Japan is Not That Expensive

For years, the majority of Westerners have heard that Japan is pricey with regard to food, lodging, and travel. The total expense is enormous. Of course, the truth is much more nuanced than that, and it should be. To claim that traveling to Japan is expensive is like to stating that traveling to America is expensive. If you stay in posh hotels in Manhattan and eat at Michelin-starred establishments, it might be. What if you don't, though?

At least one foreign visitor who had avoided Japan because of its costs did so in 2021. She was able to travel, eat, and sleep in Japan for $95 per day based on her trips, which included stops in Kyoto, Hakone, and several other locations between Tokyo and Osaka. That travel spending cap is fairly acceptable.

In Japan, travel is frequently made more expensive than it should be. Obviously, the costs at fancier places will be greater. Tourist districts in larger cities, like Tokyo, are frequently more expensive than in smaller ones. It worsens, though. It has been discovered that websites like Booking.com charge up to 37% more for hotel rooms than Japanese booking websites do. As a result, some of the cost of living in the nation has been artificially inflated.

These expenses go beyond travel. Tokyo is more affordable to live in than many large Western cities. A two-bedroom apartment in Tokyo costs 40% less than one in San Francisco. Less than in London by 23%. Of course, everywhere may be pricey, even Japan. The widespread misconception that Japan is usually more expensive doesn't make sense.