I usually have a "proper" trip (not business, that is) to Japan in October/November every year and have set myself a task to see if it is possible to do a low cost trip to Tokyo and/or Osaka. Flights are not the issue as I will use miles, but I'd be interested on any opinions re low cost Japan, accommodation etc.

of course you can do low cost japan, it's just a question of comfort

(millions of japanese live "budget" every day)

you can eat noodles for every meal- with broth, or many different toppings, hot, cold, etc. available also at chain outlets for about US$3.00

you can sleep in a capsule hotel for $25 to $40, depending on area

but will you be happy? will you enjoy yourself? depends on how much of a "budget" traveler you are

for example- go to any major department store food hall and fill up on free samples of all the noshes available- you never have to buy a meal!

Check out the Japanese Inn Group site for hotels. (http://www.jpinn.com/)
When I was in Japan in 2004 I stayed at a number of their hotels. They are traditional Japanese inns with tatami mats, sleeping on futons, and most include a Japanese style breakfast. They are sort of like low end ryokans, and rooms for two people are under $100 US.

If you want to do even more low budget Japan does have a number of hostels. One useful book is "Japan for the Impoverished" It is old (1995) but you can order it from amazon.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=488906

It is absolutely possible to have an enjoyable budget vacation in Japan.

Please realise that many, many people there live on an income of 1,000yen an hour or less. As long as you shift your needs and expectations so that they are in synch with those of the general population, things are surprisingly cheap.

The following link shows you places in Tokyo for under 3,000 yen a night (with kitchen facilities so you can save money on food) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=488906

There’s this place in Kyoto which is a similar price: http://www.kyotojp.com/

More links to other places here: http://www.j-hoppers.com/link_f.htm

I stayed here: http://www.flyertalk.com/reviews/review.php?review_id=176 in Osaka. Just checked - you can get a single here for 5,900 yen inclusive ($50) in Oct. The location is in the heart of the city action. This hotel at this price is amazing value!

Eating out is amazingly cheap as long as you stick to ‘home style’ Japanese food (forget pizzas and steak and fries during your stay). You can get by very well spending about 800-1,000 yen on an excellent seat meal (several courses) at lunch – and in the evening (when restaurants charge high prices) you can find a huge bowl of noodles for about 600yen.

Travelling can be inexpensive if you forgo the bullet trains: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2362.html

In the cities, count on a budget of 5,000 yen per day for food, accommodation & drinks (you can reduce this to 4,000 if you’re REALLY motivated).
Add another 400-800yen per day for travel whilst in Tokyo or Kyoto.
The link I gave you (: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2362.html) means that you’d only have to pay around 2,300yen for each leg/day of travel.

Outside of the cities, 7,000yen will get you a night in a lovely inn with breakfast & dinner (you can find them for about 5,500yen per night).

(My first trip to Japan about 4 years ago was on this kind of budget - I had a marvellous time, met my Japanese fiance - we’re getting married in just over a week - and I've returned many times. Many things in Tokyo are much cheaper than in London... and the food is so much better, especially when you are on a budget)

Make sure you arrive in Tokyo/Osaka and leave in Osaka/Tokyo - this will cut down the travel budget by a huge margin.

EDIT: More useful advice in this thread (from Travelbuzz forum): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=551784

Thanks LapLap, I was sure that we had a thread along these lines here before (but being at work didn't have time to do a search).

EmailKid

Hi traveler5,

I just returned from my first trip to Japan and I completely agree with the posts above. I was in Japan one week (left BOS on a Saturday and flew to KIX, return out of NRT the following sunday) with two of my friends and we found it to be quite affordable. Even though we had a group of three people traveling, I suspect that you could hold a similar budget when traveling solo.

Our itinerary included the following cities: Osaka (one day), Kyoto (two days), Hiroshima (one day), Tokyo (three days) with a day trip up to Nagano.

