Japan on a Budget: 7 Tips To Travel Cheap in Japan
Japan has an expensive reputation, but it’s still very possible to travel cheap in Japan. Here’s how to travel Japan on a budget.
Most travellers assume that a trip to Japan will be pricey, but with a few tips in mind, travelling Japan on a budget is more than just possible—it’s enjoyable. Despite travelling Japan on a budget, I never felt like I sacrificed quality to save on costs. I still ate delicious food, stayed in comfortable hostels, and experienced amazing cultural activities.
On my most recent trip, I decided to “splurge” (my backpacker's definition of splurging). I ended up spending about $85USD per day. This covered all my expenses except my flight (so accommodations, food, SIM card, transit, and activities). If I skipped the expensive attractions and stayed in cheaper hostels, I could have cut back to $70USD per day. While it’s still far from a cheap destination, it turns out Japan budget travel is doable.
Wondering how to travel Japan on a budget? Here are some tips to save those precious yen.
1) Eat Cheap
People travel to Japan for the food, and it’s so worth it. It’s easy to find delicious meals for under $10USD (sometimes well under). Here’s how to eat your way through Japan as a budget traveller:
Convenience stores:
If you plan to budget travel in Japan, you need to take advantage of convenience stores. The most popular ones in Japan are 7/11, Lawson, and Family Mart. There's a reason why they're so popular—the food is both high-quality and cheap. Most of it is pre-packaged but made with fresh ingredients and you can get all kinds of Japanese cuisine like onigiri, sushi, noodles, and bento boxes.
Convenience stores are truly for convenience. They stock a range of other items you might need. I’ve bought rain gear, hot and cold coffees and teas, and toiletries at them. I’ve even seen them sell clothing and underwear just in case of an *ahem* emergency or if you’ve had a little too wild of a night out.
Supermarkets (My favourite option):
Bento. boxes. galore. Many grocery stores in Japan have a fresh meals section with classic Japanese dishes prepared on-site. It’s a little bit more expensive than the offerings at convenience stores, but it's a big step up in quality.
Many grocery stores discount their meals at the end of the day, so a cheap Japan travel tip would be to visit the grocery store at dinner—you might save a couple hundred yen (a few $). They often sell must-try Japanese food classics, but for half the price of eating at a restaurant. Of course, going to a restaurant for freshly-made is best, but you really can’t argue with a half-priced and still delicious karaage or tamagoyaki.
Sometimes my English version of Google maps struggles to find nearby grocery stores. When this happens, it helps to try different search terms (grocer, grocery store, supermarket, etc.). If nothing shows up on Google maps, I search for the closest mall. Many large malls have some type of grocery store or market on the lower basement floors.
Fast Food:
Fast food in Japan is tasty and it’s easy to find healthy-ish options. I often end up going for rice bowls (gyūdon (beef and rice bowls), are my absolute favourite). Sukiya and Yoshinoya are cheap sit-down options and many are open 24 hours. It’s not Kobe beef by any means, but it’s warm and cheap. Udon and Japanese curry are also excellent choices.
Eat with a local (or eat what the locals are eating):
Firstly, they’ll know the good spots. Secondly, English menus can be limited. If there is an English menu available, it’s often not a full menu (just the popular items).
I don't worry about being charged more as a tourist in Japan. But sometimes, the English menu only includes the more elaborate (and therefore pricier) options. I don’t think this is on purpose; these restaurants are just catering to the tourist crowd.
An example of this happened to me in Kyoto at an udon restaurant. I was first given a Japanese menu with tons of options (that I could not read). On the English menu, the cheapest option was a set with karaage and a bunch of tempura on top. It was delicious, but it was a lot of food for one person. And it was pricier than the simple udon bowls that everyone around me was enjoying. Of course, one solution would just be to gesture at someone's bowl and ask for what they're having.
Street food:
Japan has some of my favourite street foods in the world. I have happily suffered many a burnt tongue from eating takoyaki fresh off the grill. Festivals and major tourist locations are lined with stall after stall serving delicious street fare. If you’re travelling Japan on a budget, I would recommend venturing out of the main tourist hubs for cheaper options. I realized this in Osaka when I paid almost double for takoyaki on Dotonburi Street compared to walking ten minutes off the tourist track.
Lunchtime Specials:
I often saved my sit-down meal for lunchtime, where I could take advantage of lunch set specials. It’s often the same food as at dinner, just a bit cheaper. Win-win.
2) Rethink the JR Pass
For some reason, the JR Pass is the first thing people mention when talking travelling Japan on a budget. This rail pass is marketed as a great option for budget travel in Japan. But I definitely had a sticker-shock moment the first time I Googled the pass. Around $300 for a week of travel? Holy cr*p, is that how much I’ll be spending on transit in Japan? Not necessarily.
