How to Travel To Tokyo on a Budget | Budget-Friendly Tokyo Japan Guide
So, you’re going to Tokyo and you want to save money, but how hard is it to be a budget traveler when traveling to a different country? Isn’t that expensive? Well, we’re going to go over how you can save money and make a trip to Japan fairly affordable. Let’s go to Tokyo. The next station is [Music] Hey guys, Hong here and today we are going to go through how you can save money on your Tokyo trip. If you want to minimize your spending on things like flights, hotels, and overall travel expenses so that you can either save money or maximize on spending on food and souvenirs, then this is the guide for you. Let’s dive into it. First off, let’s talk about getting to Tokyo. Tokyo itself has two major airports. Narita Airport and Haneda Airport. Haneda Airport was opened in 1931, while Narita was opened in 1978 and took on most of the international traffic after it was opened. Haneda expanded and added an international terminal in 2010, so now you can fly into either airport, though long haul international flights tend to favor Narita over Haneda. Why am I bringing all of this up? Because Haneda is about 20 minutes driving from Tokyo Station, while Narita Airport is 55 minutes driving to Tokyo Station, assuming no traffic. Haneda is the world’s fourth busiest airport, which is wild for an airport that wasn’t even in the top 10 in 2022. This just shows how popular of a tourist destination Japan has become. Haneda Airport is significantly closer to downtown Tokyo, but it comes at a cost. Flights are typically cheaper in and out of Narita airport, but you will have to pay more and spend more time getting to Tokyo from Narita. But if you can get a cheap flight to Haneda, then it can save you both time and money. As far as the cheapest times to fly to Japan, the most affordable flights are typically after cherry blossom season between April to June and then in the fall from September to November. If you’re flying to Narita airport, you can take the Narita Express, which costs 3,000 yen or about $21 and is fairly affordable and takes a little under an hour to get to Tokyo. This is the cheapest way to get to Tokyo from Narita. If you are planning on taking this train, if you get the roundtrip option, it will cost you 5,000 yen or around $34. So, you can save a little bit there, too. There’s also the relatively affordable airport limousine bus, which is 3,200 yen. And depending on where you are staying, it can take you more or less directly to your area or even your hotel. So, check if your hotel is closer to either the bus stop or a train station and see which one is more convenient. Now, let’s talk about the Japan Rail Pass. If you have the Japan Rail Pass or the JR Pass, the Narita Express is included in that. So, that may be something worth looking into if you’re going to be doing a lot of traveling. The JR pass is only available to shortterm tourists, so you can’t get one if you are a Japanese citizen. Just something to know. Now, unlimited rides on the JR trains sounds great, but the JR pass is kind of expensive at a cost of $50,000 yen or $350 for the 7-day pass. $80,000 yen or $550 for the 14-day pass and $100,000 yen or around $700 for the 21-day pass. This means that you will have to do the math beforehand to figure out if it’s worth getting this pass. My personal take on it is that it isn’t worth getting unless you are doing a lot of long distance traveling with the bullet trains. But there is a catch. The JR pass does not give you access to all bullet trains. It does not give you access to the Nomi and the Mizuho Shinkansen trains which can get you from Tokyo to Kyoto in around 2 hours and 10 minutes. The JR pass does give you access to the trains which have more frequent stops which makes this trip range from around 2 hours and 40 minutes to the longest time of 3 hours and 40 minutes which is significantly longer. The JR pass also limits you more in terms of scheduling as you can’t choose any bullet train. Again, you have to look at the ones that you do have access to. With the JR pass, you can pay an additional 5,000 yen fee to get a ticket on the faster Nomi or Mizuho bullet trains. The JR pass does give you access to a lot of trains in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, and this can make traveling in those areas very convenient. But considering that an average train ride in Tokyo costs 160 yen, you can see how spending 50,000 yen on an unlimited pass would be hard to make back unless you’re doing a lot of traveling. I would say that if you aren’t taking at least four bullet train rides, the JR pass isn’t worth it. Tokyo to Kyoto via the bullet train is around $120 to $160 US depending on the season and time. So you would need at least three of those to break even. If you’re going from Tokyo to Osaka in the Kyoto area and then back to Tokyo, that alone won’t be worth the JR pass. Okay, so enough about the JR pass. Let’s talk about transportation in general. In Tokyo, the city is designed for walking. So obviously the most budget friendly thing you can do is to walk. However, you will need to get around as Tokyo is a massive city and this is the most populated city on Earth. You could take the taxi, bus, or train to get around. And in short, the taxis are the most direct, but the most expensive. Buses are probably the least convenient option, but they have a flat fee, which can make it worth it in some cases. However, trains are the best option for people in Tokyo looking for the best blend