Real itinerary covering Shibuya, Hakone with a Fuji view, Kyoto and a day trip to Nara, with JFK/LAX to HND/NRT, the JR Pass at JPY 50,000 and what changed after the yen collapsed.
Real itinerary covering Shibuya, Hakone with a Fuji view, Kyoto and a day trip to Nara, with JFK/LAX to HND/NRT, the JR Pass at JPY 50,000 and what changed after the yen collapsed.
JFK-HND/NRT 2026: USD 1,200-2,400 round trip on JAL or ANA (14h nonstop). LAX-HND on Singapore or Delta: USD 950-1,800. No more stopovers required.
7-day JR Pass: JPY 50,000 (USD 320) — up 70% in October 2023. Only worth it with 3+ long Shinkansen legs (Tokyo-Kyoto-Hiroshima and back).
Single Tokyo-Kyoto Shinkansen ticket: JPY 14,000 (USD 93) one way, 2h15. Domestic flight HND-ITM: JPY 9,000-15,000 but 4h door to door — Shinkansen wins.
3-star Shibuya hotel: JPY 15,000-25,000/night (USD 100-165). Hakone ryokan with kaiseki: JPY 30,000-50,000/person (USD 200-330) with dinner and breakfast.
Food: ramen JPY 1,000-1,500 (USD 7-10), conveyor sushi JPY 150/plate (USD 1), omakase JPY 15,000+ (USD 100+). Sushi Saito (3 Michelin) is a lottery — go to Sushi Tokami or Ginza Onodera.
Real itinerary covering Shibuya, Hakone with a Fuji view, Kyoto and a day trip to Nara, with JFK/LAX to HND/NRT, the JR Pass at JPY 50,000 and what changed after the yen collapsed.
