Budget — Tokyo

Tokyo is one of Asia's most expensive capitals, but costs are highly manageable if you know the right habits. A baseline of €140 per person per day covers a comfortable stay: a double room in a well-located three-star hotel, varied meals (lunch at a popular canteen, dinner at a neighbourhood restaurant), transport and two to three paid sights per day.

Accommodation is the most variable cost. A capsule hotel bed (design chains like 9 Hours or First Cabin) costs €40-60 a night — an authentically Japanese experience. A double room in a solid business hotel (Toyoko Inn, Dormy Inn, Sotetsu Fresa) runs €80-130 a night. International 4-star chains (Hyatt, Marriott, Park) start at €200-280 a night. The luxury tier (The Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt — the Lost in Translation hotel) clears €700 a night and climbs steeply.

Food offers the world's best quality-to-price ratio in the low and mid ranges. A lunch set (teishoku: rice, miso soup, main dish) at a popular canteen costs ¥800-1,200 (€5-8). A bowl of ramen at a solid address: ¥1,000-1,500 (€7-10). An evening at a neighbourhood restaurant: ¥2,000-4,000 (€13-27). A high-end Ginza sushi omakase: ¥15,000-50,000 (€100-335). Convenience store food (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson) — onigiri, sandwiches, hot dishes — is remarkably good at €3-6, a serious option for breakfasts and snacks.

Transport is cheap per journey (¥160-320 depending on distance), with a Suica or Pasmo IC card handling all payments. The 7-day JR Pass (around €350) is indispensable if you plan Shinkansen travel to Kyoto or Osaka. Sight entry fees: teamLab Planets ¥3,200 (€22), Tokyo Skytree ¥2,100-3,400 (€14-23), Ghibli Museum ¥1,000 (€7, lottery booking). Most temples and shrines are free or accept a voluntary offering.