How A lot Does a Journey to Japan Price? Up to date 2025 Funds

Japan is a superb first vacation spot for American vacationers trying to journey to Asia. It provides a novel style of East Asian tradition, in a highly-developed, Western-influenced setting. If Japan is in your bucket record however you’re questioning “how a lot does it price to go to Japan?”, that reply can generally be rather a lot. The Japan journey price is the principle purpose it took us so lengthy to lastly take a household journey to Japan.

The underside line is that the Japan journey price for a two-week journey for a household of 4, staying in four-star degree lodging with a couple of paid actions will price about $14,566 or $303 per particular person, per day.

Nonetheless, whereas Japan is an costly nation, there are alternatives for price range journey in Japan. The journey to Japan price will depend on your journey model, nevertheless it needn’t be as costly as you thought. This Japan journey price range breakdown will present you ways and the place to save lots of in your go to. I’ll cowl the price of airfare, intra-country transportation, lodging, meals, and actions.

Be aware: This publish was up to date in December 2024 to mirror prices for journey in late Spring 2025.

Planning a visit to Japan

Japan has a lot to supply, however for a primary journey, splitting your time between Tokyo, Kyoto, and perhaps Osaka over two weeks in Japan is finest. I’ve created a 14-day Japan itinerary that will help you in your planning. Nonetheless, if you need assist, please ask about my journey planning providers.

Your first expertise with Japan is a complete assault on the senses, so you actually ought to decelerate and stick to only a few locations. In the event you return, you possibly can then observe this longer 3-week Japan with children itinerary or go to locations like Hokkaido, the western coast of Honshu and Kanazawa, Shikoku, and Okinawa. Be sure you additionally learn my Japan journey ideas.

How a lot does a visit to Japan price?

Be aware: This publish incorporates affiliate hyperlinks. In the event you click on a hyperlink and make a purchase order, I could obtain a small fee for gratis to you.

I primarily based this price range on my private expertise of what it prices to journey to Japan and broke it down by airfare, lodging, transportation, actions, and meals. This breakdown assumes you’re visiting Japan with children for the next (in case you are visiting Japan solo or as a pair, simply alter the pricing accordingly):

• A household of 4 with two adults and two children underneath 12
• Two-week journey, together with two journey days, with 12 nights in Japan
• 5 nights in Tokyo, 5 nights in Kyoto, and a pair of nights in Osaka
• Touring throughout excessive or shoulder seasons (though not the highest peak journey dates throughout Cherry Blossom season, when you possibly can count on to pay premium pricing throughout the board.)
• Unbiased vacationers which can be snug exploring on their very own and never trying to ebook a package deal tour

Airfare to Japan

The primary massive expense for a visit to Japan is, in fact, airfare. Economic system class flights to Japan from New York throughout shoulder and excessive seasons will doubtless begin at round $1,200 per particular person. We paid about $3,200 per particular person to fly from Boston to Tokyo through Detroit in Delta’s Premium Choose class (however we used factors for one flight at the least!)

Air Canada and Delta with layovers in Toronto and Detroit, respectively, are widespread choices at a worth level like this. If you’re trying to fly nonstop to Japan on United or one of many extra upscale Asian carriers like Japan Airways will in all probability price round $1,800 from the East Coast.

West Coasters would possibly discover barely cheaper fares, however whichever coast you begin from, it’s a good journey to make use of your frequent flier miles and factors as that can actually assist together with your Japan journey price range. It’s best to ebook airfare at the least six months prematurely, or as early as attainable.

I additionally extremely suggest signing up for a membership in Going, to get alerts for flight offers to your dream locations. If you wish to discover the easiest way to build up factors and miles by way of bank card spending and enroll bonuses, I’d recommend downloading the Journey Freely app to trace your bank cards and learn to earn factors.

Complete airfare price: $1,200+ every x 4 vacationers= $4,800

Lodging in Japan

Tokyo

The excellent news is that airfare is certainly probably the most prohibitive price for a visit to Japan. The lodging are dear when staying in massive cities, however there are many price range choices (together with these tiny capsule inns). An evening in a 4-star lodge in Tokyo will vary anyplace from $250-$450 per room. Simply understand that when you keep in a Japanese-brand lodge, the rooms are going to be fairly small, you’ll want to test sq. footage and the mattress varieties.