My basic budget:

Airfare w/two nights hotel: $600 (had to use that $250 Expedia goodwill voucher, now I'm done doing business with them...grumble grumble)
7-day JR rail pass: $260
Souvenirs: $250 (wonderful handmade kitchen knifes!)
Daily expenses: Averaged $62 each day including housing, food, transport (subways and busses not included in JR pass). Tokyo was quite a bit more expensive than the other cities.
Total Cost of Trip: approx $1600


We ended up staying at a mix of youth hostels, inns, and capsule hotels in addition to the two nights of hotel room included in our Expedia package. The youth hostels in Japan are *much* nicer than the ones I have stayed in within Europe...absolutely no complains there. As for our food budget, we generally splurged on one nice meal each day and ate from streetside vendors or cafes for the other meals.

Some specific recommendations on places to stay:
Kyoto: The Hanakiya Inn is a quaint little inn that's a great value. The proprietor, Eimi, will give you some great restaurant recommendations for Kyoto. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Hiroshima: The Aster Plaza Youth Hostel - very new, rooms are just as good as standard hotel rooms. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Tokyo: Capsule Inn Akasaka (3500 yen the first night, 3000 every night after that). This is a good place to get the capsule hotel experience.

I'd be happy to get you more infornation about our expenses but I don't have my travel journal with me here at work. Let me know if you'd like more details.

Hope this helps,

Ryan...

A chain of small but numerous business hotels is www.toyoko-inn.com/eng - they're standard business hotels so they have real beds and japanese style baths. For Tokyo the seem to be a good deal, but for the outlying areas, it seems sorta expensive compared to a Ryokan.

Compared to most major cities in the US, Japan isn't -much- more expensive. A standard katsu meal at a local restaurant shouldn'tbe more than 700Y. A bottle of diet coke is 125Y. Its just that a nice night out in tokyo will cost an arm and a leg.

I'm going for my 3rd trip in less than 3 weeks. Got the Crowne Plaza in Ikebukruo for sub-$100/night (splitting with a friend), and plan to eat at smaller, local joints and department stores.

I'm going for my 3rd trip in less than 3 weeks. Got the Crowne Plaza in Ikebukruo for sub-$100/night (splitting with a friend), and plan to eat at smaller, local joints and department stores.

Whatever you do, DON'T eat at the Seibu department store in Ikebukuro - a trip 'behind the scenes' and you start seeing filth of the kind normally witnessed in London's Underground tube/rail system. Grey, dank, dirty walls riddled with huge holes known to be used by rats. MrLapLap has had to work there a few times and is still shuddering at the recollection (and he also hates the department store as the management are arrogant fascists who treat contract staff with contempt).

Whatever you do, DON'T eat at the Seibu department store in Ikebukuro - a trip 'behind the scenes' and you start seeing filth of the kind normally witnessed in London's Underground tube/rail system. Grey, dank, dirty walls riddled with huge holes known to be used by rats. MrLapLap has had to work there a few times and is still shuddering at the recollection (and he also hates the department store as the management are arrogant fascists who treat contract staff with contempt).


:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: i won't.. thanks for the tip.

LapLap, please don't hold back, tell us how you really feel :p

EmailKid

LapLap, please don't hold back, tell us how you really feel :p

EmailKid

:D You lot just got the brief edited version - I had MrLapLap recounting his experiences in the most sordid details for over half an hour! :eek:

A chain of small but numerous business hotels is www.toyoko-inn.com/eng -

Toyoko Inn just recently brought up on charges for building violations !

I am almost embarrassed to say how cheap, but I did a budget trip to Kyoto and had a blast.

I won't go into it here in case you've already done Kyoto or for whatever reason eliminated it from discussion, but you can check out my diary here if you want more information:

http://peachfront.diaryland.com/kyotobudget.html

Any ideas on low cost accomadation in Nagoya? I'll be there next week and wouldn't mind hearing some ideas. Thanks!

Toyoko Inn just recently brought up on charges for building violations !
:eek: but then again, you get what you pay for.

A chain of small but numerous business hotels is www.toyoko-inn.com/eng - they're standard business hotels

IMHO they are very SUB-STANDARD hotels.

