In Japan 2 Weeks, How Much Will It Cost?
Recently, Naomi B posed this question on Yahoo Answers.Com:
I will be in Japan for 2 weeks in July. How much money (roughly) will I need? I have the rail pass. So its really to eat, sleep (some drinking!) and to get into places.
Ms. Naomi received some pretty good replies from people who obviously have some experience traveling in Japan so it was pretty cool to see the figures. Of course, her question brought on a bit of nostalgia and also got me a little curious as to how much I had spent during my own 2-week excursion to Japan. As a result, I pulled out my “Japan Trip File” from 2008 and took a look at the finances.
1. Passport … $145.00 but includes $45.00 expedition fee
2. Airfare … $750.00 a pretty good deal at the time through the student travel website STA Travel.
3. Travel Insurance … $75.00 also through STA Travel.
4. 7-day Japan Railpass … $235.00 also through STA Travel.
5. Accommodations … $500.00 mostly hostels through Hostelworld.com and Hostels.com.
6. Cellphone rental … $170.00 through Vodaphone as operated through VerizonWireless.
7. Money budgeted out for meals … $400.00
8. Money budgeted out for miscellaneous travel and entry fees … $100.00
9. Miscellaneous spending money … $500.00
All told, it looks like I spent approximately $2800.00 for the 2-week trip. Compared to the answers Naomi B received over at Yahoo, this sounds about right.
This year I will most likely stick with the same budget plus an extra 10-15% to cover the cost of the decreased value of the dollar against the yen. (Yeppers, folks, its a good idea to keep an eye on the currency exchange rate. That’s why I’ve included the Yahoo currency converter in the right sidebar of this site. =====>)
I saved a lot of money by utilizing hostels in both Tokyo and Nara but I also splurged a little on a ryokan in Asakusa. With the addition of my son to the mix this time around, I’ll most likely stick to hotels which I’ll research on Hotels.com and Expedia.com. Our airfare has already been purchased and following the same route from Northwest Florida, through Atlanta into Narita airport in Tokyo, I find prices have increased by approximately $100.00. I suggest keeping an eye on STA Travel if you are a student, as their airfares were the most competitive last year. As I understand it, however, their rules have changed slightly from last year til now. Last year required only that you be a student where this year they’ve implemented the “under 26″ age rule on some airfares. Check it out anyway…you never know.
As for renting a cellphone, this year I will most likely skip this step. My previous carrier did not accommodate international calling and/or roaming so I was pretty much forced to rent. The most convenient source was Verizon Wireless as I had an acquaintance with a Verizon account that allowed me access. Verizon is set up with the Japanese wireless company, Vodaphone. I was charged a $50.00 security deposit and the Japanese mobile phone was sent to me next-day air, arriving at my home just about a week before I was scheduled to depart. The mobile plan covered incoming and outcoming calls at $1.99/minute. Sound expensive? It is. I was paranoid, however, and decided I just couldn’t be halfway around the world, away from my family without a mobile means of communication. I used the phone mostly to make plans with friends who would show me around the city and a few very short phone calls home. While I didn’t use it a lot, the fees rack up pretty quickly.
I’m advised this year to use Skype as a better solution. Skype uses VoIP (voice over IP technology) that allows you to make and receive phone calls by computer, using a standard headset with microphone. Since I will be taking my laptop with me I’ll use Skype as the primary means of calling home or communicating with friends. I’ve also switched mobile carriers and according to my phone call with Sprint this past Saturday, my phone is international roaming capable. Again, at $1.99/minute, I will use this solution only in cases of emergency.
As for the other budget items in my list, it looks like I was pretty frugal in my spending. As a result, I will utilize most of the same cost-saving measures I used then. As we move closer to the time of departure this year, I will definitely be doing more research and setting out my results here, to share with everyone who might be reading.
