How much does it cost to travel 1 month to Japan? Find it here!

A realistic detailed breakdown of the travel cost of a 1-month trip to Japan.

Interested in Japan?

Looking for Japan travel tips? Check them here!

Table Of Contents

Flights: 553 €
Visa: free
Accommodation: 497€
Transportation: 536€
Museums, temples, partying, entertainment: 110€
Food: 400€
Souvenirs: 250€
Total 1-month Japan travel cost: 2350€

Travelling to Japan is an amazing experience. When I announced that I was leaving for Japan though, many friends and family said: wow, that’s a super expensive trip! It is only partially true. Of course, travelling to other south-east Asia countries is way cheaper, but Japan can be an affordable country, especially if you spend some time there. I covered the specific costs of visiting Japan and the alternatives in food, accommodation, tickets on another post, so this one is more for the backpacker/traveller on a budget community.

Is Japan expensive?

How much are the basic Japan expenses? flights, accommodation, food… Discover it here!

If you travel on a budget, love staying in hostels and looking for a realistic 1-month trip to Japan expenses breakdown, you are in the right place. This the Japan travel cost for 27 days travelling across the land of the Rising Sun, from Mid February to Mid March 2020.

Flights: 553 €

Flights are expensive. The closer to the high season (Spring and Summer), the higher the prices. I flew from Barcelona to Tokyo Narita via Paris, and from Tokyo Narita to Barcelona via Amsterdam for 553€ the round trip. These prices are acceptable although it is possible to to get cheaper flights. If you know when you will be flying, monitor the prices with tools such as Skyscanner to get the cheapest price possible.

In my case, on the return flight, I checked in a suitcase with souvenirs, food,… It cost me 40€ to do the check-in. I already had planned to get a suitcase (second-hand, for free in my case) because some of the products I was bringing back home were not allowed in the cabin.

Flights to japan cost — Be ready! It will be a long flight!

Visa: free

Having a Spanish passport allowed me to enter Japan for up to 90 days for tourism purposes. As I covered in my Japan travel budget article, most countries do not require a visa to enter Japan.

Accommodation: 497€

This was my way of saving money. Sleeping in Japan for under 20€/night is possible (especially in low season). I did not sleep in shady guesthouses, but in amazing hostels. Booking on the way, during the trip, allowed me to find better offers, although I also ended up paying a bit more in a couple of cities (weekends mostly). Thumbs up to the 41€ stay in Osaka for 4 nights, and to the Tokyo hostel, where I paid 70€ for 5 nights.

I don’t really like party hostels, so most of my stays were in centric but non-party hostels. However, expect party houses to be on the same price pange.

I even treated myself with one night at a hotel. After a long day of trains, wind (tsunami alert) and meeting new people, I decided to do a sudden change of plans and stay for another night in Osaka. To my surprise, I found a last-time offer at a hotel for 19€. Having a private room for the first time in 3 weeks felt really good.

Hostel japan budget — My favourite hostel in Japan

Transportation: 536€

This includes the 21-day JR Pass, the train ticket that allows taking (almost) every train in Japan. Other transportation expenses were the metro tickets for Tokyo (5 days of the metro, 2,700 yen), the bus tickets to get from and to Narita airport (2,000 yen total), the extra fee to take the train to go to the Kawaguchi lake to see Mount Fuji (this is one of the not included trains in the JR pass, 1200 yen round trip), and a 1-day bus ticket in Kyoto (600 yen). Transportation, together with flights will make the cost of your trip skyrocket. If you don’t want to spend a lot on trains, consider taking night buses.

Visiting Mount Fuji?

Find out the top things to see in the Kawaguchi lake. Click here!

japan travel budget — Trains in Japan are a unique experience

Museums, temples, partying, entertainment: 110€

This is a chaotic category. I spent little money on temples and museums. I visited all free ones, and I only paid for a couple of the most important temples, like the Golden Pavillion in Kyoto, the Kongobuji in Koyasan or the Kanazawa Gardens. Overall, I spent around 50€ in temples, and nothing in museums (it was the beginning of the COVID pandemic and most were already closed).

However, partying is expensive in Japan. I only partied two nights, one at a snack bar and another at a Karaoke. The final sum of just two nights (drinks included) is 60€, 40€ of which were spent in the Karaoke. Zero regrets, I had the time of my life. Your willing to party will make this category total numbers increase or decrease.

Food: 400€

I had a budget of 2,000 yen for food every day, and it was more than enough. 400 is an approximate value, but I stuck to the budget, and I could try authentic sushi, eat ramen almost every day, and even try the Koyasan Tofu menu, which was surprisingly good for an (at that time) non-vegan or vegetarian.

This budget includes some Kombini meals (convenience stores in Japan are amazing), maybe once every two days, plus coffee, breakfast and sweet treats. Eating in Japan can be cheap compared to the whole experience, and I could have made it even cheaper, but I love food. Again, zero regrets. Enjoy Japanese cuisine!

Japan food budget — Cheap and delicious! (this costs 700 yen)

Souvenirs: 250€

Souvenirs in Japan can get very expensive. Some good bamboo chopsticks or a kimono can make your wallet cry. I knew I wanted chopsticks for some friends and family. Moreover, given that I visited Tokyo just before the 2020 Olympics (celebrated in 2021), I got some merchandising for friends. Finally, I bought a whooping 50€ worth of Kit Kat, which I gave as a souvenir to coworkers, family, friends…

Total 1-month Japan travel cost: 2350€

This makes less than 100€ a day including flights and souvenirs. Excluding flights and souvenirs, the total cost to travel 1 month to Japan is 1,540 approximately, almost making it to the 50€ a day ideal budget. This happened during the low season, so expect a slight increase in the accommodation and flights cost during Spring and Summer.

Have you ever been to Japan? What was your budget? Do you have any tips for other fellow travellers? Share them in the comments! If you have any Japan Budget questions, I will be more than happy to answer your comments below. Also, do you like to travel and photography? If you want to follow my travel adventures, feel free to follow me on my Instagram, @aniolvisuals.