No — Japan is mid-priced, and cheaper than Western Europe for food and transport. Excluding flights, budget roughly ¥12,000–18,000 per person per day for a comfortable mid-range trip, ¥8,000–12,000 travelling carefully, and ¥40,000+ at the luxury end. The two costs that genuinely surprise people are intercity trains and high-end hotels; eating well is remarkably cheap.
Daily cost, honestly
| Per person, per day | Careful | Comfortable | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | ¥5,000–8,000 | ¥12,000–25,000 | ¥60,000+ |
| Food | ¥2,500–4,000 | ¥5,000–9,000 | ¥20,000+ |
| Local transport | ¥800–1,200 | ¥1,000–1,500 | Taxis, ¥5,000+ |
| Entry and activities | ¥500–1,500 | ¥1,500–3,000 | ¥5,000+ |
| Daily total | ¥8,000–12,000 | ¥18,000–35,000 | ¥90,000+ |
Intercity trains sit on top of this — roughly ¥28,000 per person for a Tokyo–Kyoto round trip, and more if you go further west.
What is genuinely cheap
- Eating well. An outstanding bowl of ramen or soba is ¥900–1,400. A superb set lunch at a serious restaurant is often ¥2,500–5,000 — the same kitchen that charges ¥25,000 at dinner.
- City transport. Most Tokyo subway journeys are ¥180–320.
- Convenience stores. Genuinely good food at ¥400–800, and not a compromise.
- Temples and gardens. Usually ¥300–600, many free.
- Coffee and cafés. Cheaper than London, New York or Sydney.
What is genuinely expensive
- Intercity rail. The Shinkansen is superb and priced accordingly. This is the single biggest cost most people fail to budget.
- Luxury hotels. Tokyo's top hotels are priced with Hong Kong and Singapore, not with the rest of Japan.
- Ryokan with private onsen baths. ¥60,000–150,000 per night for two, though this usually includes dinner and breakfast.
- Fruit, and taxis after midnight. Both for reasons that will not make sense until you see them.
The three costs nobody warns you about
Where the money is best spent
If you have a fixed budget, the ranking is fairly consistent:
- Location of your hotel. A wrong district costs you an hour a day, every day.
- Two or three exceptional meals, rather than fifteen good ones.
- One or two nights in a genuine ryokan with a private bath.
- Green Car on the two longest train legs, ordinary class on the rest.
What is rarely worth it: private cars between cities, guided tours in Tokyo and Kyoto, and upgrading every train.
So — is it expensive?
Cheaper than you expect to eat, move around and visit things. About what you expect to sleep. More than you expect to travel between cities.
A comfortable two-week trip for two people, excluding international flights, lands around ¥700,000–1,200,000 — roughly US$4,700–8,000. It is entirely possible to do it well for half that, and effortless to spend three times more.
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