I never been to Japan, no idea what to expect.
Aside from airfare (which I’m told is about 20,000 round trip), how much should it cost to spend time there, renting, rooms, food, etc? I heard yen is really low now.
Also are there alternatives to flying, like can I take a boat there, and will it be cheaper than flying?
You really learn to use Google, i found cheaper flights in 30 seconds
And even cheaper when i picked a closer city
Ok, but I want some firsthand experience that google doesn’t tell me.
Like how much should I expect to spend per day hanging around there?
Can I get by with just English?
How bureaucratic is renting houses in Japan?
Kansai (Osaka, etc.) will be cheaper and more fun than Tokyo, probably, depending on what you are looking for, but my assumption is that you don’t know. Tokyo is just and only a big city, and so has everything you complain about.
From Osaka, you can visit Nara and Kyoto. In the latter, Gion, Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari will be a good starting point to research your trip.
Yes
Just stay in a hotel.
You can find out firsthand how much a ticket costs using google
What do you want to do?
Renting what?
How many? How luxurious? What area?
Mostly Japanese
Ok, maybe I want to stay a couple of months and don’t really want to pay hotel rates, so short term rental or house share.
Or maybe someday I decide I want to immigrate there as a blue collar worker, and so needs a more long term rental.
In Germany to rent a house it’s a bureaucratic nightmare. Background, credit checks, have to open a blocked account, have to wear suit and ties (because landlords can and do reject tenants, they interview several tenants and only offer it to the most suitable tenants), ie like a job interview except you paying THEM, they’re not paying you.
In the US there’s background checks and such but if you don’t have evictions or some questionable bad credit issues, they’ll rent to you provided you can pay the deposit and such. Not as bad as Germany, but still a bit of a hassle.
In Taiwan you show up, look at the house, like the place you sign the contract on the spot, and pay your deposit. No credit or background checks.
What about Japan?
You’ve spiralled out of control.
Go there for a few days, maybe a week first, stay in a hotel. Then, and only then, think about everything else you’ve just mentioned about short and long term rental.
One step at a time.
Sorry… I guess I tend to get overanalytical.
YouTube is a great place for travel information and content like this. Japan can be done on a budget as well as lavishly splurging out.
depends on what you want to do, from dirt cheap to sky’s the limit.
yes.
You actually get wound around the axles, with no analysis.
In my experience there’s an enormous difference in Japan between what businesses oriented towards tourists and those with a largely local clientele charge. A mediocre sushi dinner for four at a tourist restaurant in any city will easily set you back $150 USD or more but a first-class sushi meal for four at my favorite restaurant in a residential area typically costs me less than $40 USD.
My favorite onsen out in the countryside with a local farmer clientele charges $5 US. We ski at a local ski resort and pay $20 each for a half day of powder skiing. The same amenities at a tourist site like Niseko would be North American prices beyond what locals could afford.
Bring lots of cash too. Many places out in the countryside where the best prices are only accept cash.
I like that there are GPS coordinates included on the page.
Try google flights. You’ll get better deals than than.
Guy
I find large cities in Japan where tourists freqent not only vastly overpriced, overcrowded (post pandemic) but pretty blah too. I do like Fukuoka and some parts of Sapporo but small out of the way towns like Akkeshi in Hokkaido which has great shellfish restaurants at reasonable prices are where I have the most enjoyable times. Almost nobody speaks English in the places I tend to like so that could be an issue.
Hokkaido is great value.
It also has the coldest weather, which @Taiwan_Luthiers is usually looking for.
It also, alas, typically has the priciest air tickets, especially on rip-em-off EVA. @QuaSaShao , what’s your advice for Luthiers to get a reasonable ticket from Taiwan to Hokkaido—any tips?
Guy
I’m the wrong guy to ask about cheap fares to Hokkaido because I always fly business class on EVA using miles. My wife put me on a budget airline once during the pandemic and it cost around 9,000 NT but I told here never again so I’m out of touch with current prices. I know they’re available for much less than 20k NT though because she keeps trying to get me to reconsider.
Now is a great time to visit with the yen so weak.
Bastard! 
Guy
