How much money for 3 weeks?

Hi people,

I was wondering if any one could help me out with a suggestion as to how much money (in british pounds or yen) I should be taking with me to Japan for 3 weeks? I know this is largely subjective and it depends on spending and where I am going.. but just a rough estimate?

not sure if I need to elaborate further.. any help is appreciated.

Yes, you do need to elaborate. Does this need to include accommodation and what type of accommodation (hostel, budget, business, luxury)? Where are you going in Japan? Are you travelling alone? Where do you plan to eat meals, fancy restaurants, cheap noodle stands, bento boxes in your hotel room? Do you plan to go to bars or nightclubs? Will you do a lot of shopping?

Hi Preston

As already said, it really does depend on what you are going to do, go and see. My wife and I spent around �1,000 for 11 days in Japan (got back 3 days ago), but that did not include anything for accommodation, flights, international travel and JR passes. We like to rough it a little, so that could be really cheap, but we got round to see and do everything we wanted to.

Some general idea on prices that we found are (approx):
standard rice based dish in regular restaurant - 800yen to 1,000yen.
drinks - 120yen for soft drink from the thousands of vending machines around gthe country.
subway costs - not disimilar to London prices, with a minimum cost of journey in Kyoto (and possibly elsewhere as well).
Pizza Hut large pizza (BBQ chicken) - 3,200yen (yup, pricey!)
Museum entrance fees - around the 600yen mark, but certainly a lot cheaper than we'd initially envisaged.

One word of warning, read up about international ATMs and dont get caught without any cash, as if you're used to the UK, and paying by card for even the smallest of items, then you'll get a bit of a shock when you get there.

Overall, it wasn't as expensive as we'd thought. Like most big cities around the world, you have to be mindful of higher prices in popular areas, and things like table charges in some establishments.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623.html
�� Money matters:

If you have already paid for a JR pass,
happy to stay at youth hostels or cheap minshukus,
happy to settle for foods from convenience stores during the day, or as and when necessary,
happy to settle for cheap and cheerful local eateries / pubs in the evening, you would like a few beers but not too many,
not planning on massive nights out / gigs / clubs etc.,
and not planning on any proper shopping as such apart from the odd cheap tourist kitch or two,
then, as a very rough estimate, I'd say
��60-80/day (about 10000 yen or a bit under) as a comfortable minimum.

Best to think of it as London prices, or slightly under, in terms of bare minimum spending.

If you want to splurge, on the other hand, the stratosphere is the limit. A bit like London, again.