Is Japan expensive? This is probably the most common question I receive from my Japan travel planning clients, as well as from random people who email me or contact me via social media.
It’s a fair question—budgeting is always the foundation of trip planning, whether you’re a luxury traveler or a backpacker; Japan has a reputation as a pricey place to travel. On the other hand, Japan’s economy has constantly been in the financial news at least since the closing days of covid-19, thanks to its perpetually weak yen currency.
Now, I won’t mislead you: Japan is neither cheaper nor a budget destination, not really. But it’s also arguably more affordable than it’s ever been. Below, I’ll square this circle with concrete examples and personal anecdotes from over a decade exploring (and, at turns, living in) the country.
Why Japan Has Become Known as a “Budget” Destination in the 2020s
Is Japan cheap? Relative yes, at least as of the late 2020s. Due to a combination of a weak (and ever-weakening) yen and an economy that is broadly deflationary in spite of breakneck tourism demand, Japan is as cheap now as it’s ever been. Relatively speaking, this amounts to most cities in Japan being much cheaper than ones in America, cheaper than ones in Europe and often on par with or only slightly more expensive than poorer cities in Asia, including those in Taiwan, mainland China and parts of Southeast Asia.
Now, let’s be clear: Japan is cheaper than it was 10 and certainly 20 years ago, but it’s not cheap. Remember that tourism demand I mentioned in the last paragraph? Well, it ensures that prices for things tourists need (namely, places to stay) remain high, even as the cost of every day goods and services (non-Michelin starred food, as a key example) remain flat or even decline. You’ll spend less on your trip to Japan than you think, but likely more than you want.
Quantifying the Cost of Travel in Japan
Hotels and ryokan
How much do hotels in Japan cost? The unsatisfying truth is that it depends. You can get simple “business hotel” rooms (I like the Daiwa Roynet and Sotetsu Fresa Inn chains) in most cities for 100 USD (or less) per night; mid-range hotels in like the Ginza Hotel by Granbell in Tokyo and Dhawa Yura Kyoto can cost around 200-300 USD per night on a normal day; luxury hotels and ryokan such as Kanazawa’s Kinjohro can easily approach 1,000 USD per night. Overall, if you want to travel in four-star comfort, I suggest budgeting no less than 100 USD per person, per night for the cost of your accommodation in Japan.
Food
While hotels in Japan have generally gotten more expensive, even as the prices of most other things in Japan have stagnated or fallen, the cost of food in Japan has remained affordable. For example, you can easily find simple meals (soba; ramen; sushi at a kaitenzushi or revolving sushi restaurant) for under ¥1,000 per person, even in the center of Tokyo. Even more elaborate teishoku sets with rice and miso soup can be priced under ¥3,000. On the other hand, fancier dining settings (high-end Teppanyaki grills; omakase experiences; formal kaiseki dinners) are generally very expensive (¥10,000 or more per person, not including alcohol), especially if the restaurant in question has a Michelin star.
Transportation (including the JR Pass)
The bad news? The value of the Japan Rail Pass is basically a wash—in the best case scenario—after significant price increases in late 2023. The good news? Getting the pass (which does now allow you to ride faster Nozomi and Mizuho trains, albeit for a steep supplementary fee) does substantially simplify the process of how to take the train in Japan. Whether or not you have a pass, I expect your transportation expenditure to be a minimum of 100 USD per person, per day. This includes regular (but not daily) Shinkansen rides or domestic flights, as well as subways, local trains and buses within cities. Obviously, taking taxis or Uber (which are relatively expensive in Japan) changes this equation.
Attractions and tours
Attractions (temples, castles and the like) contribute very minimally to the cost of Japan trip, even as certain ones (namely, Himeji Castle) weigh charging a different “foreigner” price. Where prices can accumulate is on organized and small group tours and “experiences,” be that food tours of Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market (which can easily cost 50 USD per person) or excursions to Nikko or Mt. Fuji. Private and artisinal tours are even more expensive, such as this one I did learning kintsugi in Kyoto.
Shopping
Shopping, as you might expect, is the major wild card when it comes to how much your trip to Japan will cost. On one hand, the weak yen means that relatively speaking, you’ll pay a low price for most purchases in Japan. Likewise, in every store where you spend ¥5,000 or more in a single purchase, you’ll enjoy zero percent sales tax; some shops even give you a discount for paying with certain credit cards. On the other hand, there’s literally no end to the amazing (and authentic) things you can buy in Japan. Knives and Samurai swords in particular are known to be expensive.
How to Approximate the Cost of Your Japan Trip
As of the late 2020s, I tell my private clients that the minimum cost of a trip to Japan is 150 USD (or around ¥10,000) per person, per day, not including the cost of flights to Japan. This amounts to around 1,000 USD per person, per week for a trip to Japan, and assumes private (but simple) accommodation, occasional (but not daily) use of bullet trains and domestic flights, lunch and dinner at mostly local restaurants and minimal shopping.
Obviously, on the flip-side of this (high-luxury), the sky is the limit. Is Japan expensive for those seeking a five-star experience? Absolutely. In the middle, keeping in mind that four-star hotels tend to run about 250-300 USD per room, per night in most cities, you can double your overall daily cost—so around 300 USD per person, per day (2,100 USD per person, per week) assuming double occupancy—if you plan to sleep in nicer accommodation, and to have 2-3 high-end meals per night.
Other FAQ About the Cost of Travel in Japan
Is $100 a day enough in Japan?
100 USD per person, per day is enough for a bare-bones trip to Japan, but will require sacrificing either the size or privacy of your accommodation in large cities like Tokyo, and may require you to opt for slower trains in order to save money, given that the Japan Rail Pass is no longer a good value. It can be done—I’ve done it!—but it takes some strategizing.
Is $1,000 enough for one week in Japan?
Keeping in mind that I suggest a minimum budget per day of 150 USD per person, per day in Japan as of the late 2020s, $1,000 is the mininum amount I would expect for one person to spend for a week in Japan. Note that while this amount is inclusive of a simple hotel, basic lunch and dinner out, attraction tickets and transportation (including Shinkansen bullet trains within reason), it does not include the cost of flights between your home country and Japan.
How much money do I need for 7 days in Japan?
You can technically “get by” on around 1,000 USD per 7 days you spend in Japan as of the late 2020s, and maybe even less than that if you are very thrifty and resourceful. However, if you want to stay in four-star hotels (or higher) with minimal restrictions on dining, shopping or premium transportation, doubling or even tripling this amount allows you to budget more realistically. Note that in any case, the numbers I give do not account for the cost of flights to and from Japan.
The Bottom Line
Is Japan expensive? On one hand, Japan is more affordable than it’s ever been, thanks to its persistently weak yen, and the chronic deflationary cycle its economy can’t seem to escape. On the other hand, the strength and growth of inbound tourism has kept demand sky-high. As a general rule, spending your money on local goods and experiences tends to be very affordable, while tourist-focused purchases (namely, hotels and ryokan) are as expensive as they’ve ever been. Want to maximize the value of your Japan trip, no matter how much it ends up costing? Hire me to plan a custom Japan itinerary, which leverages more than a decade of experience exploring the country to make sure you get it right on the first try.
