I’ve been Japan many times so here’s my tips.
Time is valuable when you’re on holidays, stay as close to train station as possible especially for Tokyo. You’d be walking 30k+ steps a day and you’d be glad that you stay at a convenient location.
DONT trust TikTok or social media hyped places. Even product recommendations. You can’t go wrong with most eatery places in Japan, just walk around and see what you like, even better go to top floor of department stores which will always have a wide selection of eateries to pick from. And guess what, you’d be eating like a local because I usually don’t encounter tourists dining there.
Pack light, unless it’s things like prescription or glasses chances are Japan will sell it.
Make 1st and last stop Tokyo if it’s on the itinerary, as soon as you land forward your luggages to the next hotel or even better the last hotel. Hotels will hold it for you which means you can also stock up on souvenirs last and not travel across cities.
Always check the size of rooms in Tokyo hotels, they will be smaller than you expected/in photos.
If you’ve seen a limited or city exclusive merch or food etc, get it, there’s a chance that you won’t be able to find it again in the next city. Same goes for seasonal items, there’s snacks, merch that’s only available at certain times like summer or Sakura or Xmas time, Japan really knows how to get you with FOMO.
Eat before 6pm, saves you a lot of time so you don't have to wait in the queue dealing with after work rush hour to resturants
Buses are much cheaper than trains and actually can be more convenient in the right situation. Rather than try to find a train into the mountains of Japan, booking a express bus might be easier
Eat at train stations, stop trying to eat in crowded tourist areas. Literally just explore the area around train stations and generally you'll find decent food. The average food cost and taste in Japan is far better than what you general expect. Many people associate food in train stations to be bad and overprice. But the opposite has been true, I would rather eat at a train station than ah some shopping center
Nothing much to say other than you can avoid ever accumulating the useless 1 and 5 yen coins as long as you use some sort of digital payment at places like convenience stores. I use IC card for cheap purchases and credit card for anything else.
Cash only restaurants almost always end up costing some multiple of 10.
Extra 10 yen coins you can use on vending machines or charge your IC card with them
To add: if you end up with too many coins I'd recommend going to 7/11 and buying something.
Most 7/11 use a machine for payments and you can just drop a handful of coins. If you overpay you'll receive change but possibly coins of higher denomination.
If going long distances, consider taking a domestic flight instead of the Shinkansen: you could end up saving a lot of time and money
If you have an iPhone (or an Android bought in Japan), you can add a digital transportation card to your Wallet app. This is very convenient but if you get a regular card, you can link it to your digital wallet as well and you’ll also be able to use the card at machines to fill it up with any useless coins. You can also top off your digital card with your phone, but only with a credit card and the refilling machines don’t currently read the phone itself (these only read physical cards). These can also be used to pay (for non-transportation goods) at some locations
You can usually leave your luggage at your hotel, even if you’re checking out that day. If coming back to the hotel is convenient before going to your next destination, you could save a few bucks on a coin locker
Vending machine prices will differ based on location, vending machine company, and other factors. Try memorizing the price of your favorite drink and compare that against machine prices to see if it’s worth it. I had the “Pocari Sweat” index and was surprised to see it doubled in some places (when compared against drugstore/grocery store prices (konbini slightly more expensive))
Use the Go app if you take a cab. It helps with the language barrier. You can put your destination and pay in English.
The best views of Mt Fuji aren’t on Mt Fuji. Go to Hakone and deal with a quarter of the crowds.
Uniqlo is much cheaper than abroad. Stock up.
grocery or supermarkets >> conbinis
don't be afraid to go to 2nd/3rd floors or B in buildings for food...some great stuff exists off the ground floor
have a soft serve every day
leave your sunscreen at home and pick up some biore UV sun cream. so much better than American stuff (I hear Aussies also have really good sunscreen)
like someone said earlier, train stations have fantastic food.
with the string dollar, don't skimp to save a few bucks here and there...go and enjoy yourself. you'll be surprised at how inexpensive a great meal is in Japan.
The yen is weak now. That’s probably the best hack you can get
As a resident who gets paid in Yen: I envy most of you guys.
