The Cost of Family Travel in Japan – Our 3 Week Detailed Budget Breakdown

Ever wondered how much it costs to travel to the land of the rising sun? Whether it is an affordable trip for a family and what the real costs are? I am back with yet another instalment of the ‘not shy about sharing budget, don’t gate keep over here’ series of the travel blogger diaries with, for so many families, the big one…

JAPAN

A place seemingly towards the top of most peoples wish list. According to my social media messages that is. So buckle in, I am spilling ALL the tea here. 

Although we like to travel as much as possible as a family, we usually do that in Europe for this affords us the ability to travel more often from the UK within our budget and time allowed. Considering the corporate 9-5 and school term juggle we have got ourselves into. Unfortunately we don’t have huge bottomless pockets of funds, like most of us, meaning usually adding more adventures in the year seems the sensible choice. More is more and all that. That’s the saying; isn’t it?

Sometimes though, there are exceptions to be made.

Why Japan?

Japan is one country we all had wanted to experience as a family. And believe me that isn’t a regular occurrence within the destination decision talks in our house. A place my husband has been 6 times with work and talked it up so much the girls had it firmly at the top of their travel bucket list. 

You may wonder why, if it’s such a bucket list place for us, it took so long to get there? I mean the children are 10 & 14 for goodness sakes. Well, honestly? Budget mainly. That and the good old ‘panny d’ which pressed pause on everything but the passage of time!

Essentially it looked like it would be eye wateringly expensive for a family of four to travel across Japan; which is how we wanted to experience it. Even if we did have the funds I would think about the 2 or 3 trips we could go on instead, plus the age of the children, and just never got there.

Then. With the Yen strong against the pound (even stronger now) and Japan getting increasingly popular to visit we wanted to travel around off the beaten path before it became, well, different, maybe unrecognisable.

Therefore when I saw “affordable” flights to Tokyo in the BA sale. And the fact that the years seem to be slipping away with the children and how many times we’ll be able to take them away (all the teen parent emotions). It seemed that there was no better time than now.

I am not here to say that Japan is a cheap/budget trip by any stretch. The flights alone cost more than what we usually spend for our whole diy family travel adventures. It was always going to be a more expensive one. For us at least. As usual budget is personal and to you, this may not be alot at all. 

So What is the Cost of Family Travel in Japan?

Here is our 3 Week Detailed Budget Breakdown

Flying to Japan in April 2025 at Easter we travelled around 1000 miles over three weeks. We flew into Tokyo, down to the south Kyushu and then travelled back up through Japan by train with 7 stops, some off the beaten track destinations ending in Tokyo and flying home from there. 2 adults 2 children (age 10 & 14) and here is a breakdown of all of the costs.

Note/Disclaimer

All details are accurate at the time, all our experience and all real. Costs, photos, everything experienced by us, independently. Opinions are our own and paid for in full. Essentially no AI over here! This post does contain affiliate links, which means I may receive commission if you book, at no extra cost to yourself. I will always be honest about every aspect of our experience and stays, warts and all.

What’s Included 

I will detail here all of our travel, including international and domestic flights, accommodation, food, activities and miscellaneous like wifi and shopping. Essentially this is every penny we spent as a family. Of course everyone’s trips will be different but I can only talk about our experience and hope that it is helpful in your planning.

Or indeed interesting if you are just wanting to be in the know! Hey, no judgement here. Scroll down to the end for the CliffsNotes.

Our itinerary 

I have written a full post with lots more detail but here’s a quick snap shot for context

• Return Flights London to Haneda Tokyo
• Internal Flight to Kumamoto Kyushu
• 3 nights Aso Kyushu 
• 2 nights Hiroshima
• 3 nights Tottori 
• 4 nights Nara 
• 1 night Kyoto 
• 3 nights Izu Peninsula
• 4 nights Tokyo

Travel – £6168.66

I have added sub sections as travelling around has different elements you may or may not choose and depending on where you come from. As most of my readership is from the UK I have include our flights too.

