Cheap / budget travel Japan ideas request
Planning a trip to Japan fall 2027 or spring 2028. Japan seems to be a place I can spend my entire life savings in, fill three warehouses, and still come away with want. So here's a different question than the usual: if I don't care about Instagram sightseeing or the latest fashion trends or Michelin star restaurants, what are some crazy cheap things to do or places to stay?
Old fahsioned and dingy is fine, anything above "downright dangerous" is completely okay. We could do one fancy pants Ryokan and one cheap one if the cultural difference in expenses are worthwhile, otherwise cheap cheap cheap please.
I am most interested in hands on traditional crafts making workshops or experiences, like touring wagashi kitchens, basket weaving, leather workers, fibre and paper arts, wood crafting, kintsugi pottery repairs etc.
Kaga Traditional Craft Village Yunokuni no Mori, Komatsu -- Ishikawa Prefecture : this has been recommended to me, would love reviews and other recommendations. Kyoto has a lot of English workshops: are there cheaper ones outside?
BOOK OFF chains and Mega Donki for cheap, used consumer goods? Osaka for used kimono? Where do people get rid of their unwanted traditional arts and art supplies? Kyoto has a bunch of flea markets: still good spot or tourist junk I can get for much less elsewhere?
Any arcades that take an entry fee and then it's all you can play? (Asking because I super suck at games but I love them, and Japan has the whackiest arcade games)
I'd be perfectly happy to eat konbini & ramen & gyudon & cheap foods for the entire time. What other kinds of food are cheap? (I'd also do one or two seafood meals for sure but spending money = easy to find reviews)
I want to hear all the cheap things about Japan :) my goal will be to (1) avoid the over tourism spots and be less of a nuisance for locals (2) experience things (3) save all the money for the end of the trip to see Akihabara, spend it all on gunpla, anime and gaming goods.....
Maybe worth mentioning I am trying to learn as much Japanese as possible in a year, with background in Chinese language and college first year level Japanese. Language tips also welcome.
Edit: other Japan tourism threads by gpl, rosco ,AugustusFerdinand and shared -- also excellent
Not necessarily fitting your exact requests, but here is a thread from where I asked for tips during my last trip to Japan that you might find helpful: https://tild.es/1r27
Otherwise I'll be watching this thread for ideas for my next trip.
Yes absolutely loved your thread. Although kinda expensive and touristy I will probably still go see Team Lab from what folks said on your thread... Even if it is now the most visited museum in the world even more so than the Louvre.
As someone that also avoids the most popular things, I do have to say it was quite a fun experience.
Was it packed shoulder to shoulder? I still have regrets from shuffling through the Sistine Chapel instead of grabbing a chair and parking my butt there for an hour with binoculars.
Not at all, there's plenty of room for all and they time entry so it's not too crowded. I had Sunday morning tickets.
With the exchange rate as it is, pretty much everything is cheap.
For book off, there’s not much that’s actually cheap in Tokyo. You have to go to the rural book offs for good deals. Same for pretty much anything in akihabara. It’s all priced at least at market value if not higher for ignorant tourists. You can check online prices at surugaya or something to ground yourself.
For food, Conbini is a trap. It’s both bad for you and not really that cheap. Just go to restaurants. If you really want to cheap out, premade food at grocery stores is where it’s at, not conbinis. Conbinis is probably one of the most overhyped things in Japan.
Mostly in Kyoto, if a restaurant has the vibe of “we don’t want gaijin here”, just… don’t go. It’s for the best. Plenty of good restaurants that won’t cause conflict.
If price is a concern, do know that flights can often be significantly cheaper than the Shinkansen (bullet train), which is not cheap.
Outdoors stuff is going to be free (well, parks in Tokyo have entrance fees). You can go to Mt Takao on subways for like $5. You get a decent view of Fuji if it’s clear.
For onsens, for it to actually be an onsen it needs to have real volcanic water. So there are no onsens in Tokyo. You generally have to travel to the mountains. They’re expensive but people usually only stay one night. Weekdays obviously way less traffic.
Going to somewhere that’s not Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka will lower costs significantly. Go to Kyushu, for instance (in which case flying will be cheaper and faster). Although I understand that for first timers, the usual 3 cities is something people want.
Don’t stay in Kyoto and Osaka, stay in one or the other. Osaka and Kyoto are next to each other. A lot of people book nights in both but it’s not necessary. It’s like a 30 minute driver / 45 minute express subway to get from one to the other. Osaka will be cheaper and have more nightlife, Kyoto is better if you want to bum rush the shrines before the crowds (earlier than 7am).
In Kyoto, I recommend going to Otagi Nembutsu. You have to take a taxi so there’s like no one there. Gets away from the crowds.
Don’t go on any Japanese holiday. Golden week, silver week, new years, obon are the main ones. It will be expensive and miserable.
Don’t get the JR pass. It use to be worth it, now there’s almost no chance it’s better than paying for train tickets à la carte. You’d have to spend your whole trip on a train to get your money back.
It might be possible that I'll skip Tokyo this time..... While Kyushu sounds more and more appealing.
These are really good tips, thank you very much! I'm looking forward to buying marked down premade food from grocery stories at ... I assume, the end of the day?
This is going to sound crazy, but I’m going to recommend the YouTube channel Japaneat (he also runs one with an ‘s’ at the end, but that’s more aesthetic and less talking and showing off the food of Japan; but not the japaneats URL. Edit: looked it up, his second channel is Japan Eating)
He advocates very heavily for going to places that are off the beaten path and away from the tourisy areas. He also very often gives you the name and exact location of the places that he’s visiting. His channel is food-focused, though so most of what he’s showing you is restaurants, kombini, and American chain restaurants because he is an American.