We loved our keep on the Hilton Tokyo as a result of it was an important location for utilizing public transportation and the rooms had been spacious. It was a full-service lodge that had good facilities like free breakfast for Membership degree rooms and was a cease on the Airport Limo shuttle. Nonetheless, we did splurge on two rooms as a result of they didn’t have any double queen rooms (however there are suites with a king and a pull out sofa.)

Discover a Resort in Tokyo:

Kyoto

Resort costs in Kyoto are wider-ranging, maybe as a result of there are far fewer choices than in Tokyo. The general common comes out to about $280 per room, per night time for a 4-star property that can match a household of 4.

We stayed on the Hyatt Regency Kyoto, which was accessible to public transportation and walkable to most of the important sights. For cheaper lodging, have a look at manufacturers just like the Mimaru. And once more, it’s good to decide if you wish to splurge on two rooms or squeeze into one.

Discover a Resort in Kyoto:

Osaka

Osaka is a big metropolis with loads of lodge choices. It is sensible to remain close to one of many important prepare stations or metro hubs to make it simple to get round. We liked our keep on the Intercontinental Osaka, the place we splurged on a two-bedroom, two-bath residence with a full kitchen, front room, and superb view (they’ve common lodge rooms too). In the event you can ebook by way of American Specific Superb Accommodations together with your Platinum card or a Virtuoso journey agent, you can even get perks like free breakfast and the breakfast is superb!

A typical three to four-star lodge that may accommodate a household in a single room is about $300 per night time, however might go as much as $600+.

Discover a lodge in Osaka:

If you’re touring as a household, you’ll in all probability need extra space than what you discover in a typical Japanese lodge room (even past the capsule inns). If you wish to lower your expenses and get extra space, I might suggest renting an condominium by way of vrbo or Airbnb.

You may get a pleasant, household trip rental for about $130 per night time (and a very nice one for about $180 an evening). One of the best half is that you just’ll have a kitchen and a eating room the place you possibly can deliver ready meals house to eat and even strive cooking your self, which is useful for budgeting since consuming out in Japan might be dear.

Rental choices in Kyoto are far more restricted and dearer, however it’s attainable to search out one thing inexpensive and actually cool. Lots of the leases in Kyoto are in older homes in-built conventional Japanese types.

Complete lodging price when you keep in inns in a single room or suite: $450 x 12 = $5,400

Complete lodging prices when you keep in flats: $200 x 12 = $2,400 (however it may be cheaper)

Transportation Prices in Japan

Transportation is one other dear a part of touring in Japan. I don’t suggest touring by taxi fairly often in Japan, since they’re fairly costly, however there can be instances when it’s the only option, particularly within the warmth of summer season. Taxis in Japan work equally to taxis within the U.S., charging a better beginning payment for the primary couple kilometers of journey with extra prices added on for any additional distance.

For instance, you can be charged about ¥500 for the flat fare and a further ¥200 for every extra kilometer. (Japan Information provides an in depth rationalization of how taxi fares work in Japan.)

Japan’s public transportation networks in metropolitan areas are feats of contemporary city planning. Trains arrive and depart on the exactly scheduled second. They’re completely clear, they run easily, and so they take you to wherever it’s good to go.

It may be a bit daunting when you’ve got no data of Japanese to make sense of the transit system maps, however you’ll finally get the hold of it. Shopping for a prepare ticket isn’t too sophisticated both, as there’s normally an English-language choice on the self-service sales space screens.

In Tokyo, one-day tickets for the metro are ¥800 (about $5.20) for adults and half that for kids. In Kyoto, the metro is a bit more costly, with one-way fares costing about the identical because the one-day tickets in Tokyo do.

For touring longer distances in Japan, suburban trains and the Shinkansen (bullet prepare) are the best way to go. If you’re planning on taking a number of railway journeys, then it could make sense to get a rail move, however these charges have gone up so you actually need to do the mathematics to see how a lot you’ll use it. Rail passes are bought by period (i.e., every week prices an additional sum of money), class of service, and area vs. nationwide, and they aren’t low cost.

An everyday fare for the JR 7-day rail move is about $325, and a 14-day move is $520 (youngsters’s passes are much less.) This doesn’t embrace delivery and dealing with and some other processing charges. Ensure to ebook rail passes far prematurely.

You can not purchase them in Japan— they must be bought inside the USA with a legitimate passport a number of weeks earlier than touring to Japan. There are a number of web sites the place you should purchase passes together with JR Move. Whenever you arrive, it’s good to cease by the JR Prepare workplace and change your vouchers for precise passes.