Flights – £4602.66

As mentioned we flew with British Airways 15 hours direct from Heathrow to Haneda Tokyo. We booked them in the sale in the June before travelling in the following April (10 months in advance) for £4013.36. We did not pay for seats together and had hand luggage only, adding two checked in bags separately at a cost of £280. Travelling across Japan we did not want four big suitcases to drag around and I absolutely stand by that. Try wheeling even two cases through busy Japan train stations and streets with two children (or even without) then tell me you agree! I assure you you will.

The domestic flight straight from Haneda landed at Kumamoto in the southern island of Kyushu just 2 sleep filled hours later. This was booked direct through JAL only a few weeks before we left. Japan Airlines have checked and hand luggage as standard and include a bottle of water and a snack for £309.30.

Public Transport – £940

Our trip consisted of a seemingly unintentional competition to use all and every mode of transportation possible. Cars, trains, a ferry, subway, tram, buses, you name it. All good for the research. We hired cars in three of our stops, but one way car hire isn’t really a thing in Japan (believe me we looked) so actual travel between destinations was achieved by train. 

Shinkansen (Bullet) Trains – £800

Train travel is a substantial cost and a big part of Japan for us. We knew we wanted to move around quite a bit and I did ALOT of research as to whether flying, bullet trains, rail pass or paying as you go was the more affordable option. In my research the latter was true. Flying south and working our way back up by train was definitely the most cost effective route, paying as you go rather than the JR pass. More on that below! 

The Shinkansen (bullet train) is the most expensive train and transport of them all but obviously it is also the fastest and when travelling such big distances it made sense for us to choose this option. Plus it is just cool, so smooth and an experience in itself. We loved it. In fact we took the Shinkansen 5 times. Most long trips between cities cost around ¥35,000 (£185) for four. Having said that we also travelled on express trains, rapid trains, local trains, overground and underground in our time there. We really did cover all train bases! I won’t list every price, I think the blog post will already be long enough. Woman of little words I am not. But I will go into it in more detail another day.

At a glance though the bullet train in general goes 2 to 3 times as fast as the limited express train and costs generally just less than double (Mishima to Tokyo for example is 45 mins on Shinkansen costing ¥15000/£80 vs 2 hours on rapid train costing ¥8000/£42). Therefore as usual you have to decide if you want to pay for the convenience and time. For us, it was a no brainer and totally worth it.

We booked them all through the official website JR West Online Smart-ex (only once you’re in Japan) or at the stations. You can do this on machines (which have language change feature) or at the kiosk and the staff are unbelievably helpful. In our research you don’t pay less for booking on third party sites like Klook but of course you can book through them from the UK if you want to have your journey sorted before getting to Japan.

Another thing we rarely did that seemed to go against the internet grain, was book more than a day in advance. Personally knowing what time and being tied down on every journey just wasn’t the vibe we wanted. Plus some members of our family stress about being late and when I tell you Japan trains are ALWAYS on time I really do mean it. Like millisecond on time. It is something to be admired for sure. There was never an issue getting tickets for us and even luggage spaces (free but you do have to book them). Train travel is so big in Japan there are always many options with most lines running every 10 or 20 minutes. But I know some people suggest to book busy routes ahead of time so worth keeping that in mind. 

This cost is the main outlay of travel we took to and from our stays, mostly on the Shinkansen but some local trains where the Shinkansen doesn’t reach like Tottori. Smaller journeys to and within cities are included below but I wanted to really show the cost of travelling around Japan as a family so £800 covers the five big journeys; Kumamoto-Hiroshima, Hiroshima – Tottori, Tottori – Nara, Kyoto – Mishima & Mishima – Tokyo.

To JR Pass or Not To JR Pass

One of the big questions I had and did ALOT of research on before we came was the JR pass.

This is a rail pass that covers all and unlimited travel on JR (Japan Rail) lines for the number of days/weeks it’s valid. It used to be the go to tourist travel card. Until it increased in price by 70% in October 2023. Even though we were travelling a big distance across half the country, for us it just wasn’t worth the outlay. Whilst a lot of Japans trains are run by JR (about 70%) not all of them are and some of the fastest trains (Nozomi being one of them) have supplements or are not covered by the pass. Honestly we didn’t want the confusion of knowing which was which and getting it wrong either! The stations and trains definitely take some getting used to.