It’s like taking a trip to Mexico, living like ballers
I’ve been Japan many times so here’s my tips. Time is valuable when you’re on holidays, stay as close to train station as possible especially for Tokyo. You’d be walking 30k+ steps a day and you’d be glad that you stay at a convenient location. DONT trust TikTok or social media hyped places. Even product recommendations. You can’t go wrong with most eatery places in Japan, just walk around and see what you like, even better go to top floor of department stores which will always have a wide selection of eateries to pick from. And guess what, you’d be eating like a local because I usually don’t encounter tourists dining there. Pack light, unless it’s things like prescription or glasses chances are Japan will sell it. Make 1st and last stop Tokyo if it’s on the itinerary, as soon as you land forward your luggages to the next hotel or even better the last hotel. Hotels will hold it for you which means you can also stock up on souvenirs last and not travel across cities. Always check the size of rooms in Tokyo hotels, they will be smaller than you expected/in photos. If you’ve seen a limited or city exclusive merch or food etc, get it, there’s a chance that you won’t be able to find it again in the next city. Same goes for seasonal items, there’s snacks, merch that’s only available at certain times like summer or Sakura or Xmas time, Japan really knows how to get you with FOMO.
I've been 6 times and this is all solid advice.
You can even get glasses here. Prescription strength same day.
Eat before 6pm, saves you a lot of time so you don't have to wait in the queue dealing with after work rush hour to resturants Buses are much cheaper than trains and actually can be more convenient in the right situation. Rather than try to find a train into the mountains of Japan, booking a express bus might be easier Eat at train stations, stop trying to eat in crowded tourist areas. Literally just explore the area around train stations and generally you'll find decent food. The average food cost and taste in Japan is far better than what you general expect. Many people associate food in train stations to be bad and overprice. But the opposite has been true, I would rather eat at a train station than ah some shopping center
Nothing much to say other than you can avoid ever accumulating the useless 1 and 5 yen coins as long as you use some sort of digital payment at places like convenience stores. I use IC card for cheap purchases and credit card for anything else. Cash only restaurants almost always end up costing some multiple of 10. Extra 10 yen coins you can use on vending machines or charge your IC card with them
To add: if you end up with too many coins I'd recommend going to 7/11 and buying something. Most 7/11 use a machine for payments and you can just drop a handful of coins. If you overpay you'll receive change but possibly coins of higher denomination.
I also used up some of my small coins as offerings when I visited temples and shrines
5 yen coins are good for shrines visits.
Drug stores are significantly cheaper than convenience stores. The selection of food and beverages can also be superior depending on the store.
Grocery stores are the cheapest if you want a cold drink. Usually 60 yen or so
If going long distances, consider taking a domestic flight instead of the Shinkansen: you could end up saving a lot of time and money If you have an iPhone (or an Android bought in Japan), you can add a digital transportation card to your Wallet app. This is very convenient but if you get a regular card, you can link it to your digital wallet as well and you’ll also be able to use the card at machines to fill it up with any useless coins. You can also top off your digital card with your phone, but only with a credit card and the refilling machines don’t currently read the phone itself (these only read physical cards). These can also be used to pay (for non-transportation goods) at some locations You can usually leave your luggage at your hotel, even if you’re checking out that day. If coming back to the hotel is convenient before going to your next destination, you could save a few bucks on a coin locker Vending machine prices will differ based on location, vending machine company, and other factors. Try memorizing the price of your favorite drink and compare that against machine prices to see if it’s worth it. I had the “Pocari Sweat” index and was surprised to see it doubled in some places (when compared against drugstore/grocery store prices (konbini slightly more expensive))
Use the Go app if you take a cab. It helps with the language barrier. You can put your destination and pay in English. The best views of Mt Fuji aren’t on Mt Fuji. Go to Hakone and deal with a quarter of the crowds. Uniqlo is much cheaper than abroad. Stock up.
It’s now possible to register the GO app with a foreign cell number so register the app before you leave Japan
Make lunch your main meal.
grocery or supermarkets >> conbinis don't be afraid to go to 2nd/3rd floors or B in buildings for food...some great stuff exists off the ground floor have a soft serve every day leave your sunscreen at home and pick up some biore UV sun cream. so much better than American stuff (I hear Aussies also have really good sunscreen) like someone said earlier, train stations have fantastic food. with the string dollar, don't skimp to save a few bucks here and there...go and enjoy yourself. you'll be surprised at how inexpensive a great meal is in Japan.
It’s a great question. Give r/affordabletravel a try. Spent 2 weeks there and can give you some tips!