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Traveling Cheaply to and in Japan

	Buying a Cheap Plane Ticket
	Traveling Cheaply in Japan
	Lodging in Japan
	Calling Home from Japan
	Guides to Japan

Most conversions in this sections were done at 115 yen per dollar. The exchange rate fluctuates a lot so you should check the current exchange rate.

In This Section
Plane Tickets
Train Passes

Related Sites
JNTO Travel

Buying a Cheap Plane Ticket

So, how to get to Japan? If you check at the right places you can now get extremely cheap tickets to Japan. The cheapest agencies are usually Navitour USA and IACE Travel but you can sometimes find better deals at HIS USA, JTB USA, or Kintetsu USA. See the "Special Offers" and "Satogaeri" sections for prices. Check a couple of agencies before buying a ticket, prices can sometimes vary $100 or more. Most of these agencies also have offices in Australia and Europe.

The amount of English on the pages varies a lot. Don't give up on MapTour just because there's hardly any English on the page, they may be much cheaper than the others and you can always call them and speak in English.

Samples of how low prices can be include a round trip ticket to Tokyo from Los Angeles at $450 and from New York at only $500, but it depends a lot on the time of year you travel. Be careful that the price you check is for a flight originating in the US ("Satogaeri"). Flights originating in Japan ("Yobiyose") are up to 30% cheaper than ones from the US but unfortunately there's no way to be clever and get the cheaper price, I've tried and they said the first segment of the ticket must be a departure from Japan.

Traveling Cheaply in Japan

Then comes the matter of traveling once you get to Japan. Japan has an extensive train network and because plane flights are very expensive the train is generally the way to go.

Train Passes

If you plan on doing any long distance travel in Japan, even if that means riding the Shinkansen (bullet train) just once, then you'll save money by buying a rail pass. Tourists can buy a Japan Rail Pass that can be used on all JR trains in Japan, i.e. most trains but not the subway. This includes the Shinkansen (bullet train), Tokkyuu (express trains), etc. A pass for seven consecutive days costs 28,300 yen (~$250), about the cost of a round trip Shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Kyoto.

If you're only going to travel in East Japan (Tokyo and north of Tokyo) then the JR East Pass may be a little cheaper at 20,000 yen (16,000 yen if you're 25 or younger). You can choose either a pass for 5 consecutive days or a pass for any 4 days in a 1 month period. But beware that this pass is good only in East Japan, from Tokyo to Aomori on the northern tip of Honshu, but not in Nagoya or anywhere else SW of Tokyo (see Map of JR East).

JR West sells a similar pass good for 4 consecutive days at 20,000 yen which can be used on trains in western Japan (see map of usage area). However it appears this pass can't be used for Kyoto or Nara, which makes it pretty useless to most tourists, and it's not much cheaper than buying a regular Japan Rail Pass.

You must buy these passes before you go to Japan, they cannot be purchased in Japan. They are available at these locations.

Overnight Buses

Another means of traveling that is often cheaper than taking trains are overnight buses. There is an extensive network of these buses in Japan and the fares are cheaper than trains. For example, whereas a Tokyo - Osaka Shinkansen ticket is ~14,000 yen each way you can take an overnight bus for 8,500 yen and also save the money you would have had to spend on a room for the night.

Seishun-jyuuhachi-kippu

The cheapest of all options is the "Seishun-jyuuhachi-kippu" ("18 year old youth's ticket"). Despite the name, this ticket can be used by anyone regardless of age. However I wouldn't recommend this unless you have plenty of time in Japan and don't mind spending a lot of time on the train.

These tickets are sold during student holidays (summer = ~July 20 - September 10, winter = ?????) and cost 12,000 yen for a pack of 5 tickets. Each ticket is good for one calendar day of your choice (they stamp it when you first go on the train that day) and can be used on all regular trains. That means trains you can ride for a normal ticket price, which includes normal trains (stop at every station), express trains, and "special express" trains (a little faster than express). But it doesn't include the "limited express" trains or the Shinkansen.

This makes a big difference because the regular trains are all local trains whereas the others go much longer distances. For example, I went from Osaka to Nagasaki on this ticket and it took 15.5 hours and five changes of train. In contrast to this, if you took Shinkansen and Tokkyuu then you would change trains only once and the trip would take under 5 hours (but cost about 15,000 yen in contrast to the 2,300 yen I paid). However, if you are a normal tourist with only a week or so in Japan then I would recommend a normal train pass because your time is worth more money than you'd save.

