You’ve probably come across posts claiming a trip to Japan costs anywhere from ¥100,000 to “as much as you want to spend.” Which… doesn’t really help. This comprehensive guide breaks down exactly what you can expect to spend on a two-week Japan trip in 2025, with official data provided by the Japanese National Tourism Organization (JNTO), and my insights as a long-term Japan resident and travel industry professional.

Total Japan Trip Cost for 2025

For a comfortable two-week trip to Japan in 2025, you should budget around ¥400,000 per person for the entire journey (excluding flight tickets).

Here’s a quick breakdown of possible budget ranges per person (again, excluding flight tickets): 

Here’s how your expenses might look on average, based on travelers’ average spend data from the US, the UK and EU, and Australia, collected by the JNTO, (still excluding flights):

• 45% Accommodation
• 20% Food
• 15% Transportation
• 15% Shopping
• 5% Experiences (but I highly recommend increasing this) 

Personally, I strongly recommend allocating a higher percentage of your budget to experiences, either by slightly increasing your overall budget or by reducing spending on accommodation, food, or shopping. Experiences are consistently highlighted as the most memorable part of a trip to Japan, yet most travelers spend the least money here.

When people imagine their trip to Japan, they often picture peaceful meditation sessions with monks in a Kyoto temple, private calligraphy lessons in an authentic Japanese home, dinner accompanied by geisha, or visiting the workshop of renowned swordsmiths crafting some of the best kitchen knives in the world. 

Such unique experiences aren’t always easy to find, but they’re definitely accessible (I’ll explain where and how to book them later in this article). These are undoubtedly the highlights of any trip, typically costing between ¥20,000 and ¥50,000 per person. I’d recommend participating in at least one and increasing your experience budget from the initial 5% to about 15% (approximately ¥60,000).

Here’s how a ¥400,000 budget might look with my recommendation:

• Accommodation (45%): ¥180,000
• Food (20%): ¥80,000
• Transportation (15%): ¥60,000
• Shopping (15%): ¥60,000
• Experiences (5% -> 15%): ¥60,000

As you can see, the budget now reaches 110% or ¥440,000. I recommend either adding ¥40,000 to your total budget, or saving 5-10% on accommodation (by spending a few nights in lower-cost hotels or trying a capsule hotel), food (Tokyo is full of inexpensive but amazing local restaurants), or shopping (by doing experiences, you might even reduce shopping expenses naturally, for example by participating in a private knife-making class and getting your own knife instead of buying one in-store).

Lastly, keep in mind that traveling as a couple or sharing a room if traveling with friends typically reduces the total accommodation cost by 20%–50%.

Now, let’s explore each category in detail so you can plan with confidence.

International Flight Costs: Timing Doesn’t Matter

Your first significant expense will likely be your flight to Japan. Flight costs vary considerably based on your departure location, the season, and the airline you choose.

I intentionally didn’t mention booking timing because, in all my years traveling between Japan and Europe, timing has never noticeably affected price—whether booking ten months or just two days in advance (yes, I’ve tried both).

Typical round-trip economy flight costs to Japan are currently as follows:

Lower-range prices generally reflect low-cost airlines during off-peak seasons, while the upper range represents mid-tier airlines during during normal or peak travel seasons, such as cherry blossom (late March–early April), Christmas, and June/July (which is actually my least recommended period to visit Japan due to the high humidity and frequent rain). Since flight prices fluctuate constantly, I recommend checking current fares on a reliable price comparison website.

Insider Tip: Flight Booking Strategy

Many travelers stress over finding the perfect timing to buy flight tickets to save money, but this often backfires. Prices are unpredictable and influenced by numerous factors that you can’t possibly foresee. My best advice is to simply not worry about timing. Once your travel dates are set, secure your tickets without overthinking it—this approach reduces unnecessary stress and guarantees your travel plans.

Accommodation: Your Biggest Expense

Hotel prices have risen significantly since 2023, especially in cities like Tokyo and Kyoto. Previously, you could find a well-located business hotel (business hotels are designed primarily for Japanese salarymen on business trips, featuring small but functional rooms usually located near major train stations or city centers) for around ¥8,000 per night, but now you’ll be fortunate to find anything below ¥15,000.

