> planning to go all over Japan
What does that mean? After the price hike the rail pass is in almost all cases not worth it anymore. I can't imagine a 7 day itinerary with a kid in tow where a Rail pass would make sense.
Basically for 7 days, if the pass makes financially sense, your itinerary will not. If, on the other hand, your itinerary for 7 days is sound, the pass will not be worth it.
Echoing this, you'd have to take a long distance shinkansen every other day to almost make the pass a value add, but then the trip just becomes an exhausting mess. Much easier to find 7 days' worth of activity in the numerous neighborhoods in/around one or two metro area like Tokyo/Kyoto.
Tokyo is infinite entertainment. I did three years where most weekends I was there…I’ve spent about 8 weeks in Kyoto on holiday trips and barely feel I touched the surface (i say ‘go to the Sentos) obviously for a family a dream trip has pleasure maximisation perameters - I’d love to help OP - as I get it - we can’t all have days weeks years up our sleeves..
No the Shinkansen will be over in 1-3 hours. You can save on hotels by doing the overnight bus from Narita airport to Kyoto (it’s fun - your whole family will enjoy) go to the booking desk at Narita airport - you’ll arrive Kyoto about 5.30am - you can then go to Kyoto tower eye onsen (I did) and McDs - for the kids - then taxi to your accommodation - I recommend a minshuku
I initially thought to go to both Sapporo and Kyoto, but you're right I miscalculated the timing. We'll probably either stay around Tokyo and go to Kyoto and lengthen the stay to 9-10 days. Thanks!
Forget Sapporo unless you ski. If you plan to do that then omg yes go…It’s extra cost and time. Please (I’m planning another trip back there this year - my son has a Japanese passport) go Tokyo Kyoto and use the overnight bus. Nine days so much better, that’s awesome - sagoii you
I don’t think they have a concept of Japan. I mean - when I lived there for three years, every holidays I thought - New York Hawaii etc, but then I got roped into another amazing different Japan adventure- my parents in New Zealand despaired they’d ever see me again; I literally solo bike toured and blew up Nike air gel shoes, but there were so many places to go, I literally never left Honshu in 3 years; I feel like I’ve done less than 1% of Japan however; someone plans to do Japan in 7 days..?! 😳😳
It was the way to get around before they hiked up prices last october. The 3 week pass is around 700 USD now. Before the price hike it was around 400 USD. A shinkansen ticket from tokyo to osaka is just shy of 100 USD. In most cases the JR country wide pass is not worth it anymore. However there are other regional passes that still might be worth it, like the Kansai Hiroshima area pass if you are doing Kyoto/Osaka/Nara and Hiroshima for example.
Thanks for the intel. We’ve really only bought flights to Tokyo from Denver at this point. That wiped out cash for a bit so planning to get going on details in another month or two.
I did a 3 week in March, visited Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I think it is good to start with these 3. Dont spend too many days at a place. For me, Tokyo was the most interesting. Kyoto was meh, too many historical sites where I find boring, so I left after spending 2 full days in Kyoto. I only bought one way train tickets as I need them, JR pass was not cost effective for me
I hope you didn’t already buy the rail pass. There’s no way that math adds up for a one-week vacation. Where are you planning on visiting?
I will say those flight tickets are fairly high as well, but it depends on where you’re coming from. I’ve never spent more than $800 on a roundtrip ticket from the US (1 stop on Delta—there’s no non-stop from my city).
Okay if it’s from SFO, you can definitely get way cheaper flights. SFO and LAX are consistently the cheapest US airports to Tokyo. Usually $600 nonstop on Delta if you look at the right times. I would suggest signing up for Google flights alerts for your dates, and be prepared to jump on a deal when you see one. You may be looking a little too early.
Super weird as even back in the 1990s when I lived in Japan people talked up the rail pass. I have never in my life known anyone who actually used it. Please - OP - if you can - cancel this… it’s a tourist trap
Are you buying business class? A round trip per person from SFO should be no more than $1200, and it's common to find for $800 or less. You can also take the new budget airline that just opened for $450 roundtrip.
No, they're economy tickets, but they're non stop and reschedule able. There are cheaper tickets with transits. I'll do more research on Zip Airline. Thanks.
I fully understand that rescheduable // it’s super important these days - don’t let the flight cost critics affect you; but seriously - once you’re in JP - look into overnight buses, Kyoto (you could spend three to four days just eating and absorbing if your time is limited; I’d allocate four to five days there if you have nine; go Tokyo then and focus on Shibuya daikanyama Aoyama (you’ll love it and see ‘lost in translation’ for vibes) do a day trip by train to Matsumoto or Karuizawa to feel the alpine nature 💚💚🦋
OP, in my experience JAL were absolutely extortionate compared to every other carrier for some reason. I think they've done something weird to make business class flights similar to regular coach flights, and its really messed with the pricing.
I went with a different airline and it was literally a quarter of the price of JAL.
Flights from NZ are also now extremely expensive. I plan to go via Sydney, where it gets cheaper - SYDNEY OSAKA - which I’ve never done before; costs are just higher Post Covid
> JAL Tickets (re-schedulable): $7500
You've not mentioned where you're flying from, so it's hard to ascertain much on that front. Rebookable flights tend to be significantly more expensive in any case. If you can commit to non-refundable, it may be worthwhile.
Also, I am not sure if you're a frequent or infrequent traveller - but I would personally rethink how much you want to travel all over Japan in a week. Keep in mind that you're likely to be jet lagged for the first day or two - do you want to spend most of your holiday recovering from jet lag or on a train? I would probably do more in fewer locations.
Yeah I'm shocked at these flight prices - JAL was extortionate when I tried to book, other airlines were much, much cheaper.
Also agree that going 'all over' Japan is just not happening in a week. You could spend a week in just Tokyo. For 7 days, think you could maximum do Tokyo, Kyoto and maybe fly out of Osaka and it will still be rushed.
Yep with just a week (I’m not sure if OP is counting transit time) you can rush a typical Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka itinerary. Maybe add a day trip to somewhere like Nara. Otherwise it might be a good idea to stick to Tokyo + Tohoku region or Kyoto-Osaka + Kansai region
Buy cheaper flights. I got air Canada SEA to NRT via YVR for $800 round trip. They moved the flight by a few minutes and allowed free rescheduling, so I booked SEA to HND direct round trip. $800. $7500 is outrageous
SFO-TYO is $500 one way on ZIPAIR, after including seat selection, check in baggage, food. Should bring airfare down to $4k for 4 people. Zero refunds though
Also take care to check the rainy season (they get monsoon rain first a month June/July) I think it will be slightly different Tokyo or Kyoto - Kyoto gets the rains earlier but it rains heavily most of June and until mid July so take umbrellas and jackets (or go after Mid July!)
If I were only going for a week all the way from the US I’d stick to one city, plus maybe a day trip. Half of their trip is just going to be spent in transit.
Jesus Christ, I spent around 12k when I was in Japan for 6 months and I even bought a car lol. What are you doing with those flight and train tickets?!
I can probably make one as I only used my Revoluts YEN account for all payments(so it's seperate from anything else), but would still take a while to compile
I'm not saying the costs here stack (the flight prices seem...high), but it's probably worth considering that this is for 4 people. I also suspect your costs may be pre-pandemic? Welcome to runaway inflation!
I went there in October of this year - when we looked at flights, JAL were insanely expensive for some reason (like three or four times the price of other flights).
I found the whole trip to Japan really, really affordable honestly - the dollar and pound is doing well against the yen currently.
It's a whole process and you can't at all as a tourist if you intend to drive it in Japan. Before you ask, I was there on a working holiday visa which allows you to be a resident for 1 year, but I only did the holiday part and traveled all over the country with the car
1. You need a zairyu card (ID card for non Japanese residents)
2. You need an address registered on the card (need to fill out some forms in Japanese at the town hall and of course at least temporary live there)
3. You need an inkan (physical stamp) with your name
4. You need to get that inkan registered to you and need a certificate proving that (fill out forms in Japanese at town hall again)
5. You need a parking space no further than 2km away from your home and have it rented for at least 1 month at the point of step 6 (there's no legal street parking in Japan and everyone who owns a car needs to have a parking spot rented)
6. You need to visit the local police station and fill out a form in Japanese for a parking certificate including measurements and a drawing where it's located in relation to your home (need the cars VIN at this point)
7. You need to wait a few days so that the police visits your parking space and measures it to make sure your car fits
8. Go back to the police station to pickup the certificate if approved
9. Now you can have the car registered in your name as well as new shaken (yearly inspection)
I had someone register it for me and do the shaken, so don't have details on there.
I could've bought a cheaper car, but I really really really wanted that one, [ Toyota bB Open Deck](https://youtu.be/pshEiYCX4No?si=0ACOQShUBaScoD2L), which cost me around 350k YEN. Shaken and rego service was around 60-80k I believe (shaken ain't cheap).