There is a handy fare calculator you can use to add in all your planned journeys and it will calculate the approximate cost and if it’s worth the pass. But in my experience now I would say it would be rare to come out better off. 

For comparison the JR pass cost for our family = 21 days standard car £1800 (¥100,000 Age 11+ half price for 6-11 year olds) with 14 days costing £1500. 

Local Transport & Subway – £140

In the cities where we didn’t hire a car (and between Nara/Osaka/Kyoto) we took local transport whether that be trams, buses, ferry, taxi or trains, it would be difficult (and tiresome for you) for me to list every journey we took but I will outline general costs we encountered. £140 is what we spent between us all for the 11 days we didn’t hire a car plus travel to the airport.

• Hiroshima Trams flat fee = ¥240 (£1.25) Adult, ¥120 (65p) Child
• Ferry to Miyajima = ¥400 (£2.10) Adult, ¥200 (£1.05) Child return
• Buses centrally flat fee = ¥230 (£1.20) Adult, ¥120 (65p) Child
• Train Line between Nara/Osaka/Kyoto = ¥580 (£3) Adult, ¥290 (£1.50) Child

Not all cities have the same fares but they are similar. They generally all have a flat fee area in the centre and then increasing in price for outer areas. 

• Taxi Kyoto – ¥3600 (£19) 

We took the bus to one of the most popular sights in Kyoto {Kinkaku-ji – Golden Pavilion} and it was so incredibly crowded and the queues for the bus to go back were so long we took a taxi to Gion district. This was MUCH more than you would pay for bus or trains but for us at the time it was necessary. Sometimes, especially when travelling with children, you know where to cut your losses and take the hit, for everyone’s sake. The crowds in the main areas of Kyoto are no joke. 

• Osaka, Kyoto & Tokyo Metro/Subway = ¥180 – ¥400 (95p – £2.10) per ride depending on distance with a child half the price

An IC card – Suica or Pasmo – is the best way to pay for subway, metro, trams and buses ONLY if you have an iPhone. It doesn’t work for android made outside of Japan. It is essentially a reloadable “card”/app added to your apple wallet, scanning at the gates just like you would on the tube. For children or android users you have to get each ticket at the station machine or from the driver. There are always alot of them so we never waited long though of course it was much easier for Eva and I tapping through, this applies for the ride back to the airport aswell. The upside of this is the adorable high pitched chirping sound that a children’s tickets makes as they pass through the automatic ticket gates. I mean the purpose is for staff to identify children passing through but it never failed to put a smile on all of our faces like it was an audible welcome sign.

You can buy rail passes for the subway/metro like day passes in the major cities, if you’re travelling around alot it’s worth looking into. For simplicity alone we just scanned as we went. Age 11+ is an adult fare, 6-11 (elementary child there) usually pay half price rounded to the nearest ¥10 and under 6 ride free if sat on your knee, otherwise a child fare applies. 

• The monorail from Tokyo to Haneda airport is brilliant, it takes 15-20 minutes, is spacious and costs ¥540 Adult 11+ (£2.85) ¥270 Child (£1.40) you can pay via IC cards too. 

A good tip on public transport in general is that google maps will outline the cost of a journey which can be really helpful when planning and choosing particularly between the different trains as express and local trains cost based on how fast they go. Train fares are fixed and don’t use a supply and demand structure or dynamic pricing as in the UK and many countries which means budgeting is alot easier and travel very transparent. 

Car Hire – £626

Now we really really wanted to hire a Kei car (a popular boxy style car in Japan) which is the most affordable hire car in Japan. However, it’s also the smallest. With luggage and four people we unfortunately had to park that particular dream (pun absolutely intended) and be practical with an automatic hybrid estate! If Eddy and I were to go back alone you better believe it would be Kei wagon all the way!

There is alot to say on driving in Japan. Especially the strict rules. I will detail in a different post but generally it is relatively simple, driving on the left the same as the UK with a right hand drive, an international driving licence, the petrol stations are usually manned (someone fills up for you), the sat nav takes phone numbers instead of postcodes and take note of the speed limit because it is low! 

