Disclosure: some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you book through one, we earn a small commission and you pay exactly the same price. We only link to services we would use ourselves, no brand pays for placement or for a favourable write-up, and every price in this article was researched independently.
Tokyo has a reputation for being punishingly expensive that it no longer deserves. A bowl of ramen costs about $5, a subway ride $1.10, and a Michelin-starred lunch can be had for $5.50. What is expensive is the bed you sleep in — and that is the line rising fastest.
This is what a week in Tokyo actually costs in 2026, with every figure dated and sourced.
Rates verified August 2026 at ¥159.21 = US$1 (Federal Reserve, 14 August 2026).
Editor’s note
A week in Tokyo has a wide floor and a low ceiling: you can eat extremely well for very little, and accommodation is where the money actually goes. If you are deciding where to stretch, stretch on the room and not on the meals.
The short answer
| Traveller | Per day | 7 days (6 nights) |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | ¥9,543 / $60 | ¥66,800 / $420 |
| Mid-range (2 sharing) | ¥22,886 / $144 | ¥160,200 / $1,006 |
| Comfortable (2 sharing) | ¥76,386 / $480 | ¥534,700 / $3,359 |
International flights excluded. A solo traveller at the mid-range or comfortable tier should add 40–60% to the accommodation line.
Where your money goes in Tokyo
| Category | Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, 6 nights | ¥24,000 (36%) | ¥60,000 (37%) | ¥270,000 (50%) |
| Food | ¥21,000 (31%) | ¥52,500 (33%) | ¥140,000 (26%) |
| Local transport | ¥6,300 (9%) | ¥9,100 (6%) | ¥24,500 (5%) |
| Sights and experiences | ¥7,000 (10%) | ¥17,500 (11%) | ¥42,000 (8%) |
| Connectivity | ¥1,500 | ¥2,500 | ¥4,000 |
| Shopping and extras | ¥4,000 | ¥15,000 | ¥50,000 |
| Departure tax | ¥3,000 | ¥3,000 | ¥3,000 |
| Total | ¥66,800 | ¥160,200 | ¥534,700 |
Accommodation is roughly a third of a normal Tokyo budget and half of a luxury one. Everything else is comparatively cheap.
Accommodation
Tokyo’s average daily rate across all hotels was ¥34,800 ($219) in FY2025 — but that average hides a split that matters enormously:
| Segment | Rate growth, FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Luxury and upper-upscale | +19.3% |
| Economy and midscale | +4.2% |
Business hotels are still a bargain. The top end is not. At ¥10,000–14,000 ($63–88) for a clean, silent, perfectly-located room with a bidet toilet and free Wi-Fi, Tokyo business hotels beat anything at the price in London, New York or San Francisco.
| Type | Per night, double | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel dorm bed | ¥3,000–5,000 | $19–31 |
| Capsule hotel | ¥3,500–6,500 | $22–41 |
| Business hotel (Toyoko Inn, APA, Sotetsu Fresa, Dormy Inn) | ¥7,000–20,000 | $44–126 |
| Mid-range hotel | ¥15,000–30,000 | $94–188 |
| Luxury | ¥55,000–120,000+ | $345–754+ |
The accommodation tax
Per person, per night, on the room-only pre-tax rate:
| Rate per person/night | Tax |
|---|---|
| Under ¥10,000 | ¥0 |
| ¥10,000–14,999 | ¥100 |
| ¥15,000+ | ¥200 |
Budget hotels frequently fall under the ¥10,000 exemption entirely. From 1 April 2027 this becomes a flat 3% with the exemption threshold raised to under ¥13,000 — which makes budget stays cheaper and luxury stays substantially dearer.
Also on your bill: 10% consumption tax, plus a 10–15% service charge at most luxury hotels.
Seasonal swing
| Period | vs baseline |
|---|---|
| Mid-January to February | −25% to −35%, cheapest of the year |
| Cherry blossom (late Mar to mid Apr) | +50% to +100% |
| Golden Week | +50% to +80% |
| Summer (Jul–Aug) | +20% to +40% |
| Mid-September to mid-October | baseline, and the best weather |
| Autumn leaves (mid Nov to early Dec) | +30% to +60% |
| New Year | +40% to +70% |
The least-reported finding in the 2026 data: Golden Week is no longer the outlier. Tokyo’s Golden Week 2026 average rate was ¥41,300, only +4.0% year on year — but April overall was +17.4% and May +14.2%. The whole spring shoulder has repriced upward, so dodging the Golden Week dates specifically saves much less than it used to.