According to recent traveler data from JNTO, accommodation typically accounts for 40–45% of visitors’ total expenses. Current rates are approximately:

• Capsule hotels: from ¥4,000 per person
• Guesthouses: from ¥4,000 per person
• Low-cost hotels (1-2 stars): ¥8,000–¥12,000
• Standard business hotels: ¥15,000–¥20,000
• 3-star hotels: ¥15,000–¥25,000
• Mid-range hotels (4 stars): ¥25,000–¥40,000
• Traditional ryokan: ¥40,000–¥100,000
• 5-star hotels: from ¥50,000
• Luxury hotels: from ¥100,000
• Airbnb: From around ¥15,000 (budget), ¥30,000–¥50,000 (mid-range), ¥70,000+ (high quality)

Note that rooms in Japan tend to be slightly smaller and more compact compared to Western standards.

For a two-week stay, expect accommodation costs of about ¥200,000–¥300,000. If you share rooms with a partner or friends, this cost typically drops by 20–50% per person. Why only 20%? Because:

• You might want to stay in a larger room than if you were staying alone, increasing the cost per night
• Some hotels and ryokan might charge additional fees per person (e.g. for meals)

Insider Tip: Location Strategy

Staying outside city centers in major areas like Tokyo and Kyoto can lower accommodation costs by roughly 30%, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Even with efficient local trains, this option adds 20–30 minutes of additional travel time two times a day (meaning waking up earlier and going to bed later) and requires managing complicated train schedules. Speaking from experience—after a long day, the additional travel will make you regret not staying centrally.

For my top recommendations on where to stay in Tokyo, you can check out my dedicated article.

Best Way to Book Hotels in Japan

As for where to book your accommodation, trusted platforms like booking.com or Agoda have tons of choices and a simple booking process. They’re my go-to.

Transportation: The JR Pass Question

Transportation expenses will include both long-distance trips between cities and local travel within urban areas. According to JNTO, transportation generally accounts for about 15% of your overall budget.

Long-distance Transportation

The Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) was traditionally a must-have for tourists planning to visit more than one city. However, after the significant price increase in October 2023 (when the 7-day regular JR Pass jumped from ¥29,650 to ¥50,000), it’s not as good of a deal as before. Here are the current JR Pass rates:

In most scenarios, a JR Pass isn’t cost-effective anymore, and you’ll likely save money by purchasing individual shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) tickets. For example, consider a common itinerary like Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka–Hiroshima–Tokyo:

This would already be a packed itinerary for 7 days, but even there the JR Pass will cost you ¥8,500 more than buying tickets individually. And most tourists actually don’t even go to Hiroshima, the most common itinerary being Tokyo -> Kyoto -> Osaka -> Tokyo, which costs less than ¥30,000 per person.

Local Transportation

Within cities, expect typical costs such as:

• Metro and local train fares: ¥180–¥400 per trip
• Day trips outside the city using local trains: ¥800–¥1,500 one-way

Overall, you should budget around ¥15,000 for local transportation over two weeks (roughly ¥1,000 per day, with some flexibility).

When combined with shinkansen tickets for intercity travel, your total transportation expenses will range approximately between ¥40,000 and ¥60,000 per person.

Insider Tip: Transport Strategy

Use an online JR Pass calculator (I recommend JapanGuide’s) to check if a JR Pass makes sense financially for your specific itinerary. Often, buying individual tickets or opting for regional passes can be more economical than the nationwide JR Pass. For example, regional passes like the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (¥17,000) can be valuable if you’re extensively traveling within one region—it covers all travel between Kyoto/Osaka and Hiroshima, whereas a single round-trip between these cities usually costs around ¥20,000.

Best Way to Buy Your JR Pass and Train Tickets

JR Pass:

• You can buy the JR Pass online from the official website. Note that you’ll need to set a start date within one month of purchase, but that can be modified later. To pick up the actual pass, just show your passport at one of the JR offices once you’re in Japan.
• Alternatively, you can use an official reseller. That’s what I usually recommend because the process is simpler, and the price is the same. I personally recommend Japan Experience. You’ll receive a voucher, which you’ll need to exchange for the actual pass once in Japan. You’ll choose the start date at that time, and it should fall within a one-month period from the exchange date.