of convenience and savings. Tokyo’s train system is one of the most efficient in the world. And with the way the city is designed, you can get almost anywhere in Tokyo via the trains. With an average fee of around 160 yen per trip, it’s very affordable. So, that’s transportation. Getting to Tokyo and then traveling around. Now, where do you stay? Since we’re talking about saving money here, we won’t be staying at any of the five-star hotels. Hotel rooms in Tokyo are interesting because they are typically fairly small. And as we look at these budget options, you’ll realize that a lot of these rooms can be small enough that you can’t even open up your suitcase fully on the ground. You may have to put it on your bed in order to fully open the suitcase. This is a fairly common thing in Japan as space is limited. So, getting a more spacious room is a luxury. From my experience, one of the few spacious rooms for a budget chain that I have stayed in is the Tokyo Stay Hotel, which I stayed in in Shibuya. The room was large enough for me to open my suitcase on the ground fully, and I still had some extra room to be able to store all the tons of stuff that I bought throughout the day. Plus, there’s a washer and dryer in the hotel room itself. So, that’s definitely from a budget perspective, great for being able to do laundry and clean your clothes, so you don’t have to pack a ton. As far as locations go, if you still want to be in a very lively place that’s a bit cheaper than Shibuya, then Shinjjuku might be your best bet. If you want cheaper accommodations though, you can look into other areas like Yueno, Akihabara, and Shimashi. There are cheaper areas too, the farther out of the main downtown core that you go from Tokyo. Though, hotel room prices generally do fluctuate a lot, so you can constantly keep monitoring things, and you can still get lucky in major areas to get cheap, affordable accommodations. For budget hotel chains, Toyoko Inn and the Dormy Inn are fairly popular along with Super Hotel. Business hotels can also offer good rates for no frrills rooms, which can be good if you’re on a budget. Toyoko Inn was on average the cheapest place I could find and does come with free breakfast as well, so that’s a plus. Though in Japan, you can get amazing breakfast at convenience stores like 7-Eleven or Lawson for very cheap. But if you’re trying to save money, you can’t beat a free breakfast. You just may not be able to open your suitcase on the floor in a Toyoko in room. Now, you can also stay somewhere even cheaper. Though, I wouldn’t recommend this for long-term stays. You may have heard of the world famous capsule hotel in Japan. And while you can get a capsule hotel here sometimes for under $30 per night, I will say it’s not the most comfortable experience ever. But what were you expecting at these prices? The capsules themselves can range in size depending on how basic or luxurious the capsule is, but basically in short, it is a small space for sleeping and resting, and that’s about it. Some capsules are a bit more fancy with TVs and more amenities, while some are mainly just beds. The capsules are in rooms with many capsules, so you may have noise issues with others being around. you have to share a common bathroom and you don’t have a lot of personal space here. But again, if you want to be ultra budget conscious, then maybe a capsule hotel is not a bad idea for you. Though again, I wouldn’t recommend this to people who are staying for longer durations of times or have lots of bags and items because there’s not a lot of storage space. Or if you’re claustrophobic, then you probably don’t want to stay in one of these. This is more for lighter travelers who are staying shortterm. Now that you have somewhere to stay, what about food? Well, if you have free breakfast covered from your hotel, that’ll help you save some money. The thing about food in Japan is that you don’t need to go to a fancy five-star restaurant to get amazing food, though, you definitely could. You can get amazing food pretty much anywhere. Supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan offer a variety of hot pre-made meals that can be both delicious and money-saving. especially when compared to restaurants. Now, obviously, touristy places and restaurants will be more expensive. So, if you want to save on money while still eating enjoyable food, then convenience stores offer unbeatable prices. And the supermarkets also oftent times have bento boxes for cheap, too. All of this is actually pretty good, and it’s nothing compared to like the hot dogs that you would find at convenience stores in the United States. This is like actually really really good legit food at the convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart in Japan. So, even if you’re not on a budget, definitely check them out. And when in doubt, there’s nothing wrong with getting a cup noodle from the convenience store, bringing it back to your hotel room late at night, and pouring some boiling water from the kettle in there, and just enjoying that, too. If you are looking for restaurants, then to find the best deals on food, you’ll often want to go off the beaten path. If you eat in areas immediately around tourist attractions, then it can add up. But if you want to eat good restaurant food without breaking the bank, then go eat like the locals. Go a bit farther away from touristy spots which have more inflated prices. If you want some relatively cheap but amazing sushi, then go ahead and check out U in Shibuya. This is a