Food
| Item | Price | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Onigiri, 7-Eleven | ¥178 | $1.12 |
| 7-Eleven hot coffee | ¥140 | $0.88 |
| Vending machine drink, 500ml | ~¥216 | $1.36 |
| Standing soba | ¥450 | $2.83 |
| Gyudon, Yoshinoya regular | ¥498 | $3.13 |
| Konbini bento | ¥600–800 | $3.77–5.02 |
| Ramen, Tokyo | ¥850–1,300 | $5.34–8.17 |
| Conveyor sushi, urban Tokyo plate | ¥150 / ¥210 / ¥260–390 | from $0.94 |
| Conveyor sushi, typical bill | ¥1,200–1,800 | $7.54–11.31 |
| Izakaya per head with drinks | ¥3,000–5,000 | $19–31 |
| Draft beer, izakaya | ¥539–640 | $3.39–4.02 |
| Beer, konbini can | ¥225–375 | $1.41–2.36 |
| Omakase dinner, mid-tier Ginza | ¥15,000–25,000 | $94–157 |
| Hotel breakfast buffet | ¥2,000–4,500 | $12.56–28.27 |
Two things that change the maths
The Michelin-starred lunch. Tokyo has more Michelin stars than any city on earth, and lunch service is a fraction of dinner:
| Restaurant | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Nakiryu (ramen, 1 star) | ¥850 ($5.34) | ¥850 |
| Shinjuku Kappo Nakajima (1 star) | ¥880 ($5.53) | ¥15,000 |
| Tamawarai (soba, 1 star) | ¥1,000 | — |
| Kyobashi Tempura Fukamachi (1 star) | ¥3,000 | — |
| Quintessence (3 stars) | ¥10,500 | ¥22,000 |
The depachika discount. Department store food halls mark prepared food down 30–50% after about 19:00. A ¥2,000 bento becomes ¥1,000–1,400 — and it is better food than a ¥3,000 hotel breakfast buffet.
Daily food budget
| Tier | Per day | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | ¥2,500–3,800 | $16–24 |
| Mid-range | ¥6,000–9,000 | $38–57 |
| Comfortable | ¥15,000–30,000+ | $94–188+ |
Transport, the cheapest part of Tokyo
Single fares
| Mode | Fare |
|---|---|
| Tokyo Metro, 1–6 km (IC) | ¥178 ($1.12) |
| Tokyo Metro, 7–11 km | ¥209 |
| Tokyo Metro, 12–19 km | ¥252 |
| Tokyo Metro, 20–27 km | ¥293 |
| Tokyo Metro, 28–40 km | ¥324 |
| JR minimum fare (IC) | ¥155 |
⚠️ JR East raised fares 7.8% on 14 March 2026 — its first rise in 39 years — and abolished the cheap “Yamanote / Electric Specific Section” fare band. This is the change most likely to make an older guide wrong. Tokyo to Ikebukuro went from ¥208–210 to ¥253–260, up about 24%. Tokyo to Narita went from ¥935 to ¥1,221. Round-trip and continuous tickets were abolished, and IC fares are now consistently cheaper than paper, which was not previously true.
Tokyo Metro and Toei fares were not affected.
The Tokyo Subway Ticket is the best-value tourist product in the city
| Duration | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 24-hour | ¥1,000 ($6.28) | ¥500 |
| 48-hour | ¥1,500 ($9.42) | ¥750 |
| 72-hour | ¥2,000 ($12.56) | ¥1,000 |
Covers all Tokyo Metro and all Toei Subway lines — not JR, not private railways. The clock runs from first use, not calendar days. Available to overseas visitors at airports and select stations.
Break-even is about four to five Metro rides per 24 hours (¥1,000 divided by roughly ¥220 average). Easily beaten on a sightseeing day. On a 72-hour ticket a heavy day costs ¥667 against ¥1,400–2,000 pay-as-you-go.
What a typical day costs
| Pattern | Cost |
|---|---|
| Light day, 4 subway rides on IC | ~¥800–1,000 ($5–6) |
| Typical sightseeing day, 6–8 mixed Metro and JR rides | ¥1,400–2,000 ($9–13) |
| Same day on a 72-hour Subway Ticket | ¥667 ($4.19) plus any JR |
| Heavy day including a suburban JR trip | ¥3,000–4,000 ($19–25) |
Budget ¥1,500 a day on IC, or buy the 72-hour ticket and treat JR as an occasional extra.