Shinkansen tickets:

• If you’re not sure about your travel dates and want to keep things flexible, I recommend buying your shinkansen tickets directly at the station once you’re in Japan. You can do this at the ticket machines (available in English) or at the counter. Unless you’re traveling during a major holiday period (Golden Week in late April/early May, Obon in mid-August, or New Year), you’ll have no problem getting tickets, even last minute.
• If you prefer to book ahead of time, you can use SmartEx. It’s a Japanese service, and some foreign credit cards may get rejected. If that happens, Klook is a good alternative.

Local transportation:

You can always buy individual tickets at the station, but getting an IC card is much more convenient. You can charge it with money and tap in and out at most train stations, buses, and even pay at convenience stores like Family Mart, Lawson, and 7-Eleven.

IC cards were hard to find for a while due to a chip shortage, but since March 1, 2025, travelers can buy them normally again. You can get your IC card:

• Directly in Japan, at the ticket machine or counters
• Through official resellers like Japan Experience
• As a digital IC card on your phone
• Through the official Welcome Suica Mobile app launched March 6, 2025 (probably the simplest way and the one I recommend, but only available to iPhone users at the time of writing)

Food and Dining: Infinite Options

According to JNTO’s data, food typically represents around 20–25% of total travel expenses.

Japanese cuisine offers a huge range, from budget options to high-end gastronomic experiences:

• Budget meals (ramen shops, donburi chains, convenience stores): ¥700–¥1300 per meal
• Mid-range restaurants (including conveyor-belt sushi): ¥1,500–¥3,000 per meal
• Casual izakaya (Japanese style restaurant) dining: ¥3,000–¥7,000 per person including drinks
• Fine dining: from ¥12,000 per person for entry-level fine dining, ¥25,000 for mid-range options, ¥50,000+ at high-end establishments.

If you go for a balanced approach (mostly budget to mid-range meals, a few izakaya, and one special dinner), you should budget around ¥70,000 per person for two weeks. This comes to roughly ¥5,000 per day per person.

Insider Tip: Dining Strategy

Clients and friends often ask me for restaurant recommendations. However, when I suggest places that don’t appear on popular “best-of” lists or don’t have hundreds of 5-star Google reviews, my recommendations usually get ignored. But here’s what I tell them:

• A good rating in Japan is actually between 3 and 4 stars. So don’t worry if a restaurant has only 3 stars, because it’s already considered good here.
• It’s extremely hard to have a bad meal in Japan. Since I moved to Tokyo in early 2019, I’ve personally never had one, even at budget restaurants. Standards for food quality are consistently high.
• Popular places often have long lines. It’s pretty normal to wait 30 minutes to one hour just to get inside a trendy restaurant. Take this into account in your schedule.
• Personally, I often pick restaurants for their atmosphere. Old-school restaurants run by friendly elderly people serving generous portions, mostly frequented by locals, with an 80s-Japan vibe—you can’t find anything more authentic. For us non-Japanese travelers, these are golden experiences. Honestly, these are the places you’ll remember more than the fancy ramen spot everyone lines up for. But of course, those mom-and-pop restaurants never appear on “best restaurant” lists.
• When you’re short on time, it’s late at night, or you just don’t want to spend too much, I often recommend donburi (rice bowls) chains like Yoshinoya, Matsuya, and Sukiya. They’re cheap (¥700–¥1,200), easy to find everywhere, quick, good, and most are open 24/7.

Activities and Entrance Fees: Cultural Experiences

Japan offers a wide range of cultural experiences and attractions, with something for every interest and budget. Here’s a rough breakdown of what you can expect to pay (per person):

• Major temples and shrines: free to ¥300–¥600
• Museums: ¥500–¥1,500
• Major attractions (Tokyo Skytree, teamLab exhibits): ¥3,000–¥4,000
• Major theme parks (USJ, Tokyo Disney): ¥8,000–¥15,000
• Touristy group cultural experiences: ¥3,000–¥10,000
• Authentic private cultural experiences: ¥14,000–¥50,000

Your activities budget will really depend on your interests. You could easily spend nothing by sticking to free activities (walking around the city, enjoying parks, visiting temples with no entrance fee), but you’d be missing out on a big part of what makes Japan so special.

According to JNTO, visitors spend on average only about 5% of their total budget on entertainment services. That’s a shame, in my opinion, because cultural experiences are often what people describe as the “highlight of their trip”.

My recommendation is to bump your budget from ¥20,000 (5% of ¥400,000) to between ¥50,000 and ¥100,000, and allow yourself one or two deep authentic experiences. As for where and how to find them, see my tip below.

