I continually test these out and look for more every time I travel in Japan, which is just about every week!

Things To Do In Japan

(For free… or cheaper than usual!)

• Travel in off-peak times: Now this doesn’t mean you will be missing the good weather. Peak times in Japan are during the major national holidays and the school holidays. The best time is the first 3 weeks of March and all of April. This is spring in Japan and students are at school, the cherry blossoms are blooming and the weather is great. September and October are good times also, it is autumn in Japan and everyone is back to school and work. Mid-July and all of August are summer holidays in Japan, which means peak domestic travel and hence, high prices on just about everything. It is easily the busiest time of year and also the hottest. Read more detail about the best time of year to travel to Japan.
• JR Pass:?The JR Pass is available to anyone on a tourist (Temporary Visitor) visa and give you unlimited travel on all Japan Rail buses, trains and shinkansen (bullet trains) – the only exception is you can’t travel on the fastest express services. At first glance, they may seem expensive. Last time I travelled to Japan on a tourist visa I paid almost $700 AUD for a 3 week JR Pass. Consider this example: a return trip on the shinkansen (bullet train) from Nagoya to Okayama is normally about 24,000 yen (about $300 AUD). Osaka to Tokyo is much further and more expensive. I did about 6 of these trips during a 3 week stay, so I saved about $1000 AUD and saw a lot of the country. Conditions are you must be travelling on a tourist visa and you have to purchase the JR Pass before you enter Japan. For information on getting a JR Pass in Australia, visit JTB Australia’s JR Pass page.
• Bus travel: If you can’t get a JR Pass (for visa reasons), or if you’re already in Japan without one, then bus travel is cheap in Japan, generally about 1/3 or less of the price of the shinkansen. I’ve travelled with Willer Express many times – good buses, good prices and you can book online through their English website.
• Cheap shinkansen travel: If you can’t get a JR Pass, but you don’t want to take the bus, there are cheaper options for the shinkansen. You can buy an unreserved seat, which means a seat is not guaranteed. People tend to sit in the carriage vestibules and there is nothing wrong with that. Being a super fast train, you’re not in for a long journey! But if you travel in off-peak times, and during the day (i.e. not the morning or evening when shinkansen is used for work travel) then you’ll get a cheaper ticket AND a seat.
• Hire a bicycle: This is a great thing to do even if you have a JR Pass, so consider it not only a form of transportation but of entertainment too! My funnest day in Kyushu was when a mate and I hired a bicycle each and rode around Fukuoka. It was only 200 yen for the entire day! Some cities can be more expensive through, especially Kyoto.

Bicycle hired in Fukuoka, Japan. So very cheap and oh so much fun!

• Walk: Not only is it totally free, you get to discover some great places you would never see when travelling via faster methods. Strolling around just about any part of Japan, business districts, shopping areas, residential, if Japan is a new country for you, will show what Japan is like off the normal tourist track. You’ll constantly discover cool things to do in Japan while you’re out on a walk.
• Find the local international association or city hall: Just Google it for the city or town you are visiting. If they have a website in English then they will have a lot of information at their offices about the local area. Often there will be brochures on the local sites to see and walking routes.
• Travel with a friend: You can stay at hotels together, and save money on many meal deals
• Buy alcohol, snacks and more from a supermarket: Shop for your daily drinks and snacks at supermarkets. Definitely go to a supermarket if you want to buy alcohol. Not only is it much cheaper than convenience stores and vending machines, there is great range and it’s also a very interesting way to discover more about life in Japan. You’ll be surprised by what you find in the supermarket! In Aichi prefecture look for MEGLIA, in Kyoto look for LIFE. Usually there will also be a food shopping area around major train stations where you can get cheaper-than-convenience store prices.

Spirits in the supermarket are at least 60% cheaper than in Australia. Beer is a little bit cheaper in Japan.

