Japan Recap Video + Expenses

All photos and video by Josh Meister Photo.

Watch our Japan recap video below and read about our Tokyo highlights, our visit off the beaten track to Takayama, and our guide to things to do in Kyoto.

COSTS

• Flights from Xi’an to Tokyo: $70 + 39,950 Citi Thank You points
• Airbnbs/hotels (15 nights): $260 + 26,468 Citi ThankYou points and $503 Airbnb credit (49,900 UR points)
• Transit (trains, metro, taxis, buses): $701
• Food/drinks/groceries: $1204, which comes out to $40 pp per day
• Extras (museums, tours, temples, gardens, etc.): $427

TOTAL: $2662

Budget self grade: C-
Even with the great use of points for the majority of our accommodations here and miles for our flights into the country, we blew our budget (by about $500) on, one, food, and two, extra transportation. We splurged a lot on sushi. Like, a lot. We knew we would – I mean, it’s Japan, c’mon. But we should have done a better job of making up for it in other ways. We are also increasingly being railroaded (pun intended!) by the costs of day trips or visits outside of main cities we visit. There’s not much of a way around those fees, and, moving forward, we have to carefully weigh if those excursions are worth the extra expense.