Travel Related Links

For more details on the different train passes, overnight buses, and other types of transit available visit the Japan National Tourist Organization's Intra-City Transportation Discounts Page.

In This Section
Reservations
Japanese Style
Western Style

Lodging in Japan

Making Reservations

The cost of accomodations in Japan can be extremely expensive if you chose the wrong places, but it is possible to find inexpensive accomodations. A convenient service in your search for accomodations is the Japan National Tourist Organization's Welcome Inn Reservation Assistance service. I haven't used this service before, but their web page makes it appear rather comprehensive. You can also book rooms from MapTour USA, JTB USA, or Kintetsu USA, all major Japanese travel agencies with US and other international offices.

A source of general information on lodging is Schaeweckers Guide to Japan - Accomodations. Other sources include guide books, most of which have a listing of accomodations, in the case of The Rough Guide they even have most of the accomodations listings on their web page. You can also find out about accomodations at the tourist information desks that exist in most most Japanese cities (generally at the central train station).

If you're planning on staying in Kyoto you might consider TourClub Kyoto. I haven't stayed there myself but the owner says it's a "Very cheap and brand new B&B located at a 9min's walk from Kyoto Station, with internet, bicycle, free coffee and beautiful Japanese garden & livingroom."

In general, when asking about prices for accomodations it is important to make sure you get the price for the number of people in the group, rather than per room. This is because it is common to charge per person rather than per room (i.e. two people generally costs twice as much as one person, even if they are in the same room).

In Japan there are both Japanese Style Accomodations and Western Style Accomodations.

"Japanese Style" Accomodations

Gaijin House

For long term stays a Gaijin house is a possibility. These rent rooms typically by the week or month and mostly house Westerners teaching English. They're generally old buildings, but you'll get your own room and the prices can't be beat. Here are a few places in the Osaka area and Tokyo area. And a bunch of random listings.

Minshuku

A minshuku is similar to a bed and breakfast; you rent a room in someone's house and eat meals together with the hosts / homeowners and the other guests (from 5-10 rooms on average). A one night stay with breakfast and dinner is around 8000 yen per person, although if you say you can't eat Japanese food they will often allow foreigners to opt out of the meals and pay only 5500-6500 yen per person food. If you want to try some interesting regional Japanese food then a Minshuku may be a good option as the meals are generally the specialty of that region. The rooms are generally Japanese style with tatami (floor mats) and a futon (a Japanese roll out bed) and the social interaction with the other lodgers can also be enjoyable.

Ryokan

If you'd like something more luxurious but still want to experience something Japanese then a Ryokan may be a good choice. This is a traditional Japanese hotel so you will have a Japanese style room with tatami (bamboo floor mats) and a futon (a Japanese roll out bed), although they may have western style rooms available if you want them. The Ryokan is said to be an excellent experience and if you can afford it you should definitely stay in one for at least a night. Alas I was a poor student so still haven't stayed in one. Unlike a Minshuku you can have meals served in your room if you prefer. There is also generally an "onsen" (hot spring), something which you should experience at least once while in Japan, and which is also one of the prime reasons that Japanese like the Ryokan so much. Price varies greatly but expect to pay over 10,000 yen per person per night and perhaps much more. For a good article on the topic of the Ryokan see National Geographic Traveler Magazine .

Western Style & General Accomodations

Business Hotel

In the city a "Business Hotel" is the standard fare in low-medium cost accomodations. These should cost 5000-8000 yen per person per night and are an acceptable but no frills type of accomodation. There is often an option for a room without a bath in which case you use the "Yokujyou", a large room with showers, a "furo" (Japanese bath), and sometimes a sauna.

Youth Hostels

Another option in most cities are "Youth Hostels". Generally you sleep in a room with 6-10 people and pay only about 2500 yen per person per night. The Hosteling International site has a complete list of all their youth hostels in Japan.

Capsule Hotels

In large cities a more convenient option for men can be the capsule hotel (women are generally not permitted as there is only one shower room). The price is generally 2500-3000 yen per night, similar to a youth hostel, but I prefer the capsule hotel for two reasons. One, they are generally centrally located whereas youth hostels can be rather distant. Two, when I stay in Youth Hostels there always seems to either be someone in my room who snores very loudly or someone who stays up until the wee hours of the morning talking, drinking, etc. in the room with their friends.

In a capsule hotel you sleep in a capsule like container which contains a matress, TV, radio, and alarm clock (see picture of bed). They are stacked two high and lined up in a long row (see picture of room). If you're claustrophobic this might not be a good option but since you're doing nothing but sleeping there I don't think the size is a very important issue. You put your luggage into a locker, you can relax in a lounge, and there is a shower room with a furo.

