Travel cost from US to Japan?

[Baconpancake]

Me and a friend decided next summer we might take a trip to Tokyo, And check out Akibara, And some other tourist spots. I noticed however it was particularly expensive to fly to Japan, Plus hotels etc makes it cost quite a bit. 

 

I was wondering if anyone has been to Japan, And if you can share some tips on saving cash getting there and back, And about how much it cost you in total to go Thanks I really appreciate it! 

[Guest]

For how long ?

I'd say, plane ticket will be at least 1000 $ (back and forth, but it may be more).

And you can sleep for 40-50$ a night in some pretty decent inns. Food doesn't cost that much and when it comes to transportation, I'd say you'll have to pay an average of 10$ per day in Tokyo. Very rough estimation. And it really depends where you want to go. Then you have all the extra costs for visits and purchases

And btw, Akihabara really isn't that big ^^"

[OriginalRen]

For the summer? Around 1,200 - 1,400 dollars round trip. Hotels are usually around 6,000 - 8,000 yen a night, and if you stay right at the Washington Hotel in Akihabara, it will probably be on the latter end of that price range.

 

As for the total cost of food, 20,000 yen is plenty for eating out every single day in the area for 2 weeks. There are many types of restaurants, but the cheapest is Matsuya which charges around 320 yen for a large plate of curry, some miso soup, and unlimited water. It isn't the highest quality food, but it does fill you up quite nice. In addition, Saizeriya (Italian) is usually pretty cheap (around 1,000 yen a full meal), and there is always fast food if that sparks your interest as well. Ueno is also very close to Akihabara (2 stops north on the Yamanote line), and they have tons of sit down places to eat, including a Hard Rock Cafe.

 

As for buying goods? Check out any of the videos in my YouTube playlist for all your needs:

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6n03oSuMrzALNAWDnBN-cQcnefsBbfXW

 

Specifically, check out the ultimate otaku videos. Parts 1 & 2 have a large majority of the stores and links to them.

 

Finally, for visiting other areas, look into a commuter train pass, which includes all of the Tokyo Metro lines. It allows unlimited use of the lines and is the best option for tourists. This will get you all over Tokyo:

 

http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/types/pass

 

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Flights: $1,300

Hotel (2 weeks): 98,000 yen

Train Rides: Check site listed above

Food: 20,000 yen per person (if you want to eat out everyday)

Goodies: Your own choice

 

Grand Total: ~ 277,000 yen

[astro]

If you want to be frugal (and I mean really frugal) then:

 

One week trip

Plane ticket: $1200

Sleep at internet cafe: $15/night (OR) Capsule Hotel: $30/night

Shop at Lawson's for all your food: $70

Transportation: $200-300

 

So you're looking at ~$1700 + Akiba spending money per person for one week

[firecat]

the real cost + the currency % will be about:

 

eastern side = $1000+

 

in the middle of the usa = $900+

 

western side of the usa = $700+

 

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hotel: under 3 stars = under $100

 

hotel: 3 stars and 4 stars = over $100 - $500

 

hotel: 5 star = $120 (if you lucky to find it) through $500+

 

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right now $1 = 122.26¥

 

basic math to remember (or write it down), also yes the decimal counts

 

$0.01 = 1.22¥

 

$0.05 = 6.11¥

 

$0.10 = 12.23¥

 

$0.25 = 30.57¥

 

$0.50 = 61.13¥

 

$5 = 611.30¥

 

$10 = 1222.60¥

 

$20 = 2445.20¥

 

$50 = 6113.00¥

 

$100 = 12226.00¥

 

rate might change so keep a look out but for the most time its doing well so nothing to worry about.

 

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best thing to do?

 

go to the west (any is fine), get a 4 star hotel (rates will apply), trade usa money for yen (its never a good idea to use any cards outside the usa), and have fun.

[XReaper]

make your way somehow to the harbour & try getting on a ship, most preferable one would be a tanker which could take you there almost for free, simply by working off the costs in there during the ride, like in the engine room for exmaple. #BackpackersSecretTechniqueNo5

[astro]

basic math to remember (or write it down)

Me and a friend decided next summer...

 

Not like the exchange rates are gonna change drastically over the course of a year, seeing how 'well' Japan's economy is doing compared to the US 

[Zalor]

If you want to be frugal (and I mean really frugal) then:

 

One week trip

Plane ticket: $1200

Sleep at internet cafe: $15/night (OR) Capsule Hotel: $30/night

Shop at Lawson's for all your food: $70

Transportation: $200-300

 

So you're looking at ~$1700 + Akiba spending money per person for one week

 

Doing that is truly doing things Otaku style.

[Deep Blue]

a capsule is one thing, it is tiny and bla bla but it is a proper bed! I cannot image how terrible would be to sleep inside internet cafe little cubicle, it sounds awful :/ I mean if you don't have at least that little extra money to make the trip from the start then just don't go or save more money and go next year.

 

http://youinjapan.net/sleeping/internet_cafe.php

[Baconpancake]

make your way somehow to the harbour & try getting on a ship, most preferable one would be a tanker which could take you there almost for free, simply by working off the costs in there during the ride, like in the engine room for exmaple. #BackpackersSecretTechniqueNo5

I was thinking that it would be nice to take a ship, Or something like that for a less expensive travel distance...Not sure how to do that however I wouldn't have a clue where to look or who to ask. 

 

Also thanks for all the awesome replies everyone! This helps a lot  

[astro]

I was thinking that it would be nice to take a ship, Or something like that for a less expensive travel distance...Not sure how to do that however I wouldn't have a clue where to look or who to ask. 

 

Also thanks for all the awesome replies everyone! This helps a lot

It's cheaper to fly to China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, and then fly to Japan from there after a layover.