Spending money for a two-person non-touristy Tokyo trip?

Question:

My friend and I are planning a trip to Tokyo sometime within the next year. We already have an idea of what our initial expenses will be. (flight, accommodation, passport, etc...) What we're still unsure of is how much spending money will be enough for us to enjoy ourselves (food, transport, and general purchases). I hear Tokyo is an expensive place to go, yet we are planning this outing as more of an adventure, rather than a cozy vacation. We plan on eating at cheaper restaurants, making heavy use of the vending machine drinks, and avoiding most of the touristy attractions. We want to spend 7 days exploring Tokyo on the streets. We obviously want to be comfortable and not have to worry about running out of money but I haven't found anyone explaining a good budget for something not quite a luxurious vacation. Thanks for any help. :)

Answer:

if flight and accomodation are covered then you need to look at all the rest:

- eating: food can run you as little as 1500 Yen per day (Ramen, bento at the local convenience store, guy-don, etc.) but henstly you should look at spending on the occasional decent meal (assume 3000 Yen per person)
- vending machine drinks sell drinks at the same price as convenience stores. For example, a can of Coke costs the same in all stores and you may actually find it a little cheaper in some discount stores. Vending machines are just for convenience not for "savings"
- Exploring tokyo on the streets: Tokyo is pretty huge and walking everywhere, although doable, will really limit your ability to see lots of places. Assume subway transportation for about 500 Yen per day per person. Many places have a small entrance fee and some are free. You should still plan on some spending there
- Transportation from airport to hotel: assume 3000 Yen one way
- general purchases: will greatly depend on what you buy and where

Do you plan on going out? (e.g. bars?) Do you intend on seeing something outside of central Tokyo? how about the famous sites (Disneyland, Tokyo Tower, Tsukiji? Harajuku? Shibuya? etc.)

if you are **really** frugal I guess 20 thousand Yen per person will cover you easily for the 7 days but you'd better plan on 50 thousand per person to cover a couple of nice dinners, some souvenirs and the occasional "splurge"