Cost of going to japan?

Question:

I am wanting to plan a trip to Japan within the next year. I was wondering how much it would cost to fly to japan for golden week and how much it would cost to stay there the week with food, decent hotel, and a lot of sight seeing. Also would it be a good idea to learn Japanese before I go? I was thinking about taking a class for it.

Answer:

I am going to Japan in October with 2 friends and I did some serious number crunching before booking anything... I'm from AUS btw!
I got a $1100 international flight! Which is good... you can sometimes find cheaper ones... Not quite sure how much it would be from America but of-course it would be more expensive. Maybe $1400 - $ 1600!
The accommodation in Tokyo and Kyoto is cheaper for a triple... so I got a deal for Shinjuku washington for $458 for 9 nights and Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka for $385 for 6 nights! Go with friends :)
A lot of sightseeing will require a lot of travel so get a JR PASS for the week if you will be travelling lots with the shinkansen! Don't get a JR PASS if you don't travel heaps with a shinkansen... get a SUICA card for Tokyo! Thats what the Japanese use to get around... its prepaid, easy and convenient. There are websites that can help you find out how much trips cost. A subway/train trip from Shinjuku to Tokyo station is about 260 yen which is about $3 AUS which is about the same in $US.
Food and drink is a bit more harder to calculate. I am taking at least $800 for food and $200 for drinks...
Tours are all mostly $90 to $180 each! Lonely planet is good for those.


I have calculated that the 15 day trip will cost me about $4,900 AUS but will most likely go a little bit over the $5000...

As for the language... Please do learn at least some! It will help you heaps over there... it will a more cultural experience as well. I'm a bit more lucky then my friends... I learned Japanese for 4 years at school. It will help you!
By some guides and do your research!
Have a good time planning and have a good trip!