We rented through booking.com with various companies Toyota Rent-A-Car, Nippon Rent-A-Car and through Klook for Izu. Each hire was 3 days.

• Kumamoto – Car ¥39655 {£210} – Petrol ¥4188 {£22}

Toyota Corolla Touring Hybrid, 3 days, covering approximately 300 miles

• Tottori – Car ¥33539 {£178} – Petrol ¥2186 {£12}

Toyota Corolla Fielder Hybrid, 3 days, covering approximately 120 miles

• Izu Peninsula – Car £186 – Petrol ¥3486 {£18}

Toyota Corolla Fielder, 3 days, covering approximately 200 miles

Toll roads can be expensive in Japan. As we drove in and around the destination rather than across Japan we didn’t come across these or need an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) used for major roads and motorways. However you would need to factor this in if you plan to go further distances by car. Charges are between ¥40 – ¥50 (20p – 25p) per mile meaning the drive from Tokyo to Fuji Area for example would cost between ¥3000 – ¥5000 (£15 – £25) one way. Another consideration on taking the train as it is often alot less.

Accommodation – £3364

We had seven different stays (originally 6) over three weeks. Due to uncertainty about the trip, thanks to fracturing my spine the summer before, the accommodation was booked just a month in advance. Now I don’t know how this would have affected price but it did affect availability and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend! 

As middle travellers our accommodation type generally is that we try to find the most affordable places with the age old Kirsty and Phil whispers of ‘location location location’ being the primary factor. There’s a reason it’s a saying after all. With style and practically coming in a close second. In the main cities naturally accommodation is more expensive, especially Tokyo and that means that space is the compromising factor of the day. Like REALLY bijou. 

All of the apartments or hotels were SO wildly different to each other that I will share in more detail in separate posts because there were reasons of timings, location, space and sometimes we literally wanted to push the boat out a little more. Our accommodation on the coast in Izu Peninsula was a splurge and totally worth it. Absolutely no regrets. I will simply add the outline here. We actually ended up staying in the same hotel chain in both Hiroshima and Tokyo and as simple design goes I would totally recommend. 

We really wanted to stay in a capsule hotel but for various reason I will go into on another day we didn’t. I would love to if we go back again one day just Eddy and I (driving there in our Kei car!) as they’re not always really doable, or recommended,  with children. 

Stardust Village Hossyo – Kokonoe – 3 nights £308 {£102.67 per night}

A large traditional style room with two single beds, two tatami beds in a room divided by shoji (sliding paper screens), lounge & kitchen facilities and balcony in the mountains. There was an inside and outside onsen and a Japanese style breakfast included.

FAV Hiroshima 2 nights £270 {£135 per night}

Deluxe Studio family room with two double beds and two single beds above, kitchenette, washing machine, toiletries and central location. 

HamaVilla – Tottori 3 nights £456 {£152 per night}

A quirky house on a residential street with living area, ‘cave’, dining table, two bedrooms with two single beds in each, washing machine and plenty of space. 

Miroku – Nara 4 nights £736 {£147.20 per night}

Japanese style superior room with three single beds and a sofa bed, robes, slippers, kettle, fridge and toiletries. The hotel is well located in Nara with a terrace, bar, cafe and laundry room. 

*We actually booked for 5 nights but left one night early and stayed in Kyoto below, not because of the hotel and that’s a story all in and of itself that I touched on in our itinerary post about what we would do different visiting this area*

Minn Karasuma Gojo – Kyoto 1 night £95 {£95 per night}

Aparthotel centrally located quadruple room with double bed and futon beds, kitchen, dining table and washing machine. 

Il Azzurri – Izu 3 nights – £772 {£257.33 per night}

This is where we splurged with a Deluxe Quadruple Room with Ocean view and Open Air-bath. The hotel was modern and minimalist, included daily snack and drink bar, terrace overlooking Tombolo Land Bridge with foot baths and stunning sunset views. There is an onsite restaurant that was pricey and we didn’t dine in, an onsen with sauna, and hammock room with ice creams. The room had toiletries, pyjamas, fridge, extra long beds and a bath on the balcony. It was a beautiful serene stay very much needed between Osaka Kyoto Nara and Tokyo.