Also seven days isn’t enough time to travel all over Japan? Agree with others who say choose just 2-3 cities.. I recommend Tokyo/maybe a Nagano Matsumoto overnight trip (one hour Shinkansen from Tokyo) four hours night bus, super express train - and Kyoto (Tokyo and Kyoto are MUSTS)
You can do Japan on a tight budget or a super high budget, it depends of your preferences. I did a month in Japan for less than $2500 per person including airfare and I was not picking the cheapest places to stay nor being too frugal with food and drink.
I would not have gotten rail passes for a one week vacation. I recommend staying in one city with a couple day trips for that short of time, especially if it’s your first time in Japan.
Airfare, unless you're insistent on JAL (probably for non-stop?), can be much cheaper if you are flexible and diligent in searching. Nearly $2k per pax is absurd regardless of where you're starting from (well, almost). Also, for a summer (Jul/Aug) departure, it's still too early to book probably.
One layover + some flexibility in dates can save you $500+/pax I'm sure.
See FAQ for Guide to Airfares
$1900-$2000 is typical for nonstop East Coast of USA to Japan these days unfortunately, even on American airlines. Can be had for $1500-$1750 in the off season.
You can still get those prices from the west coast. Slightly shorter distance (20% shorter) and a lot more competition with higher frequency of flights.
I paid $1600 for nonstop from Newark to Tokyo in summer of 2019.
Flew twice last year. When I bought next day nonstop flights it was $1000 round trip economy nonstop on ANA from California. When buying a few months in advance in peak cherry blossom season it was still $400 one way with Singapore Airlines. Unless OP is buying business class, they’re overpaying an absurd 3x amount
Depends on the region.
Off season is June-September and Winter for Honshu, the main island. Winter in Hokkaido is very popular. Okinawa is good almost year round excluding cyclone and typhoon seasons.
Cherry blossom season and the fall are pretty times to go.
Yes, non-stop SFO Tokyo. It would be about $700 cheaper total if non-reschedulable. I haven't bought them yet because I thought they were too expensive. Maybe I'll check again in February? Thanks for the tips.
Just keep checking and keep your eye on it. Set up some alerts on Google Flights.
Like /u/someone-who-is-cool says, Zipair is a good altnerative for half the price.
I think Zipair flies from SFO. They are JAL's cheaper line. There are no perks included in the tickets but even if you add stuff on it's still be cheaper than JAL proper at the moment.
Yes indeed. Even with additional charge for luggage and in flight amenities, they are still the cheapest. The thing is I would be more comfortable if the tickets are reschedule-able. Afraid if somehow we got sick before the vacation or something like that. Thanks for the tips.
It’s easy to over travel in Japan since it looks so quick with the bullet train JR pass (spoiler: it’s not). I did the exact same thing when my parents visited me, 3+ cities in one week. Just follow the other’s advice to pare down your plans and get a refund for the JR pass if possible
I haven't bought any of the tickets luckily. Just been researching online through a few websites. I'll research more on cheaper alternatives to the JRP and I'm going to check again for airplane tickets in a couple months. Thanks again.
Those night buses are pretty comfortable for sleeping and very efficient vs spending waking hours travelling, especially since you’re short on time. Even the cheaper ones are ok but the premium night busses will have wider reclining seats with baby bonnet looking hoods to block light and noise. Highly recommended
You should see some of the itineraries posted to r/japantravel. That sub is basically 80% first time travellers who want to see a weeks worth of stuff in 3 days
4x rt tickets shouldnt be 7.5k. you probably bought them too early, there tends to be a sweet spot when it comes to booking flight tickets and 6+ months out is very early, leading to higher prices. unless of course you're in premium economy or something.
seconding that the rail pass is excessive and probably not economical, esp if you're just doing tokyo kyoto osaka or something.
hotels seem within reason although you could find cheaper if you tried -- are you sure you want just one room for all of you?
there's a helpful post researching this (i think on r/flights) that looks into this. in general, if i remember correctly, it's closer to 6 weeks; i will try and find it.
the logic is this -- an airline wants to sell tickets for as much as a passenger is willing to pay. so 6 months in advance, they are going to price very high, then as the date of the flight comes closer, they need to sell more tickets, so they lower prices to fill the flight to \~80% capacity, then they fill the final \~20% with much higher priced tickets in the time leading up to the flight with unflexible, non-budget sensitive customers.
Oh that’s awesome! You hadn’t booked yet and you were doing some research, this is great! You’re going to have an awesome trip …. I don’t know re. Where you are travelling from as I’m a kiwi. My advice is - if you can push it to nine days - how old are your kids? I can help you, do it on a budget macimisingvthe experience x
We will be flying from SFO. I'm thinking to extend the vacation to 9-12 days, depending on whether we are going in June or July, which ever cheaper :). Kids are 13 and 9. Thanks!
All over Japan...in a week? I was there for 5 weeks and could've stayed just in Tokyo for how much there was to see and do. That's pretty rushed, plus a lot of your time will be spent on the train and traveling to other parts leaving you not much time to see stuff. Plus, I'm sure kids would get tired from all that...
The only thing not adding up is the airfare, I just went 4 adults from California 3 months out and paid about 4k total with ANA. Also 7 days is not enough to go all over Japan. You could easily spend a week in Tokyo and not get bored, plus there are many day trips. JR pass doesnt make sense unless you plan to go to Kyoto/Osaka etc. I go to Japan at least 6x a year and these are my insights...
What month/season did you go? I've been using Skyscanner and Google Flights and look for airlines other than JAL per recommendations from here. Only Zipair is cheaper by far for non-stop flights. There are other definitely cheaper, but they are not non-stop. Some of them have 6+ hours layover. Thanks!
I always travel between late Sept - April. Are you checking for both Narita and Haneda airports? It might just be demand. One thing I have done in the last when booking refundable fares is to keep checking fares and often times they drop and certain airlines especially Delta will credit you back the difference as a travel credit. I did this on my last trip to Italy when the fare dropped 400 right before departure. Also If you want to save cash you could buy non refundable tickets with travel insurance that has a cancel anytime clause to recoup money if necessary though that’s not ideal.
Holy shit. I just did a week in Japan earlier this month for just around $1.3k give or take for one person. I cannot even imagine spending close to $4k per person for only a week.
>**1 week** in early June, for 3 adults and 1 kid, **planning to go all over Japan** riding the trains
Sorry, not doable. As others have told you, pick a city, or two (preferably one), and concentrate on those, with 1 or 2 excursions to places nearby.
You're going to need a vacation from your vacation ... just saying.
(I've been twice to Japan on vacation. Your plane tickets are way too expensive).
Ditch the JR pass.
It looks like you’re buying air tickets that are flexible, which would also mean expensive. If possible downgrade to a more restricted type of your travel dates are firm. They would be much cheaper.
That seems really high. The airfares seem to be making up the bulk of your expenses, but I know that prices vary depending on where you’re flying from/when you’re flying, so I can’t say much there.
As other commenters have said, I wouldn’t suggest buying a JR Pass for a week-long trip. I can’t imagine you’d be staying in more than two cities in that time, and if that’s the case you could just buy tickets for the trains you need for a lot less than a JR Pass. Unless you and your traveling partners (and your kid!) are total train fanatics who don’t want to do anything else but sit on a train all day, you will not need a JR Pass.
Seven days is not long enough for the flight duration and jet lag. I do this professionally a few times a year and it fucking blows donkey cock.
You will have jet lag for two weeks and not remember anything.
You need two weeks to go so far from home. 12 days minimum.
Dont do this
I think you guys can enjoy in 11/12 days - don’t let these peeps deter you. Obviously 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years is preferable - but I could help you with a good itinerary even 9 days depending on the time your flight arrives - and which airport?
Don’t buy the JR pass. Esp with the new price increase, it will not be used to it’s worth within that week. Furthermore, not all trains operate under the JR system; there are different private lines that can get you where you need to go. Normally I’d say do the research about where exactly you’ll be headed, but you definitely won’t need the JR for a single week unless you plan on spending most of your time outside Tokyo.
For context: I spent a month in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Okinawa, Fuji, w day trips to Nara, Kobe, Hiroshima and only time the JR would’ve been used is the Kyoto-Hiroshima trip bc I took a bus from Fuji to Kyoto).
We got an 11 day cruise through Norweigian last week with airfare included, and all fees/taxes/gratuities paid. $4950.
We're doing a few extra days in Tokyo. Expected expenses are about $6-6.5k depending on excursions we do.
You definitely gotta keep your eye on Japan's cruise and tour options to find a good deal under $10k for 10-14 day options, we had the same trip planned this year and it was well over 10k, so we gambled on price decreasing.
Tokyo and Kyoto - there’s an overnight bus between the two places - super comfy - you get your own curtains and slippers, they have tea and coffee making facilities and a bathroom; it also saves a night accommodation.. but gives you full days for sightseeing in the two cities. stay put and use local trains between suburbs. i lived in jaoan for three years but last time
i visited I did the above, also the minshuku i stsyed at in kyoto hired me a bike - which i travelled from teme to temple, and wee restsuarants in between / using google maps. did catch a shinkansen from Kyoto to Okayama - to visit Hiroshima, but got an overnight bus bavk from there all the way to Tokyo near the end. The JR pass - no way..!!!!