(1) Breaking law on facilities for disabled -
The Toyoko hotel chain gained permission from the authorities to build hotels - by using plans that showed basic facilities for disabled people. (Including disabled parking etc.). After the hotels were built and passed inspection, the Toyoko chain went back to the hotels and made alterations to build additional rooms by removing disabled parking spaces / wheelchair ramps etc.
This was not an isolated incident - it was a policy of the hotel to seek to increase rooms in violation of building codes at the expense of disabled people.

(BTW - After the violations were exposed, the company president was unrepentant - he compared the systematic violations of building codes to a minor offence such as "breaking the speed limit."
He subsequently realized that his attitude was very bad PR for the company - and then made a tearful TV appearance, which lacked any credibility - because his company had still not made any efforts to correct the violations that had been reported).

(2) Anti gay policy -
Toyoko used to have a statement on their English website that two men would not be permitted to share a double room. (But FWIW, the site stated that two women sharing would be OK). People have been turned away from a Toyoko hotel because they (two men) showed up with a reservation for a double room.
The statement which was on the English page has been removed from the website (I saw it there last year in August). I do not know if the policy has changed.

If you care about disabled people or if you disapprove of discrimination because of sexual orientation, then I believe you should steer clear of Toyoko.

And even if you don't care about those thing - Could you really feel safe and secure at a hotel which pursues profit even at the cost of deliberately and systematically violating building codes? Personally I'd be worried that they had cut corners in other areas that impact my safety.

:eek: but then again, you get what you pay for.

Contravening building regulations in a country riddled with earthquakes is more than a minor misdemeanour.

If ‘you get what you pay’ for means tiny coffin like rooms, hateful worn 80s décor, climbing under greasy, water repelling top sheets, using a frayed fibre-glass molded bathroom with paper thin towels, and enjoying mumbled communications with a zombie receptionist working 16 hour shifts – then sure! Welcome to any number of cheap Japanese business hotels!

However ‘getting what you pay for’ should not involve those tiny coffin like rooms actually turning into a stack of flat pack coffins. You should not be obliged to risk your life with every tremor along with the hotel staff.

Any ideas on low cost accomadation in Nagoya? I'll be there next week and wouldn't mind hearing some ideas. Thanks!

Nagoya isn’t a city I’m particularly keen to return to, however I do know of this youth hostel in nearby Inuyama – it’s an extremely good one (so book well in advance!)
www.city.inuyama.aichi.jp/english/ syukuhaku/public/youth_hostel/e_youth_hostel.html

i would suggest you try Osaka instead of Tokyo if costs are a concern. i have done the capsule thing in osaka in conjunction with MRs. its not that bad - plus kyoto is a great city and with the bullet train its commutable by day fr Osaka. i also suggest if you are in tokyo to visit this website i plug below (www.foobai.com) because you can search by price for hotels and restaurants. and no, i don't work there, i just have found it extremely useful esp in China.

Kyoto is commutable on regular rapid trains at a 1/4 the cost!
This is the budget forum right?

- plus kyoto is a great city and with the bullet train its commutable by day fr Osaka.

If you are on a budget, I'd advise you not to take the bullet train on this route as it is extremely expensive and will pretty much cancel out any savings you make on a cheap room.

There are plenty of other rail options which will take around 25 to 40 minutes - as opposed to 15 minutes by Shinkansen. Which means it is 'commutable' even without the bullet train.


(EDIT: had a phone call whilst writing this - so I've duplicated Q Shoe Guy's advice by posting at the 'same' time)

Not sure why Osaka is cheaper than Tokyo though :confused:

It is cheaper than Kyoto.

Contravening building regulations in a country riddled with earthquakes is more than a minor misdemeanour.

With regard to Toyoko-Inn, I don't think anyone has found their hotels to be structurally unsound against earthquakes *(yet).

However, nothing would surprise me about Toyoko-Inn. My thoughts are that if they're willing to violate building codes by chopping out wheelchair ramps to create extra rooms, then maybe they're not too fussy about the fire escapes and so on either... (I think there was something about an insufficient number of working fire extinguishers at Toyoko's hotels in one news story I read).