FAV Nishinippori – Tokyo 4 nights £727 {£181.75 per night}

Small but perfectly formed they say. That sums up the Toyko accommodation scene! At least the affordable one. A minimalist modern room just like in Hiroshima, maybe a little less aesthetically pleasing, and ALOT smaller because – Tokyo! We stayed in a superior studio with two single beds and a double bed above with super steep ladder to get there and head room even a challenge for a 5ft 2 me nevermind a 6ft 2 him! A kitchen area and living space that was mainly used for luggage. There’s another reason not to bring lots of cases.

When we took the internets advice on booking accommodation near a station in Tokyo to save walking too far at the end of the day (advice I stand by) we (accidentally) took it VERY literally. Like we could see about 10 train lines from our room kind of literal! Thankfully the sound proofing was something to be admired as you could not hear a thing and the Tokyo skyline at night was pretty great. We even got a very clear day to see fuji from the room! Very special indeed.

Activities – £620

The way that we travel and love to spend time in nature and soaking up the culture, as I mentioned in my itinerary post, doesn’t always lend to huge amounts of spend on activities. Nature is free guys! Mostly anyway, give or take a nominal fee or parking only. 

In the cities however the cost is always more. There is plenty to book, see and do so everyone did their own research, we booked a few activities each person would enjoy and we had some amazing fun times together as a family. The biggest cost was hiring Kimonos in Tokyo which I would say is expensive for what it is but was a good experience and resulted in my favourite photo of me and my girls that I will treasure. 

Kyushu – £43.50

• Seven Hells of Beppu ¥7200/£38
• Nabegataki Falls ¥1050/£5.50
• Waterfall with a Horse Statue along Route 325 FREE
• Shiroyama Scenic Overlook for Sunset Views FREE
• Mount Aso Active Volcano Crater FREE
• Kusasenri Plateau Old Volcanic Crater FREE
• Takachiho Gorge FREE
• Hotel Onsen Indoor & Outdoor FREE
• Cherry Blossom – FREE

Hiroshima – £46.55

• Hirosima Castle ¥920/£4.80
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park & Atomic Bomb Dome FREE
• Miyajima Island
  • Ropeway ¥7000/£37
  • Itsukushima Shrine ¥900/£4.75

Tottori – £30.35

• Coast/Beach FREE
• Play Park FREE
• Tottori Sand Dunes FREE 
• Camel Photo in Sand Dunes ¥1200/£6.35
• Uradome Coast Boat Trip ¥4500/£24
• Kurayoshi FREE
• Old Kurayoshi Railway Line & Bamboo Forest FREE

Nara – £63.80

• Nara Park FREE
• Deer Crackers ¥1200 {¥200 per pack}/£6.30
• Tōdai-ji Temple – Great Buddha Hall ¥1800/£9.50
• Goshuin Book ¥3000/£16
• Tōdai-ji Nigatsu-do Hall ¥2680/£14
• Ishuin Gardens ¥3400/£18
• Sarusawa Pond FREE
• Meoto Daikokusha Shrine FREE
• Takabatakecho Area FREE
• Noboriojicho Area FREE
• Kasuga Taisha Shrine FREE
• Nara Visitor Centre Japanese Cultural Activities – Kanji Name Writing & Origami Deer FREE

Osaka – £26

• Umeda Sky Building Kuchu Teien Observatory ¥5000/£26
• Osaka Castle Park FREE
• Dotonbori FREE
• Kuromon Market FREE
• Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street FREE
• Glico Running Man Sign FREE

Kyoto – £8.50

• Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) ¥1600/£8.50
• Bukko-ji Temple FREE
• Nishiki Market FREE
• Pontocho Alley FREE
• Gion District FREE

