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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Ok-Job-710 on 2025-04-14 14:10:15+00:00.
Hello there,
I thought there might be some people interested in reading about a longer trip and budget travel. I'll try to keep this short and sweet:
Background
This was my last destination during my sabbatical/career break, so at this point I was used to long term/budget travel. For Japan I planned a daily budget of €60 (~¥10.000) (excluding flights). I arrived on January 19 and left April 8.
Route
Naha (number of nights 3) - Tokashiki (2) - Naha (2) - Fukuoka (4) - Nagasaki (3) - Beppu (2) - Dogo Onsen (2) - Hiroshima (1) - Miyajima (1) - Onomichi (3) - Osaka (3) - Yunomine Onsen (2) - Kyoto (4) - Kanazawa (3) - Takayama (3) - Matsumoto (1) - Nagano (3) - Tokyo (5) - Fujikawaguchiko (2) - Ito (2) - Tokyo (3) - Nikko (2) - Aizuwakamatsu (2) - Murayama (4) - Yokote (2) - Hirosaki (2) - Hakodate (3) - Lake Toya (2) - Noboribetsu (1) - Asahikawa (1) - Wakkanai (1) - Sapporo (5)
Itinerary
Many people write detailed trip reports and itineraries, so I suggest you take a look at those! I'm a planner, but more a route maker. My day to day was usually pretty open. I enjoy just wandering around. I know I've missed quite a lot "must visit sights", but I don't care. This was my trip :)
Daily expenses
Accommodation: €21. I exclusively stayed in hostels. Food/drinks: €14. In general I would eat yoghurt, a banana and granola in my hostel, one meal from the konbini or supermarket and one meal in a restaurant. There are heaps of affordable food options. Not to long ago there was a great write up about chain restaurants that I recommend reading. Transport: €11. Shinkansen is amazing, but if you're on a budget and have time, you probably want to take local trains and busses. I only took one Shinkansen (Onomichi - Osaka). Entrance fees: €4. This could vary a lot depending on your interest. For me this mostly includes temples, shires, castels and other historical buildings. Miscellaneous: €5. Mostly laundry and souvenirs.
Miscellaneous
Cash: I see a lot of discussion on how much cash is necessary. I think I used around ¥160.000, thus ¥2000 daily. Mostly used for snacks, hole in the wall restaurants and transportation. I did not have a suica card, I bought individual tickets. Weather: It was pretty cold most of my stay and I bought some heattech cloths from Uniqlo.. I needed those. Some days were rainy, but I didn't have a umbrella. Every hostel I stayed at had umbrellas guests could use, so I didn't feel the need to buy one. Crowds: I travelled in off season and it wasn't bad (thankfully). Steps: It is pretty well known that you will walk a lot in Japan. On average I walked 15k steps every day. This includes rest days and transportation days. I can imagine you would walk even more on a shorter trip.
Conclusion
80 days Japan, €55 a day (~¥9000). Loved Japan! Let me know if you have any questions!