The data above is based on surveys done by the Japan National Tourism Organization in 2024 with Americans visiting Japan. As you can see, US tourists spend an average of 21,000 to 23,000 yen per day for both short trips (3 days) and long trips (3 weeks). While in reality how much someone spends per day can vary wildly between superbudgeters and superspenders, the data above can still give you an idea of what an average person spends.

As in all things, the cheapest options mean you need to be pretty open-minded, to be willing to walk rather than take buses or trains, sleep in a shared dormitory in a hostel that is out of the way, and to hit supermarkets for your daily meals rather than go to restaurants. The opposite is true for travelers with money to burn, as it is very easy to get the absolute best of everything, from traveling in comfort to eating at the very best restaurants, and staying in stunning hotels!

To get a more specific perspective on the recommended budget for Japan, the following are the maximum claimable per diem rates according to the US Department of State's website (as of July 2025). These can serve as a reference point for relative expenses in major tourist areas around Japan.

For accommodation the cheapest option will always be a friend’s sofa, followed by hostels and guesthouses, though you can sometimes find a very good deal with business hotels. In particular, look for deals that include breakfast, as hotel breakfasts in Japan tend to be really good, and plentiful, allowing you to offset the cost of breakfast. Business hotels (usually three star) are an unsung hero in this respect, the rooms may be small and basic but they do tend to offer buffet breakfasts with a lot of food on offer. It depends on your appetite, but you can easily eat enough to cover both your breakfast and lunch. Another money saver is to try a capsule hotel, but sometimes these can be a bit hit and miss in regards to cost.

Excluding hotel buffet breakfasts, your next best option requires a bit of forethought, but is basically supermarket food. If you check out supermarkets the night before, you will find that bento prices and bread products tend to be fairly cheap, and as the evening goes on, they can get quite heavily discounted. In particular, a bread product for breakfast and a cut-price bento for lunch will really set you up for the next day.

When it comes to lunch, your other options include ramen or Japanese fast food, like at a restaurant chain (for example, Yoshinoya or Matsuya). If you look around, you can easily find many restaurants that offer a lunch set for an inexpensive price (more or less 1,000 yen), and these sets can usually satisfy even the biggest of appetites. For dinner, an izakaya (Japanese style pub) is fairly cheap and will allow you to try quite a wide variety of dishes, while family restaurants can have cheap meals – but again, the cheapest food will be supermarket bentos and sandwiches.

It is normal to assume that if you are on a small budget, it will be hard to visit anywhere, but actually, it is possible to visit many spots for no or little money, including observation floors on tall buildings like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, or even just by walking around the different amazing places which are free to see, like the Asakusa area.

You are only limited by your imagination, and not your wallet, in regard to what you can see. For wherever you plan to visit, check out information on parks, temples, neighborhoods, etc., for places you can visit absolutely free of charge. At different times of the year, in different places, there are festivals which are free to join, and of course, there are museums, art galleries, and even zoos which are free to enter. You can certainly enjoy areas like Ginza without spending a penny; sometimes, just window shopping can be fun in itself.

It can be hard to walk around Tokyo, or within Japan, as stations and bus stops can be quite far apart, but to a certain extent, you can walk and then use a train or bus just to travel the minimum amount of time that you need to. Travelling a small distance costs less than 200 yen.

Alternatively, you can get a metro pass or train pass and then just make sure you make the maximum use of it that you can; you will be surprised at how many places you can visit in one day if you are strict with yourself! If you really want to visit other cities, then your cheapest options will be either an overnight highway busy, or a very, very long journey by regular train. Otherwise, you can bite the bullet and get a JR Train Pass and make sure you visit every single stop it goes to – or that you take advantage of its network to travel as far as you can (for example, all the way north to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto or all the way south to Kagoshimachuo, and everywhere inbetween).

With a bigger budget a lot more accommodation options become available. You can find many great deals at business hotels, and even four star hotels. The best ones include a breakfast deal, and even a business hotel breakfast will be delicious with a great spread!

For lunch you can try brilliant lunchtime deals at restaurants, cafes and family restaurants, or even slightly pricier yakiniku or tempura deals. While in the evening you can try any of the above, including izakayas and specialist restaurants which offer up amazing dishes using a variety of ingredients including tofu, wagyu beef or soba noodles.

You can enjoy many sightseeing spots, including the free ones recommended above, and also entry paying venues such as Disneyland. For a small fee, you can go to the top of Tokyo Skytree, or buy a train pass like the 3-day Tokyo Wide Pass to visit famous sightseeing spots near Tokyo like Mt. Fuji and Nikko. With a bigger budget all kinds of different metro passes and train passes can be bought and utilized for different day trips and longer journeys.

With a bigger budget, it goes without saying that you need to get the JR Train Pass and see all of the major cities and sights of Japan. There are also more and more budget flights becoming available; these are certainly no-thrill rides, but as they fly between the same major airports, they are a good option for getting quickly between places too.

With a large budget you can enjoy superb ryokan stays, or 4-5 star hotels, either or both of which may include onsens and gyms. By staying somewhere like here the whole experience becomes less about just having a place to sleep and more of an experience within itself, customer service being what it is in Japan you will find your every need satisfied. In addition they tend to be situated in really convenient places and are easy to find.

Furthermore, breakfast at a ryokan or high-class hotel seems to have been raised to a whole new level, and will probably leave you full past lunchtime! If somehow you are hungry at lunch then you can consider having something delicious like sushi. For dinner, it is safe to say that the more expensive restaurants tend to be high up, so for example in Roppongi you will end up fairly high off the ground. Other options include Blue Note Tokyo, an extremely classy jazz venue in Aoyama, as well as dinner at hotel restaurants.

For sightseeing, you can experience travelling by express trains and taxis; however, most places you can visit are either free or can be entered for a low fee, in this way Japan is quite an equal society! You can’t miss shopping in Ginza or Roppongi, and you must experience department store shopping at somewhere like Takashimaya in Nihonbashi.

The most convenient mode of travel is to hire a sightseeing taxi; the driver will show you around town and tell you about the different spots, and can accommodate your own personal schedule. In addition with a higher budget you may want to get a two or three week JR train pass and really explore Japan from the comfort of a fast bullet train. You can also enjoy fast flights between all the major cities of Japan.

Whether you’re traveling on a shoestring, enjoying a balanced mid-range trip, or splurging on once-in-a-lifetime experiences, Japan offers endless ways to make your visit unforgettable. The key is knowing your priorities, whether that’s savoring world-class cuisine, discovering hidden gems, or simply soaking up the atmosphere of Tokyo’s bustling streets. With a little planning, your budget can work hard for you, no matter its size, and help you create memories that are worth far more than the yen you spend.