In our Japan Overland Travel Guide we discuss a lot of things about overland travel in Japan, but money is not. For this we have this blog post, showing you what we roughly spend on what. Of course, we all have our own budgets and levels of comfort, but maybe/hopefully it will give you an idea of what you may expect.
Enjoy! And if you have questions, feel free to do so in the comment section below!
Index for our Japan Travel Budget Report
Our Overland Information Pages for Japan consists of two parts, the Japan Overland Travel Guide and this is the Japan Travel Budget Report.
Here we’ll discuss the following topics:
- Money Matters
- Our Travel Budget
- Documentation
- Land Cruiser Maintenance
- Fuel and Gas Stations
- Public Transportation
- Sightseeing
- Accommodation
- Other Expenditures




1 – Money Matters
The Japanese currency is yen (JPY, or ¥). In October 2017 the rate was 132 yen to a euro (in April it was 116).
All 7-Eleven convenience stores have an ATM and, during our 9-month trip from Kyushu to Hokkaido and back, they always worked (Dutch, Rabobank debit card). Ergo: they are reliable. There is no charge, which is a bonus.
Note that in the upper corner of Honshu, north of Aomori, and in the southwestern corner of Kochi (on Shikoku) are no 7 Elevens. Other than those two areas, we never had a problem finding one.
Apparently, ATMs in other convenience stores don’t accept foreign credit and debit cards, however, we didn’t check this.
2 – Our Japan Travel Budget Report
- Total days traveled in Japan: 271
- When: Nov.’16 – Apr.’17 & June – Aug. ’17
- The average distance covered: 43 kms/day.
- Average expenditure: €31 / day (2 persons).
Not included: health insurance, electronics, flights to the Netherlands
Notes on the Japan travel budget:
- Thanks to the generosity of workshops and mechanics, our costs for the Land Cruiser were kept to a minim despite a load of work done on it. A big thank you to Mr. Nakashima of Friendee Auto Workshop, Masa and Taku!
- Food was the big budget category in Japan. For eating, Japan has been by far the most expensive country. For example, a simple Udon noodle soup or soba noodles costs around 700 yen (U $6,50) and leaves you hungry.
- As a result we mostly cooked ourselves, which still added up to the equivalent of some $20 dollars per day for groceries. With Japanese foods such as tofu, seaweed, miso, and lots of vegetables we prepared great salads and soup. Included in this 20 dollars is money for coffee/treats rice balls at convenience stores, or drinks at Starbucks so we could use the WiFi.
- The second biggest budget category was fuel even though we didn’t drive that much. Note that if you want to cover kilometers and take toll roads in Japan, start saving money (see more in our Overland Japan Travel Guide, #6 Roads in Japan)
Ergo: our budget didn’t go through the roof as a result of 3 things:
- Extraordinary hospitality and help, as mentioned above.
- Cooking ourselves
- Not taking toll roads
Read More: Friendee Workshop in Japan

Check it out: the Landcruising Adventure iPhone-case Collection
3 – Documentation 7%
(Visa & Temporary Import Document)
3a. Visa & Extensions
In Hiroshima we got our first visa extension at the Immigration Office (gps: 34.401592, 132.463670). This was not a matter of course; each application is judged individually.
We filled in forms given to us at the Immigration office, in which we explained why we wanted/needed the extension. They gave us a 90-day extension for which we paid 4000 yen per person (about US $35).

We got a 3-month visa on arrival, free of charge.
In Kochi, we tried the second extension. This was denied. It was only then that we learned that officially you can stay for 180 days (6 months) per calendar year. We had already gotten 7 months so that was it.
However, we got one last extension in Miyazaki when we learned that the ferry back to South Korea was out of order and would only operate again days after our visa would expire. A local friend did all the calling for us, and getting papers from the ferry company to prove these were circumstances beyond our control.
They gave us a 15-day extension, which was enough but for we did have to pay another 4000 yen.

3b. Temporary Import Document
When you arrive by ferry, you will receive a 1-year Temporary Import Document (TID) on arrival. We ferried from Busan (South Korea) to Fukuoka (island of Kyushu), which you can read about in our Overland Japan Travel Guide.
When you ship your car by container, we have been told, a Carnet de Passage is needed. Overlanders who may have more info on this for you are Henk en Marianne (find them here).
Note that cars registered in Germany, Slovenia, Monaco and Zwitserland cannot drive in Japan (These countries did not sign the Geneva Convention; they signed the Vienna Convention).
Travel Guides for Japan
(click on the images to look inside)
Products from Amazon

