Japan travel: Eight ways to save money when visiting this pricey tourist favourite

We’ve decided it’s high time to bust the myth that you’ll need to be prepared to splash some serious cash to travel around Japan. Don’t get us wrong – it might not be the cheapest Asian country to explore, but there are various ways to cut costs, many of which relate to following the lead of locals.

Embrace vending machine coffee

There’s not much you can’t buy from a Japanese vending machine, whether it’s a brand new shirt, refrigerated flowers or a pair of pants. Don’t discount the hot drinks sold by these machines either. The coffee, tea and cocoa drinks aren’t just significantly cheaper than the stuff sold in cafés – they’re top quality and piping hot. Extra buttons allow you to control how much sugar and milk is added, as well as the liquid’s thickness.

Shop for fresh food later in the day

Japan is famous for its fresh food, much of which you’ll find in department store depachikas – spectacular basement food halls where you’ll find everything from yakitori (grilled meat skewers) to taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes filled with azuki red beans). The ready-to-eat, fresh fish and meat counters are where you’ll find the best discounts, especially towards the end of the day. Most depachikas and supermarkets slash the cost of their freshest food by 50 per cent just before closing time – the discount stickers generally start appearing around 7pm and the discounts increase as closing time nears.

Visit a 100-yen shop

You’ll find 100-yen shops in every city and town. Prices often stray slightly above the 100-yen mark, but they still offer fantastic value. At the upper end you’ve got Daiso, a popular chain which you’ll now find in cities such as Seoul and Bangkok, too. But the unbranded 100-yen stores you’ll see across Japan sell the widest range of items, ranging from toiletries and food to socks and stationery. Keep an eye out for the “Lawson” branded 100-yen stores, too – these sell handy bits for self-caterers such as fruit, vegetables and milk, at prices around 70 per cent lower than Japanese supermarkets.

Use your JR Pass tactically

JR (Japanese Rail) Passes, which cover all trains operated by the company JR, are brilliant value, and can be purchased for seven, 14 or…