Japan is not expensive

Contrary to many well known travel guides, Japan is not an expensive place to visit.

On average over 12 nights, accommodation was Y5,900 per night, about $A80. For Tokyo (Terminal Hotel, Ueno) and Matsumoto (New Station Hotel), both very very comfortable 3-Star hotels, and were booked via Hotels.Com and Expedia. These single rooms both included TV, tea making, decent shower/bath and comfortable beds. I take the view that the room is just a place to sleep and don't get hung up on the finery. Yes the rooms are small, but does it matter? The key for me is access, choose a place within a few hundred metres of the transport hubs. They aren't hard to find.

At Nikko, I chose to stay at the Nikko Park Lodge which is hostel type accommodation.Through a mix-up with my booking, I ended up having a 'suite' which is unusual for a hostel. It actually was bigger than the Ueno and Matsumoto hotels, and had a small kitchen as well! Great value, fantastic view.

All the other costs bundled up (food, beer, transport, entry fees etc) averaged Y8,000 per day - about $A100. If that daily cost (Y14,000 or $180) is too much - just delete the beer! A beer generally costs more that a decent meal! Then again, delete the food and keep the beer.

Give up on the hostels

I have to accept it. A mix of being 50+, alone, and not a conversationalist tends to make me stick out like dogs balls in the hostel setting.

K's House Tokyo, Kuramae

At K's House Kuramae (Tokyo) the hostel was very nice. The foyer and lounge area however was quite small, and filled with young, well traveled and connected people - eying each other off as well as providing recommendations about places to go to.

So where does a grey haired guy, old enough to be father of most of the travellers, sit in a room crowded with youngens? I felt like a Toolie at Surfers Paradise. And anyway, my hips don't allow me to squat on the floor like a yogi.

I know, off to my private room! Very nice in the scheme of hostels, but really, really small, with a small TV. Atleast it was not a bunk room. And the toilet is shared. This cost 3,900Y which was a fair hostel price (about $60A).

But then in Nara I got a room at the Fujita Hotel - probably 4 stars - for 5,000Y (about $80A), the room had a big double bed, desk, lounge, and its own shower and toilet.This hotel had its own bar and restaurant as well. Too expensive for me to use though.

Fujita Hotel, Sanjo-dori, Nara

The trick with getting this hotel was to go to the information desk at the railway station. They had a list of hotels with rooms available for that night - all on special, and in any price range you wanted.

Most towns have numerous accommodation places, so its worth the risk not making a pre-booking and seeking out the last minute bargain.