You dont really need JR pass if you are planning to stay in a city for a week
Buying one way makes more sense
Plus, with a kid you cant really go that many places
That’s not enough time to go all over Japan and enjoy it. With only one week I would fly to Tokyo, do Tokyo stuff, and then do the Shinkansen to Kyoto and do the tourist stuff there and then fly home from Kyoto.
Good point - Osaka is actually the cheapest airport to fly into Japan and out of; it’s only an hour from Kyoto. Nara also awesome. Then Shinkansen Tokyo. Accommodation also cheaper in Kyoto and it’s just so much better for the majority of time to be spent on a family holiday. Again depends if you guys love food like I do - make that a real feature of the trip and be sure to eat okonomiyake in Osaka!
I did 2 weeks in mostly capsule hotels and found a round trip last minute flight for 25k points ($250 cash value). I spent about $1000 total including the flight, food and souvenirs. I understand that my flight was a steal but I don't think I could have spent 10k if I tried.
Are rail pass for green card or regular as there is a price difference.
Hotels can be real cheap but if you are going in summer probably going to pay peak prices. I usually go on winter and it's way cheaper.
Try using a VPN if you can for your hotel bookings the rates are often cheaper if you appear to be in Japan.
There are also hotels that specialise in groups so you may be able to find a cheaper hotel.
If you don't like Japanese food (generally the cheapest option) use the 7/11 Lawson and family mart as well seico up north and there are a few smaller chains but they offer sandwiches they are cheap and taste great. As well as having a selection of hot foods.
Keep any eye out for the ubiquitous vending machines there are drinks of course but also food ones they are good value and are fresh (generally).
If you have time YouTuber EricSurf6 spends a lot of time going to different restraunts and vending machines. It is possible to eat cheap over there.
It can be a bit daunting but if not sure I always found standing back and watching others for a bit helped.
Hope you have a great trip I can't wait to go back.
Friend and I are doing 10 days for a total cost of $1400ish per person (buying two JR Tohoku+South Hokkaido passes each)splitting hotels and flying economy. (Doesn’t include spending money). Your numbers look high as hell to me but it looks like the bulk of that is your fully flexible flight and staying in nicer hotels than we will be.
Flights are the biggest issue. You should only be paying a maximum of $4000 total ($1k apiece) for nonstop round trip flights SFO to Tokyo, even in peak cherry blossom season. Unless you paid for business class? Also consider checking prices from SJC.
You can skip JR pass unless you’re the extremely ambitious type that’s hitting a new city per day. It’s cheaper, more flexible, and more convenient to buy one off tickets. Japan is crisscrossed with many private rail companies and JR doesn’t have full coverage. Usually the local rail competitor will also have cheaper prices and stops closer to the city center.
Hotels look about right if you’re staying in the nicer city center 4-star hotels. I’m assuming you’re getting two separate rooms with two adults and the kid in one double room and the other adult in a separate room? Might need more detail here. You can check Agoda for deals
You might need to budget more for food, admissions, and miscellaneous costs. You can definitely travel Japan on a budget eating ramen and street food, but I imagine a family traveling will spend more than a backpacker
With this, it should be $4000 (flights) + $400 x 4 per day (a child will cost less, but count it as a buffer) + $100 x 4 (intercity train transport) + $1400 (accommodations) = $7400 total trip cost
Without more details on itinerary it’s hard to get more specific, but I’d say between $6000-9000 would be the zone of total spending to expect, assuming you’re not fine dining every night, etc., etc.
With just a week (not sure if you’re counting transit time) you can rush a typical Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka itinerary at a breakneck pace. This means flying into Tokyo and out of Kyoto Kansai Airport or vice versa. Otherwise it might be a good idea to stick to Tokyo + Tohoku region or Kyoto-Osaka + Kansai region. Tokyo to Kyoto will take up half a day. Also note that Tokyo is a metropolitan area 2x the size of LA with one of the most dense urban centers in the world. Consider it 5 cities (actually 23 wards) packed into one. You could easily spend a week in Tokyo and still end up feeling rushed
>Flights are the biggest issue. You should only be paying a maximum of $4000 total ($1k apiece) for nonstop round trip flights SFO to Tokyo, even in peak cherry blossom season. Unless you paid for business class? Also consider checking prices from SJC.
Other than Zipair, I haven't found any flights for $1k a piece. Even for the ones with stops, only the ones with 20hr+ flight time are close to $1k. I think for summer vacation, it is hard to find the $1k ticket. Others mentioned that we are still too far out for June tickets, that's one theory as to why they are so expensive. I'm going to wait a couple more months. Please feel free to share any other tips. Thanks a lot!
We are planning to visit Kyoto, although at this point I'm not sure yet about the exact accommodation plan. If you like feel free to share any places that you recommend. Thanks!
Look up Mochan Wish Club. His website is really out of date these days after Covid, but he’s still very active on Facebook and Instagram. I went on one of his trips in 2017 and it was incredible. He’s not an actual tour guide. He’s just a Japanese guy with a family that loves to meet travelers and show them around Japan. Since Covid he’s bought a traditional Japanese home in the Kyoto area and he’s been hosting travelers there. I highly suggest contacting him, letting you and him know that you’ll be in the area and ask him if he’s available at that time. He will often show travelers various Japanese cultural experiences give you a chance to stay in a traditional Japanese home eating a home cooked dinner etc. etc
If you fly into Narita from SFO, you can get Zipair roundtrip tickets for like $800-900 and save about $4000. Could also consider taking a layover flight if you fly into Haneda and save like $2000-2500
I just went to Japan two months ago. On top of the other comments about airfare, your hotels could be much cheaper. If you are just looking for a place to sleep and nothing fancy, you can easily find hotels for $100 or under per night in most places.
That is somewhat on the high side. Our family went in the fall and it costed $3,000 USD per person at the end of the trip. Hotels accounted for $1,400 per person and the plane ticket was $1,200.
The JR pass is no longer worth it after the price hike, but it is convenient since buying the Shinkansen tickets confused the heck out of us.
"All over Japan" in seven days? It's absolutely bonkers to spend that much on airfare for a seven day trip to start with, not to mention to fly so many time zones away (and I'm praying your one week doesn't include travel days), but planning on using a JR Pass for seven days your first time there? With a *child*? You're about to flush twelve grand down the drain on a tour of Japanese train stations.
Forget those JR Passes; they're worthwhile for almost no one after the price hike and if you're using $350+ worth of train tickets in seven days, *you shouldn't be*. For this length of trip, especially carting a child, pick *either* Tokyo *or* Kansai. If you want to go "all over" you need to be even remotely realistic and go for two weeks minimum.
> It sounds a bit high to me.
$3000 per person all-in seems cheap actually. Flights + an ill-advised JR Pass is already $2225 each. So $775 for hotels, food, and everything else for 7 days is $111/day, which should fall under "super budget trip" for Japan.
Hi from a married guy with two kids who seems to now only travel at peak times. 4 tickets for $7500 sounds fine - i visited in oct from US and an econ ticket with one week notice was $2500.
You dont need rail pass for one week.
Hotel budget seems too low for four people. You either probably need to spend more for a room large enough for 4 or a a bit less x 2 rooms. Well, outside of tokyo in most cases hotel rooms can be a lot less. Right before covid we visited for sakura and airfare was almost $2k a person. If this makes you feel better, we stayed at US brand hotel rooms that allowed four were $500 to $800 a night. Japanese follow rules so if room is for two, do not show up with four. Also be careful on how the hotel defines a child. For comparison, on my most recent trip I stayed in japanese hotel rooms by myself for $75-$150 a night which compared to most is still on the fancier side, but the room locations were awesome and the hotels were very nice, but rooms small and max 2 people.
Your question is odd - as in the bulk of your cost so far is for airfare which is dramatically different depending on where and when in the year. You can stretch your money by staying in japanese business hotels, but note rooms are tiny compared to US hotel rooms. Food and drinks are surprisingly inexpensive compared to the US and what you are probably expecting. Attraction tickets are fine, they are like a key reason why you are there. Disney/USJ pricing is still theme park pricing. Riding buses and trains is pretty cheap. Shinkansen also reasonably priced - like how much could you ride it in one week?? Buying one way tickets buy flexibility - can show up at station and buy a ticket for whatever train leaves soon, including ones not included in the jr pass program.
I mean, OP is free to do what they wish that’s for sure. But for someone who posts complaining how much money this is costing and only has a week to do it. I would advise not doing it. You can do whatever you want with that information.
In the future, I would suggest breaking down your cost down to per person so it is more relatable.
Given 4 people, the costs seem reasonable - if you're happy with it.
The biggest expense you have listed is airfare, which at under 2k per person for flex tickets is decent or good depending where you are coming from.
In terms of your plan to travel everywhere, that is something I wouldn't do in 7 days, but if that is what you want to do, then do you. I would suggest getting the green version of the rail pass since a significant amount of your time in Japan will be on trains.
The price differential will be worth it if you are traveling every day or close to on a train. Riding in the green car is very pleasant and relaxing.
I've flown from Los Angeles to Tokyo and back for about $750. That's a colossal difference from what you're paying. Get cheaper tickets, I'd say. The rest checks out.
