Our Real Japan Budget: 22 Days, Every Yen Planned

What three weeks in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka costs when you book everything yourself. Flights, hotels, trains, food and theme parks, line by line.

This is our planned budget, built from real bookings and current prices. We travel in January 2027 and will update every line with what we actually spent.

Who this budget is for

We are two adults and one child under six, traveling in January without a tour or a travel agent. If you are traveling as a couple, these numbers are close to yours: young children ride free on Japan's trains and get into many sights for free. If you are bringing grandkids, the theme park section is for you.

The route

Twenty-two days, four bases, no daily packing. We stay put for four to eight nights at a time and do day trips from each base: Uji from Kyoto, Nara and Kobe from Osaka, and Mt Fuji from Tokyo.

Why JanuaryOnce the New Year holiday is over, January is one of Japan's quietest months. It is cold, but the skies are often clear, which helps if you want to see Mt Fuji.

The full budget

Item	Yen	US$
Flights Already paid	¥990,000	6,600
Hotels 21 nights, four hotels	¥456,212	2,887
Booked before we fly	¥1,446,212	9,153
Bullet trains Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and back	¥80,000	533
Local trains and buses Two adults, child free	¥27,000	180
Theme parks Tokyo Disney and Universal Studios Japan	¥76,500	510
Sights Aquarium, museums, temples	¥40,000	267
Food Lunch and dinner; breakfast is included	¥235,000	1,567
Shopping and souvenirs	¥75,000	500
Snacks and small extras	¥20,000	133
Spent in Japan	¥553,500	3,503
Total trip	¥1,999,712	12,656

Where the money goes in Japan

Spending on the ground, US$, 22 days. Flights and hotels not included.

Flights: more than half the trip

Long-haul flights were our single biggest cost at $6,600. We booked them first and built everything else around those dates. If you are flexible, moving your dates by a few days usually saves more than any other change in this budget.

Hotels: four bases, $137 a night on average

Tokyo skyline at dusk with Tokyo Tower lit up — Tokyo at duskStock photo · Unsplash

Hotel	Nights	Total	Per night
Tosei Hotel Cocone Ueno Okachimachi Tokyo, Ueno	8	$1,311	$164
The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji Kyoto	5	$423	$85
Fraser Residence Nankai Namba Osaka, Namba	4	$756	$189
Ryogoku View Hotel Tokyo, Ryogoku	4	$502	$126

We chose neighborhoods with a station a short walk away rather than the busiest districts. Ueno and Ryogoku cost less than Shinjuku or Ginza and are still a few stops from everything. In Osaka we picked a serviced apartment in Namba for the extra space. All four hotels include breakfast, so our food budget only covers lunch and dinner.

Before you bookCheck whether the room rate is charged in yen or in your home currency, and when. One of our hotels charges automatically in US dollars a week before arrival.

Getting around: $713 for trains

Shinsekai street in Osaka with Tsutenkaku Tower and colorful shop signs — Shinsekai, OsakaStock photo · Unsplash

Bullet trains between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are the second-largest line in Japan at about $533. Everything else, from city subways to buses, adds up to only about $180 for two adults over three weeks. Most single rides in Tokyo cost ¥180 to ¥210.

Suica on your phone. We set up a digital Suica card in Apple Wallet before flying. You tap in and out of trains and can pay at convenience stores.
Arrival day. From Haneda to Ueno, the train costs ¥620 per person and takes about 50 minutes with one change. A taxi costs roughly ¥6,000 to ¥8,000. After a long flight with luggage, the taxi is worth considering.
Children under six ride free on public transport.

Food: about $68 a day for the family

A narrow Tokyo alley of small restaurants lit by paper lanterns — A lantern-lit alley of small restaurants, TokyoStock photo · Unsplash

We set aside ¥235,000 for lunches and dinners, about ¥10,700 a day. Japan makes this easy: good food at every price, and quick, cheap options everywhere.

First-night dinner from a convenience store: about ¥1,500.
Conveyor-belt sushi lunch with touch-screen ordering: about ¥4,000.
Ramen dinner: about ¥6,000.
Pork cutlet dinner at an 11-seat counter: about ¥8,000, booked ahead online.

Booking small restaurantsMany of the best small places have only a handful of seats. Several take reservations in English through TableCheck. Others are walk-in only, so arrive before opening to avoid a long wait. Some small places only take cash.

Theme parks with kids or grandkids: $510

This is where a family budget jumps. We plan a day at Tokyo Disneyland, a day at DisneySea with a paid fast pass for the most popular ride, and a day at Universal Studios Japan including Super Nintendo World. Traveling without children? Drop this line and save $510.

Cash and cards

Cards work in most hotels, chains and department stores, but small restaurants and temples often want cash. 7-Eleven ATMs accept foreign Visa and Mastercard cards, and there are currency exchange counters at Haneda airport.

Where we'd save, and where we wouldn't

Easy savings

Skip the theme parks if there are no children: $510.
Halve the shopping line: $250.
Eat your main meal at lunch, when set menus are cheaper.

Not worth cutting

A hotel near the station. Less walking with luggage and an easy rest in the afternoon.
The 15% buffer. Exchange rates move, and so do plans.
Reservations at small restaurants. A long queue in January cold is no fun.

What happens next

After the trip we'll publish the real numbers next to these, line by line, plus what we'd change. Subscribe to The Weekly Go and you'll get the update first.