Izu – £16

• Amagiso Ō-daru Falls Waterfall Onsen ¥3000/£16
• Dougashima Coast FREE
• Tombolo Land Bridge FREE
• West Coast Fuji Viewing Spots FREE
  • Cape Ose & Beach
  • Heda
  • Lovers Cape
  • Koganezaki Park
  • Tabibito Misaki
• Iwachi Beach Matsuzaki FREE
• Ishibu Rice Terraces FREE
• Wasabi Root – aka ‘real’ wasabi
• Shuzenji Bamboo Path FREE

Tokyo – £354.75

• Ueno Zoo ¥1400 {do not recommend}/£7.40
• TeamLab Planets ¥15100/£80
• Shibuya Sky £32 
• Shibuya Crossing FREE
• Kimono Rental ¥23000/£120
• Street Kart Driving Experience £87.35
• Gesen – Multi Floor Arcade Game Centres {¥100-¥200 each game} ¥2000/£10
• Senso-ji Temple FREE
• Tsukiji Market FREE
• Ginza District FREE
• Karaoke Booth ¥3500/£18

• Goshuin Stamps from Temples Across Japan ¥5000 {¥300-¥500 each}/£26
• Eki stamps from almost every place we went, train stations, attractions, shops even. Free and a fun souvenir.

We bought Eki stamp books online before we went. Note this is different to Goshuin which you have to buy at a Temple in Japan, they won’t write in an Eki stamp book.

There are a few activities we had budgeted for but didn’t end up doing. Takachiho Gorge Rowing Boats (sold out) ¥5000/£26. Plus animal cafes, around ¥8000/£42, and the Snow Monkey Park ¥2400/£12.50. I did quite alot of research and personally didn’t feel comfortable with the stories of animal welfare vs visitor experience so skipped these entirely. After our experience of Ueno Zoo, I stand by it wholeheartedly. Of course that is a personal preference. 

Food & Drink – £1100

Food, oh my goodness the food! As big fans of Japanese cuisine – and good authentic food in general – eating our way through Japan was something we were all looking forward to. Not in the viral food trend way. In the local ramen spots that each have their own unique taste, or the hidden restaurant on a residential street with no English spoken in a space no bigger than a living room and noodles presented with actual blocks of ice. Not to mention the S-mart local supermarket in rural Japan with 100’s of different soy sauce flavoured snacks and their own jingle you can’t help but hum for the rest of the day. It did not disappoint.

There is of course alot I could say about the food. “When do you not have alot to say?” I hear you mutter. I do think it’s really important to give context when talking about budget because you need to know the how and what that determines the price. Naturally I will write another post with more of the nuanced details and try to stick mainly to the cost. After all that’s what you are here for. 

The total ¥210,000/£1100 covers everything. Meals out, lunches out, snacks, bakeries, supermarket meals to take away and drinks. We neither splurged or scrimped really so it’s a good indication of a mid range budget for a family with older children. ie there was not a childs meal in sight. I would say overall that the food was very affordable. Usually around maybe half what you would expect to pay in the UK (I am Staffordshire based for reference), sometimes less. Though that feels like it doesn’t do it justice entirely. We ate very well. 

It is worth noting a few things on how we ate. Like I said above we ate in local restaurants or from the supermarket, food markets or take away. We never cooked. Something we usually have in our back pocket when travelling. A pasta and sauce dinner is always an easy option after a day of exploring. Eating set meals at lunch is a great. We don’t currently drink alcohol, though the non alcoholic Asahi (¥150/80p) I am told by Eddy is far superior to anything you can get in the UK.

Coffee was a little splurge. I am not talking Starbucks (¥500/£2.50), or the coffee in a can you get in all vending machines or convenience stores (¥200/£1). I am talking about proper coffee. Because in Japan if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well. A coffee shop isn’t just a coffee shop, it’s a roastery. Where the coffee is impeccable and the artistry is something to appreciate. Prices here are around ¥1000-¥2000/£5-£10. Whilst not super expensive, in comparison to other food and drink in Japan, it is on the higher price point, and on par or more than you would pay in the UK. 

