Misconception #1: Vacation in Japan is expensive
My blog series on common misconceptions about Japan starts with something that I'm sure most of us count among our hobbies: Travel. One of the most common "facts" you hear about traveling to Japan is the guaranteed hole the vacation will tear in your wallet. While there are many far less expensive vacation countries, it is still possible to take budget-friendly vacations in Japan with a little planning and thought. From some positive experiences, many mistakes and my own research, I can give you a few important tips for saving money. The order of the categories is not randomly chosen, but ordered by the amount of costs:
Overview
The flight
When choosing the right flight, Japan is not much different than other destination countries. A comparison via various portals is of course also worthwhile here. Here you should not only be flexible with departure times and departure airport but also with the destination airport to get a cheap flight. Example: If Tokyo is the actual destination, but Osaka is cheaper to fly to, it may be worth buying a ticket to Osaka. If you have a Rail Pass anyway (more on this in the Mobility section) you can take the Shinkansen (express train) from there to Tokyo for free in just 3 hours. You should also note that Tokyo has two airports and that there are sometimes considerable price differences. Flights are no longer really expensive. For our flight from Düsseldorf to Tokyo Haneda and back, we had to pay only 580€ per person at the end of 2019/20.
Overnight stay
Japan offers various options for accommodation: classic hotels, modern hostels, traditional ryokans, capsule hotels, manga cafes as well as Airbnb. Personally, I had the best experience with a mix of traditional ryokans, Airbnb and occasionally hostels. But better in order of preference:
View of Kobe at breakfast - but the view had its price: 85€ per night for a double room.
Classic hotels - ホテル (¥ ¥ ¥ ) usually offer Western standard rooms and Japanese as well as international breakfast. Since this is still quite uncommon for Japanese and considered more of a luxury, they are usually the most expensive choice. The only Japanese hotel I have ever stayed in was the 4-star Portopia Hotel in Kobe. The breakfast was phenomenal and the rooms huge by Japanese standards, but it is rather impersonal and just too expensive for a longer stay.
Modern hostels - ホステル(¥ ¥ ) are now being opened more and more in tourist destinations such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc. If you don't have a problem with dormitories and shared sanitary facilities, you can really save money here. Even the private rooms, which are usually offered in addition, are cheaper than comparable hotels. Here you often have the choice between rooms of western standards and the classic tatami rooms with futon beds. Only the size of the private rooms can be problematic for people with claustrophobia. From my own experience I can say that the rooms are quite narrow and sometimes just offer space for the futons themselves.
Traditional ryokans - 旅館 (¥ ¥ ) can be cheaper than hostels. Here it depends on location, facilities, etc. The budget-friendly versions are actually minshuku (民宿). However, the term ryokan is more common. Minshuku are probably most comparable to a guesthouse in Germany and often have been in family hands for several generations. An own toilet or even an own bathroom are therefore rather rare. On the other hand, breakfast is often included, which usually consists of typical Japanese miso soup, rice, pickled vegetables and fish or meat. For an authentic Japanese experience, staying in rooms with tatami (rice mats), sliding doors, futon beds and paper walls is just the thing. You can now book many of the ryokans through the well-known comparison portals. Beyond that there are Japanese sides with good English such as https://ssl.japaneseinngroup.com or https://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/ with those a view is quite worthwhile itself. However, you should be aware that the futon beds on rice mats can be harder than usual and thin walls mean that you will hear most of the noise from your neighbors in your own room.
Our room in a ryokan on Koyasan. The rooms are offered by monks in their Buddhist temple. Shukubo - 宿坊 is what these special accommodations are called. On the right edge you can see a kotatsu - 炬燵. A table with integrated heating and blanket - very typical to find in ryokans and super practical in winter.
Capsule hotels - カプセルホテル (¥) or manga cafes - マンガ喫茶 (¥) are probably the best choice if you don't have enough money for either hotel or hostel or ryokan, or you'd rather spend your money on all the delicious restaurants and pubs. What to look for: Capsule hotels are usually located near central train stations, so may be found in less nice parts of town. Since capsule hotels were actually designed as a last-minute flophouse for drunken businessmen, the clientele can still be a bit rough. They are also usually only found in the centers of major cities and are usually segregated by gender. You sleep, as the name suggests, in your own "capsule." Although they are still quite cheap, the price difference to a cheap hostel is not really that big anymore, so a cheap hostel or ryokan is usually more worth it. In mangacafes , you rent your own cabin. The fee depends on the duration of the stay (usually 30 minutes to 12 hours) and the type of seating (e.g. office chair, lazyboy, sofa). In Tokyo mana cafes, 8 hours for 1500-2000¥ (about 12-16€) is usually the sweet spot and hard to beat price-wise. Material to read or look at, toilets, showers, etc. are usually included in the price.
