Today we look at the lesser known ways of travelling in Japan, for prices that are much more reasonable. You’ll learn about how you can save on transport costs while travelling in Japan.
Related episodes:
1) How to rent a car in Japan:
When you’re traveling, it’s easy to think that you’re on a vacation and that you should splurge a little. Unfortunately, travel costs abroad are usually high and unavoidable so they take a big chunk of your spending.
To put things into context if you’ve never been to japan before, I’ll talk about some of the most common ways to travel in the country. if you are a veteran and know your way around, then feel free to skip ahead to the next timestamp!
The most popular way to travel is definitely by train. They are clean, punctual, and a reliable way to get nearly anywhere, whether in the city or to smaller towns further away. However, their great service also means they are not always cheap.
Next, we have flights. Japan isn’t the biggest country out there but travelling on land can take a while so flying would be the fastest way, but it will also be the most expensive. For example, a 2 way flight from Tokyo to Hokkaido can cost up to $300 USD per ticket. I don’t know about you but to me, that’s a heavy price to pay especially for a journey that only lasts an hour and a half.
Lastly, you could rent a car and drive around by yourself. While it does give you a lot more freedom to explore, it might not be for everyone due to a few reasons. In Japan, everyone drives on the left side of the road which might be different from your country and you’d also have to get an international drivers permit before you’re allowed to drive. If you’re still interested, I’ll leave links to the videos I made covering these topics in the description box below. Or you can click on the box at the right hand corner of your screen, to learn more about renting cars in Japan.
Now, on to the cheap options for travel!
1) Choose to fly with low cost airlines
Yes, I know I just said that flying is the most expensive way to travel but not if you’re flying with low cost airlines like Peach aviation and JEtstar.. Both companies offer flights between major sightseeing destinations like Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Okinawa, Depending on the destination and time of year, these flights can cost around between 85 dollars to 130 dollars for a round trip. You can further cut down on costs if you travel with minimal luggage and not order any food during the flight
2) Hop onboard an overnight Bus
If you have a lot of distance to cover and the time to spare, why not consider taking an overnight bus? They’re definitely not the fastest option but it’s generally cheaper plus the buses are well equipped to giving you a good night’s sleep. You can save on a night’s worth of accommodation costs too.
For example, A route from Tokyo to Osaka can cost as little as 17 dollars one way, but you do need to search around and be flexible with your dates to grab the best deals.
3) Travel only on local trains
Another option you might not have considered is taking only local trains to travel across the country. While this method is certainly cheaper than fast trains , it can also help you get to some lesser-traveled locations but there are some significant downsides to this. As local trains are slower than the newer and faster JR operated trains, It will take much longer to reach your destination and it also requires some serious coordination to work out the transfers and connections needed. Long-distance travel by local train can be a fun and cheap way to see the countryside roll by, but it may be better left to veteran travelers or those who don’t mind getting potentially lost or side-tracked along the way.
Although Japan has a reputation of being an expensive country, there are many ways to travel around without emptying your wallet. I hope the options mentioned in today’s video has given you some idea of how to keep your travel costs down!
What are some of your secrets to travel cheaply in Japan? Let us know in the comments! Be sure to hit that subscribe button and notification bell to get notified of future episodes. And I’ll see you in the next episode!
Timestamp
00:00 Japan Cheap Travel Guide
00:42 What Are The Most Popular Ways To Travel In Japan?
00:52 Travelling By Train Is The Most Convenient
01:11 Flying Locally Is A Good Option
01:36 Rent A Car For The Freedom
02:12 Option 1: Low Cost Airlines
02:49 Option 2: Overnight Buses
03:21 Option 3: Take Only Local Trains
04:05 Final Thoughts
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Alo Japan.