Other food we enjoyed and general ideas of cost,

• Shabu Shabu – an all you can eat Japanese hot pot where you cook your own meat and veg in broth on the table ¥4000/£20 for four
• Sushi Train, for the experience! ¥4000/£20 for four
• Bento boxes from the train stations on long train journeys ¥1000/£5 each
• Teishoku – set meals including a main, rice, miso soup, pickles and side dish. Often around ¥1000/£5.25 each at lunch
• Food markets ¥200-¥400/£1-£2 for a small snack to ¥1000-¥1200 /£5-£6 for larger items and fish
• Vending machine drinks, coffee, green tea (both hot and cold) chocolate milk, fizzy drinks and our go to ginger ale all ¥100-¥200/50p-£1. I also fell in love with a vitamin c drink from 7-Eleven
• Ice cream sandwiches from the vending machines ¥200/£1
• Ramen ¥1000/£5 each

Breakfast I would say was the only meal that took some planning. Traditionally in Japan breakfast is made up of similar elements to other meals with rice, pickles, eggs, fish and meat at the centre. We had this included in the first accommodation. To a western palate especially children, this can be an adjustment. Cafes and restaurants often aren’t open early either so we would usually buy in yoghurts and fruit from a supermarket and have that in the hotel before setting out for the day. Bread is more like sweet bread/brioche and is sold in very small quantities like two slices. 

Honestly? Food is where we thought the budget would need to stretch more. Now, we didn’t dine in high end restaurants, although as big foodies we would have liked to, but you do have to choose sometimes between using the time to dine out or to opt to use that time seeing places. With the children, and the fact there is just so much to see and explore, we chose the latter.

We didn’t book anywhere. This wasn’t especially a food tour, though wouldn’t that be the most amazing way to see Japan through its food culture!? An idea for next time maybe. But we ate well. Like really well. The ramen that tasted different in every single shop, the freshest sushi of my life, the seaside crab, cold noodles (sounds gross, actually delicious) honestly it was a dream. Ok so the fresh food we are so used to here (cucumbers, peppers, carrots and fruit with every meal kind of fresh) was rare and expensive. The food, albeit not the focus, was a highlight. And the ¥120/50p chocolate covered peanut clusters from 7-Eleven. We’ll take a cargo ship of those home thank you very much. 

Our average meal out for a family of four was about ¥4000-¥6000/£21-£31. The most expensive meal being around ¥8000/£42 for the best, freshest, soft, incredible sushi I have ever eaten! I would return for that meal alone. 

Shopping £300

Ok this is a personal cost that could vary so widely that I almost didn’t include it but then I think that I’m nothing if not an open book.

We are not big shoppers, or at least I am not. You are much more likely to find me up a mountain or by a waterfall than in a department store, but there are things we brought back with us. In Tokyo we got some clothes from Uniqlo and the softest shoes I have ever put on my feet! Eddy loved the Adidas shop, Don Quijote was one of the most overwhelming shopping experiences of my life with floors and floors filled with everything you can think of. The skincare market is wild and overwhelming. Though I did find some BB cream I still use to this day and wish I’d have got more. And the Kit Kat varieties are vast and (unpopular opinion loading) wholly unnecessary and grossly fake tasting. Give me a simple dark chocolate Kit Kat any day of the week. 

Some food items and souvenirs were purchased both for ourselves and friends and family from various places across Japan including some seasoning from a small shop on Miyajima island which has never been opened due to the fact it looks so pretty in the pantry.

Wifi/Data costs £62

I have European cover with my phone network and as we have rarely travelled outside of this I don’t usually have to factor that in. This time however is very different and with two adults and one teen with devices we opted for a pocket wifi box booked through Japan Wireless. The cost is a flat fee for the time that you hire it, works just like a portable wifi with unlimited data so you keep it on your person and as many devices as you need can connect charging it up at night. 

We collected and dropped off at the airport and it was a really easy process and smooth sailing in terms of connection, even in rural areas. We just turned our data off to not incur any further charges. The wifi was used for everything from messages, FaceTime, social media and for maps too. A real help in Japan and especially when driving around because as mentioned above the inbuilt car sat nav needs phone numbers for destinations which are a “little” tricky to figure out. Each accommodation provides wifi too.

The wifi box worked for us as we spent all of the time together. Though you would have to consider if that wasn’t going to be the case and maybe get an eSim instead.