When I see a company that seems to repeatedly and systematically do unethical things, I think it is fair to assume that the company is simply rotten to the core and avoid doing business with it. I used to laugh at companies which "indoctrinated" new employees with messages about the "guiding principles" and "ethos" of the company. But not any more.

Whatever you do, DON'T eat at the Seibu department store in Ikebukuro - a trip 'behind the scenes' and you start seeing filth of the kind normally witnessed in London's Underground tube/rail system. Grey, dank, dirty walls riddled with huge holes known to be used by rats. MrLapLap has had to work there a few times and is still shuddering at the recollection (and he also hates the department store as the management are arrogant fascists who treat contract staff with contempt).

WOW!!!

And to think that my daughter and I enjoyed our food from that very food court last year.

Thanks for the tip.

WOW!!!

And to think that my daughter and I enjoyed our food from that very food court last year.

Thanks for the tip.

Although the management are awful, I’m sure the people working there are clean and respectful of the food they prepare.

Can’t resist adding just one example of why the management there suck (and what some ordinary Japanese have to put up with): to protect the floor from trolleys laden with heavy loads, MrLapLap’s colleagues covered the floor – TEMPORARILY – with opened out cardboard boxes which were carefully secured. Once this was done, Seibu staff then forced them to redo the work. The issue was that the Seibu logo on some of the boxes was on the top – by wheeling the trolleys across the logos they would be disrespecting the company. All the cardboard had to be laid out again with only the blank side being visible. Once the trolleys were wheeled across the floor, the cardboard was removed. This all happened at night when the store was closed – no customer would have ever witnessed the logos being desecrated.

Contravening building regulations in a country riddled with earthquakes is more than a minor misdemeanour.

If ‘you get what you pay’ for means tiny coffin like rooms, hateful worn 80s décor, climbing under greasy, water repelling top sheets, using a frayed fibre-glass molded bathroom with paper thin towels, and enjoying mumbled communications with a zombie receptionist working 16 hour shifts – then sure! Welcome to any number of cheap Japanese business hotels!

However ‘getting what you pay for’ should not involve those tiny coffin like rooms actually turning into a stack of flat pack coffins. You should not be obliged to risk your life with every tremor along with the hotel staff.
That's all very true, but I also wonder how well Tokyo in general will stand if/when the big one hits...

You can stay here for around $60 a night
http://www.japanhotel.net/data/room_rates_and_information.asp?HotelID=5003&area=TOKYO
There is a slightly better value/nicer hotel that I can't remember the name right now, it was located in the Nihonbashi district.

You can stay here for around $60 a night
http://www.japanhotel.net/data/room_rates_and_information.asp?HotelID=5003&area=TOKYO
There is a slightly better value/nicer hotel that I can't remember the name right now, it was located in the Nihonbashi district.

http://www.n-inn.jp/ is the place I was thinking of, here is another thread which might be helpful http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=492701

That's all very true, but I also wonder how well Tokyo in general will stand if/when the big one hits...
Just stay clear of Aneha designed buildings and you'll be right mate!

Hi
If you going to Fukouka...try the Kyoto inn near the 4th station from the airport...cheap (£25) tidy (bit small) with a shower and a really good beer and curry house 30 meters away or if your feeling adventureous a cafe/takeway (all food coooked in front of you) where all the menu are in japanese, no staff speak english but they understand you what food beer and you have money

lardie

If you're okay with not having things set in stone until you get there, I would recommend the use of the travel offices that are located in the larger JR stations. You can go into them and arrange accomodation on a wide variety of criteria: "I want it cheap" or "I want it close to XYZ station" or whatever your criteria are. I think that you can arrange accomodation for anywhere in the country at these places, but of course they're going to be most familiar with the city where they are located. You can even pay for the room right there, and they give you a voucher to redeem at the hotel. Credit cards may not be an issue these days at most hotels, but this used to be a work-around for places that didn't take credit cards directly, as the JR travel offices did. If it's for a future booking, they do it all in the computer. If it's for a same-day booking, they'll usually call the hotel directly to make sure that they still have a room available. As long as you're not traveling during a holiday period, I don't think you'd have problems finding a place to stay. And if you have a rail pass and don't wait until too late in the day to do this, you always have the option of traveling somewhere else. Also, by not booking in advance, you have the flexibility of not having your itinerary set in stone.

