How I spent less than S$1,000 in Tokyo
I was surprised myself that I felt the need to write this down for memories. This was my second time to Tokyo. The first time I spent close to S$5K for 2 weeks!
It all started with a very cheap ticket to Tokyo, 6 months prior to the trip. I spent S$420 on airticket to Tokyo via Thai Airways. I was going with a group of people who were budget conscious. So I had to find the cheapest accommodation, but large enough to fit us all in.
For this trip, I decided to forgo the S$300+ JR Pass since we were only there for 7 days. My mum wanted to see Mt Fuji very much, and my husband wanted to visit Tamiya HQ in Shizuoka. I had originally planned to stay 2 nights at Lake Kawaguchiko, but the price for one night in a decent hotel was S$300 minimum.
So after trawling the internet, I was very lucky to find a pass called Mt Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini. Its a 3 day pass that allows you to focus on Shizuoka prefecture and Mt Fuji for cheap. It cost S$55 per person on Klook but I got it on discount. So we each paid S$50.20 for it. The pass covers certain local bus lines and JR local trains. The only downside is, it takes 1 to 2 hours to get from one destination to the next, and only covers from Atami station. But the good thing is, we visited some beautiful places not yet popular with tourists yet. Such as Shiraito falls and Miho no matsubara, and scenic lakes around Mt Fuji.
As for accommodation, hotels get cheaper as we go further from Mt Fuji. Since the pass allows unlimited use of the trains, it gave us a lot of freedom to choose hotels on the outskirts. I found a hotel with all the modern amenities and rooms quite large by Japanese standards, plus it was just a few steps from Shizuoka station. It cost us S$75/night per person vs S$300 in Lake Kawaguchiko. Win!
On our last night in Shizuoka, we decided to splurge a little and spent 6350 yen (about S$80) on a Shinkansen (bullet train) ticket back to Tokyo city.
I was very lucky to find a cozy 3 floor Airbnb located in Tokyo city area, equipped with kitchen and washing machine for just S$36/night for each person. The place was also near to many tourist spots and halal restaurants. To get around, I got us the 72 hour metro ticket. Usual price was S$19 on Klook, but after discount it only cost S$14.50. Transportation cost in Tokyo is super expensive. The trip from Tokyo station to Harajuku station on JR line could cost 700 yen (about S$8!) or 200 yen (S$2.50) on Subway line. So we definitely saved a lot with the pass.
Other things I spent on was the 4G sim card for 8 days usage (S$38) and Narita Express (NEX) return trip pass for 4000 yen (or S$50). The NEX got us all the way from Narita to Ofuna station, where we then transfer trains to get us to Atami station for 970 yen or S$13 (only from Atami station can we start using our Mt Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini). The NEX pass covers our return trip from Tokyo to Narita.
So to summarize:
Flight Ticket = S$420
Hotel and Airbnb (7 nights) = S$330.29
Mt Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini = S$50.20
Tokyo Metro pass = S$14.50
4G sim card = S$38
Shizuoka to Tokyo Bullet Train = S$80
NEX return ticket = S$50
Train from Ofuna station to Atami station = S$13
Total = S$995.99
So proud of myself!
Next post, I will blog about my itinerary.
It all started with a very cheap ticket to Tokyo, 6 months prior to the trip. I spent S$420 on airticket to Tokyo via Thai Airways. I was going with a group of people who were budget conscious. So I had to find the cheapest accommodation, but large enough to fit us all in.
For this trip, I decided to forgo the S$300+ JR Pass since we were only there for 7 days. My mum wanted to see Mt Fuji very much, and my husband wanted to visit Tamiya HQ in Shizuoka. I had originally planned to stay 2 nights at Lake Kawaguchiko, but the price for one night in a decent hotel was S$300 minimum.
So after trawling the internet, I was very lucky to find a pass called Mt Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini. Its a 3 day pass that allows you to focus on Shizuoka prefecture and Mt Fuji for cheap. It cost S$55 per person on Klook but I got it on discount. So we each paid S$50.20 for it. The pass covers certain local bus lines and JR local trains. The only downside is, it takes 1 to 2 hours to get from one destination to the next, and only covers from Atami station. But the good thing is, we visited some beautiful places not yet popular with tourists yet. Such as Shiraito falls and Miho no matsubara, and scenic lakes around Mt Fuji.
As for accommodation, hotels get cheaper as we go further from Mt Fuji. Since the pass allows unlimited use of the trains, it gave us a lot of freedom to choose hotels on the outskirts. I found a hotel with all the modern amenities and rooms quite large by Japanese standards, plus it was just a few steps from Shizuoka station. It cost us S$75/night per person vs S$300 in Lake Kawaguchiko. Win!
On our last night in Shizuoka, we decided to splurge a little and spent 6350 yen (about S$80) on a Shinkansen (bullet train) ticket back to Tokyo city.
I was very lucky to find a cozy 3 floor Airbnb located in Tokyo city area, equipped with kitchen and washing machine for just S$36/night for each person. The place was also near to many tourist spots and halal restaurants. To get around, I got us the 72 hour metro ticket. Usual price was S$19 on Klook, but after discount it only cost S$14.50. Transportation cost in Tokyo is super expensive. The trip from Tokyo station to Harajuku station on JR line could cost 700 yen (about S$8!) or 200 yen (S$2.50) on Subway line. So we definitely saved a lot with the pass.
Other things I spent on was the 4G sim card for 8 days usage (S$38) and Narita Express (NEX) return trip pass for 4000 yen (or S$50). The NEX got us all the way from Narita to Ofuna station, where we then transfer trains to get us to Atami station for 970 yen or S$13 (only from Atami station can we start using our Mt Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini). The NEX pass covers our return trip from Tokyo to Narita.
So to summarize:
Flight Ticket = S$420
Hotel and Airbnb (7 nights) = S$330.29
Mt Fuji-Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini = S$50.20
Tokyo Metro pass = S$14.50
4G sim card = S$38
Shizuoka to Tokyo Bullet Train = S$80
NEX return ticket = S$50
Train from Ofuna station to Atami station = S$13
Total = S$995.99
So proud of myself!
Next post, I will blog about my itinerary.
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| Until next time, have an ice cream. Enjoying our strawberry ice cream at Izu Fruit Park. |
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