Originally Posted by
ian_1983
I spent a week in Tokyo and had around $800, about 61,000 yen (excluding hotel) . Yet i was almost broke by the end of the week. Meal was ok. Cost me around 30-40$ a day (McDo value meal, ramen noodles, tempura dishes, 711 and corner stores). But the bulk of my expenses is the transportation. For a 7 day rail pass it cost me about 400$.
woah. $800 under a week sure is costly...
trick is to keep your meal tabs no more than 300-500yen. food in japan is not at all that expensive if you know where to look. if they know you're a tourist, sometimes they'll throw in a special or two. 100 yen shops are everywhere (excludes tax)
...before travelling i usually spend time planning with them trusty internet (especially when they just raised toll rates effective april 2014). doesn't hurt to plan. prefer JR over shinkasen anytime if you aren't in a hurry. asking around do help alot, majority of japanese people could understand english but it does help to start the conversation with a little etiquette.if you are desperate enough, look for iphone-wielding dudes...making friends out of strangers is better though...kind enough to help tourists like me. oh yeah, if you're visiting an area which is a bit crowded (tokyo,shibuya,akihabara,etc...), it wouldn't hurt if you rented a place about 5-8 stations away. if settling for hotels, mind their promos by visiting their online presence, prices dip down around this range
on topic:
the only truth here is the multiple visa entries of 90 days minimum...still, better than nothing