Airport transfers
| Route | Cheapest | Comfortable | Taxi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narita to Tokyo Stn | TYO-NRT bus ¥1,500 | N’EX ¥3,070, 53 min | ~¥30,000 ($188) |
| Narita to Ueno/Asakusa | Keisei Main Line ¥1,260 | Skyliner ¥2,580, 41 min | — |
| Narita to Shinjuku/Shibuya | — | N’EX ¥3,250, 75–85 min | — |
| Haneda to Shinagawa | Keikyu ¥327 ($2.05), 11–14 min | Monorail ¥519 | ¥9,000 fixed |
| Haneda to Shinjuku | Keikyu plus JR ¥535, 30–35 min | Limousine bus ¥1,400 | ¥9,000 fixed |
| Haneda to Shibuya | Keikyu plus JR ¥505 | Limousine bus ¥1,300 | ¥8,500 fixed |
Haneda is dramatically cheaper than Narita — ¥327–535 by train against ¥2,580–3,250. If your dates are flexible, this is worth several thousand yen and an hour of your life.
The N’EX Tokyo Round Trip Ticket at ¥5,200 saves ¥1,300–1,940 against two singles and is valid 14 days.
Taxis, and why they are a last resort
Tokyo taxi fares rose about 10% in late April 2026 — the first rise in about three and a half years.
| Component | From April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Flag fall | ¥500 for the first 1.0 km (was 1.096 km) |
| Distance | ¥100 per 232 m (was 255 m) |
| Late-night surcharge | +20%, 22:00–05:00 |
That works out to roughly ¥431 per km ($2.71/km) after the first kilometre. A modest 5 km crosstown hop costs about ¥2,225 ($14) against ¥180–330 by subway — seven to twelve times the train fare. And in daytime central Tokyo a taxi is often *slower* than the subway.
Legitimate uses: after the last train (~00:30), heavy luggage without lift access, mobility limitations, groups of four splitting the fare, very early departures. Use the GO app.
Attractions
Free, and genuinely worth it
| Site | Note |
|---|---|
| Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observatories | 202 m, 45th floor, free. Roughly 09:30–22:00. South closed 1st and 3rd Tuesday; North closed 2nd and 4th Monday |
| TOKYO Night & Light | Free nightly projection mapping on the TMG Building, sunset to about 21:30 |
| Senso-ji and Nakamise | Free. Main hall 06:00–17:00, grounds always open |
| Meiji Jingu grounds | Free, sunrise to sunset, year-round |
| Imperial Palace East Gardens | Free — but closed Mondays AND Fridays. This double closure is the most common guide error in Tokyo |
| Yasukuni grounds | Free, 06:00–18:00 |
| Toyosu Market | Free entry, free tuna-auction viewing from the 2F walkway from 05:00, no booking |
| Arashio sumo stable morning practice | Free from the street windows, about 07:30–09:00, no reservation |
| Tokyo Skytree Town / Solamachi | Free to walk; only the decks, aquarium and planetarium charge |
⚠️ Shinjuku Gyoen is NOT free — it is about ¥500 and is commonly miscategorised.
