Our 42 days in Japan went by so fast! We absolutely loved Japan, and are sooooo glad we were able to include Japan in this year’s travels. We started in Tokyo, then went up to Hokkaido to see the Daisetzusan and Sapporo, before heading down to Kyoto for an extended stay. Then to the Japanese Alps and the Nakasendo trail before heading back to Tokyo.
Japan can be a pretty expensive country, particularly the more luxe accommodations and trains. However, you can easily get good, private accommodations for $70/night in any city, ramen and curry is inexpensive and public transportation in cheap. But it’s worth splurging on a couple Ryokans and high speed trains because there’s nothing else like it! Japan is one of our favorite countries so far, and we can’t wait to come back!
Favorite things about Japan
- Food! Ramen, soba, sushi, udon, mochi, curry, rice, snacks. What’s not to love?
- The pure uniqueness. Japan is such a unique place to experience, yet still very accessible. It’s very developed and has plenty of comfort, but has its own traditions, customs and culture.
- People are so friendly and polite. They say the British are great queuers, but nobody is even in the same class as the Japanese. Everything is organized, orderly, easy and just plain wonderful.
- Tokyo was our favorite city, hands down. We could, somewhat surprisingly, see ourselves living in Tokyo.
- Kaiseki meals at Ryokans were an incredible experience. Though we did get a little stiff sitting on the floor, stuffing ourselves.
- Public Transportation in Japan is the best we’ve ever experienced. The JR pass was crucial so we could ride a lot of trains. We spent $930 on 2 week passes and got $1,900 worth of train trips.
- National Parks in Hokkaido. We didn’t see many international tourists in Hokkaido (nothing like Kyoto).
Cost of Japan as a couple
| Spending Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lodging | $3,352 |
| Food | $1,849 |
| Train Tickets (incl 2 week JR passes) | $1,273 |
| Local Transportation | $592 |
| Activities | $359 |
| Insurance & Misc Bills | $230 |
| Sim Cards x2 (+ extra data) | $100 |
| Total | $7,755 |
Our total per day spending in Japan was $185 / day
This only excludes the flight from Costa Rica, which was $128 + 75,000 miles for two tickets.