The rail move comes with added perks, which embrace not having to order a seat on long-distance trains, the power to make use of the move on suburban JR trains, in addition to free entry to the Narita Specific between downtown Tokyo and Narita Worldwide Airport.

Rail move prices: $325 per full worth 7-day JR move x 2 +$163 per youngsters’s worth JR move x 2 = $976, plus (all the time double test for present charges)

Metro ticket prices: [4 x $5.00 metro tickets + $2.50 children’s price metro ticket x 4] x 12 days = $360, plus

Taxi fare: $20 per occasional taxi journey x 4 = $80

Complete transportation prices: $1,416

Sightseeing and Actions Prices in Japan

The most effective components about budgeting for Japan is that it’s simple to sightsee by yourself with no information and lots of of Tokyo and Kyoto’s most well-known sights are free.

Temples and museums cost small entrance charges, normally ¥600 (about $4.50) per grownup, half worth for kids. This consists of issues to do in Tokyo like Senso-ji temple, and the Tokyo Nationwide Museum in Ueno Park.

Most of Kyoto’s sights and temples sometimes cost comparable small entrance charges, like Ginkaku-ji temple, Temple of 10,000 Buddhas, and the Iwatayama Monkey Park close to Arashiyama.

There are a few main sights that can price, most notably the Tokyo Sky Tree, which prices about $14 per grownup ticket (not together with Quick Monitor), with a decreased fare for kids.

Tokyo Dome prices about $20 per ticket with decreased fares for kids, however that ticket covers all the amusement park– the person museums there (just like the Japanese Baseball Museum) are about the identical worth as most temples can be. The Mori Artwork Museum additionally prices increased than regular ticket costs, however the ticket consists of entry to a number of galleries, in addition to Tokyo Metropolis View.

In fact, many households are additionally going to need to go to Tokyo DisneySea or Common Studios Japan in Osaka.

Japan’s fascinating historical past has produced a wealthy and complicated tradition. Vacationers searching for conventional Japanese experiences have loads of choices in the case of cultural actions. They arrive with a price ticket although.

Possibility 1: Attending a Sumo Apply or Match

Watching Sumo wrestlers hone and apply their martial artwork is a stunningly lovely cultural expertise. Tournaments are solely held seasonally, and tickets should be booked prematurely. To not worry when you gained’t be in Japan for a match although, Sumo practices are held in Sumo-beya (Sumo Stables) all through the remainder of the yr.

Tickets for Sumo Matches will go for about $55, with a household field going for about $230. Anticipate to pay a number of instances as a lot for a greater ticket or field.

Possibility 2: Kabuki

Kabuki is a kind of conventional Japanese theater. The costumes and masks are lovely, and the performances are fascinating, even when you can’t actually perceive what’s going on. The standard locations to observe Kabuki are the Kabuki-za Theatre in Tokyo and the Minami-za Theatre in Kyoto.

Tickets can price anyplace from $27-$220, primarily based on the seat high quality. There are pill rental providers for ¥500 accessible for vacationers who don’t converse Japanese that connect to your seat through the efficiency so you may get a greater sense of what’s going on.

Different choices for cultural actions embrace tea ceremonies, sushi making workshops, origami lessons, calligraphy lessons, and kimono sampling lessons. A tough estimate of the value for every of those actions might be someplace between $50-$100 per particular person.

In the event you’re in Japan for just a little underneath two weeks, I might suggest selecting 1-3 cultural actions, relying in your price range. I’d additionally recommend taking a meals tour in Osaka or Tokyo. One other factor that older teenagers would love can be dressing up in costumes and go karting by way of the streets of Tokyo.

Complete sightseeing and sights prices: $1,200

Meals Prices in Japan

In the event you aren’t going to Japan at the least partially for the meals, then you definately’re doing it fallacious! Consuming Japanese meals is a very particular expertise, regardless of your worth level. With such a novel delicacies, it’s unattainable to get tired of consuming on a go to to Japan— that’s, in case you are an adventurous eater.

Consuming out in Japan might be costly. Reasonable-range eating places and Izakaya (eating places with bars) will price about $15-$20 per particular person for lunch, and $25-$35 for dinner. The excellent news is that it’s attainable to expertise nice Japanese meals with out consuming in a majority of these venues on a regular basis.