Paid attractions
| Attraction | Adult price | USD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghibli Museum, Mitaka | ¥1,000 | $6.28 | Date- and time-specified. No same-day or door sales. LAWSON TICKET releases on the 10th of each month for the following month |
| Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck | ¥2,100 weekday / ¥2,300 weekend (advance) | $13.20–14.45 | Same-day at the counter is ¥2,400 — advance saves up to ¥400 |
| Skytree combo (350 + 450 m) | ¥3,100 / ¥3,400 advance | $19.45–21.35 | |
| Shibuya Sky | ¥2,700 before 15:00 / ¥3,400 from 15:00 (web) | $17.00–21.35 | Time-banded since 1 Apr 2025. Tickets release 14 days ahead at 00:00 JST and sunset slots sell out |
| teamLab Planets, Toyosu | ¥3,600 | $22.60 | Booking required — no on-site sales. Runs to end of 2027 |
| teamLab Borderless, Azabudai | ¥3,600–5,600 (dynamic) | $22.60–35.15 | On-site purchase adds ¥200 |
| Tokyo Tower Main Deck | ¥1,500 | $9.40 | |
| Tokyo Tower Top Deck Tour | ¥3,300 web / ¥3,500 window | $20.75–22.00 | Timed, guided slot |
| Tokyo National Museum (permanent) | ¥1,000 | $6.28 | Free for under-18s and over-70s. Closed Mondays |
| National Museum of Nature and Science | ¥630 | $3.95 | Free for high school and below, and 65+ |
| National Museum of Western Art | ¥500 | $3.15 | Free on the 2nd Sunday of every month |
| Edo-Tokyo Museum | ¥800 | $5.00 | Reopened 31 March 2026 after four years closed |
| Ueno Zoo | ¥600 | $3.75 | Closed Mondays |
| Sumida Aquarium | ¥2,700 | $17.00 | Rose from ¥2,500 on 10 Feb 2026 |
| Mori Art Museum | ¥2,100–2,500 | $13.20–15.70 | Tokyo City View is a separate ticket (¥2,200–2,400) |
| Meiji Jingu Gyoen (inner garden) | ¥500 | $3.15 | |
| Sanrio Puroland 1-Day | from ¥3,900 | $24.50+ | Dynamic pricing; passport AND visit reservation both required |
| Tokyo Disneyland / DisneySea | ¥7,900–12,400 | $49.62–77.89 | Date-specific ticket, no park reservation |
| Kabukiza single-act ticket | ¥2,000–3,500 | $12.55–21.95 | 4th level. Not sold through normal channels |
| Sumo, Chair C | ¥3,500 weekday | $22.00 | Tokyo basho: January, May, September |
Five things a 2025-era guide gets wrong
- Ueno Zoo has no pandas. Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, Japan’s last, left for China on 27 January 2026. Any guide selling Ueno on pandas is out of date.
- The Edo-Tokyo Museum is open again — it reopened 31 March 2026 after roughly four years of seismic renovation.
- Miraikan closes 1 October 2026 to 22 April 2027 for refurbishment. Do not plan around it this autumn or winter.
- The Roppongi Hills open-air Sky Deck has been closed to the public since April 2024 and is not a temporary works closure.
- teamLab Planets is not closing. Its run has been extended to the end of 2027, despite years of “closing soon” headlines.
Also worth knowing: dual pricing for foreign visitors at national museums is under consideration — the Cultural Affairs Agency has asked eleven institutions to consider charging overseas tourists two to three times the domestic rate. Nothing is in force and no date is set, but it is a live proposal.
Sumo, properly explained
Tokyo hosts three of the six annual tournaments, all at Ryogoku Kokugikan: January, May and September, fifteen days each.
| Seat | Weekday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Ringside (tamari) | ¥20,000 | ¥20,000 |
| Chair S | ¥9,000 | ¥9,500 |
| Chair A | ¥8,000 | ¥8,500 |
| Chair B | ¥5,000 | ¥5,500 |
| Chair C | ¥3,500 | ¥4,000 |
| Box C (per box of four) | ¥34,000 | ¥38,000 |
⚠️ Box seats are priced per box of four, not per person — Box C weekday works out at ¥8,500 a head. This is the most common sumo budgeting error.
Buy through Ticket Oosumo English (sumo.pia.jp/en), credit card only. Two traps: tickets can only be printed at Seven-Eleven inside Japan, and Tokyo tournaments routinely sell out on all fifteen days. There is no same-day sale when a day is sold out — do not tell anyone to queue at dawn.
Free alternative: Arashio-beya in Nihonbashi lets you watch morning practice through street-facing windows, roughly 07:30–09:00, no reservation, no charge. Check their calendar the night before; the schedule is not guaranteed.
Three complete seven-day Tokyo budgets
Six nights. Excludes international flights. Mid-range and Comfortable are per person, two sharing.