• Buy toiletries and more from drug stores: Drug stores (as the Japanese call them, pharmacies or chemists as I would call them!) are easy to find in Japan. If you need to buy toiletries then head here, they are very cheap. They have many things, you can usually find drinks and snacks here too.
• Buy one water bottle and carry that with you: Now there are a few reasons behind this one for me, predominantly I feel like I am being raped and cheated every time I purchase bottled water. In spite of most Japanese people’s thinking (call it marketing conditioning perhaps), Japan has drinkable tap water from just about all their taps. If it isn’t safe to drink, there will be a sign saying don’t drink it. Buy one water bottle from a supermarket and then fill it up at free water bubblers on your travels, this will easily save you around 600 yen per day.
• For a big night out: Find an izakaya?(Japanese style restaurant), depending on the price, you will usually find great value deals on all you can eat (tabehodai) and all you can drink (nomihodai). Not only is it a great experience and delicious, but it won’t end up being too expensive.
• Buy travel insurance: What better way to blow out your budget than having to spend thousands of dollars on medical bills? Getting travel insurance before you leave is a must!
• Stay at a capsule hotel or a hostel: Capsule hotels are really cheap and very comfortable. Hostels are available which are also very cheap. I’ve stayed at a great capsule hotel in Osaka that is really cheap. Also I just got back from Kyoto where you’ll also find a few cheap capsule hotels.
• Sleep in an internet cafe: Internet cafes in Japan are amazing. When you are in Japan you MUST visit one just to see what I mean. Anyway, you can buy cheap blocks of say 5 hours or more, enjoy free drinks and sometimes snacks, a comfortable private lounge or armchair and of course… the internet. Many Japanese people themselves will sleep in internet cafes, as the trains usually shut-down between about 12:30AM and 5AM. Here’s a great net cafe in Osaka that is close to the Shin-Osaka station.
• Visit temples, shrines and castles: I just got back from yet another a trip to Kyoto, and saw the great Shimogamo Shrine. It is free, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are so many temples and shrines all over Japan, and most are free to walk around (but usually you can’t go inside).

A little north of the city, near a fork in the Kamo river you'll find Shimogamo Shrine.

• Finally, plan ahead: I’m not saying plan every single stay and stop on your Japan trip… that is almost the opposite of what I do when I travel, I find spontaneity and the freedom to change or choose your plans creates a better trip. But if you spend the time planning where you’d like to go, you’ll find through your research many cheap and free things to do. For example, on a trip to Kyoto I discovered you could get a free, English guided tour of Kyoto Gosho (the old Imperial residence of the emperor in Kyoto).

Take these tips and test them out for yourself! Check out the ‘Why go to Japan?‘ post for more inspiration on what you can really do on a budget!

This first one is the funniest I have seen yet. Shown on the front of a scissors packet, I think they are trying too explain something which most people how to do… use scissors. However, it comes across a bit differently.

Put your finger in the hole?

This next Japrish photo is from a packet of page markers. They are like small colourful post-its.

Nothing especially funny, just an odd description.

The final photo in this Japrish post is from a lunch mat. The one I bought was brown, so it wasn’t as colourful as described. Although it does sound like it will help me to entertain my adult friends…

Which times? Please be certain!

Japrish is my own version of Engrish, focusing on English signs (or in this case, product descriptions) which are usually funnily incorrect.

Hire a bicycle for 100 yen a day, and see the area at a very comfortable pace! Go shopping at the oasis of Canal City, or see the amazing design of the city’s stunning landmark buildings. All of the following places are accessible by bicycle.

Hire/rent a bicycle in Fukuoka, Japan

After just a few weeks in Japan, we were very jealous of everyone riding on bicycles. In Japan bikes basically have the right of way on the road, and since we had been walking everyday for a few weeks we were keen to try something different.

Bicycle hired in Fukuoka, Japan. Step-over bar style with a front basket, stand and wheel lock.

Hiring a bike for a day when travelling Japan is one of my favourite things to do when travelling on a budget.

Finding bicycle hire in Fukuoka: From Tenjin station, take the train 2 stops to Hirao station. Find (or ask for) the bicycle parking station, which is open from 6am to midnight.

Bicycle hire cost in Fukuoka: Bicycles cost 100 yen to hire for the day, with a 2000 yen refundable deposit.

Parking your bicycle in Fukuoka: There are many free bicycle parking spots, all bicycles have built in locks. Take care when parking your bicycle, to be safe we always parked where there are others parked, as you can be fined for illegal parking.

Language tip: In Japanese, bicycle is ‘ji-ten-sha’ or in hiragana ‘じてんしゃ’.

ACROS Fukuoka “The amazing green building”

This building is ‘a hub of international, cultural and informational exchange’, and one of the most interesting buildings in Japan.

Entrance to the ACROS Fukuoka building interior.

ACROS Fukuoka - the green side.

