Traveling to Japan in December

[RickOShay]

I suggest you look into buying the "JR pass" you just pay a flat fee and you can use the shinkansen and most of the local trains all you want. If you are going to be on the move a lot it is a must in my opinion. Saved me 50% in travel costs one year that I came to visit.

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by RickOShay

I suggest you look into buying the "JR pass" you just pay a flat fee and you can use the shinkansen and most of the local trains all you want. If you are going to be on the move a lot it is a must in my opinion. Saved me 50% in travel costs one year that I came to visit.

Ditto... last time I bought one, it was 28,300 yen (still is) but in the 7 days I used it, I racked up the equivalent of 74,560 yen worth of rides.... definitely worth it for me and all I did was go to Nikko, Nagahama, Shizuoka and Kyoto and the local Tokyo train rides.

[JBaymore]

The JR Railpasses are the way to go if you are doing stuff like Tokyo to Kyoto and back (or vice versa). The shinkansen trains are fast..... and why waste time traveling on trains using locals to save a few bucks? (If you are staying in eastern Japan long.... make sure to check out the JR East railpass options too.)

In Kyoto and Tokyo.... I'd be looking at the potential food budget you have. Now, for SURE you can eat very cheaply; there are tons of little noodle shops, stand-up ramen places, cheap isakaya, and other such. God forbid... there are McDonalds, Mosburgers, and Starbucks too .

But one of the best things about Japan is the food. In Kyoto kaiseki cusine is phenomonal .... but typically is expensive for the good stuff in the good locations. Really good tempura and sushi and sashimi are all also expensive. And something like the good kobe beef in a good place...... you often need a mortgage .

Yes... you can find cheap kaiten sushi that is far better than most resturant stuff here in the USA........ but sushi from a good place makes that kaiten stuff seem pretty mediocre too.

A couple small bottles of good Nihionshu and a pile of yakitori or kushiage in an izakaya in Tokyo or Kyoto for dinner can easily run up a bill of 4000 円 or more. With the current crappy exhange rate..... that comes to something like $50 - 60 USD. While a great dining experience...... and often some GREAT food...... that is not exactly a top end resteraunt.

If this is a "big deal" trip.....then try to plan so that you are not always wishing that you were able to do the things that you want to do. Save the pennies before you go.

best,

...................john

[MMM]

Originally Posted by RickOShay

I suggest you look into buying the "JR pass" you just pay a flat fee and you can use the shinkansen and most of the local trains all you want. If you are going to be on the move a lot it is a must in my opinion. Saved me 50% in travel costs one year that I came to visit.

"Most" is a subjective term. The last time I was in Tokyo, the subway was much more convenient than the Yamanote line, and I ended up riding non-JR trains 75% of the time.

The same is true in Kansai. JR is the largest train line, but there is Hanshin and Hankyu railways, as well as subway lines.

I just want to make sure people, especially newbies, understand that not all trains are JR and use the pass.

[RickOShay]

Originally Posted by MMM

"Most" is a subjective term. The last time I was in Tokyo, the subway was much more convenient than the Yamanote line, and I ended up riding non-JR trains 75% of the time.

The same is true in Kansai. JR is the largest train line, but there is Hanshin and Hankyu railways, as well as subway lines.

I just want to make sure people, especially newbies, understand that not all trains are JR and use the pass.

That is very true, but a lot of people want to hit major cities etc while on their trip here, and well, basically what I wanted to communicate is.. if you are going to being using, or wanting to use the bullet train a good amount of your time in Japan, the JR pass is probably the best deal you can get.

[RickOShay]

Actually what the OP needs to do it calculate the amount he will spend traveling using this website:Hyperdia | 乗換案内 路線検索 時刻表 ゴルフ場 旅費精算 通勤費なら and then determine if he will save money by purchasing a JR rail pass.

Be advised OP though, non JR lines, like many subways as MMM mention are not included in the JR pass.. so calculate accordingly.

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by RickOShay

Actually what the OP needs to do it calculate the amount he will spend traveling using this website:Hyperdia | 乗換案内 路線検索 時刻表 ゴルフ場 旅費精算 通勤費なら and then determine if he will save money by purchasing a JR rail pass.

Be advised OP though, non JR lines, like many subways as MMM mention are not included in the JR pass.. so calculate accordingly.