Backpacker, ¥66,800 / $420
| Line | JPY | USD |
|---|---|---|
| 6 nights hostel dorm at ¥4,000 | 24,000 | $151 |
| Accommodation tax | 0 | $0 |
| Food at ¥3,000/day | 21,000 | $132 |
| Local transport at ¥900/day | 6,300 | $40 |
| Sights at ¥1,000/day (mostly free ones) | 7,000 | $44 |
| eSIM | 1,500 | $9 |
| Shopping and misc | 4,000 | $25 |
| Departure tax | 3,000 | $19 |
| Total | ¥66,800 | $420 |
| Per day | ¥9,543 | $60 |
Mid-range, ¥160,200 / $1,006
| Line | JPY | USD |
|---|---|---|
| 6 nights, ¥20,000 room divided by 2 | 60,000 | $377 |
| Accommodation tax at ¥100/night | 600 | $4 |
| Food at ¥7,500/day | 52,500 | $330 |
| Local transport at ¥1,300/day | 9,100 | $57 |
| Sights at ¥2,500/day | 17,500 | $110 |
| eSIM | 2,500 | $16 |
| Shopping and misc | 15,000 | $94 |
| Departure tax | 3,000 | $19 |
| Total | ¥160,200 | $1,006 |
| Per day | ¥22,886 | $144 |
Comfortable, ¥534,700 / $3,359
| Line | JPY | USD |
|---|---|---|
| 6 nights, ¥90,000 room divided by 2 | 270,000 | $1,696 |
| Accommodation tax at ¥200/night | 1,200 | $8 |
| Food at ¥20,000/day | 140,000 | $879 |
| Local transport and taxis at ¥3,500/day | 24,500 | $154 |
| Sights and experiences at ¥6,000/day | 42,000 | $264 |
| eSIM | 4,000 | $25 |
| Shopping and misc | 50,000 | $314 |
| Departure tax | 3,000 | $19 |
| Total | ¥534,700 | $3,359 |
| Per day | ¥76,386 | $480 |
From 1 April 2027 the Comfortable tier’s accommodation tax jumps from ¥200 to about ¥1,350 a night under the new flat 3% — ¥8,100 instead of ¥1,200 for six nights. Meanwhile the Mid-range tier at ¥10,000 per person falls below the new ¥13,000 threshold and pays nothing at all.
Twelve ways to spend less without a worse trip
- Fly into Haneda if you can. Keikyu to Shinagawa is ¥327 against ¥2,580 on the Skyliner from Narita. For two people, round trip, that is a meal out.
- Buy the 72-hour Tokyo Subway Ticket (¥2,000). Break-even is four to five rides a day and you will do more than that.
- Book a twin room, not a double. Often ¥1,000–2,000 more for three to six extra square metres — the best-value upgrade in Tokyo.
- Stay in Ikebukuro instead of Shinjuku. Same Yamanote loop, five minutes apart, ¥2,000–4,000 a night cheaper.
- Eat the Michelin lunch, not the Michelin dinner. ¥880 against ¥15,000 at the same restaurant.
- Buy dinner at a depachika after 19:00 — 30–50% off prepared food that is better than any hotel buffet.
- Skip the hotel breakfast at ¥2,000–4,500. A konbini onigiri and coffee is ¥375–525 and a chain morning set is ¥450–675.
- Use the free observatories. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is 202 m and costs nothing; Shibuya Sky is ¥2,700–3,400.
- Go to a sento (¥600), not a super-sento (¥2,700). The ¥600 one is the real thing.
- Travel mid-January to February, when hotels run 25–35% below baseline, or mid-September to mid-October for the best weather-to-price ratio.
- Always pay in yen. Decline the card terminal’s offer to charge you in dollars or pounds — that costs 3–7%.
- Do not buy a Japan Rail Pass for a Tokyo-only trip. It covers nothing you will use. Even for Tokyo plus Kyoto and Osaka, point-to-point tickets are cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tokyo expensive? Less than its reputation. Food and transport are cheap by Western standards — ramen at $5, a subway ride at $1.10. Accommodation is the expensive part, and it is about a third of a normal budget.
How much money do I need for a week in Tokyo? About $420 backpacking, $1,006 mid-range sharing a room, $3,359 comfortable. Flights on top.
Is Tokyo more expensive than Kyoto or Osaka? Tokyo is more expensive than Osaka by 15–25%. But Kyoto is now the most expensive Japanese city to sleep in, and it carries Japan’s highest lodging tax after the March 2026 rise.
Do I need a Japan Rail Pass for Tokyo? No. It covers JR lines only, not the Metro or Toei subway that you will use most, and it makes no sense for a city-only trip. Buy a Suica or PASMO and, if you are sightseeing hard, a 72-hour Tokyo Subway Ticket.
How much should I budget per day for food in Tokyo? ¥2,500–3,800 ($16–24) eating cheaply and well, ¥6,000–9,000 ($38–57) for a mix of proper restaurants, and ¥15,000+ if you want omakase and starred meals.