Canal City – shopping, entertainment and food

A 15 minute walk from Hakata Station (the shinkansen station for Fukuoka) is the Canal City, a huge shopping and entertainment complex. With a man-made river running through it, this place is visually spectacular.

Canal City - one of the many unique perspectives from this huge shopping and entertainment area.

Hakata Bay

Fukuoka Beach & Momochi Beach Resort

Heading east from ACROS Fukuoka and Tenjin are some nice beaches and the Momochi Beach Resort complex, for shopping and restaurants.

Beach at Hakata Bay, Fukuoka. The Yahoo Baseball Dome can be seen on the left.

Momochi Beach Resort, photo taken from Fukuoka Tower in Japan.

Fukuoka Tower

Fukuoka Tower is a must, including Robo Square which is found in the tower’s lower levels.

Fukuoka Tower at Hakata Bay, Fukuoka Japan.

Fukuoka Yahoo! Baseball Dome

If you are a baseball fan, or just a fan of big buildings, Yahoo! Dome with retractable roof is on the way to the Tower and Beach from Tenjin.

Fukuoka Yahoo! Baseball Dome

Fukuoka is a great city, not too big but with plenty happening. Many cheap hotels and apartments around Tenjin, but the best place to stay is definitely a ryokan!

I am from Australia and recently travelled to Japan for a holiday. In terms of traditions, we borrow from elsewhere, in terms of historical architecture there is nothing older than 250 years. Travelling to Japan was a chance to visit a country that is most steeped in tradition and culture of their own country – deeply proud and very generous people. It is a challenge and a massive reward holidaying here. So much so that I am now planning on returning to live.

There are so many reasons to visit Japan. Here are my top ten reasons why you should travel to Japan.

1. City, night lights and shopping.

Major shopping hub at Shibuya in Tokyo, near Shibuya 109.

The first of my top 10 reasons to visit Japan is really hard to justify on camera. But the shopping here is something very different, Shibuya 109 is a mutli-storey shopping centre just for teenage girs. And Akihabara in Tokyo is know solely for its electronics and games.

2. Festivals.

Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) during the spring festival in Osaka.

Although in this list of 10 reasons to visit Japan I include only one example of a festival, Japan has many and they are very unique. From the snow and ice festivals in Sapporo in the north and more ancient/traditional festivals with priests and shrines, Japan loves the celebrations!

For more information see Wikipedia’s article on Japanese festivals.

UPDATE: New post ‘Japanese cherry blossom – photos and info‘.

3. Robots, gadgets and all things tech.

Sony AIBO, robot dogs at Roboworld in Fukuoka

Western style Japanese toilet with myriad of controls. Known in Japan as the Washlet (ウォシュレット Woshuretto)."

If you visit Japan, you will encounter one of these Japanese ‘washlet’ toilets. They really should be all over the world! Very hygienic, although it took a few times to get used to the water jets…

4. Castles, temples and shrines.

Okayama-jo, black and gold castle called 'Crow Castle' or 'U-jo'.

5. Efficient transport and the shinkansen (bullet train).

JR Central's Hikari Shinkansen.

Riding on Japan’s bullet train was actually at the top of my mates 10 reasons to visit Japan. Riding along at 300km/h or more, it feels more like air travel than rail travel.

At the opposite end of the speed scale, bicycles have right of way on the roads in Japan.

6. Japanese food and drink (especially Yebisu beer).

Yebisu beer and takoyaki (octopus in battered balls).

Yebisu (pronounced ‘eh-bi-su’) is my favourite Japanese beer, there are a lot of good quality beer in Japan, including beers that aren’t beers… take a look at the Japanese Beer Difference article for an explanation.

7. Manga and anime.

Just a small part of a multi-level book store in Okayama

8. Astro boy.

Statue of Astro Boy (named Atom in Japanese) outside Kyoto train station.

9. Architecture.

ACROS Fukuoka - the green side.

10. Origami, ancient traditions and art.

A tiny origami crane sitting on the bar of a nightclub in Fukuoka

This post marks the beginning of a series of posts, about my trip to Japan. I went to Japan for a holiday for about 1 month. Almost daily I would go to an internet cafe to find something to do – being in a non-English speaking country meant things to do were hard to find on the internet. My site ‘Japan Travel Mate’ aims to provide information on what to do and how to do it when you are in Japan.