Love Hotels

The low cost option of last resort is the "Love Hotel", and the place you may get referred to if you ask for a "Motel" (if you want a normal inn, motel, or hotel then you should just ask for a "hotel"). As the name implies, this is a place that couples (married, unmarried, etc.) go for some privacy. Generally the rooms rent by the hour, but at night you can get a room for only under 5000 yen per night per room (not per person, which can save you money). However, you have to come in late after the peak hours and leave in the morning before the price reverts to the standard hourly fare. Love hotels are easy to spot as they tend to have English names ("Manhattan", "America", "Camelot", to name a few), similarly exotic exteriors, and can be found all over the place (such as near train stations).

Camping

You may also find campgrounds or "bungaloes" (log cabins) in some areas which are also options for low cost lodging.

In This Section
Japan Phone Cards

Calling From Japan While Traveling

Note : For information on calling to Japan from a foreign country or on calling from your residence in Japan check my Other Japan Resources - Cheap Phone Calls page.

If you're traveling in Japan you'll probably want to call home sometime, but as anyone who's used a calling card from their home country knows this can be extremely expensive. For example my US Calling Card allows calls from Japan but the calls cost about $2.50 per minute to the US! The easiest way to solve this problem is by buying a pre-paid calling card in Japan. They're sold from almost all convenience stores (7-11, AmPm, Lawson, Family Mart, etc.) and as anyone who's been to Japan before knows there are convenience stores all over the place in Japan.

The cheapest phone card I know of is the AT&T @phone Card, available only at "Lawson" convenience stores (that's perhaps the largest convenience store chain in Japan). When you ask for the calling card be sure to ask for the "AT&T Telephone Card", don't say "Phone Card" or "Calling Card" because in Japanese they say "Telephone Card" so the person might not understand anything else. The rates are reasonable, for example at 39 yen (~35 cents) per minute for calls to the US. For other countries check the rate list.

The drawback to the AT&T @phone card is that even though you're calling from a normal phone the calls are actually being made through the internet (see explanation) and so the sound quality can vary greatly depending on where you call to. Phone cards that don't use the internet are much more expensive, but you won't have to worry about sound quality. You can buy the KDD, ITJ (Japan Telecom), or IDC Telephone Cards at pretty much every convenience store in Japan (IDC's card has a cute name, the "Love Love Card"). Rates are 50 - 150 yen per minute for calls to the US depending on time, day of the week, etc. (for other countries click on KDD, ITJ, or ITC above). Prices between the cards don't really vary much, although KDD is slightly more expensive then the other two. If you're calling a country other than the US the rates on these cards are a bit more competitive with AT&T's, since AT&T's are relayed through America, but in general they are still much higher (for example Australia is 110 - 330 yen per minute with KDD but 70 yen from AT&T).

Guides to Japan

Once you've decided to go to Japan then the question arises as to where you should go. It's impossible for me to write more information about each place then guide books - Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, etc. (see other travel sites) - so instead I've opted to make "Photo Tours" which have pictures and some random facts that I found interesting about each place. There're also links at the bottom of each page to other sites about each place.

"Photo Tours" of Japan

These pages have some of my favorite pictures of each place and some random information about what's in the pictures. I currently have Photo Tours of :

Kyushu :	Nagasaki		Kumamoto
Shikoku :	NE Shikoku (Kagawa Prefecture)		Cape Ashizuri (Kochi Prefecture)
Honshu :	Hiroshima, Hattoji, Iwakuni	Kobe, Himeji	Osaka	Kyoto	Nara
Other :	Osaka YWCA Language School

Descriptions of Places

For more thorough descriptions and for links to other sites on these places then check to see what I thought of each place.

Other Travel Related Sites

For more information on getting around in Japan and surviving there check Yahoo! Destination Guides - Japan or some of the other pages at my Other Japan Resources - Other Web Sites page. Kansai Time Out has some interesting articles about trips off the beaten track. You can also find information on the web from many guide book companies, for example Lonely Planet, Frommers, etc. Probably the most extensive online guide is The Rough Guide which has the complete text from their Japan guide book including the hotel & accomodations listings.

And for those opinions or questions you want to ask but don't think you'll find in a guide there's AllExperts.com, a great web site that lets you ask the "volunteer experts" anything you want about traveling in Japan and they'll answer your questions. Check them out.

Last modified: January 20, 1999

Ravi Montenegro (monteneg@math.gatech.edu)