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

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

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

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

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...e-room-en.html