Japan on a Budget — The Cheapest 7-Day Golden Route

Open the trip with two days mopping up Tokyo's free sights — Meiji Shrine in its forest in the heart of the city and Yoyogi Park next door, both free to wander, the legendary Shibuya Scramble crossing with the Hachiko statue, Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa and Nakamise Street (free to enter), and the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, open for free strolling. Wind the day down around Shinjuku or Ueno.

Pack up and leave Tokyo in the morning on the Hikari shinkansen, about 2 hr 15 min (if you're using a JR Pass it must be Hikari, not Nozomi) — or, to save the most, take the night bus the evening before and skip a night's accommodation too. Arrive in Kyoto by afternoon, check into your hostel, then head straight to Fushimi Inari Shrine to walk under its thousand red torii gates (free, open 24 hours). In the evening, wander the Gion district for free.

Today is all walking and buses — start early at the Arashiyama bamboo grove, free to wander beneath the towering stalks (come before 9 am for fewer people); nearby you can carry on to the Togetsukyo Bridge and the riverside park. In the afternoon pick just one or two temples you genuinely want to enter (most temple entries run about ¥400–600 — Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, is ~¥500), then soak up the old-town streets at your own pace.

The best-value day of the whole trip — Nara Park is free, and you can stroll among thousands of tame deer that bow their heads for a snack (a packet of "shika senbei" deer crackers is ~¥200). The highlight is Todai-ji Temple, home to a giant bronze Buddha (¥800 to enter the Great Buddha Hall); carry on up the Kasuga hill to see the rows of stone lanterns, then head back to base in the evening.

Close the trip in Japan's legendary food city — Dotonbori, free to wander among the neon and the Glico sign (best after dark), Kuromon Market for grazing skewer by skewer, and the free-to-enter park around Osaka Castle (you only pay ~¥600 to go up the tower). Osaka food is where budget eating truly shines — takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu are cheap and filling. On the last day, take the train to Kansai Airport (KIX) and fly home.

The heart of saving money is "eating" — cheap food in Japan is genuinely good and it's on every corner. Beef bowls at chains like Yoshinoya, Sukiya and Matsuya run ¥400–700 a bowl; konbini (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) sell rice balls and bento for ¥500–900, often marked down with a discount sticker in the evening after 7–8 pm; and ticket-machine ramen shops cost ¥800–1,200. Want an in-depth list of cheap-and-tasty spots? Open the guide below.