgings:

Tokyo: Aima aparthotel – 3 nights – 95,324 yen (580 euro) – 1 apartment for 6

Tokyo: Apa Hotel Akihabara Ekihigashi – 1 night – 32,940 yen (200 euro) – 3 twin rooms

Hiroshima: FAV HOTEL Hiroshima Heiwa Odori – 3 nights – 69,840 yen (425 euro) – 1 apartment for 6

Kyoto: the Rinn Fushimini Inari townhouse – 4 nights – 104,004 yen (640 euro) – 1 house

Takayama: K’s House – Youth hostel – 2 nights – 48,600 yen (300 euro) – 3 twin rooms

Matsumoto: Tabino hotel: – 1 night – 35,380 yen (220 euro) – 1 room for 4, one twin room

Nakatsugawa: Ryokan O – 3 nights – 60,435 yen (370 euro) – 3 twin rooms

Fujikawagachiko: Fuji Travel House – 1 night – 31,040 yen (190 euro) – 1 house

Self-catering

As for self catering and restaurants, there too are ample options.

Along the way, in train stations and major cities, you find 7Eleven or Lawson. Don’t expect to find a lot of variety there, rather prepared meals , some basic stuff, noodles and drinks. For a couple of euros, you have some noodles or a rice dish, which you can even heat up in the supermarket and eat outside in the park.

We came across some major supermarkets with a variety of international and Japanese traditionals, such as the Kohyo one at the JR station in Nara and smaller supermarkets in the underground stations. International products and prices are similar to the ones in Europe, except for fresh food and vegetables. Watermelon, for example, is extremely expensive, as well as grapes (up to 1,700 yen or 10 euro per kilo) and apples (up to 500 yen or 3 euro per piece -!). On the other hand, typical Japanses products, such as sushi and fish, are inexpensive.

Restaurants

Eating out is not expensive. There is a variety of restaurants.

We liked the typical Japanese restaurants the most. A variety of noodle dishes ‘at the counter’, around 1,700 yen or 10 euro per person or even less

In Hiroshima we ate the typical Okonomiyaki: about 1,700 yen or 10 euro per person.

Sushi comes per piece, so depending on your choice: 20,000 yen or 120 euro for 6 person (for example Sushitei Hikarimachi in Hiroshima)

We also experienced in a typical Yakiniku restaurant, where you are in principle expected to grill the meat yourself. Since we however ate lunch there, our steak arrived grilled. One of the best steaks in Japan (ラダ＆肉料理 きんりゅう, one block from Nishinokyo Emmachi station in Kyoto, where you can take a bus to the Golden Temple)

More expensive are the so called Izakaya restaurants, typical Japanses restaurants where you can order a variety of small dishes of food that can be shared at a table. We dined in a Japanese style restaurant in Takayama, where you sit on the ground on a low table (Aji-hei, 大衆居酒屋あじ平 ). This Isakaya served grilled meat and seafood, rice, noodle dishes, salads, fried foods and the regional Hida-beef. The latter is the most expensive beef in Japan. The cost of an evening in an Izakaya depends on what you order, but count at least 3,200 or 20 euro a person.

Lastly, you can find several street food all over

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