How to Turn High Cost Japan into a Cheap Place to Visit | Nomadic b.../b

by NomadicMatt

For years, I’ve been putting off going to Japan because I was afraid of how expensive it was going to be. The rumors I’d heard about the country’s high prices made me hesitant to go there. I have always loved Japanese culture and I knew any visit would involve gorging on sushi and ramen noodles, visits to lots of temples, and heavy train travel through the countryside. And the thought of how much that would cost made me constantly think, “I’ll wait until I have more money to visit.”

But at the end of April, I had the chance to finally visit and was shocked to discover that, while it isn’t cheap, Japan isn’t the prohibitively expensive country people may think it is. In fact, I actually found Japan to be very affordable and on par with (and sometimes cheaper than) countries in Western Europe.

Here is how you much things typically cost in Japan and how you can cut down those costs to make the country affordable:

Transportation is one of the most expensive aspects of travel in Japan and comprised the bulk of my expenses. The bullet train, while awesome, comfortable, and fast, is not cheap. Individual tickets can cost hundreds of dollars. Yet I think train travel is the best way to see the country so in order to reduce your train costs get a Japan Rail pass . The pass is indispensable for travel in Japan.

These passes cost 28,300 Yen for 7 days, 45,100 Yen for 14 days, and 57,700 Yen for 21 days. (All pass times are for consecutive travel) Even if you just get the 7 day pass, it’s the same price as a round trip train ticket from Osaka to Tokyo (14,250 Yen each way!). Moreover, these JR trains also serve local city areas and so can be used intra-city.  I used my pass to get around Kyoto and Tokyo instead of buying metro tickets. So even if you aren’t going to do much travel around Japan, buying a pass is better than buying individual tickets.  While the high price of the pass can cause a lot of sticker shock, the alternative is even worse.

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