What is the cheapest month to visit Tokyo? Mid-January to February — hotels run 25–35% below baseline. June is cheapest for flights but it is the rainy season. Mid-September to mid-October is the best overall balance.
Do I pay a tourist tax in Tokyo? Currently ¥0 under ¥10,000 per person per night, ¥100 up to ¥14,999, ¥200 above. It becomes a flat 3% on 1 April 2027, with anything under ¥13,000 exempt.
Is Tokyo cash-only? No. Cards work almost everywhere central. But 42% of Japanese consumer spending is still cash, and small izakaya, ramen ticket machines, shrines and markets often take nothing else. Carry ¥15,000–25,000.
Continue planning:
- Where to stay in Tokyo — 11 neighbourhoods with verified rates
- How much does a trip to Japan cost? — the country-wide picture and three 14-day budgets
- The best tours and day trips from Tokyo — what justifies its price
- Tokyo Travel Guide — everything in one place
*Prices verified August 2026 at ¥159.21 = US$1. Japanese transport fares, museum tickets and tourist taxes are changing unusually fast — please re-check anything time-sensitive before you travel.*
Where this fits in your planning
| If you are still deciding | Read |
|---|---|
| Which districts to base yourself in | Where to Stay in Tokyo |
| What the whole trip costs | How Much Does a Trip to Tokyo Cost? and How Much Does a Trip to Japan Cost? |
| How to structure the days | The Ultimate 7-Day Tokyo Itinerary |
| Which tours are worth booking | Best Tours and Day Trips from Tokyo |
| Transport, passes and etiquette | Tokyo Travel Guide 2026 and Tokyo Travel Tips 2026 |
| Where to eat | Where to Eat in Tokyo |
| Quieter corners of the city | 12 Quiet Corners of Tokyo |
| The country beyond Tokyo | Japan Travel Guide 2026 and 7-Day Japan Itinerary |
Where these costs actually get booked
The prices above are what you pay at the counter. These are the operators we would use — identical price through our links, and we earn a small commission that funds the research.
| Line in your budget | Where to book | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| eSIM, ¥2,000–4,000 for two weeks | Yesim | Yes. Set it up at home. The airport counters charge two to three times as much |
| Narita transfer with luggage or a family | Kiwitaxi | Sometimes. At ¥2,580 per person on the Skyliner, a fixed-price car competes for four people. Code TPO5 = 5% off to 31 Dec 2026 |
| Haneda transfer | Keikyu line, ¥327 | No. Do not book a car. It is 25 minutes and costs less than a coffee |
| Day trips, Fuji, Universal Studios | Klook | Frequently below gate price, and USJ dates rise as they sell from 1 Sep 2026 |
| Shibuya Sky, teamLab, Skytree | Tiqets | Worth booking, not for the price but because sunset slots sell out days ahead |
| Food tours and workshops | KKday | Good for small-group food walks |
Where the real money is in this article, and none of it earns us anything: staying in Asakusa or Ueno instead of Shinjuku saves ¥30,000 to ¥50,000 over six nights; the free Metropolitan Government observatories replace ¥5,000 of paid views; and a depachika dinner after 19:00 costs 30 to 50 per cent less than the same food at 18:00. Those three decisions beat every link on this page.
Kansai: Kyoto and Osaka
Tokyo is only half a first trip to Japan. Two hours and fifteen minutes west, the Golden Route continues.
- Kyoto Travel Guide 2026 — the lodging tax that now reaches ¥10,000 a night, and the bus pass that no longer exists
- The Perfect 3-Day Kyoto Itinerary — built around two dawn starts
- Where to Stay in Kyoto — now the most expensive bed in Japan
- How Much Does a Trip to Kyoto Cost?
- The Best Things to Do in Kyoto — including the temples that are closed for restoration
- Osaka Travel Guide 2026 — why the Expo site is shut and the Amazing Pass still wins
- The Perfect 2-Day Osaka Itinerary
- Where to Stay in Osaka — Umeda or Namba, decided
- The Best Things to Do in Osaka
- Best Day Trips from Osaka and Kyoto — Nara, Kobe, Himeji, Koyasan
Before you book
The flight is the one number here you can genuinely move. Compare fares to Tokyo across a flexible window first, then build the rest of the budget around what you find. Tokyo hotel prices barely shift between weekdays; airfares shift enormously.