Japan travel budget breakdown

By / September 12, 2024 / monthly spending tracker

Our first 30 days in Japan cost $4,224 – including airfare. That breakdown is here. This blog post sums up our entire eight week tour.

Now that we have departed Japan (writing from: Busan, South Korea), here is the spending breakdown for all 54 nights.

Our Japan travel stays: Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, Hijemi, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, and Fukuoka.

Of course, compiling these figures is easy and accurate because we habitually record every cent we spend in our “Spending Tracker” cell phone app.

$2949 —  Housing

$1211 —  Travel

$824   —- Restaurants

$706   —- Excursions

$559   —- Groceries 

$290   —- Local transport

$198   —- Supplies

$162   —- Beer

$136   —- Charity/Gifts

$12     —-  Health

_______________________

$7,047  Total  =  54 nights / 2 persons

Our budget goal for the time spent in Japan was $3,000 per month. So we were ‘over budget’ by about $1,000 or 17% (and a week shy of two months).

But in our planning, we didn’t really consider the ‘Travel’ airfare as part of the Japan budget. By that measure, we came pretty close to our goal. 

For the record, the total does include $71 for ferry boat tickets to get to South Korea. Obviously, departure airfare from Japan to a more distant location could add hundreds, even thousands to the tally.

As always, we break down our monthly expenses so other travel-interested folks can get a clear idea of what an ‘extended’ period of time living in foreign locales truly costs.

Other comments, clarifications on our Japan travel spending

– Four of our stays were ten nights. That meant quick stops in the other locations. All of it was far faster than our usual ‘slow travel’ pace of a month or more in each location. 

– Month-long stays can result in big discounts on Airbnb. But on this trip through Japan we lived more like tourists/vacationers. Our lodging averaged $54.61 per night — all Airbnbs except two nights in a Hijemi hotel.

See also: ‘slow travel’ definition

– $55 per night is a good deal in Japan. But generally, the accommodations are small (beds are often ‘full/double’ size). Amusingly, a cramped hotel-sized room is called a ‘condominium’. But we did have kitchenettes, air conditioning (necessary in summer), and extra furnishings/seating in all our rentals. True Western size/style accommodation would cost much much more.

– Similarly, our daily average food expenditure of under $26 ($824 restaurants + $559 groceries ÷ 54 = $25.61) is about as low as can be expected. We did sample many of the exotic Japanese food offerings — but we are not ‘foodies’. Like the locals, we ate many 7-11 meals and snacks.

Additionally, my wife Ellen is a vegetarian; finding meat-free foods in Japan was difficult. Also, Ellen does not drink alcohol and I drink only beer. Having cocktails or wine could easily double any meal tab.

– We did do a lot of sightseeing. Thus the elevated ‘Excursions’ expenses. Our normal slow travel pace would have stretched the Excursions total over more months.

Overall, we are quite satisfied with the cost/benefit ratio we achieved in Japan. Exploring the truly unique nation could easily cost a lot more.

The memories of Tokyo, Hiroshima, climbing Mount Fuji, the castles, Japanese baseball (we watched two games in domed stadiums), and the bullet trains known as Shinkansen (we took only one: Hijemi to Hiroshima) will stay with us forever. 

Thankfully, even our expedited schedule allowed for plenty of relaxation and value opportunities. We never felt rushed or wanting for more.

Finally, the Japanese Yen remains weak against western currencies (though it did jump during our visit). As evidenced by our average daily expenditure of $130, it is a good time to visit.

As always, be thankful and generous, happy trails & more beer.

Life is NOW!

Thanks for reading, “Japan travel budget breakdown.”

About Theo

Tedly (Theo) retired early from the news business to wander the planet with wife Ellen. He enjoys exploring all Earth has to offer: jungles and beaches, volcanoes and deserts – always drinking beer along the way.

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