"14 Ways To Visit Japan On A Budget"

Above, the famous statue of Hachikō at Shibuya Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Not all kaiju fans are as rich as Bill Gates, or even the owner of the corner mom & pop grocery store, but they do have a desire to someday visit Japan to see where their favorite monsters once stomped (at least on screen). And, they have to watch their budget.

When In Manila.com (a Filipino blogsite) has posted "14 Ways To Visit Japan On A Budget" written in mind for those who are budget-minded. It really doesn't matter where cost-saving tips come from, just as long as they are practical enough for anyone in the world to use.

The article begins with:

Traveling to Japan can equate to a 2-week vacation to Indochina. It is that expensive, but you will feel that every centavo is worth it with the services they provide you. While going there is costly, it doesn’t need to be that way. Listed below are the things to consider to save a dent on your wallet: 

100 USD = 10,129.50 JPY | 10,000 JPY = 4,275.22 PHP 

For a 6 days / 5 nights trip covering Tokyo-Osaka, a budget of P30,000 – 35,000 (including entrance to one theme park like USJ) is okay for an economic traveler. That is to say if you avail of the tips below, control overspending on pasalubong, and bring some cup noodles with you just in case; the said budget will be much more than enough. 

Please note that our entry point is Tokyo and the exit is Osaka. You can save more if you do this instead of going back and forth. Another option is to stay at one city at a time. We only did two cities primarily because Universal Studios Japan, which is located in Osaka, recently opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The first tip (#14) is one that I've been advocating for quite a while. Getting a JR Rail Pass (if one is planning to do a lot of extensive traveling to other cities (such as Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka or Sendai) would save a visitor a lot of money and would make one tip (#6) unnecessary.

To find out the 14 ways to save money, go here.