We have now been on three family trips to Japan. They were all under two weeks long but we travelled slightly differently for each one. I know how difficult it can be trying to plan a family trip budget when you aren’t sure what things cost. If you’re wondering how much does a family trip to Japan cost? Here is the cost breakdown of each of our trips to Japan.
12-day family trip to Japan cost (2013)
Who: 2 adults and an 18-month-old child.
Where we saved: Food is one area where we can control the budget by choosing to eat low-cost meals over dining out. Read our post, Japan with kids: food.
Also, see how cheap our night stay in Narita was!
Where we splurged: A ryokan stay can be a big expense. We booked one in Takayama that was in the lower price range and were really happy with it. The kaiseki dinner was a splurge but it was a wonderful experience. The Tokyo accommodation was over what we had budgeted for, it was in a fantastic location though. Obviously renting a car is not necessary in Japan and is rather expensive with all costs added in. We loved both our Japan road trips and found the cost to be worth it, especially since it made getting around with a toddler so easy.
Total Japan 12 day trip cost: ¥376,371
Cost per day: 31,364 yen
Read the itinerary here.
See everything we booked here.
Total accommodation cost: ¥196,416
Kyoto: ¥64,635
Takayama: ¥30,969
Tokyo: ¥96,720
Narita: ¥4,092
WiFi device: ¥6,510
Food & drinks: ¥65,844
including Kaiseki dinner: ¥10,044
Total transport cost: ¥55,335
Rental car: ¥31,806
Driving permit: ¥2,790
Car rental: ¥17,484
Fuel: ¥3,720
Toll roads: ¥4,650
Super Rindo: ¥3,162
Sightseeing: ¥20,460
Kyoto: ¥4,464
Inuyama Castle: ¥930
Shirakawago: ¥930
Tokyo: ¥1,767
Disneyland: ¥12,369
10 day family trip to Japan cost (2014)
Who: 2 adults and a 2.5-year-old child.
Where we saved: For this trip, we had flights in and out of Tokyo and wanted to see Hiroshima so, buying a JR pass saved us money on shinkansen rides.
Not sure if a JR pass will be worth it? Read my post about how it paid off for our trip.
This time for our Tokyo accommodation we turned to Airbnb and got a 2 bedroom apartment near Yoyogi station for an excellent price.
Where we splurged: A one night stay in Kawaguchiko didn’t come cheap. Our hotel was pretty basic for the price but the view of the lake and Mt. Fuji from our room made up for it.
All the costs of a rental car was again a large part of our budget. It allowed us to do a road trip around Mt. Fuji which was amazing!
Total cost for family 10 day trip to Japan: ¥314,898
Cost per day: 31,489 yen
Itinerary for this 10-day trip here.
Everything we booked for this trip here.
Total accommodation cost: ¥157,635
Osaka: ¥28,179
Hiroshima: ¥12,462
Shizuoka: ¥14,694
Kawaguchiko: ¥23,250
Tokyo: ¥79,050
WiFi device: ¥5,580
Food & drinks: ¥46,500
JR Pass: ¥55,149
Transport: ¥6,975
Rental Car: ¥28,365
Driving permit: ¥3,255
Car rental: ¥17,670
Fuel: ¥4,650
Toll roads: ¥2,790
Sightseeing: ¥14,694
Himeji: ¥1,395
Miyajima: ¥3,255
SCMaglev: ¥1,953
Fuji Five Lake: ¥1,116
Ropeway: ¥1,395
Ghibli Museum: ¥5,580
Family trip to Japan cost 12 days (2016)
Who: 2 adults and 2 children (4-year-old and 9-month-old) travelling with another group of 2 adults.
Where we saved: We rented a 3-story house in Tokyo through Airbnb and shared the cost with my parents, who were travelling with us.
A JR pass once again saved us money as we were returning to Tokyo and travelling to other areas as well.
Where we splurged: For this trip, the exchange rate was terrible so we were much more aware of spending money. I wanted my parents to have a traditional experience so booked a night stay in Gero Onsen which was quite expensive for our budget.
Total Japan trip cost: ¥351,310
Cost per day: 29,275 yen
12-day itinerary post here.
Total accommodation cost: ¥184,926
Narita: ¥9,137
Kyoto: ¥66,290
Gero: ¥27,725
Tokyo: ¥81,774
WiFi device: ¥6,600
Food & drinks: ¥65,844
JR Pass: ¥57,290
Transport: ¥12,250
Sightseeing: ¥24,400
Kansai: ¥7,600
Gero: ¥1,600
Tokyo: ¥400
Disneyland: ¥14,800
Top tips for a family trip to Japan on a budget
- Watch for deals on hotel prices.
- Look at Airbnb – just be mindful about the current laws.
- Accommodation with a kitchen means you can prepare some meals
- Try the cheap pre-packaged meals from convenience stores and buy fruit from grocers.
- Work out if a JR pass will save you money
- Walk. We love walking around. It saves us money on transport and is a wonderful way to explore an area.
Hi!!im so excited to have found your blog and been reading a few of your post.. im planning a trip to Japan with my family (me,my husband and 2 of my kids, 4 and 5 y.o) i was wondering if you could help me decide whether to bring a stroller or not. Is Japan stroller friendly? We will be going to disney,fushimi inari,nara park, arayashima, and a zoo.. hope you could help me decide…
Hi Afifa.
Sorry for my late reply we have just got back from Malaysia and compared to there, Japan is a lot more stroller friendly. We bought a Maclaren stroller that folds easily into umbrella style and is fairy easy to carry. Some areas you won’t be able to use it. Fushimi Inari for instance is a lot of stairs. We did lots of walking in Japan so a stroller was valuable for us. Hope that helps.