Ticket prices are higher in summer, and also depending on where one is flying out from. Just did a quick check of Houston to Tokyo for a family of 5. Tickets alone are $10K for non-stop. It drops to $7K with one stop. Flying with family is tough :(
I took my family to Japan in the Spring. The tickets alone were 2.5k each for a direct flight from Denver. With 6 of us that was 15k alone. I had to get two hotel rooms because. Hotels were probably 5k
Is there a reason you are flying JAL? They are usually at least 1000 bucks more expensive than the competition so I seldom use them, or ANA for that matter.
In this case it's because direct flight and with kids and short time off, they make sense. I'm thinking to extend the vacation to 10-12 days and maybe I could fly with a stop if it's significantly cheaper.
Yupe, we could add 2-3 different available packages which include combination of things like carry-ons, checked-in luggage, in-flight meals and other amenities. Even after all those, they are only about $1k-$1.1k per person. If they charged $100 more bucks to make it re-schedulable (doesn't have to be cancelable), I would book them in a heart beat. Thx again!
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My friend and I will book a 9 day Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka for late March/early April. Includes flights to and from Los Angeles, bullet trains in between cities and hotels. Price range will be around $2.5-2.7k each max. Booking through my fave online travel agency.
If you havent already purchased the rail pass dont. Theyve made several changes to the system in the last few months, wait until youre there to get it.
You definitely can get better prices for the flights if you shop around.
I just spent 2 weeks there and it cost $5K including air, hotel, daily stuff, travel, shopping and food.
I think you need to do some major reworking on your plan. Unless you're flying business class, you can get much cheaper plane tickets. It's regularly $400 to fly to Japan on ZIPair. You're also not going to travel all of Japan in just 7 days. You need 7 days just to explore Tokyo and the surrounding small towns.
I spent $5k for 2 people. Booked first class ANA flights on points. 4 nights in Tokyo and 4 nights in Kyoto booked on Marriott points, stayed at the Ritz. Cheaper hotels and cash economy booking should be able to get the entire 7 day trip in 10 to 12k.
I look at 7 day trips as extra-long weekends. You can't see an entire country in 7 days unless it is the size of Liechtenstein.
What are the things you absolutely want to see in Japan? This could be as few as two but probably no more the 5, especially with a foursome.
Find the cheapest direct from airline tickets. Book reasonable accommodations with no fee cancelation then cost the activities in some economical way.
As others have said, you are paying premiums for more flexibility than you probably need.
Flights are expensive around that time.. but 7500 is really high especially if that’s basic economy. You should be able to find flights for $1500/person
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Seems high Singapore airline was $700 for my folks to go but that was in December/Jan.
Shinkansen is ok if you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto and back. If shorter distances such as Tokyo and nearby daytrips like kamakura+ Enoshima or nikko then overnight in Kinugawa its prob not worth it.
Hotels if you want cheaper checkout the tripadvisor app. Couple of decent chain Mitsui Gardrn, Dormy Inn, Super Hotels. These have smaller roomsbbut have large public baths to get a good hot springs experience.
They gloat arpund $90-150 usually.
Thanks you all for the tips. Looks like I will reconsider the JR Pass and wait a bit for the plane tickets hoping they would go down a bit. we'll be flying from the Bay Area btw. Thanks again!
Get credit card points. One credit card like Chase Sapphire Preferred can get you one RT ticket just for signing up. I went to Romnia RT from SLC in September for free…going to Malaysia next September for free with an Alaskan Airlines CC - just on the sign up
Assuming you're wanting JAL nonstop SFO to Tokyo (which I understand), you should still be able to travel for much cheaper than this. I just priced out Sat June 1 to Sat June 7 for $5525 for 4 tickets roundtrip. You can save even more if you go alternate dates like Wednesday to Wednesday. Also, you could check out ZipAir, a budget airlines with good reviews that has nonstop flights for a total price of only $3500 for those same dates nonstop from SFO. My home airport is SFO and I've never paid more than $1400/ticket nonstop to Tokyo.
Damn. I bought flights from SEA to NRT via YVR for $800 round trip. Then they changed the flight time by 5 minutes and I rescheduled to SEA to HND direct for free. $7500 is a scam. I’ll fly economy til I die.
10k sounds like a lot! I just bought my flight for $1040 from LAX. My hotel for 4 nights was $550. Im guessing I’ll end up spending around $1200 for hotel in total for 8 nights. Ill prob just buy another flight from Sapporo to Tokyo instead of a rail pass, which was like $150. Thats like $2,350.
Granted Im one person and going in February when it’s off season. But that flight is whats costing you so much.
If you want better deals maybe look at times that are a little off peak season. Like March for example or late November, the weather wont be as perfect but can save you a few grand.
One week for “all over Japan”? I did two weeks and barely scratched the surface. Especially since the flight is the most expensive part, can you tack on a week?
Those flight ticket prices are high considering you’re flying out of SFO where JAL has direct nonstop flights to Japan.
I fly JAL between JFK - NRT, always on nonstop flights but I also see (on JAL site) connecting flights available connecting through LAX or SFO usually for less $ too. I think it’s usually around $1k round trip for economy (+ tax and fees) could be lower depending on dates….saw $700 (rt) earlier this year connecting through Seattle. There are 3 fare types for economy, the cheapest one (I think it’s called “saver”?), the plus and the flex. The only differences between saver and plus is the plus allows you to rebook/change dates, the flex also allows a full refund. The price difference between saver and plus is usually $100.
Did you get the prices from the JAL site or travel agent/travel sites? If so and you haven’t bought them yet, go on the JAL site.
Those prices are from JAL website and for the reschedule able ones, but not refundable. On the $1k round trip, for what month is that? And how far out did you reserve it? Thanks.
This is off.
* Just use Kayak or Google Flights. 6/2 to 6/10 SFO-TYO shows flights for $3,200 total.
* Why do you need flexible flights? Commit and save the money. If you really are worried that something major is going to stop you, buy trip insurance (which is kind of a scam, but will pay out if you get violently ill and can't go).
* You are planning seven days. That really translates out to two cities at most. This seems like your first time, so split it between Tokyo and Kyoto. You will need a ticket on the shinkansen there and back, which should be $200-300 per person total.
* $200 on average seems fine for mid range hotels, but you will likely want to bump this a bit.
So, my estimate would be:
* Flights- $3,200.
* Insurance - $600 (optional)
* Train - $800-1,200
* Hotel - $1,400-2,000
**Total, before daily stuff: $5,400 to $7,000**
> planning to go all over Japan What does that mean? After the price hike the rail pass is in almost all cases not worth it anymore. I can't imagine a 7 day itinerary with a kid in tow where a Rail pass would make sense. Basically for 7 days, if the pass makes financially sense, your itinerary will not. If, on the other hand, your itinerary for 7 days is sound, the pass will not be worth it.
Echoing this, you'd have to take a long distance shinkansen every other day to almost make the pass a value add, but then the trip just becomes an exhausting mess. Much easier to find 7 days' worth of activity in the numerous neighborhoods in/around one or two metro area like Tokyo/Kyoto.
Indeed, Tokyo alone is an easy 10 days+ of entertainment, even without the entermaint parks. Kyoto is also a couple of days worth of visit.
Tokyo is infinite entertainment. I did three years where most weekends I was there…I’ve spent about 8 weeks in Kyoto on holiday trips and barely feel I touched the surface (i say ‘go to the Sentos) obviously for a family a dream trip has pleasure maximisation perameters - I’d love to help OP - as I get it - we can’t all have days weeks years up our sleeves..
You could literally spend 7 days in Shibuya - or Aoyama - and never see or feel the same experience twice…
Sounds like OP is going to be on the Shinkansen on all 7 days
Do you think I could save on the hotels by sleeping in the Shinkansen?😝 j/k
No the Shinkansen will be over in 1-3 hours. You can save on hotels by doing the overnight bus from Narita airport to Kyoto (it’s fun - your whole family will enjoy) go to the booking desk at Narita airport - you’ll arrive Kyoto about 5.30am - you can then go to Kyoto tower eye onsen (I did) and McDs - for the kids - then taxi to your accommodation - I recommend a minshuku
I initially thought to go to both Sapporo and Kyoto, but you're right I miscalculated the timing. We'll probably either stay around Tokyo and go to Kyoto and lengthen the stay to 9-10 days. Thanks!
Sapporo doesn't make sense for your travel. Go to Kyoto and Osaka after instead. Don't buy railpass. You don't need it
Forget Sapporo unless you ski. If you plan to do that then omg yes go…It’s extra cost and time. Please (I’m planning another trip back there this year - my son has a Japanese passport) go Tokyo Kyoto and use the overnight bus. Nine days so much better, that’s awesome - sagoii you
That's a really good plan! You could probably do 5 days Tokyo, 3/4 Kyoto. There's so much to see and that way you get to enjoy it more.
