The question is something like this: "If you were doing 14 days in Kyoto/Tokyo/Osaka and wanted to stay in a low-end but comfy hotel how much would you expect to pay?"

Obviously this is asking for a VERY rough estimate.

I wouldn't necessarily call this budget in the absolutist terms. However, not far from it. Maybe splurging a bit on food and entertainment while cutting back on transpiration and hotel (to an extent).

And again the time period is Holidays. Late December to Early January.