Specialised eating places, like ramen bars, are Japanese staples that serve up particular kinds of meals and are good for these doing Japan on a price range. It’s attainable to search out superb ramen bars (together with some Michelin-starred ones) that cost between $5-$15 for a big bowl. A lot of these venues exist for a lot of different kinds of Japanese meals, like gyudon, tonkatsu, udon, okonomiyaki, curry homes. The one draw back is that these venues are sometimes fairly small and don’t take reservations so it’s good to be ready to attend in line.

There are additionally shokudo and teishoku, that are smaller eating places that serve meals which can be much less fancy, however usually equally as tasty as Izakaya. Costs are about the identical as what you’d discover at ramen bars— generally extra, generally much less. A few of these eating places are chains the place you order set meals, both from a paper menu or on these chunky, merchandising machine-looking units that spit out tickets.

Another choice for consuming out is selecting up bento packing containers from the ready meals sections of shops, like Daimaru, Takashimaya, Mitsukoshi, and Isetan. The meals is definitely very prime quality and is painstakingly ready, as is usually the case with something in Japan. You’ll find nearly something on the shops, together with sushi, karaage, tonkatsu, yakisoba, zaru soba, eel, gyoza (dumplings), yakitori.

Good-sized meals at higher-quality shops will in all probability price round $15 per particular person. They’re simply transportable and an important choice to eat nice high quality Japanese meals at a lower cost level. Konbini (Japanese comfort shops) provide comparable choices, albeit in smaller portions and of decrease high quality.

Avenue meals can be nice in Japan. Since Japan is a extremely developed nation, consuming avenue meals is fairly secure, not like different international locations in Asia the place Individuals should be extra cautious. Japanese treats like taiyaki, takoyaki, yakitori, and different fan favorites might be bought, normally for cheaper than the meals you can find even at ramen bars. Japan additionally has a proliferation of high-quality merchandising machines nearly all over the place that spit out nice Japanese snacks and drinks for affordable. And don’t underestimate the wonders of a 7-11 sandwich or rice ball!

Breakfast in Japan is a smaller meal that consists of varied fish and rice dishes, in addition to soup. An honest high quality breakfast shouldn’t price greater than $10. Additionally it is simple to make a DIY breakfast, particularly when you’re staying in a flat when you decide up ready and easy-to-prepare meals from konbini.

Only a warning although, when you do need to expertise a Michelin-star sushi restaurant or a standard Keiseki meal, it will price about $250-500 per particular person!

Complete meals prices in Japan: $75 per grownup, $50 per baby, per day x 14 days = $1,750

This price is topic to differ enormously, relying on whether or not or not you’re staying in a lodge or in a rental, how fancy a restaurant you favor, whether or not or not you’re keen to buy your individual meals within the shops, whether or not or not you need to splurge for particular meals, and so forth.

Complete Japan Journey Funds

In the event you don’t overdo it on meals or actions, your loved ones of 4 can spend 12 nights in Japan for $14,566 or just a little about $1,214 per day. In fact, this assumes average-priced flight tickets through the excessive season, staying in three or four-star inns, and consuming at lower-to-mid worth vary eating places.

In order for you an English-speaking information to sights, or when you take lots of excursions, your actions prices will go up considerably. However when you keep in trip leases, your prices might be decrease.

Clearly, this quantity might be increased or decrease primarily based on the way you select to journey.

How A lot Does it Price to Go to Japan?

The underside line is that for a household of 4, with two younger youngsters, staying in a single room or a rental condominium, a 12-night journey to Japan with 5 nights in Tokyo, 5 nights in Kyoto, and a pair of nights in Osaka will price roughly $14,566 together with flights. This assumes you’re utilizing public transportation, consuming at informal eating places or selecting up takeaway meals, and limiting the variety of actions. This involves roughly $303 per particular person, per day.

Understand that this price will go up considerably if you wish to take personal excursions, personal transportation, or take pleasure in extra cultural actions or nice eating.

If Japan sounds too costly, you can even try our journey budgets for:

PIN THIS FOR LATER

Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Writer of We3Travel. A former advertising and marketing government and journey advisor, Tamara is an award-winning journey author and acknowledged knowledgeable in household journey. Tamara is a member of SATW, NATJA, IFWTWA, and the Journey Journey Commerce Affiliation, and serves on the Board of the Household Journey Affiliation. She can be the writer of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Trip Professionals journey podcast.

Discover this handy? Share it!