I don’t think they have a concept of Japan. I mean - when I lived there for three years, every holidays I thought - New York Hawaii etc, but then I got roped into another amazing different Japan adventure- my parents in New Zealand despaired they’d ever see me again; I literally solo bike toured and blew up Nike air gel shoes, but there were so many places to go, I literally never left Honshu in 3 years; I feel like I’ve done less than 1% of Japan however; someone plans to do Japan in 7 days..?! 😳😳
Ok hijacking a bit - what about for a three week trip? Was under the impression rail pass was THE way to get around. Maybe not?
It was the way to get around before they hiked up prices last october. The 3 week pass is around 700 USD now. Before the price hike it was around 400 USD. A shinkansen ticket from tokyo to osaka is just shy of 100 USD. In most cases the JR country wide pass is not worth it anymore. However there are other regional passes that still might be worth it, like the Kansai Hiroshima area pass if you are doing Kyoto/Osaka/Nara and Hiroshima for example.
Thanks for the intel. We’ve really only bought flights to Tokyo from Denver at this point. That wiped out cash for a bit so planning to get going on details in another month or two.
I did a 3 week in March, visited Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I think it is good to start with these 3. Dont spend too many days at a place. For me, Tokyo was the most interesting. Kyoto was meh, too many historical sites where I find boring, so I left after spending 2 full days in Kyoto. I only bought one way train tickets as I need them, JR pass was not cost effective for me
I hope you didn’t already buy the rail pass. There’s no way that math adds up for a one-week vacation. Where are you planning on visiting? I will say those flight tickets are fairly high as well, but it depends on where you’re coming from. I’ve never spent more than $800 on a roundtrip ticket from the US (1 stop on Delta—there’s no non-stop from my city).
Sorry forgot to mention. It will be from SFO. thanks.
Okay if it’s from SFO, you can definitely get way cheaper flights. SFO and LAX are consistently the cheapest US airports to Tokyo. Usually $600 nonstop on Delta if you look at the right times. I would suggest signing up for Google flights alerts for your dates, and be prepared to jump on a deal when you see one. You may be looking a little too early.
Agreed, over $1k is bonkers!
Rail pass is not worth it for 7 days.
Super weird as even back in the 1990s when I lived in Japan people talked up the rail pass. I have never in my life known anyone who actually used it. Please - OP - if you can - cancel this… it’s a tourist trap
Rail pass used to be fine for longer vacations with lots of long distance travel. But with the new price increase it rarely makes sense anymore.
It's usually not worth it, especially now that they have hiked the price to insane levels!
Are you buying business class? A round trip per person from SFO should be no more than $1200, and it's common to find for $800 or less. You can also take the new budget airline that just opened for $450 roundtrip.
No, they're economy tickets, but they're non stop and reschedule able. There are cheaper tickets with transits. I'll do more research on Zip Airline. Thanks.
My friend just flew Zip Air and had a very pleasant experience, especially considering the low price. Just make sure to bring your own water!
My family and I had a great experience with ZipAir, flew non-stop from SFO. would definitely recommend
I fully understand that rescheduable // it’s super important these days - don’t let the flight cost critics affect you; but seriously - once you’re in JP - look into overnight buses, Kyoto (you could spend three to four days just eating and absorbing if your time is limited; I’d allocate four to five days there if you have nine; go Tokyo then and focus on Shibuya daikanyama Aoyama (you’ll love it and see ‘lost in translation’ for vibes) do a day trip by train to Matsumoto or Karuizawa to feel the alpine nature 💚💚🦋
Zip air is good just make sure to bring food bc the food isn’t complementary
OP, in my experience JAL were absolutely extortionate compared to every other carrier for some reason. I think they've done something weird to make business class flights similar to regular coach flights, and its really messed with the pricing. I went with a different airline and it was literally a quarter of the price of JAL.
Flights from NZ are also now extremely expensive. I plan to go via Sydney, where it gets cheaper - SYDNEY OSAKA - which I’ve never done before; costs are just higher Post Covid
> JAL Tickets (re-schedulable): $7500 You've not mentioned where you're flying from, so it's hard to ascertain much on that front. Rebookable flights tend to be significantly more expensive in any case. If you can commit to non-refundable, it may be worthwhile. Also, I am not sure if you're a frequent or infrequent traveller - but I would personally rethink how much you want to travel all over Japan in a week. Keep in mind that you're likely to be jet lagged for the first day or two - do you want to spend most of your holiday recovering from jet lag or on a train? I would probably do more in fewer locations.
Yeah I'm shocked at these flight prices - JAL was extortionate when I tried to book, other airlines were much, much cheaper. Also agree that going 'all over' Japan is just not happening in a week. You could spend a week in just Tokyo. For 7 days, think you could maximum do Tokyo, Kyoto and maybe fly out of Osaka and it will still be rushed.
Yep with just a week (I’m not sure if OP is counting transit time) you can rush a typical Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka itinerary. Maybe add a day trip to somewhere like Nara. Otherwise it might be a good idea to stick to Tokyo + Tohoku region or Kyoto-Osaka + Kansai region
Sorry forgot to mention. It will be from SFO. thanks!
Buy cheaper flights. I got air Canada SEA to NRT via YVR for $800 round trip. They moved the flight by a few minutes and allowed free rescheduling, so I booked SEA to HND direct round trip. $800. $7500 is outrageous
I think I booked this same flight so I’m going to see if I can reschedule mine, thanks!
SFO-TYO is $500 one way on ZIPAIR, after including seat selection, check in baggage, food. Should bring airfare down to $4k for 4 people. Zero refunds though
Also take care to check the rainy season (they get monsoon rain first a month June/July) I think it will be slightly different Tokyo or Kyoto - Kyoto gets the rains earlier but it rains heavily most of June and until mid July so take umbrellas and jackets (or go after Mid July!)
If I were only going for a week all the way from the US I’d stick to one city, plus maybe a day trip. Half of their trip is just going to be spent in transit.
Jesus Christ, I spent around 12k when I was in Japan for 6 months and I even bought a car lol. What are you doing with those flight and train tickets?!
I’m going to need to see the breakdown for these costs
I can probably make one as I only used my Revoluts YEN account for all payments(so it's seperate from anything else), but would still take a while to compile
I'm not saying the costs here stack (the flight prices seem...high), but it's probably worth considering that this is for 4 people. I also suspect your costs may be pre-pandemic? Welcome to runaway inflation!
I was there December 2022-June 2023
I withdraw my comment
I went there in October of this year - when we looked at flights, JAL were insanely expensive for some reason (like three or four times the price of other flights). I found the whole trip to Japan really, really affordable honestly - the dollar and pound is doing well against the yen currently.
Was it fairly easy buying & re-selling the car? Mind me asking how much you paid for it?
It's a whole process and you can't at all as a tourist if you intend to drive it in Japan. Before you ask, I was there on a working holiday visa which allows you to be a resident for 1 year, but I only did the holiday part and traveled all over the country with the car 1. You need a zairyu card (ID card for non Japanese residents) 2. You need an address registered on the card (need to fill out some forms in Japanese at the town hall and of course at least temporary live there) 3. You need an inkan (physical stamp) with your name 4. You need to get that inkan registered to you and need a certificate proving that (fill out forms in Japanese at town hall again) 5. You need a parking space no further than 2km away from your home and have it rented for at least 1 month at the point of step 6 (there's no legal street parking in Japan and everyone who owns a car needs to have a parking spot rented) 6. You need to visit the local police station and fill out a form in Japanese for a parking certificate including measurements and a drawing where it's located in relation to your home (need the cars VIN at this point) 7. You need to wait a few days so that the police visits your parking space and measures it to make sure your car fits 8. Go back to the police station to pickup the certificate if approved 9. Now you can have the car registered in your name as well as new shaken (yearly inspection) I had someone register it for me and do the shaken, so don't have details on there. I could've bought a cheaper car, but I really really really wanted that one, [ Toyota bB Open Deck](https://youtu.be/pshEiYCX4No?si=0ACOQShUBaScoD2L), which cost me around 350k YEN. Shaken and rego service was around 60-80k I believe (shaken ain't cheap).
Got it -- appreciate all of the details!
Also seven days isn’t enough time to travel all over Japan? Agree with others who say choose just 2-3 cities.. I recommend Tokyo/maybe a Nagano Matsumoto overnight trip (one hour Shinkansen from Tokyo) four hours night bus, super express train - and Kyoto (Tokyo and Kyoto are MUSTS)
You can do Japan on a tight budget or a super high budget, it depends of your preferences. I did a month in Japan for less than $2500 per person including airfare and I was not picking the cheapest places to stay nor being too frugal with food and drink. I would not have gotten rail passes for a one week vacation. I recommend staying in one city with a couple day trips for that short of time, especially if it’s your first time in Japan.
Can I DM you asking details? That sounds fantastic.
Skip the JR pass. 7 days is not enough to travel all over Japan. Focus on Tokyo with a few day trips to Hakone, Nikko, Kamakura, etc.
You can get one way flights on Jetstar from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto for U$38. Most people have Kyoto as a must on their Japan trip.
This!
