How much money do I need for 2 weeks in japan?

theabortionatorAbout $3.50

GREEN_BASTARDAight, good to know. I'm trying to fly there in search of deep. I have some touring experience and all the necessary avalanche safety gear.

GREEN_BASTARDI have 2 weeks off from work in february and want to send it to japan. Anyone know where to find the cheapest accommodations, if I should get a rental car, and how much lift tickets are gonna cost?

search4freshiesJust a heads up, you can't rent a car as a foreigner in Japan without an international driver's license. Luckily public transportation will get you everywhere you want to go, and it's fairly cheap.

SharkoBut don't let that scare you away, you can get an international divers license with just a small fee and no testing if you have an active US drivers license. I got one for a Japan trip in a couple days for about $20, but that was a decade ago.

ESBLift tickets aren't too bad - not more than $50 a day, usually more in the ballpark of $35-40.

SofaKingSickTF! how do they pull that off?

great post btw

BrawnTrendsEurope is the same. I have resorts near my house where a half day (5 hours) is only 20 euros (and most have reusable key cards now). Granted our winters have been total shit the past couple years, but still.


As for the International License, I got mine at a AAA office. It was super easy and fast.

SofaKingSickhow on earth does that work? i was under the impression that US resorts are not running huge margins on their lift tickets

search4freshiesI think I paid $35 for mine in Colorado last year. I'm sure it varies state by state, but I can't see it ever being too expensive. No test, just an application and a lot of reading. Super easy, and it allowed me to rent a van in Japan so didn't have to rely on public transit, and I could hit all the classic Japanese roadside avy barriers.

MacMahoooonI did 17 days all in for around $3,200. Moved around a lot, did over a dozen resorts on both islands. Didn't travel super cheap, but was with a group which kinda offset. We did AirBnB for about a 3rd of the trip, and while it was cheap for the group, don't know how many you'll find if traveling solo. Half of the trip we had a small camper van which is a fun way to go, and while not cheap gives huge flexibility and you are kinda combining your lodging and transit into one bill. Though check your routes, tolls can add up really quick if you are trying to take direct routes anywhere. Hostels are pretty common in most of the tourist areas. As far as renting a car, make a decision what area you want to be in and then check your options. They do have public transit most everywhere, but then that limits your options for variety and snow chasing. The international license is cheap and easy, but actually driving there is something else. Food again can be as expensive or cheap as you want, you can get cheap 7-11 sushi for lunches (highly recommend) or spend a ton on tourist sushi every night.

Pancake_FuckerYou got that impression from 100 a day lift tickets? I think it's because there are more skiers here and someone is going to pay. Plus, north mericans are dumb and overpay for everything.

GREEN_BASTARDAny idea if an international driver's license is applicable to any country or just the country/region it is intended for? Would be annoying to have to get another one but it is a very different region with different standards.

GREEN_BASTARDI have an international driver's license right now because I am going to school in Norway but am from the states. Any idea if an international driver's license is applicable to any country or just the country/region it is intended for? Would be annoying to have to get another one but it is a very different region with different standards.

Thanks, this helps a lot. I will be travelling with at least one other person, and looking at airbnb's now, but any recommendations for the best deep stuff? I have some backcountry experience but my dad doesn't have a touring setup so he would likely be using trekkers on his magic j's.

HaydenWrongticket from Denver to Tokyo $620

ESBCheapest accommodations are probably AirBnB. The resort towns are usually fairly pricy, but sometimes you can find good deals on Booking.com. If you're traveling alone, many of the well-known resort areas have powder hostels where you can get a cheap bunk bed and cook your own food.

Rental car, depends on what you want to do. All resorts are accessible with public transportation, but a car is always convenient for getting around if you don't like waiting for the bus. A rental comes especially in handy for roadside touring.

Lift tickets aren't too bad - not more than $50 a day, usually more in the ballpark of $35-40.

You can expect to pay around $50-80 per day for accommodation and food (not including lift tickets).

Lots of information here: https://freeskier.com/stories/skiers-guide-japan

GREEN_BASTARDAny idea if the snow will still be good mid-late february? I have school til the 15th, but can leave earlier.

GREEN_BASTARDAny idea if the snow will still be good mid-late february? I have school til the 15th, but can leave earlier.

GREEN_BASTARDAny idea if the snow will still be good mid-late february? I have school til the 15th, but can leave earlier.

springvisualsWell are you going North or doing Hakuba? If the latter then get there as early as possible

GREEN_BASTARDI haven't secured lodging or ski passes yet so it's pretty open where I go.

SofaKingSicki got that impression from hearing from plenty of people (who were not the type to defend ski resorts just 'cause) telling me that the lift ticket prices arent just price gouging. i honestly know very little about the actual budget balancing of ski resorts.......but i do doubt your "north americans are dumb and overpay for everything" explanation is the key im missing here