“Tokyo is expensive” stops people from going. It isn’t, if you plan it like a student: a hostel bed, convenience-store breakfasts, one transit pass and mostly free sights. Here’s what five days actually costs, line by line, with every price checked in October 2026.
The short answer
- 5 days, 4 nights, all in
- About NT$13,000–20,000 (US$400–610) from Taipei, including a budget-airline round trip.
- Spending in Tokyo
- About ¥29,500–48,500 (NT$6,000–9,900), roughly ¥5,900–9,700 a day.
- Biggest cost
- Flights, then your bed. Food is cheaper than most people expect.
- Exchange rate used
- ¥1,000 ≈ NT$203 ≈ US$6.30 (mid-market, October 14, 2026). Your card or money changer will be slightly worse.
1. The full breakdown
“Low” is a careful student trip. “High” is still a budget trip, just without counting every onigiri.
| What | Low | High | In NT$ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights Taipei–Tokyo (round trip, budget airline) | US$215 | US$300 | 6,900–9,700 |
| Narita ↔ city, both ways | ¥2,460 | ¥3,000 | 500–610 |
| 4 nights in a hostel dorm | ¥12,000 | ¥20,000 | 2,440–4,060 |
| Food, 5 days | ¥8,500 | ¥14,000 | 1,730–2,840 |
| Getting around the city | ¥4,000 | ¥5,500 | 810–1,120 |
| Sights & entry tickets | ¥2,500 | ¥6,000 | 510–1,220 |
| Total | ¥29,460–48,500 + flights | ≈ 12,900–19,500 | |
Not included: travel insurance, a data eSIM, checked bags and shopping. Add them to your own budget if you need them.
2. Flights: book the airline, not the date
Budget airlines on Taipei–Tokyo include Peach, Jetstar Japan and Scoot. In October 2026 their round trips were showing from about US$215, while the average round trip for the next 30 days was closer to US$460. That gap is the whole game: flexible dates and early booking save you more than anything else on this list.
- Budget fares usually include only a small carry-on. If you need a checked bag, add it when you book; it costs more at the airport.
- Since July 1, 2026, Japan’s departure tax is ¥3,000 per person (it was ¥1,000). It’s normally added to your ticket price, so check that the fare you compare already includes it.
3. Narita to the city for under ¥1,500
Most budget flights land at Narita. Skip the Skyliner (¥2,580 standard, about ¥2,310 online) unless you’re in a hurry. The Keisei Access Express to Asakusa is about ¥1,230 with no surcharge, and the Airport Bus TYO-NRT to Tokyo Station or Ginza is ¥1,500 in the daytime. Late-night and early-morning buses cost ¥3,000, so watch your flight times.
4. Where to sleep: hostel or capsule
A hostel dorm bed in Tokyo runs about ¥3,000–5,000 a night, and a capsule hotel about ¥4,000–6,500. Asakusa and Ueno have the most hostels and are easy to reach from Narita, which saves you money on day one and the last day.
5. Food: ¥1,700–2,800 a day is realistic
You can eat well in Tokyo on very little if you use the same places Tokyo office workers do:
- Breakfast at a konbini (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart): onigiri are about ¥170–300 each.
- Lunch at a gyudon chain: a regular beef bowl is ¥460–500 at Matsuya, Sukiya or Yoshinoya.
- Dinner: conveyor-belt sushi from ¥110 a plate, or a bowl of ramen at around ¥1,000–1,500.
Our low estimate is ¥1,700 a day; the high is ¥2,800 a day, which leaves room for one proper ramen and a dessert.
6. Getting around: one pass plus Suica
Load a Suica (or Pasmo) card on your phone for JR lines like the Yamanote. On your busiest sightseeing days, the Tokyo Subway Ticket covers every Tokyo Metro and Toei subway line: ¥1,000 for 24 hours, ¥1,500 for 48, ¥2,000 for 72. It does not cover JR lines, so plan those days around the subway.
JR East raised fares in March 2026 for the first time since privatization (the basic Yamanote ticket went from ¥150 to ¥160), so most single rides now cost about ¥160–300. Budget about ¥1,000 a day on Suica for the days outside your pass.
7. Sights: most of the best ones are free
- Free: Senso-ji in Asakusa, Meiji Jingu and Harajuku, Shibuya Crossing, the Tsukiji Outer Market streets, and the free observation decks at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku.
- Worth paying for once: Shibuya Sky is ¥2,500 booked online, or ¥3,000 at the door. Sunset slots sell out, so book a few days ahead.
8. A 5-day plan that fits the budget
- Day 1: land at Narita, Access Express to Asakusa, evening at Senso-ji when it’s lit and quiet.
- Day 2 (subway pass starts): Ueno Park, Akihabara, then Tokyo Station and Ginza.
- Day 3: Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya, Shibuya Sky at sunset.
- Day 4: Tsukiji Outer Market breakfast, then Shinjuku and the free Metropolitan Government observatory.
- Day 5: one last konbini breakfast, then back to Narita.
9. Track it as you go
The easiest way to blow a budget is not knowing what you’ve spent. Log every expense in yen when you pay, and see it in NT$ right away, so “just one more” doesn’t add up quietly. Our guide on tracking travel expenses in multiple currencies covers how, including the card fees that quietly add 1–3% to everything.
Plan the trip and the budget in one place
The Plyndi app keeps your itinerary and your trip budget together, converts every expense the moment you log it, and lets you add one by typing “ramen 1200 yen”.
Booking Tokyo
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Prices checked October 14, 2026
- Flights: Trip.com Taipei–Tokyo fares
- Departure tax: Jiji Press via Adnkronos, June 2026
- Airport transfers: Japan Activity, Narita to Tokyo; Keisei Skyliner guide
- Accommodation prices: Japan Trip Cost, 2026; tax: Japan Travel
- Food prices: Get Around Japan, 2026
- Transport: Tokyo Subway Ticket prices; Time Out on JR East fares
- Shibuya Sky: Japan Travel Kit
- Exchange rate: mid-market JPY/TWD