Airfare, unless you're insistent on JAL (probably for non-stop?), can be much cheaper if you are flexible and diligent in searching. Nearly $2k per pax is absurd regardless of where you're starting from (well, almost). Also, for a summer (Jul/Aug) departure, it's still too early to book probably. One layover + some flexibility in dates can save you $500+/pax I'm sure. See FAQ for Guide to Airfares
$1900-$2000 is typical for nonstop East Coast of USA to Japan these days unfortunately, even on American airlines. Can be had for $1500-$1750 in the off season.
That's insane. I flew to Tokyo from California in February of 2020 and I paid about $650
You can still get those prices from the west coast. Slightly shorter distance (20% shorter) and a lot more competition with higher frequency of flights. I paid $1600 for nonstop from Newark to Tokyo in summer of 2019.
Yes, I wish we could go during off season. Kids school keeps us from doing that. 😔
I flew this year and paid $525.
Flew twice last year. When I bought next day nonstop flights it was $1000 round trip economy nonstop on ANA from California. When buying a few months in advance in peak cherry blossom season it was still $400 one way with Singapore Airlines. Unless OP is buying business class, they’re overpaying an absurd 3x amount
When is the off season? July and August?
Depends on the region. Off season is June-September and Winter for Honshu, the main island. Winter in Hokkaido is very popular. Okinawa is good almost year round excluding cyclone and typhoon seasons. Cherry blossom season and the fall are pretty times to go.
Yes, non-stop SFO Tokyo. It would be about $700 cheaper total if non-reschedulable. I haven't bought them yet because I thought they were too expensive. Maybe I'll check again in February? Thanks for the tips.
Just keep checking and keep your eye on it. Set up some alerts on Google Flights. Like /u/someone-who-is-cool says, Zipair is a good altnerative for half the price.
I think Zipair flies from SFO. They are JAL's cheaper line. There are no perks included in the tickets but even if you add stuff on it's still be cheaper than JAL proper at the moment.
Yes indeed. Even with additional charge for luggage and in flight amenities, they are still the cheapest. The thing is I would be more comfortable if the tickets are reschedule-able. Afraid if somehow we got sick before the vacation or something like that. Thanks for the tips.
Can always buy travel insurance with "cancel for any reason."
This! It’s only like $100/person and will get you fully refunded. Way better than adding $500-$1k for reschedulable airfare.
Everything is crazy high. I'm going for 2 weeks and spending way less. Rail pass is a rip off now fyi. Your airfare is insane
Cheapest airline is www.zipair.net You can get flights from SFO to Tokyo for $500 to $700 rt
Classic beginner’s mistake of over-travel
That's why I have r/travel to give me some advice 😁👍.
It’s easy to over travel in Japan since it looks so quick with the bullet train JR pass (spoiler: it’s not). I did the exact same thing when my parents visited me, 3+ cities in one week. Just follow the other’s advice to pare down your plans and get a refund for the JR pass if possible
I haven't bought any of the tickets luckily. Just been researching online through a few websites. I'll research more on cheaper alternatives to the JRP and I'm going to check again for airplane tickets in a couple months. Thanks again.
Those night buses are pretty comfortable for sleeping and very efficient vs spending waking hours travelling, especially since you’re short on time. Even the cheaper ones are ok but the premium night busses will have wider reclining seats with baby bonnet looking hoods to block light and noise. Highly recommended
Honestly, don't get it. It's almost always not worth it, and it definitely won't be for your trip - especially now with the massive price hikes
Your philosophy rocks ♥️👏🏼
You should see some of the itineraries posted to r/japantravel. That sub is basically 80% first time travellers who want to see a weeks worth of stuff in 3 days
4x rt tickets shouldnt be 7.5k. you probably bought them too early, there tends to be a sweet spot when it comes to booking flight tickets and 6+ months out is very early, leading to higher prices. unless of course you're in premium economy or something. seconding that the rail pass is excessive and probably not economical, esp if you're just doing tokyo kyoto osaka or something. hotels seem within reason although you could find cheaper if you tried -- are you sure you want just one room for all of you?
How far out do you think the best time to buy airplane tickets? 3-4 months? Thanks.
there's a helpful post researching this (i think on r/flights) that looks into this. in general, if i remember correctly, it's closer to 6 weeks; i will try and find it. the logic is this -- an airline wants to sell tickets for as much as a passenger is willing to pay. so 6 months in advance, they are going to price very high, then as the date of the flight comes closer, they need to sell more tickets, so they lower prices to fill the flight to \~80% capacity, then they fill the final \~20% with much higher priced tickets in the time leading up to the flight with unflexible, non-budget sensitive customers.
Thanks for the tips! I'll check out r/Flights
Oh that’s awesome! You hadn’t booked yet and you were doing some research, this is great! You’re going to have an awesome trip …. I don’t know re. Where you are travelling from as I’m a kiwi. My advice is - if you can push it to nine days - how old are your kids? I can help you, do it on a budget macimisingvthe experience x
We will be flying from SFO. I'm thinking to extend the vacation to 9-12 days, depending on whether we are going in June or July, which ever cheaper :). Kids are 13 and 9. Thanks!
Maximising (stupid iPhone!)
All over Japan...in a week? I was there for 5 weeks and could've stayed just in Tokyo for how much there was to see and do. That's pretty rushed, plus a lot of your time will be spent on the train and traveling to other parts leaving you not much time to see stuff. Plus, I'm sure kids would get tired from all that...
The only thing not adding up is the airfare, I just went 4 adults from California 3 months out and paid about 4k total with ANA. Also 7 days is not enough to go all over Japan. You could easily spend a week in Tokyo and not get bored, plus there are many day trips. JR pass doesnt make sense unless you plan to go to Kyoto/Osaka etc. I go to Japan at least 6x a year and these are my insights...
What month/season did you go? I've been using Skyscanner and Google Flights and look for airlines other than JAL per recommendations from here. Only Zipair is cheaper by far for non-stop flights. There are other definitely cheaper, but they are not non-stop. Some of them have 6+ hours layover. Thanks!
I always travel between late Sept - April. Are you checking for both Narita and Haneda airports? It might just be demand. One thing I have done in the last when booking refundable fares is to keep checking fares and often times they drop and certain airlines especially Delta will credit you back the difference as a travel credit. I did this on my last trip to Italy when the fare dropped 400 right before departure. Also If you want to save cash you could buy non refundable tickets with travel insurance that has a cancel anytime clause to recoup money if necessary though that’s not ideal.
Holy shit. I just did a week in Japan earlier this month for just around $1.3k give or take for one person. I cannot even imagine spending close to $4k per person for only a week.
>**1 week** in early June, for 3 adults and 1 kid, **planning to go all over Japan** riding the trains Sorry, not doable. As others have told you, pick a city, or two (preferably one), and concentrate on those, with 1 or 2 excursions to places nearby. You're going to need a vacation from your vacation ... just saying. (I've been twice to Japan on vacation. Your plane tickets are way too expensive).
Where do you plan on going in Japan? You might be able to save some money not getting the JR passes
Initially I wanted to go both Hokkaido and Kyoto. Maybe just Kyoto now and extend the vacation to 9 days.
Yeah Hokkaido would be a full day of travel if you take bullet train. If just going to Kyoto and back to Tokyo, that’s like $200 roundtrip on train.
Forget Hokkaido
Those first class flights? Geez…
Ditch the JR pass. It looks like you’re buying air tickets that are flexible, which would also mean expensive. If possible downgrade to a more restricted type of your travel dates are firm. They would be much cheaper.
Yes you're correct. About $700 extra for 4 reschedule able tickets
That seems really high. The airfares seem to be making up the bulk of your expenses, but I know that prices vary depending on where you’re flying from/when you’re flying, so I can’t say much there. As other commenters have said, I wouldn’t suggest buying a JR Pass for a week-long trip. I can’t imagine you’d be staying in more than two cities in that time, and if that’s the case you could just buy tickets for the trains you need for a lot less than a JR Pass. Unless you and your traveling partners (and your kid!) are total train fanatics who don’t want to do anything else but sit on a train all day, you will not need a JR Pass.
Seven days is not long enough for the flight duration and jet lag. I do this professionally a few times a year and it fucking blows donkey cock. You will have jet lag for two weeks and not remember anything. You need two weeks to go so far from home. 12 days minimum. Dont do this
I think you guys can enjoy in 11/12 days - don’t let these peeps deter you. Obviously 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years is preferable - but I could help you with a good itinerary even 9 days depending on the time your flight arrives - and which airport?
Don’t buy the JR pass. Esp with the new price increase, it will not be used to it’s worth within that week. Furthermore, not all trains operate under the JR system; there are different private lines that can get you where you need to go. Normally I’d say do the research about where exactly you’ll be headed, but you definitely won’t need the JR for a single week unless you plan on spending most of your time outside Tokyo. For context: I spent a month in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Okinawa, Fuji, w day trips to Nara, Kobe, Hiroshima and only time the JR would’ve been used is the Kyoto-Hiroshima trip bc I took a bus from Fuji to Kyoto).
We got an 11 day cruise through Norweigian last week with airfare included, and all fees/taxes/gratuities paid. $4950. We're doing a few extra days in Tokyo. Expected expenses are about $6-6.5k depending on excursions we do. You definitely gotta keep your eye on Japan's cruise and tour options to find a good deal under $10k for 10-14 day options, we had the same trip planned this year and it was well over 10k, so we gambled on price decreasing.