Airbnb's can hardly be judged by their price. A look at the portal is always worthwhile, of course, but generally speaking, the larger the city, the more expensive the accommodations offered there will be and the less Airbnb is an alternative to hostels and the like. However, if you want to spend the night in a rural area and perhaps even speak Japanese, you can find one or two bargains here.
Our Airbnb accommodation in the north of Okinawa. Here we could rent the complete house with garden, 200m from the beach, for one week for 480€.
Mobility
The cost of mobility depends heavily on where you are in Japan and how much distance you want to travel. Tokyo as an example: the subway network there is extremely well developed and a one-way ticket ranges from 170¥ (1.40€) to 320¥ (2.70€) depending on the distance. A day ticket comes to just 600¥, or 4.80€. Routes between cities or to the countryside can be expensive. Therefore, the Japan Railway Company has created the Japan Rail Pass. With this pass you can use 90% of all railroad lines for free. The price for the Rail Pass depends on its validity period (7, 14 or 21 days) and is between 250€ - 500€. The more you travel, the more the pass is worth it, of course. In the future, these prices could even fall a little, because so far the purchase of the pass is only possible through third parties. However, JR would like to sell the pass directly in the future to eliminate the middleman fees. A short note on cabs: they are basically very expensive. I have only really had to rely on them once, when I had to go to the hospital with food poisoning. Outside of emergencies, I would not use them.
Even the mighty Sumo rely on Tokyo's cheap and punctual public transportation.
Food
Food can be very expensive in Japan. There is no real upper limit. But even without having to live on instant ramen noodles and candy bars, there are inexpensive, delicious and healthy dining options. In addition, drinks like water or tea are free in almost all restaurants. So here you are already saving money. Also, many restaurants offer a lunch menu with significantly lower prices.
The first port of call for a cheap meal should be one of the thousands of 24h supermarkets called Konbini - コンビニ . Here, whole, freshly cooked meals are offered in the refrigerated section. When you buy it, the employees always ask if you want it heated. Prices range from 300¥ (2.40€) to 800¥ (6.40€) depending on size and contents.
Fast food restaurants like Sukiya or Yoshinoya specialize in dons - 丼 , bowls of rice with toppings. It's not uncommon for 500¥ (4€) to get a large bowl of rice with a generous portion of braised beef and onions. Japanese curries - カレー or tempura 天ぷら, which is deep-fried vegetables or fish, are also available at similarly reasonable prices.
We enjoy the classic fast food of Japan: a delicious bowl of gyudon 牛丼. The Yoshinoya restaurant chain is considered the inventor of this meal, which is more than 100 years old.
At train stations and in the food courts of large department stores(Depato - デパート), bento - 弁当, Japanese lunch boxes, are often offered. These usually contain specialties of the respective region, are very healthy and quite affordable. They are usually eaten cold. Here, too, you usually stay under 1,000¥ (8€). Practical: Even in most long-distance trains (Shinkansen - 新幹線) bentos are sold. These are offered by JR employees who walk through each compartment with a lavishly stocked food cart.
This bento from Kyoto Station cost me 800¥ (6.40€). For me personally, the price-performance ratio exceeds every frame.
One thing is still missing from our list, of course. The cliché food of Japan: Sushi - 寿司 & Sashimi - 刺身 . Good sushi is quite affordable in Japan. To do this, you need to know that the cheapest sushi in Japan is still qualitatively better than 95% of all sushi restaurants in Germany. Cheap sushi in Japan usually means kaitenzushi - 回転寿司, or assembly line sushi. Here, the sushi portions travel through the restaurant on an assembly line and you simply take what you like. The price is usually indicated by the shape or color of the plates. If you overdo it in such a restaurant and fill your belly excessively, you will pay a maximum of 1500¥-2000¥ (12-16€).
Dinner at Hamazushi - one of many sushi restaurant chains with unbeatable value for money: The front plates with sea bream cost 150¥ (1.20€) - the back ones with fatty salmon 100¥ (0.80€). Green tea, soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi are, of course, free.
Admission prices
Tickets for museums, tours, etc. are sometimes discounted on Japanese sites. Here, experience has shown that even a booking on the same day can bring a discount. Knowledge of Japanese helps here immensely, but more and more providers also have pages in English. Tickets for well-known attractions such as the Ghibli Museum can be purchased in advance in Germany. This is of course safer, but also more expensive, since the mediating companies naturally take their share. If you are willing to take the risk, it is better to buy such tickets on the spot. However, one thing should be clear: This saves money but not necessarily nerves.
CONCLUSION: It's all a matter of preparation
If you are willing to do a little research and comparison in advance, have no problem with traditional Japanese bedding and can largely do without upscale restaurants, you can also get away with a Japan trip relatively cheap. I for one am already planning the next budget trip - to Hokkaido.