3c. Third Party insurance
You can get third-party insurance on arrival. However, it’s more expensive than this one, which we organized through email:
ApexMoto
Mr. Saori Otake
phone: 055-225-5335 / fax: 055 225 5336
www.apexmoto.jp
We paid 17,686 JPY for a one-year third-party car insurance (locally called jibaiseki). Payment with a credit card.
Mr. Saori had sent the paperwork to the nearest post office and on arrival at the port of Fukuoka Coen walked there (10 minutes) to pick up the policy, and a sticker to the put on license plate at the rear of the car, proving us with a Japanese car insurance.
4 – The Land Cruiser
Repairs & Maintenance (4%)
1. Mr. Nakashima, owner of Friendee Auto
He has his workshop north of Kagoshima (Kyushu Island)
tel: 0995-62-0753
http://friendee.jimdo.com
Mr. Nakashima does not speak English.
2. Masanori Hikiba, better known as Masa, owner of Coco Cruiser
He has his place in Minamiaso, south of Aso (Kyushu)
tel: +81-90-988 or 638
Masa speaks English, as do his wife Yasuko and son Masaya.
Read More: The Land Cruiser Festa in Japan


Work was done on the Land Cruiser
All maintenance done at Friendee Auto by Mr. Nakashima and his team is too much to write about here, but this summery will give you an idea about the scope of it:
- Replaced rear tranny output bearing
- New rear-door weather seals
- New master brake cylinder
- New water pump
- New brake pads all around
- New rear brake pistons
- New headlights
- New water and radiator hoses
- New brake lines
- New heater valve
- Overhaul brake calipers [sandblasting]
- New radiator
- New V belts
- New thermostat
- New tie-rod ends [courtesy of Masa and 555]
- New steering rods
- New overdrive output bearing
- New handbrake line
- Overhaul front and rear axle
- New fluids all around
- Master vac replaced
- New load proportioning valve
- Replaced rear drums




2. Masanori got us second hand, studless tires for the winter.
3. The clutch broke when on our way to the snowy winter of Japan. Taku drove 180 kilometers (one way) to help us. After he got the Land Cruiser moving again, he offered a full diagnosis at his workshop.
Here the men found the cause to be a broken spring on the pressure plate. Taku offered us his second-hand Dyna clutch.
Check it out: the ‘Landcruising Adventure in Japan’ Shirt Collection
The Land Cruiser Community
Since the Land Cruiser returned to its country of birth, it (and thus we) got a lot of attention, particularly from the Land Cruiser community throughout Japan. They organize a number of events throughout the year on Kyushu and Honshu, and we were able to visit the factory where our Land Cruiser was built in 1984.
Read More: The Land Cruiser 40 Meeting East


5 – Diesel & Gas Stations 15%
Prices vary enormously: 92 to 140 yen for a liter of diesel. There is no logic in cities or rural areas being cheaper or more expensive, nor is one island more expensive or cheaper. It simply depends on the individual gas station.
Having said that, Eneos gas stations were expensive. We generally found Esso to be the cheapest, but there are not many of them.
While you can use the bathroom at the gas station, there are no other facilities such as the sale of foods and drinks. Foor food to go, visit one of the omnipresent convenience stores (read about them here).


For bathrooms: throughout Japan you’ll find many public toilets, in and outside cities. They are clean, have toilet paper and running water. Another option is convenience stores, which all have public bathrooms.
The latter are also perfect places for a quick snack or a cup of coffee. I wrote more about convenience stores here.


6 – Public Transport 8%
We have used ferries (which are expensive) as described in our Overland Japan Travel Guide. Other than that we used a few rail/metro systems in cities such as Fukuoka and Kyoto.
There are always people around you willing to help to buy a ticket and such.


Recommended Books on Overlanding
(click on the images to look inside)
Products from Amazon
7 – Sightseeing 5%



Sightseeing in Japan can add up to your budget. UNESCO sites, museums, temples in tourist places such as Kyoto and Nikko all have fees that are generally starting at 500 yen and go up from there.
But since outside those areas there are enough places to see free of charge, we feel we got to see enough historical, religious and otherwise cultural sites to get a good impression of the country.
Arguably our favorite visit, however, was the Land Cruiser Factory, our home on wheels’ place of birth, where the Land Cruiser Community organized a private tour for us. Read about it here.



Festivals


Temples




Other Sites








8 – Accommodation & Camping 5%
We camped a lot, spending many nights at a michi no eki (read about Japan’s road stations here), but hope to do more rough camping this summer.
Read More: Accommodation & Camping in Japan




9 – Other Expenditures 61%
Everything mentioned minus what we totally spent is what we call daily expenditures. This is mostly groceries and going out for lunch/dinner.
Don’t forget to check out our Overland Japan Travel Guide as well with lots of additional information!
Check it out: the Landcruising Adventure Coaster Collection
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Hi! M&L – Marquita & Luca here… following you since…??…. a very long time!!!
After how many days in Japan did you apply for your first visa extention in Hiroshima? How many days later did you receive the visa ext?
thanks for your help and all your very useful and helpful writing!
keep up with the good job!
M&L
Hey there, I think we applied about one month before it expired. We got it the same day. Hope that helps!