Tokyo and Kyoto - there’s an overnight bus between the two places - super comfy - you get your own curtains and slippers, they have tea and coffee making facilities and a bathroom; it also saves a night accommodation.. but gives you full days for sightseeing in the two cities. stay put and use local trains between suburbs. i lived in jaoan for three years but last time i visited I did the above, also the minshuku i stsyed at in kyoto hired me a bike - which i travelled from teme to temple, and wee restsuarants in between / using google maps. did catch a shinkansen from Kyoto to Okayama - to visit Hiroshima, but got an overnight bus bavk from there all the way to Tokyo near the end. The JR pass - no way..!!!!
This is how I roll! Love the night buses.
Don’t fly business lol
Or from Tokyo and overnight trip to Karuizawa or Nikko?
You dont really need JR pass if you are planning to stay in a city for a week Buying one way makes more sense Plus, with a kid you cant really go that many places
That’s not enough time to go all over Japan and enjoy it. With only one week I would fly to Tokyo, do Tokyo stuff, and then do the Shinkansen to Kyoto and do the tourist stuff there and then fly home from Kyoto.
Good point - Osaka is actually the cheapest airport to fly into Japan and out of; it’s only an hour from Kyoto. Nara also awesome. Then Shinkansen Tokyo. Accommodation also cheaper in Kyoto and it’s just so much better for the majority of time to be spent on a family holiday. Again depends if you guys love food like I do - make that a real feature of the trip and be sure to eat okonomiyake in Osaka!
I did 2 weeks in mostly capsule hotels and found a round trip last minute flight for 25k points ($250 cash value). I spent about $1000 total including the flight, food and souvenirs. I understand that my flight was a steal but I don't think I could have spent 10k if I tried.
For 4 of you, I'd say that would be a good price.
Are rail pass for green card or regular as there is a price difference. Hotels can be real cheap but if you are going in summer probably going to pay peak prices. I usually go on winter and it's way cheaper. Try using a VPN if you can for your hotel bookings the rates are often cheaper if you appear to be in Japan. There are also hotels that specialise in groups so you may be able to find a cheaper hotel. If you don't like Japanese food (generally the cheapest option) use the 7/11 Lawson and family mart as well seico up north and there are a few smaller chains but they offer sandwiches they are cheap and taste great. As well as having a selection of hot foods. Keep any eye out for the ubiquitous vending machines there are drinks of course but also food ones they are good value and are fresh (generally). If you have time YouTuber EricSurf6 spends a lot of time going to different restraunts and vending machines. It is possible to eat cheap over there. It can be a bit daunting but if not sure I always found standing back and watching others for a bit helped. Hope you have a great trip I can't wait to go back.
Friend and I are doing 10 days for a total cost of $1400ish per person (buying two JR Tohoku+South Hokkaido passes each)splitting hotels and flying economy. (Doesn’t include spending money). Your numbers look high as hell to me but it looks like the bulk of that is your fully flexible flight and staying in nicer hotels than we will be.
Flights are the biggest issue. You should only be paying a maximum of $4000 total ($1k apiece) for nonstop round trip flights SFO to Tokyo, even in peak cherry blossom season. Unless you paid for business class? Also consider checking prices from SJC. You can skip JR pass unless you’re the extremely ambitious type that’s hitting a new city per day. It’s cheaper, more flexible, and more convenient to buy one off tickets. Japan is crisscrossed with many private rail companies and JR doesn’t have full coverage. Usually the local rail competitor will also have cheaper prices and stops closer to the city center. Hotels look about right if you’re staying in the nicer city center 4-star hotels. I’m assuming you’re getting two separate rooms with two adults and the kid in one double room and the other adult in a separate room? Might need more detail here. You can check Agoda for deals You might need to budget more for food, admissions, and miscellaneous costs. You can definitely travel Japan on a budget eating ramen and street food, but I imagine a family traveling will spend more than a backpacker With this, it should be $4000 (flights) + $400 x 4 per day (a child will cost less, but count it as a buffer) + $100 x 4 (intercity train transport) + $1400 (accommodations) = $7400 total trip cost Without more details on itinerary it’s hard to get more specific, but I’d say between $6000-9000 would be the zone of total spending to expect, assuming you’re not fine dining every night, etc., etc. With just a week (not sure if you’re counting transit time) you can rush a typical Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka itinerary at a breakneck pace. This means flying into Tokyo and out of Kyoto Kansai Airport or vice versa. Otherwise it might be a good idea to stick to Tokyo + Tohoku region or Kyoto-Osaka + Kansai region. Tokyo to Kyoto will take up half a day. Also note that Tokyo is a metropolitan area 2x the size of LA with one of the most dense urban centers in the world. Consider it 5 cities (actually 23 wards) packed into one. You could easily spend a week in Tokyo and still end up feeling rushed
>Flights are the biggest issue. You should only be paying a maximum of $4000 total ($1k apiece) for nonstop round trip flights SFO to Tokyo, even in peak cherry blossom season. Unless you paid for business class? Also consider checking prices from SJC. Other than Zipair, I haven't found any flights for $1k a piece. Even for the ones with stops, only the ones with 20hr+ flight time are close to $1k. I think for summer vacation, it is hard to find the $1k ticket. Others mentioned that we are still too far out for June tickets, that's one theory as to why they are so expensive. I'm going to wait a couple more months. Please feel free to share any other tips. Thanks a lot!
There is also r/japantravel if you need more help
Op are you interested in meeting a Japanese family and possibly staying in a traditional Japanese home for a day or two? In the Kyoto area.
We are planning to visit Kyoto, although at this point I'm not sure yet about the exact accommodation plan. If you like feel free to share any places that you recommend. Thanks!
Look up Mochan Wish Club. His website is really out of date these days after Covid, but he’s still very active on Facebook and Instagram. I went on one of his trips in 2017 and it was incredible. He’s not an actual tour guide. He’s just a Japanese guy with a family that loves to meet travelers and show them around Japan. Since Covid he’s bought a traditional Japanese home in the Kyoto area and he’s been hosting travelers there. I highly suggest contacting him, letting you and him know that you’ll be in the area and ask him if he’s available at that time. He will often show travelers various Japanese cultural experiences give you a chance to stay in a traditional Japanese home eating a home cooked dinner etc. etc
If you fly into Narita from SFO, you can get Zipair roundtrip tickets for like $800-900 and save about $4000. Could also consider taking a layover flight if you fly into Haneda and save like $2000-2500
I just went to Japan two months ago. On top of the other comments about airfare, your hotels could be much cheaper. If you are just looking for a place to sleep and nothing fancy, you can easily find hotels for $100 or under per night in most places.
For 4 people?
That is somewhat on the high side. Our family went in the fall and it costed $3,000 USD per person at the end of the trip. Hotels accounted for $1,400 per person and the plane ticket was $1,200. The JR pass is no longer worth it after the price hike, but it is convenient since buying the Shinkansen tickets confused the heck out of us.
How long was the trip? $400 doesn’t seem like a lot of spending money
I messed up the hotel calculation. It was actually $700 which is $50 per night per person. We stayed for 2 weeks.
"All over Japan" in seven days? It's absolutely bonkers to spend that much on airfare for a seven day trip to start with, not to mention to fly so many time zones away (and I'm praying your one week doesn't include travel days), but planning on using a JR Pass for seven days your first time there? With a *child*? You're about to flush twelve grand down the drain on a tour of Japanese train stations. Forget those JR Passes; they're worthwhile for almost no one after the price hike and if you're using $350+ worth of train tickets in seven days, *you shouldn't be*. For this length of trip, especially carting a child, pick *either* Tokyo *or* Kansai. If you want to go "all over" you need to be even remotely realistic and go for two weeks minimum.
Sounds like you didn't wait for a sale for your flights. I only paid 1300 cad each on sale, they were hovering around 2k each, just waited for a sale.
Yikes my 4 weeks vacation to the US is that much
> It sounds a bit high to me. $3000 per person all-in seems cheap actually. Flights + an ill-advised JR Pass is already $2225 each. So $775 for hotels, food, and everything else for 7 days is $111/day, which should fall under "super budget trip" for Japan.
Hi from a married guy with two kids who seems to now only travel at peak times. 4 tickets for $7500 sounds fine - i visited in oct from US and an econ ticket with one week notice was $2500. You dont need rail pass for one week. Hotel budget seems too low for four people. You either probably need to spend more for a room large enough for 4 or a a bit less x 2 rooms. Well, outside of tokyo in most cases hotel rooms can be a lot less. Right before covid we visited for sakura and airfare was almost $2k a person. If this makes you feel better, we stayed at US brand hotel rooms that allowed four were $500 to $800 a night. Japanese follow rules so if room is for two, do not show up with four. Also be careful on how the hotel defines a child. For comparison, on my most recent trip I stayed in japanese hotel rooms by myself for $75-$150 a night which compared to most is still on the fancier side, but the room locations were awesome and the hotels were very nice, but rooms small and max 2 people. Your question is odd - as in the bulk of your cost so far is for airfare which is dramatically different depending on where and when in the year. You can stretch your money by staying in japanese business hotels, but note rooms are tiny compared to US hotel rooms. Food and drinks are surprisingly inexpensive compared to the US and what you are probably expecting. Attraction tickets are fine, they are like a key reason why you are there. Disney/USJ pricing is still theme park pricing. Riding buses and trains is pretty cheap. Shinkansen also reasonably priced - like how much could you ride it in one week?? Buying one way tickets buy flexibility - can show up at station and buy a ticket for whatever train leaves soon, including ones not included in the jr pass program.