Cash £300

We used our HSBC global money card for paying in local currency so could track all of the spending there and we were able to us it in most places. However cash really is still king in alot of areas of Japan. Especially more rurally, and restaurants specifically. We took cash with us and used atm at convenience stores also when we needed for a small fee. I don’t altogether know exactly in which category they were spent. It might be covered and factored in the above as my memory serves me as best as it could. But a goshuin or temple here and a vending machine ice cream or ramen bowl there and who knows. SO I thought better to be thorough than mislead we did spend this cash too. 

Exchange Rate & Other Costs

The exchange rate is a really important factor especially when you are flying long haul and taking into account talking about it being “affordable” when you are there. So for us the exchange rate was generally considered favourable at about 186 – 190 so it’s worth checking for sure before factoring in or relying on anyone elses budget. For example currently it is 210 (March 2026) which is even more favourable and if we spent the same now it would cost less in the Great British Pound! Is that a reason to return I hear you ask!? 

As always there are a few costs and caveats that I like to remind I haven’t included. Firstly travel insurance. We have worldwide travel insurance through our bank, just checking each time it covers the destination and activities. Always buy travel insurance when you book rather than when you go so if there are any unforeseen circumstances you are covered for cancellation too. Secondly bank charges, if you don’t have a dedicated account for foreign currency there is usually a fee so it’s worth checking if you plan to use your card.

Save

So three weeks across Japan as a family. What’s the Total Cost?

Grand Total = £12,000 {or £11,914.66 to be exact!}

• Travel – £6168.66 
• Accommodation – £3364
• Activities – £620
• Food & Drink – £1100
• Shopping – £300
• Misc – Wifi – £62
• Cash – £300

All in all with everything we did, ate, went to; this is the full cost of a family three weeks trip travelling around Japan. Of course depending on your way of travel and the flights that you manage to get this could be a lot less or a lot more than it could cost your family but hopefully, if you are budgeting your own trip, or even just curious, this post has been helpful and given enough information on our kind of travel and how it could differ.

Ways to Save on Your Trip To Japan

Whilst we found the trip to be affordable here are a few quick fire ways to stretch your budget or save if you want to. Needless to say you pay for convenience but if you don’t have the budget and need to make some aspects affordable this is what I would suggest you could look into.

• Indirect Flights
• Travelling out of peak season 
• Stay in budget hotels, house rentals or family home stays
• Choosing accommodation out of the centre – ensuring the travel cost is worth the pay off
• Eating at local restaurants and having your main meal at lunch 
• Avoiding tourist led places and viral food trends as these tend to be more expensive
• Travel on express trains or local trains rather than the Shinkansen 
• Look into rail cards, depending on where you go there are local rail cards or attraction cards 
• Explore the many free attractions, shrines, parks and nature

This last one really pains me to say because I don’t think you should do this and I implore you to do your research and budget for it because your experience will be so much richer for it but here goes …

• Travel around less. You can of course save money by staying in one area and exploring on foot or public transport. If this is the only way to experience this incredible country then yes, do it. If you can possibly go off the beaten path just a little, stretch to that too! 

Was it worth it?

Lastly, I end every cost post the same way with this question. Leaving facts behind and leading with opinion at the forefront. This time. I have never been more sure on my answer.

With Japans pricey, bucket list, once in a lifetime reputation I was actually pleasantly surprised how much we spent on our three week trip, especially with so much travel and ground covered in addition to the fact we have older children now so it’s essentially like travelling as 4 adults cost wise!

Simply put – YES 100%. Worth every single Yen and I would jump at the chance to go again (and again). Japan is exciting, humbling, cultural, futuristic, scenic and traditionally calming all rolled into one and it stole our hearts fully and truly. If possible, even more than we expected; there’s really not much more to say than that.

Japan you have our hearts.

If this post has inspired you to travel to Japan look out for my travel guides and many more posts to come, including tips for first timers.

Like to be in the know of the real costs of family travel with no sugar coating or gatekeeping? You may like my Norwegian Fjord Cruise, Slovenia and Lapland posts with North Macedonia, Venice and more to come..