If you're okay with not having things set in stone until you get there, I would recommend the use of the travel offices that are located in the larger JR stations. You can go into them and arrange accomodation on a wide variety of criteria: "I want it cheap" or "I want it close to XYZ station" or whatever your criteria are. I think that you can arrange accomodation for anywhere in the country at these places, but of course they're going to be most familiar with the city where they are located. You can even pay for the room right there, and they give you a voucher to redeem at the hotel. Credit cards may not be an issue these days at most hotels, but this used to be a work-around for places that didn't take credit cards directly, as the JR travel offices did. If it's for a future booking, they do it all in the computer. If it's for a same-day booking, they'll usually call the hotel directly to make sure that they still have a room available. As long as you're not traveling during a holiday period, I don't think you'd have problems finding a place to stay. And if you have a rail pass and don't wait until too late in the day to do this, you always have the option of traveling somewhere else. Also, by not booking in advance, you have the flexibility of not having your itinerary set in stone.

As I’ve never used one of these agencies, I’m very curious to know why it would be preferable to use them. (apart from the part about keeping your option open and having flexibility… this I do understand.)

What sort of prices are you talking about? Why would the accommodation be better value or better located than what you could find by doing some research?

It’s a huge leap of faith to arrive in Japan and expect an agency to be able to sort you out after you’ve arrived. And if you haven’t checked accommodation, or researched, first – isn’t it possible you could arrive on a holiday (or around some major event) and find that no accommodation is available at all?

Toyoko Inn just recently brought up on charges for building violations !

It wasn't safety violations, however. It was that they had claimed to have a certain number of rooms set aside for the disabled. Then, after the authorities had inspected the rooms, they switched them back to regular rooms.

On the whole, the Toyoko Inns remind me of college dorms. Everything is plain and simple (except for the toilet seats, of course!), but like almost every hotel in Japan, they're clean and safe, and the staff are extremely helpful

I stayed in one in Kyoto that was about 6500 yen. It was located within easy walking distance of Kyoto Station.

The Economical Inn Group ryokan are fun, and in just about any city, you can find business hotels for 8,000 yen per night or less. (The farther you are from Tokyo, the cheaper the hotels are.)

On my past few trips, I've averaged $1000 a week without staying in youth hostels or subsisting on noodles, and that *includes* airfare.

by visiting the accomodations desk in the central JR station when you arrive in a major city.

The first (and only) question they ask is "How much do you want to spend?" I would say "5000 yen." The girl (always a girl) would then offer me a room at that rate. Sometimes it would be a business hotel normally costing 7500 yen, other times a very nice hotel with a rack rate of 30,000 yen.

The secret is that although Japan is a "no bargaining, no discount" culture, they are so hospitable to foreigners that they have no problems bending the rules. (They would never do this for a Japanese, nor would a Japanese person ask for a discount.) The only time I had to pay "local" prices was at a minshuku in Tsumago; at 8000 yen it was the most expensive lodging of the trip.

The only place this didn't work is Tokyo.

there is a catch.

Best way is to sign up and ask three people to register on the site (signing up takes less than 2 minutes.)

I've opened up a conga thread in the S.P.A.M. forum
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7733702

EDIT TO ADD

Service is now between NRT & Shinjuku only and will be discontinued after 1st Nov

Two free bus tickets to Narita Airport (worth 1,000yen each) on the wa-shoi bus up for grabs for anyone wanting to take part in a free 2 hour guided tour of Akihabara.