If you plan on changing cities frequently and taking the bullet train often, it may be worth it to buy a JR Pass. The JR Pass is valid for consecutive days once started. Let’s say you have a 7-day pass (33,610 JPY/~$290 USD), you’ll want to travel enough in those 7 days to at least break even.
There are a bunch of calculators online (like this one here) to help you figure out if a pass will be worth it.
But if travelling Japan on a budget is your #1 priority, I’ve almost always arrived on a no for the JR Pass!
Here’s a great post breaking down whether the JR Pass is worth it. Overall, there are cheaper options (for example, taking highway busses like Willer bus). They take longer and are definitely less fancy than the shinkansen, but they’re easier on the wallet. So if your #1 priority is how to travel Japan on a budget, then in most cases, I would skip the JR Pass.
3) Take transit and - more importantly - avoid cabs
Cabs are notoriously expensive in Japan. A taxi from Narita Airport to downtown Tokyo can cost a heart-stopping $200 USD. In such a connected country, there is pretty much always a better option than taking a taxi.
Transit is cheap and easy to navigate in major cities. Google Maps works just fine in a lot of Japan. English signage is common in major cities and transit often runs late into the evening. There’s a reason why most people take transit in Japan’s major cities; it’s the best way to get around.
4) Stay in Capsule Hotels
I always see capsule hotels on “must-do in Japan” lists (including on my own list), and it’s usually presented as a fun activity. I love travelling to East Asia specifically because I love capsule hotels. They're not just a novelty!
In fact, a lot of the people I met in capsule hotels were locals. Some needed a place to crash after a drunk night out or were just travelling for a weekend and didn’t want to splurge on a hotel. I stayed in capsule hotels for my entire one-month solo trip and had an amazing experience.
Capsules are not the weird space-tubes you’ve seen on the internet (although you can find a space-themed one if that’s your thing). A good one has all the amenities of a hotel, but just as a shared space instead of private. Most capsule hotels do not have a party atmosphere in Japan: guests are expected to be quiet and clean.
My biggest tip for booking capsule hotels is to book in advance since the good ones do fill up. On my recent trip, I was booking one month in advance and missed out on some pretty awesome places.
Of course, if you’re travelling Japan on a budget budget, there is always the option of a traditional hostel as well.
5) Pre-order a SIM Card
A SIM card is one of my must-have items as a solo woman traveller. I’m the kind of person who can get lost in my own home city. I’m concerningly dependent on Google Maps. I also spend an excessive amount of time Googling things in general, so data is my friend.
The thing is, that ish is expensive in Japan. Lots of tourists grab a pocket Wi-Fi, but they’re pricey (usually around ~$60 USD per week). And then you have to remember to charge and lug around a Wi-Fi egg.
Another option is a travel SIM. One example is from Sakura Mobile, which will put you back 4500 JPY ($41 USD) for 8 days. Some major airports also have Prepaid SIM card vending machines. This is great in a pinch, but it’s an expensive option and definitely not the best choice for budget travel in Japan.
The best option for Japan on a budget? Pre-order from a travel website like KKDay or Klook. The prices look too-good-to-be-true and I was totally skeptical at first. Lo and behold, my SIM card worked just fine and I only spent about $45 USD for 16 days of unlimited data (so just over $20 per week—half the price of the other options). I ordered my SIM online and picked it up at Osaka airport upon arrival in Japan. It was too easy!
6) Travel Off Peak Times and on Weekdays
Travelling during the off-season is a no-brainer for Japan budget travel. It’s always cheaper, and it’s no different in Japan. There were different prices on bus fares and capsule hotels on different days of the week as well. Prices usually peaked on Fridays to Sundays and lowered mid-week. These little charges here and there can quickly add up!
I saved money by visiting expensive cities (like Kyoto) on weekdays. Make sure to research Japanese holidays and try to avoid them at all costs (especially Golden Week). During Japanese holidays, tourist sites are packed and there’s always a price jump in accommodations. Travelling on a busy national holiday is a great way to accidentally throw off your Japan travel budget.
7) Take advantage of the free and cheap activities in Japan
So. many. fun. free. things.
There’s so many things to look at, learn about, and browse. I found myself fully entertained most days without having to spend more than $10USD on activities. Many temples and shrines are free to enter (except in Kyoto where there is often a small entry fee). Japan loves festivals, and there’s almost always something going on. The country is also full of natural sight seeing spots: bamboo forests, cherry blossoms, deer parks—all iconic to Japan, and either cheap or free!
Travelling in Japan doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s completely possible to travel Japan on a budget and still have an exceptional trip.
On both of my trips to Japan, I found it easy to keep my budget under $100/day—and that included expensive activities like a visit to Universal Studios. The best part about cheap travel in Japan is that you can still find stellar Japanese quality and hospitality. Turns out a memorable trip in Japan is possible, even on a budget!