In Tokyo, basically, the rule of thumb is: if the train runs underground, it's not part of Japan Rail (JR). Out of the 13 or so lines that run in Tokyo, roughly half run underground. Of course, one won't know until they get there if they do or not, but a simple look at a Tokyo transport map online can give you an idea.

There are many apps out there for the smart phones now that can give you the best routes from station to station in Tokyo. Some don't even have to be connected to the internet, so you won't have to use the phone in Japan.

[RealJames]

I spend 100$ a day on food and random stuff and I'm not even on vacation lol, this is everyday life.
I go out with my gf to eat nearly every night, that's about 6000yen just for that. Then lunch and whatever else I do quickly adds up to 100$ easily.
My lifestyle is decent though.

If I were visiting Japan, I'd budget 200$ a day excluding hotels, most days you'll spend only 100 but you need to know that when something is expensive, it's like nose-bleed expensive, and tourists often get sucked into them.

By the way, price differences between lunch meals and dinner meals are huge!

The kushikatsu place near my house which I love to death is 1200yen for all you can eat 70mins + 210yen for all you can drink at lunch time. For dinner it's 2500yen all you can eat, and there's a silly little dish of nonsense everyone has to buy that costs like 300yen per person. More than double easily! And this is a low-end restaurant, not even close to a pricey or nice place.

I recommend eating out for lunch (or breakfast if you are waking up on holiday-schedule and eating in for dinners, convenience store foods are quite good actually compared to what I was used to in the west.

If you take taxis, there's a new kind of taxi these days with a 500 on the roof, they are WAY cheaper than all the other ones, the starting fare is 500yen and the meter goes up much much slower.

[RickOShay]

Originally Posted by RealJames

I spend 100$ a day on food and random stuff and I'm not even on vacation lol, this is everyday life.
I go out with my gf to eat nearly every night, that's about 6000yen just for that. Then lunch and whatever else I do quickly adds up to 100$ easily.
My lifestyle is decent though.

If I were visiting Japan, I'd budget 200$ a day excluding hotels, most days you'll spend only 100 but you need to know that when something is expensive, it's like nose-bleed expensive, and tourists often get sucked into them.

By the way, price differences between lunch meals and dinner meals are huge!

The kushikatsu place near my house which I love to death is 1200yen for all you can eat 70mins + 210yen for all you can drink at lunch time. For dinner it's 2500yen all you can eat, and there's a silly little dish of nonsense everyone has to buy that costs like 300yen per person. More than double easily! And this is a low-end restaurant, not even close to a pricey or nice place.

I recommend eating out for lunch (or breakfast if you are waking up on holiday-schedule and eating in for dinners, convenience store foods are quite good actually compared to what I was used to in the west.

If you take taxis, there's a new kind of taxi these days with a 500 on the roof, they are WAY cheaper than all the other ones, the starting fare is 500yen and the meter goes up much much slower.

Well to give some contrast to this.. I eat breakfast at home, probably costing 120 yen a day at most, I usually teach at elementary school so lunch is 250 yen, and dinner is cooked by my fiance which probably does not cost more than 1000 yen (ten bucks) for both of us but an average of 750 yen i suppose (including energy costs)... so you do not have to live an 1man yen ($100) a day lifestyle if you do not want to. But as a tourist, if you wanna go cheap there are plenty of routes.. for one.. stick to convenient stores and cheap mom and pop places... I firmly believe that as long as you are not a pig you can eat every meal out in Japan for 600 yen or less, that includes tax and the non-existant tip.

[godwine]

Originally Posted by RickOShay

Well to give some contrast to this.. I eat breakfast at home, probably costing 120 yen a day at most, I usually teach at elementary school so lunch is 250 yen, and dinner is cooked by my fiance which probably does not cost more than 1000 yen (ten bucks) for both of us but an average of 750 yen i suppose (including energy costs)... so you do not have to live an 1man yen ($100) a day lifestyle if you do not want to. But as a tourist, if you wanna go cheap there are plenty of routes.. for one.. stick to convenient stores and cheap mom and pop places... I firmly believe that as long as you are not a pig you can eat every meal out in Japan for 600 yen or less, that includes tax and the non-existant tip.

LOL... but even if he does spend money on food, I will be very suprise if he spend more than USD70 a day... When my wife and I was there, our average was like 60 a day, some days we eat cheap, but even then, we still fill ourselves quite well.

I find Ramen and Yoshinoa a good way to fill myself with decent REAL japanese food on a low budget..