More info here:
http://www.akihabara-tour.com/en/index.htm#

Participants also get a phone strap and a lens cleaner

If you have a basic command of Japanese, or are just brave, you can also eat fun, cheap meals using conbinis (7-11 type convinenice stores) and food stands. I keep a kosher diet, and eat sushi out, and on my trips typically grab a few onigiri (pre-made sushi triangles and rolls) and assorted pickled vegetables, with a bottled tea/soda. All together it comes to a few hundred yen a meal ($3-5). The best part is that I choose my drinks based on the free goodies packaged along in plastic on the bottlecaps, which you can't find in the soda machines. The fun, collectible plastic toys make great gifts or mementos of your trip! I have "Pepsiman" bottlecap covers, Super Mario Brothers covers, and little traditional Japanese house fronts and storefronts from my two trips.

I've had other great meals from food stands, such as roasted yams, or other things.

That's a good idea, but you don't really have to know any Japanese other than kudosai and domo (both of which I've probably spelled wrong), just point and smile and blush. Although I have to admit that next time I would like to know how to say "microwave it for me" in Japanese when I'm at the convenience store. Ever tried to play charades to get someone to microwave your dinner for you? It's pretty hilarious.

.... just point and smile and blush.

That may work well if you are of the female persuasion, but I'm not sure how many of us guys are going to blush when trying to have someone heat up something in the microwave ;)

The pointing thing worked well on my seven hour layover in Narita a few years back. Went to Narita town for sightseeing and to get something to eat. Chestnuts, one of my favorites were in season, so had some of those as well.

Would certainly would like to spend some more time in Japan when I have some of it, but the new job does not provide me with enough vacation time :(

EmailKid

That may work well if you are of the female persuasion, but I'm not sure how many of us guys are going to blush when trying to have someone heat up something in the microwave ;)


If you want something to be heated up just say "hoto kudasai"
or u enjoy a cold "ham-u-cheesu sandwich"

I am living in Japan more than a year now and you can get by easily without speaking Japanese.

I stayed at the Comfort Inn in Osaka as per some people's recommendations. I found it to be woefully adequate - even has wireless internet which I used daily to be in touch and to upload photos. Small rooms if you're going single rooms. They also have women's only floors there too.

Sanosuke!

Hey, thanks, "hoto kudasai," that's pretty easy to remember.




If you want something to be heated up just say "hoto kudasai"
or u enjoy a cold "ham-u-cheesu sandwich"

I am living in Japan more than a year now and you can get by easily without speaking Japanese.

That's a good idea, but you don't really have to know any Japanese other than kudosai and domo (both of which I've probably spelled wrong), just point and smile and blush. Although I have to admit that next time I would like to know how to say "microwave it for me" in Japanese when I'm at the convenience store. Ever tried to play charades to get someone to microwave your dinner for you? It's pretty hilarious.
I meant more of the "what the heck is in this onigiri?" type questions. I can read Kana and recongnize some kanji, but as I can't eat everything that might end up in an onigiri, I have to be judicious and ask sometimes.

I was impressed with a Canadian girl I met who had been teaching in Kobe for 4 or 5 years. Didn't speak a lick of Japanese. I asked her how she knew which onigiri to buy and she said "by the color of the package!" :eek:

I was impressed with a Canadian girl I met who had been teaching in Kobe for 4 or 5 years. Didn't speak a lick of Japanese. I asked her how she knew which onigiri to buy and she said "by the color of the package!" :eek:

How can you spend 4 to 5 years in a foreign country and not pick-up at least a bit of the local language? I'm a terrible linguist, but was able to speak a very small amount of Russian after a few lessons on the river cruise over only 5 days. Very basic stuff (please, thank you, water, etc...) but it wasn't that difficult to at least try to speak a smidgen of the local language. Worth a few chuckles from the locals at least. :)

How can you spend 4 to 5 years in a foreign country and not pick-up at least a bit of the local language? I'm a terrible linguist, but was able to speak a very small amount of Russian after a few lessons on the river cruise over only 5 days. Very basic stuff (please, thank you, water, etc...) but it wasn't that difficult to at least try to speak a smidgen of the local language. Worth a few chuckles from the locals at least. :)

The way you do it is by conscious choice. I met several people who had made the decision that Japanese was too difficult to learn, but they liked being there anyway, so they didn't speak much at all. It's all very impressive, because it's pretty easy to pick up SPOKEN Japanese, especially the basics.

