How Much To Spend/Budget for Japan Trip (in Philippine Peso)

There is a common misconception when it comes to traveling to Japan because a lot of us Filipinos think that it's very much expensive to travel here in this country. However, based on two past travel experiences I had, I am challenging that notion by saying that the budget you need to allot for Japan can be fairly reasonable. The only caveat is, you will need to plan in advance (and score that Piso sale). This is where this blog post comes in -- to help you identify the budget you will need for your next travel in Japan. Do take all of these information with a grain of salt and make sure to do your own research as well to get the most out of it.

Overall Budget for a Japan Trip

Generally speaking, when it comes to Japan travel, what immediately comes to my head, or I would say a convenient way to put it, is you would need about Php10,000 per day. However, this generally applies to shorter stays in the country. Hence, as a guide, I estimated the budget needed for 3 scenarios: (1) 4D 3N, which is what is common, (2) one week stay, and (3) two-week stay.

These estimates are as of March 2024. Inflation or other factors may influence the numbers used in this illustration

Notice that as you spend more days in Japan, the average spend daily goes down to less than P6,000. This is primarily because what you spent on airfare gets distributed across more days, and in that sense becomes more "sulit". 

What is the breakdown of these expenses?

Normally, the biggest expense that you will incur out of your Japan trip would be the airfare, which shall cost you around Php15,000 to Php20,000 at a regular rate, but from time to time, there are seat sales that will push down the range to "Php5000 to Php10,000". Believe it or not, we were able to book a Fukuoka trip at just Php4,000 round trip. Hence, with luck and patience you may score some good deals for the flight. Given that airfare is the biggest chunk of expense, any savings from this will significantly impact your overall expense/budget.

The use of Japan's train system will be able to keep your transportation expenses within budget

The second and third heaviest expenses are normally accommodation and food, respectively, depending on the type of lifestyle you choose to live in during your travel. It also depends on what prefecture you are in. For example, it’s commonly more expensive in Tokyo compared to other prefectures such as Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. The accommodation may range between Php1,500 to Php2,500 per night 

On the other hand, food expenses may range between Php1,000 to P1,500 per night depending on the restaurants and dishes you will order. 

It's better to go in more "modest" looking restaurants/shop in Japan, after all most of these are still delicious!

The fourth and fifth heaviest expenses are interchangeable between transportation and activities. For transportation the average per day is roughly P500, depending on how frequent you will be using the trains as well as the distances of your planned destinations. Expenses related to activities really depend on what types you would go for, but if you are thinking about theme parks such as Tokyo Disneyland or Disneysea, that's roughly P3,500 per visit.

What are the tips to lower down cost and be within the budget?

Accommodation

When we speak of accommodation, it depends on whether you are traveling solo or with a group, and based on experience, if you go in a group, it is best that your group is divisible by two. 

If you plan to go solo and you still prefer to stay in a hotel, this may push the price a little higher because instead of sharing it with another person you'd end up shouldering the entire rate yourself (hence daily rate will approximately be P3,000 to P5,000 per night). Hence, the best way for you to go on a budget if you are on solo is to either book a capsule hotel or choose a dormitory type hostel accommodation. Upon checking, you can score them at only P1,000 per night.

It is frequent for Japan accommodation to have rooms with two (2) single beds, this makes it good for splitting the cost between a friend or a family member

Transportation

Transportation is somehow more straightforward. What you need to avoid is taking any taxi or Uber. Most of the time your only option is just the train system of Japan, which by the way is very efficient and reliable. My only suggestion is for you to identify your route first before you go via a navigation app (I use Google Maps), and choose the cheapest yet efficient route among all options. Yes, Google Maps shows the estimate of how much you would be spending if you take a specific route.

The blog author (on the right) munching on an onigiri on Tenjin-minami of Fukuoka, Japan

Food

In order to lower your expenses for food, I suggest you maximize the use of convenience store or what we call "konbini" in Japan. You may also want to avoid the fancy-looking restaurants because normally these are indeed fancy and will cost you higher. Of course, do balance this with being able to try different food and still enjoy the Japanese cuisine. In short, do not overdo being too stingy!

Caveat

I did not attempt to dive further into the specifics of these expenses/budget because each travel experience is unique on its own. Hence, I leave it up to you and your resourcefulness in making your experience enjoyable while still keeping the expenses at bay. If you have any questions feel free to drop a comment below.

Also, you may want check this article as well to know if clothes, food, gadget and transportation are cheaper in Japan than ours -- Is it cheaper to shop in Japan than Philippines? (read here).

I hope that in some way you find this blog post helpful and please do enjoy your Japan travel!