Japan on a Budget: What It Costs from Australia

Japan carries a reputation as an expensive destination that the daily costs do not support. Business hotels run $70 to $120 a night, a good meal costs less than the same meal in Melbourne, and the convenience stores sell food people actually want to eat.

A ten day trip from Australia costs between $2,800 and $12,400 per person including flights. Where you land in that range depends on the season you fly and how much ground you try to cover.

Less often than it used to be. The seven day pass now costs around $550 to $600 after a substantial price rise, and a Tokyo to Kyoto return on the Shinkansen runs about $300.

The pass pays for itself when your itinerary includes two or more long distance legs beyond that return. A trip built around Tokyo with day trips, or one that moves in a single direction and flies home from a different city, is cheaper on individual tickets.

Price your actual route before you buy. Two Shinkansen legs and some local travel usually lands under the pass, and three or more usually clears it.

Intercity transport is the first place. The Shinkansen is fast, punctual and priced accordingly, and moving cities every second day builds a transport bill that rivals the accommodation.

Peak season is the second. Cherry blossom in late March and April, and the autumn colours in November, lift both airfares and hotel rates. Travelling either side of those windows saves several hundred dollars a person without changing the itinerary much.

A mid-range two week trip to Europe from Australia costs roughly $8,000 to $12,000 per person. Japan at the same comfort level runs $4,000 to $7,000.

The flight is shorter, the exchange rate has favoured Australian travellers, and the daily costs are lower. For a first long-haul trip on a limited budget, Japan gives more trip per dollar than Europe does.

Around $100 to $130 a day covers a capsule hotel, convenience store breakfasts, restaurant dinners, local trains and free temples. That is a comfortable budget trip rather than a hard one.

Mid-range at $180 to $260 a day per person adds a business hotel, restaurant meals rather than convenience store ones, and paid attractions. Beyond that the money goes into hotels and taxis more than into experiences.

Japan's daily costs sit below what most Australians assume and its transport costs sit above. Build the itinerary first, price the intercity legs, then decide on the rail pass.

Fewer bases and longer stays in each cut the largest variable cost in a Japan trip while giving you more time in each place.

Japan still runs on cash in many places, so check your ATM allowance before you go. Our travel money card comparison covers monthly withdrawal limits, and our trip planning guides handle visas and timing.