Second, for those of you who are having trouble getting hot food...here's the procedure:

1) Say "hotto kudasai." (Hot, Please) this may/may not work, because "hotto" also means "feeling of relief." So instead of hot food, you may suddenly get some Preparation H. And you probably wouldn't want to say it randomly near a "massagi girl."

2) When the clerk at the store says ""温めますか?”　- "atatamemasu ka?", reply "Hai, onegaishimasu." They will ALMOST ALWAYS say this, I can't ever recall a time when I wasn't asked it when I bought a bento.

What this also means is that you have just learned how to say "heat it up, please" without using any English. "Atatamette kudasai" will probably work better, and you can use it everywhere, even fine dining establishments and at the onsen, without looking foolish.


3) You could also say "denshi-renji-shite kudasai" which roughly would mean "do it in the microwave, please." This sounds a little weird (as does the fact that I've been told that "dingu kudasai" [ding, please!] might work, as microwaves "ding").

Patchmonkey, this is most useful. Are you quoting from your blog or another website? Because if so, I would like to visit there and glean more of these treasures. The next time I plan a trip to Japan, I will definitely be committing this post to memory.

I always try to learn a few words online before I travel somewhere new. In my humble experience Spanish and Japanese seem to be the two where it is easiest to hear and pick out at least a few words. As opposed to something like Bavarian German -- when I visited Munich, the only words I could understand were "OK" and "Ciao!"

peachfront - Thanks, glad I could help. I actually did that on the spur of the moment, but maybe I should someday add it to my blog (which is sadly neglected at the moment but should be extremely easy to find).

BTW: The FlyerTalk Japan forum is a great place to ask questions and read posts related to Japan! That's where I'm usually found. ;)

I always try to learn a few words online before I travel somewhere new. In my humble experience Spanish and Japanese seem to be the two where it is easiest to hear and pick out at least a few words.
Roger that!

Here are some mnemonic aids for learning some Japanese words:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=345791

If " "atatamette" seems too hard to memorise, remember that a 'tata' is slang for 'breast'. "A tata met te(n)" would be a very hot scenario for many people.

If you remember to say 'kudasai' afterwards (which roughly translated means 'please'), remember to give 'kudos' to 'I' (or for those to who 'aye' means 'yeah': kudos, aye.)

Atatamette kudasai.

(could you heat it up please?)

Outside Tokyo

A moderately priced onsen inn with potentially glorious views of the fall colours

http://www.okutama.gr.jp/kojin/stay/batoukan/index.html

The price ranges from ¥7,000 to ¥12,000 per night per person and this includes two meals.

Map of its location relative to Tokyo (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E8%A5%BF%E5%A4%9A%E6 %91%A9%E9%83%A1%E5%A5%A5%E5%A4%9A%E6%91%A9%E7%94%B A%E5%B7%9D%E9%87%8E%EF%BC%97%EF%BC%93&ie=UTF8&ll=35.810018,139.560699&spn=0.846398,1.572418&z=10&om=1)

Nearest station is Okutama (Take JR Chuo line from Shinjuku to Tachikawa and from there take the JR Ome line to Okutama - trip takes 2 hours and costs ¥1,050). From Okutama a bus will take you nearer to the Inn (30 minutes)
Take a print out of the text on the inn's web page and ask for help with catching the right bus (and getting off at the right stop) at Okutama.

There are more inns in this area, some with rates as low as ¥6,000 per person
http://www.okutama.gr.jp/stay/itiran.htm

Japan low cost - impossibility??

A pragmatic trip report showing a recent solo visit with a budget of

Accommodation: ¥3,000 a day

Travel: ¥1,000 a day

Food and expenses: ¥2,000 a day

plus a small splurge at the end in order to visit Takamatsu (where a bowl of the finest hand-made Udon noodles costs under ¥200)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=836563

Oh heck since this thread's been brought back to life I'll add a few notes from my trip this past May 2008.

We had a what we thought was a great value/budget trip to Japan. We never really deprived ourselves of anything we REALLY wanted to do but we did run out of time/opportunities for a few things.

