Shinkansen. Photo / Andrew Sluys
As one of the more expensive Asian destinations, planning a trip can be daunting – but good news: a cheap Japanese holiday is still a good one, writes Andrew Sluys.
Receiving almost 37 million international travellers throughout 2024, it should come as little surprise to hear Japan has become a hotspot for tourists from all over. With this number representing a 47% growth year on year, it’s not showing any signs of slowing down, either.
As is the case with anything in hot demand, Japan has gained a reputation for being quite the pricey Asian destination, especially when compared with the likes of the Philippines and Thailand.
Despite this, I can confirm a trip to Japan doesn’t have to break the bank as long as you’re savvy about where, when, and what you spend your hard-earned cash.
Earlier this year, my fiancé and I spent 15 days in Japan, visiting Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. I would have loved to visit Hiroshima, but it was something that our budget didn’t stretch to.
Despite this, we still managed to enjoy some of the more expensive experiences Japan had to offer, including Universal Studios in Osaka and TeamLab Planets in Tokyo.
Counting everything from flights to food, our 15-day trip totalled $4390; an average of less than $150 per day each.
Here’s how we did it:
As we were travelling from Manila, the flights were already quite reasonable, but to maximise the budget, we elected to use Qantas points. Alongside almost 30,000 points, we spent just $29 in airport taxes getting to Japan.
We stayed in two Airbnbs and one hotel during our stay. Though small, I loved staying in the Airbnb apartments as you can experience the Japanese studio-style way of living.
While the apartments were small, they used every inch of space with an efficiency you come to expect in Japan.
Our Airbnb in Osaka came in as the cheapest at just $98 per night. We opted for a hotel in Kyoto at $134 per night, and Tokyo was the most expensive, with our (rather basic) Airbnb costing $167 per night.
As expected, Japanese public transport proved to be the best of its kind. Clean, reliable, and with coverage across the main centres, we didn’t once consider ordering an Uber.
In the cities, we used trains and buses, and used the Shinkansen (bullet train) for our intercity transport.
It’s no secret that the Shinkansen is expensive, but I was surprised by how quickly our daily transport costs added up, and it wasn’t uncommon to spend over $30 each day when getting around a city.
Since cuisine was a big reason we chose Japan as a destination, this was one area my fiancee and I didn’t cheap out on. Alas, dining out across Japan ended up being a lot cheaper than we had expected.
Onigiri (rice balls) from Family Mart proved to be a great breakfast option at around $3 each, and the Starbucks iced coffee range meant cafe visits were kept to a minimum.
Ichiran restaurants can be found almost everywhere and offer some of the best ramen we’ve had, at less than $10 per bowl.
Ironically, finding sushi was more difficult than we had anticipated, with the majority of restaurants across Osaka and Tokyo offering deep-fried food such as karaage chicken or tempura.
Supermarket deli sections were the biggest life hack here, with sashimi bento boxes costing around $10 each. This became a nightly routine in Kyoto, as our hotel was located very close to a Life supermarket.
Of the $961 spent, $361 was for groceries and $600 for dining out.
Aside from Universal Studios and TeamLab Planets, there wasn’t much more spent on activities. This is likely because most of our days were filled with visiting free places such as the Nara Deer Park or the Arashiyama Monkey Park.
Another free activity I’d highly recommend is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. With an observation deck 202m in the sky, it offers some of the best views of the city’s expanse, without costing a dollar. On favourable weather days, you can also see Mt Fuji.
Any shopping that we did, e-SIMs, and a few coffees here and there, fell into this category.
As we plan to travel for the rest of the year, we were very restrained on the shopping front, but Japan offers some of the best retail opportunities I have seen, so save some suitcase space for the return trip.
As a whole, Japan can easily be done on the cheap, and still be enjoyed to its fullest. Aside from flights, accommodation will always be the most expensive element, so do some digging on Airbnb to find the cheap gems.
Given Japan’s popularity, it also pays to book the big-ticket activities a month or so before you visit to avoid missing out.
The bottom line? Japan absolutely lives up to the hype, and considering it’s only one flight away, it’s never been easier to enjoy.
Japan
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand operates direct flights from Auckland to Tokyo.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
New Zealand citizens do not need any sort of visa to visit Japan if their stay is less than 90 days.
The writer travelled at their own expense.