Tokyo can be as cheap or as costly as you make it. Some of its best experiences — its neighbourhoods, shrines and street life — are free, and its everyday food is both brilliant and affordable. Here is how to keep costs down without missing the magic.
Eat like a local
Skip the fancy restaurants for most meals. A bowl of ramen, a plate of curry rice or a set meal at a chain like a gyudon (beef bowl) shop costs very little and is genuinely good. Convenience stores — 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart — sell surprisingly excellent and cheap food. Department-store food halls (depachika) discount beautifully in the evening.
Free and cheap things to do
- Wander Shibuya, Shinjuku and Harajuku — the city is the attraction.
- Visit Senso-ji temple in Asakusa and the Meiji Shrine, both free.
- Ride to a free observation deck, like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, instead of a paid tower.
- Spend an afternoon in Yoyogi or Ueno Park, especially in cherry-blossom season.
Transport without the sting
Get a rechargeable Suica or Pasmo card and use the subway, which is far cheaper than taxis. If you are arriving from the airport, the bus or train beats a cab by a wide margin. Walking between nearby neighbourhoods is often quicker than you expect.
Where to stay for less
Capsule hotels and well-run hostels are clean, safe and cheap, and business hotels offer small but comfortable rooms at fair prices. Staying a stop or two outside the absolute centre, then riding in, saves a lot.
Time it right
Travelling outside cherry-blossom season and the major holidays brings flights and hotels down. For everything else Tokyo offers, see our full Tokyo travel guide.