conveyor belt sushi place where you can order as much or as little as you want and the prices are very low, but the quality is unbeatable, so don’t miss it. As for things to do, well, there are lots of free things to do around Tokyo that are totally worth it. The vast majority of Shinto shrines in Japan are free, and a lot of the temples are free to walk around, though it may cost a small fee to enter the halls or walled gardens in those areas. Senoji Temple in Tokyo is free to enter and is very much worth the visit, especially if you’re already staying in Asakusa. It is a very touristy spot as it is iconic in Tokyo and in Japan and the market in front of the temple attracts tons of tourists, but again, it is free, so totally worth it. Nearby, you will also find the Weno Park, which is free and quite large. Though there are some fees for various activities in the park such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the Tokyo National Museum, and the Weno Zoo. Weno Park has sort of a New York City Central Park vibe as it is just an escape from the city and allows you to immerse yourself in a large park atmosphere. If you want to walk south of here, you can make your way to Akihabara, the heart of Japanese otaku culture, where you can find anime and video game related merch all over. It’s a unique area and if you get the time, definitely worth exploring. If you want a panoramic view of the city of Tokyo from a high up observatory, then go to Shinjjuku and make your way to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which has a free observation deck, allowing you to see all of the city from a new perspective. The building actually has two observation decks, one in each tower, and on a good day, you can see Mount Fuji from there as well. Don’t forget to stay around the building at night to see the Guinness World Record-breaking famous light show on the side of the building itself. You can also visit the Imperial Palace near Tokyo Station for free, and they do give tours of the palace grounds, though you need to register in advance as there are limits on how many people can enter per day. In Shabuya, go ahead and check out the Shabuya Scramble Crossing, which is the world’s busiest crosswalk. and being a street crossing is unsurprisingly free. Another great area to walk around in in Shabuya is the Mei Shrine, which is free. Mei Shrine is also next to Yoy Yogi Park, both of which are actually next to Takashita Street in Shabuya, where you can really get a sense of Japanese Harajuku culture. Basically, the super cute and sometimes over-the-top style that originated from here. And if you are tempted to do some shopping, but want to get the best deals, go ahead and make your way to the flagship Mega Don Kyote store in Shibuya for literally anything you can think of for unbeatable prices. Tokyo is designed for walking, and there are seriously so many places all over Tokyo to walk around and enjoy, even if you’re on a budget. Generally speaking, the prices of things in Japan as of now are relatively affordable. So, Japan is definitely possible to do on a budget. And while things were a bit cheaper last year in 2024, it’s still definitely a great time to go to Japan. So, that’s it for this guide on Tokyo on a budget. And if you have any budget friendly tips, let me know in the comments section down below. There’s just so much more to Tokyo. So, check out my other in-depth guides on the various wards in Tokyo, and I will see you guys in the next one. Heat. Heat. N. [Music]
Travelling to another country can be costly but what can you do to make your Japan trip more affordable? In this guide we will go over some of the basics when it comes to travelling to Japan mainly Tokyo to help you save some cash and know where and when to spend it. From affordable flights to great deals on hotels, we’ll go through how to travel to Tokyo on a budget.
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Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
0:45 – Getting to Japan – Airports and Flights
2:07 – Airport Transportation
2:50 – Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass)
5:15 – Getting Around Tokyo
6:15 – Hotels and Places to Stay
8:21 – Ultra Budget Hotel Options
9:28 – Cheap Food Options
11:17 – Budget Things to do
13:40 – Budget Shopping
14:03 – Final Thoughts
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9 Comments
whoa awesome! you should also do a non budget friendly video too! lol i may want to throw down a ton of money on my next trip
Japan is a great budget destination for the time being depending on what country you're coming from. Lot of free things to see and do if you know where to look.
The Toei Animation Museum is also free and can be worth checking out in Tokyo
But tokyo stay is 2k for a week. Thats budget?
The area of Tokyo changes the price of hotels drastically so staying out of touristy areas will save you a LOT
At Narita if you are taking off from there a fun free thing is going to the observation decks and watching planes (if you're into that) I think one of your clips is from there. I spent a good while there. The observation deck at T1 is under construction right now but T2 is still open. Happy flying
I didn't know I was claustrophobic till I stayed in a capsule hotel. It's one thing being in a small space for a brief bit but for me a night was a bit too long. Had to go get a regular hotel the next night.
Haneda is a much nicer airport and if I can fly into there I'd take it over Narita every time
Can’t beat the convenience of the trains!