Insider Tip: Experience Strategy

If you’re interested in doing something authentic and in-depth, I highly recommend doing a Wabunka experience during your trip. Most big platforms like Klook or GetYourGuide focus on volume—they list everything, everywhere, and end up with a lot of experiences that feel touristy*. Wabunka is the opposite. They focus on quality. All their experiences are private (no mixed groups), led by real artists, monks, or artisans, recognized in their field, and guests are accompanied by a professional guide interpreter when the host doesn’t speak English.

I’ve been working with them as part of my freelance work in the travel industry here in Japan, and I’ve tried several of their experiences (like this chopstick-making experience or this kintsugi one) and can confidently say their offering is the best you can find in Japan currently. If you want to discover Japanese culture beyond surface level, at least one Wabunka experience should be on your itinerary.

Here are a few of my favorite picks:

• Make a Temple-stamp Journal with Centuries-Old Woodblock Prints in Kyoto
• Nakamura Tokichi, Uji Authentic Tea Ceremony Experience with Hands-on Green Tea Milling
• Personalize Your Own Japanese Knife & Hone in a Premier World Hone Production Region
• Maiko Tea and Entertainment with Behind-the-Scenes Insights at Kyoto’s Oldest Geisha District

*Note: not saying experiences on those platforms are bad. Klook is an excellent activity and tour booking platform that I often recommend, with a huge selection of things to do in Japan and easy booking process (especially for booking popular attractions like Universal Studios Japan or teamLab). And they have countless of fun cultural experiences, especially for budget travelers. But most are designed for tourists, and often lack this “authenticity” factor. It’s like watching dolphins in an aquarium. It’s fun. Dolphins are cute. But it’s not the same as playing with them in their natural environment. The result is similar, but the experience is totally different.

Best Way to Book Experiences and Tickets to Attractions

• I mentioned Wabunka above, the best platform to book private and deep, authentic experiences. You should do at least one during your trip.
• Klook is the best platform to buy tickets for popular attractions. They also have a large selection of group experiences and tours, with varying price and quality.
• Viator also have a good selection of group experiences and tours, often higher quality than Klook’s. If you don’t have the budget for Wabunka, use Viator.

Shopping and Souvenirs: “Shut Up and Take My Money”

According to JNTO’s data, travelers typically spend about 15% of their budget on shopping. That’s roughly the same as transportation expenses, around ¥40,000–¥60,000 for a ¥400,000 budget.

But shopping budgets vary greatly based on personal interests and preferences. To give you an idea, here are some popular souvenirs and their typical costs:

• Small traditional items (chopsticks, tenugui cloths): ¥500–¥2,000
• Mid-range gifts (folding fans, small ceramics): ¥1,500–¥4,000
• Premium items (quality ceramics, kitchen knives, traditional crafts): ¥5000–¥20,000 or more

Do visit Don Qujiote (usually called Donki), Daiso, Tokyu Hands, and other popular big chains for souvenir shopping. But don’t forget to visit flea markets and smaller stores, especially artisan shops, or small local brands and resellers. You will find those stores while walking around.

Insider Tip: Shopping Strategy

• Don’t arrive in Japan with a fully packed suitcase. Or be prepared to buy another one here. Trust me, you’ll need extra space for those bulky Gundam boxes, carefully wrapped ceramics, and other souvenirs you’ll inevitably buy.
• With the yen currently weak, it’s also a good idea to shop for clothes from Japanese brands. Uniqlo offers excellent basic clothing at very affordable prices. Although you might have Uniqlo stores in your country, the prices in Japan are significantly lower (similar to how Zara is cheaper in Spain or Gap is cheaper in the US). And consider exploring high-quality Japanese brands typically unavailable abroad, such as Beams, Nanamica, Momotaro, Needles, Wacko Maria, and many more.
• Lastly, buying traditional Japanese products, like a quality kitchen knife (or even better, meeting the artisans and making your own knife through an authentic cultural experience) or Japanese ceramics, is also highly recommended. You can even find antique ceramics dating back to the Edo period (1603–1868), typically priced between ¥20,000 and ¥50,000.

The Bottom Line

In the end, the real question isn’t how much a trip to Japan costs. It’s how you want to spend your time and money while you’re here. The numbers are just a framework. The choices are yours.