Not sure if I'll get around to post such a detailed trip report like laplap but here are some notes:

2 people (wife and I) on a 17 day/night trip to Japan (her first, my second)
Tokyo (and surroundings) -> Lake Kawaguchi -> Kyoto -> Mt Koya -> Kurashiki -> Osaka.

Flight ~ $900CDN per person on JAL tax and surcharges included. About $100CDN per person cheaper if we booked about 1 month later (seat sale).

~180000yen per person for food, accommodations, transportation, & entertainment (just over $100CDN/person per day). This isn't super cheap (again, particularly compared to laplap's budget below) but it certainly is comparable to our budget trips to Europe.

Food ~84500yen for both (including snacks)
We were amazed how cheap food was in Japan. I don't know how businesses/employees survive. We can't get the same variety and quality back home in Vancouver. We tried to sample everything. Our most expensive meal was ~6000yen for two set nigiri meals in Narita-shi. Most meals were under 2000yen for two (and usually even cheaper). The only things we wished we had tried but never got around to were: a Kobe (or similar) beef meal, fugu, and a French meal (long story).
Note, however, we aren't heavy drinkers so our alcohol bill wasn't too huge.

Accommodation ~145000yen for both
Most of our accommodations ended up <10000yen/night total for the two of us. The most expensive night was 24000yen at a temple on Mt Koya which included dinner and breakfast. We did end up staying at a couple of Toyoko Inns among other places. I don't want to trivialize the issues they've had with building code, building safety, and sexual discrimination but we found our stay with them very good.

Transportation ~70000yen for both
We did NOT use a JR pass. The numbers didn't work out for us since we were doing open jaw. (Another plus was this allowed us the flexibility to ride the Nozomi Shinkansen, albeit for a short leg, instead of needing to take the Hikari to get full value of a JR pass). Instead, for regional transportation, we used a combination of two coach trips, some single trip rail tickets, and the Kansai Thru Pass.
For local transportation, we used a combination of single trip tickets (metro and bus), multiple 2day Tokyo metro passes obtained at Narita airport, and the Kansai Thru Pass.

Entertainment ~21800yen for both
We found the attractions in Japan quite affordable, particularly compared to Europe. Many paid attractions were <500yen. There were a lot of free attractions too (eg. Imperial palace tours). However, we spent a lot of time just soaking up the culture, walking through neighbourhoods, and enjoying the differences in Japanese and North American life.

Miscellaneous ~2000yen for both
This included money spent storing gear in train station lockers, laundry, etc.

I highly recommend this free website and service. They book ryokan (traditional Japanese Inns) and monastery stays for you. Not only do they do the booking but they give you a print out of directions in Japanese you can show a cabbie or someone on the street for directions.

They give you very specific information on what to expect.

Not all the lodging is cheap, but there are many inexpensive choices. (and remember, dinner in your room is often included).

It is a wonderful service. Our stay at a ryokan in Takayama (Nagase Ryokan) and a monastery on Mt. Kyosan (Shojoshin-in) were high points of our trip.

http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm

Oh heck since this thread's been brought back to life I'll add a few notes from my trip this past May 2008.

That's a fantastic ^, and (IMHO) a completely realistic rundown of the charges any tourist can expect to pay without resorting to the hostal/backpacker/tight-budget experience. Thanks for sharing!


I can wholeheartedly second gretchendz's recommendation, but the choices available may indeed be an economic stretch for some travellers. As an alternative, I mentioned Shiraishi Island in my long winded trip report (I did just try to stick to the basics, but it just went on and on.... sorry!) but there are other accommodations provided by Okayama International Villa Scheme, perhaps the most beautiful of them is the one at Hattoji (http://www.harenet.ne.jp/villa/villa/hatto.htm)

It costs from ¥2,500 a night to stay here, no meals are provided but there is use of a kitchen.

Great neighborhood. Cheap but nasty accommodation:

Mixed dormitory ... sleeps 18 ... 33,000 yen per person per 30-days.
http://www.guesthouse-kagurazaka.com/guesthouse-room-en.html