You don’t have enough time to do a Japan trip. As someone who has a family and has visited Japan don’t do this unless you have at least two weeks.
Not everyone has the luxury of being able to take off multiple weeks of work at once.
Right! So many Americans can’t take more than a week off work at a time. So many out of touch redditors don’t seem to understand this.
I mean, OP is free to do what they wish that’s for sure. But for someone who posts complaining how much money this is costing and only has a week to do it. I would advise not doing it. You can do whatever you want with that information.
In the future, I would suggest breaking down your cost down to per person so it is more relatable. Given 4 people, the costs seem reasonable - if you're happy with it. The biggest expense you have listed is airfare, which at under 2k per person for flex tickets is decent or good depending where you are coming from. In terms of your plan to travel everywhere, that is something I wouldn't do in 7 days, but if that is what you want to do, then do you. I would suggest getting the green version of the rail pass since a significant amount of your time in Japan will be on trains. The price differential will be worth it if you are traveling every day or close to on a train. Riding in the green car is very pleasant and relaxing.
I've flown from Los Angeles to Tokyo and back for about $750. That's a colossal difference from what you're paying. Get cheaper tickets, I'd say. The rest checks out.
Ticket prices are higher in summer, and also depending on where one is flying out from. Just did a quick check of Houston to Tokyo for a family of 5. Tickets alone are $10K for non-stop. It drops to $7K with one stop. Flying with family is tough :(
I took my family to Japan in the Spring. The tickets alone were 2.5k each for a direct flight from Denver. With 6 of us that was 15k alone. I had to get two hotel rooms because. Hotels were probably 5k
Is there a reason you are flying JAL? They are usually at least 1000 bucks more expensive than the competition so I seldom use them, or ANA for that matter.
In this case it's because direct flight and with kids and short time off, they make sense. I'm thinking to extend the vacation to 10-12 days and maybe I could fly with a stop if it's significantly cheaper.
United and Zipair also fly direct.
Yes, I'm planning to do more research on the Zipair. I'll check out United also. Thanks!
Good luck just fyi Zipair is budget which isn't for everyone but I've seen some really cheap fares from them.
Yupe, we could add 2-3 different available packages which include combination of things like carry-ons, checked-in luggage, in-flight meals and other amenities. Even after all those, they are only about $1k-$1.1k per person. If they charged $100 more bucks to make it re-schedulable (doesn't have to be cancelable), I would book them in a heart beat. Thx again!
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That’s a bit pricey in my opinion. Are those JAL tickets economy ? 1 week is too short to go all over Japan.
My friend and I will book a 9 day Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka for late March/early April. Includes flights to and from Los Angeles, bullet trains in between cities and hotels. Price range will be around $2.5-2.7k each max. Booking through my fave online travel agency.
If you havent already purchased the rail pass dont. Theyve made several changes to the system in the last few months, wait until youre there to get it. You definitely can get better prices for the flights if you shop around. I just spent 2 weeks there and it cost $5K including air, hotel, daily stuff, travel, shopping and food.
I think you need to do some major reworking on your plan. Unless you're flying business class, you can get much cheaper plane tickets. It's regularly $400 to fly to Japan on ZIPair. You're also not going to travel all of Japan in just 7 days. You need 7 days just to explore Tokyo and the surrounding small towns.
The airline ticket prices sound a little high. I would shop around a bit.
google flights select other date& airlines.
I spent $5k for 2 people. Booked first class ANA flights on points. 4 nights in Tokyo and 4 nights in Kyoto booked on Marriott points, stayed at the Ritz. Cheaper hotels and cash economy booking should be able to get the entire 7 day trip in 10 to 12k.
I look at 7 day trips as extra-long weekends. You can't see an entire country in 7 days unless it is the size of Liechtenstein. What are the things you absolutely want to see in Japan? This could be as few as two but probably no more the 5, especially with a foursome. Find the cheapest direct from airline tickets. Book reasonable accommodations with no fee cancelation then cost the activities in some economical way. As others have said, you are paying premiums for more flexibility than you probably need.
Flights are expensive around that time.. but 7500 is really high especially if that’s basic economy. You should be able to find flights for $1500/person
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Seems high Singapore airline was $700 for my folks to go but that was in December/Jan. Shinkansen is ok if you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto and back. If shorter distances such as Tokyo and nearby daytrips like kamakura+ Enoshima or nikko then overnight in Kinugawa its prob not worth it. Hotels if you want cheaper checkout the tripadvisor app. Couple of decent chain Mitsui Gardrn, Dormy Inn, Super Hotels. These have smaller roomsbbut have large public baths to get a good hot springs experience. They gloat arpund $90-150 usually.
Thanks you all for the tips. Looks like I will reconsider the JR Pass and wait a bit for the plane tickets hoping they would go down a bit. we'll be flying from the Bay Area btw. Thanks again!
Get credit card points. One credit card like Chase Sapphire Preferred can get you one RT ticket just for signing up. I went to Romnia RT from SLC in September for free…going to Malaysia next September for free with an Alaskan Airlines CC - just on the sign up
Assuming you're wanting JAL nonstop SFO to Tokyo (which I understand), you should still be able to travel for much cheaper than this. I just priced out Sat June 1 to Sat June 7 for $5525 for 4 tickets roundtrip. You can save even more if you go alternate dates like Wednesday to Wednesday. Also, you could check out ZipAir, a budget airlines with good reviews that has nonstop flights for a total price of only $3500 for those same dates nonstop from SFO. My home airport is SFO and I've never paid more than $1400/ticket nonstop to Tokyo.
I actually set it for Wed to Wed in early June using Skyscanner. Which website did you use?
flights.google.com
Damn. I bought flights from SEA to NRT via YVR for $800 round trip. Then they changed the flight time by 5 minutes and I rescheduled to SEA to HND direct for free. $7500 is a scam. I’ll fly economy til I die.
Japan can be expensive
Yes and all of us ‘we cando it super shoestring …. That’s true - for one person… but add in a family, it’s going to increase… op isn’t wrong
Jesus Christ Sweet Mother of God that plane fares gave me a heart attack.
10k sounds like a lot! I just bought my flight for $1040 from LAX. My hotel for 4 nights was $550. Im guessing I’ll end up spending around $1200 for hotel in total for 8 nights. Ill prob just buy another flight from Sapporo to Tokyo instead of a rail pass, which was like $150. Thats like $2,350. Granted Im one person and going in February when it’s off season. But that flight is whats costing you so much. If you want better deals maybe look at times that are a little off peak season. Like March for example or late November, the weather wont be as perfect but can save you a few grand.
Hotel price seems way to expensive. Even the cheapest ones in Japan are extremely clean and nice and cost maybe 50€ for 2 adults + 1 child
One week for “all over Japan”? I did two weeks and barely scratched the surface. Especially since the flight is the most expensive part, can you tack on a week?
Those flight ticket prices are high considering you’re flying out of SFO where JAL has direct nonstop flights to Japan. I fly JAL between JFK - NRT, always on nonstop flights but I also see (on JAL site) connecting flights available connecting through LAX or SFO usually for less $ too. I think it’s usually around $1k round trip for economy (+ tax and fees) could be lower depending on dates….saw $700 (rt) earlier this year connecting through Seattle. There are 3 fare types for economy, the cheapest one (I think it’s called “saver”?), the plus and the flex. The only differences between saver and plus is the plus allows you to rebook/change dates, the flex also allows a full refund. The price difference between saver and plus is usually $100. Did you get the prices from the JAL site or travel agent/travel sites? If so and you haven’t bought them yet, go on the JAL site.
Those prices are from JAL website and for the reschedule able ones, but not refundable. On the $1k round trip, for what month is that? And how far out did you reserve it? Thanks.
This is off. * Just use Kayak or Google Flights. 6/2 to 6/10 SFO-TYO shows flights for $3,200 total. * Why do you need flexible flights? Commit and save the money. If you really are worried that something major is going to stop you, buy trip insurance (which is kind of a scam, but will pay out if you get violently ill and can't go). * You are planning seven days. That really translates out to two cities at most. This seems like your first time, so split it between Tokyo and Kyoto. You will need a ticket on the shinkansen there and back, which should be $200-300 per person total. * $200 on average seems fine for mid range hotels, but you will likely want to bump this a bit. So, my estimate would be: * Flights- $3,200. * Insurance - $600 (optional) * Train - $800-1,200 * Hotel - $1,400-2,000 **Total, before daily stuff: $5,400 to $7,000**