Should I prioritize going to Japan instead of other places because of the weak yen?
Posted by IPlayDnDAvecClasse@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 76 comments
I'm from Canada and I've heard a lot about how the weak yen makes Japan more affordable to visit now compared to several years ago.
I'm interested in visiting Japan. However, it's not my top choice, such as Italy. Since hearing about the weak yen in Japan, I'm considering going to Japan because the weak yen could result in savings on accomodations, food, entertainment, etc and I could always go to Italy another time.
Some people around me are saying the weak yen doesn't result in any savings because of inflation. I have FOMO that if the yen recovers, then I may not be able to afford a trip to Japan in the future. Is the weak yen a good opportunity to visit Japan at this time?
robotjyanai@reddit
What I’ve learned is that life is short. My cousin chose to visit Japan instead of Australia, where he really wanted to go, and he died a year later.
castaneom@reddit
That’s sad. I agree though, do what you really want to do now because you never know. I’m personally interested in Japan, but not enough to skip Europe this year. Man I love Italy and Greece. Sorry about your cousin.
robotjyanai@reddit
Thanks.
I love Europe too. Been to Italy twice. I hope to visit Greece someday when I can afford to leave the country again.
castaneom@reddit
I’ve been fortunate enough that I’ve been able to go the last few years (most of Western Europe). It’ll be my second time in both of these countries.. went to Greece last year and I fell in love! So amazing! Hope you get to go one-day. :) The beaches were omg. <3!!
aubrx@reddit
Sorry to necro, but where did you stay/go in Greece?
castaneom@reddit
I flew in and out of Santorini, but I was mostly in Naxos. Spent five days there. It was awesome!
aubrx@reddit
Oh so it wasn't a long trip by the sounds of it?
castaneom@reddit
It was only seven full days, but it was life changing.. I’ve never been so at peace in one place before! And I’ve traveled a lot. I’m going back this September, but I’m going to different islands. I’m going to Kefalonia and Zakynthos. Also Athens.. have you been to Greece before?
aubrx@reddit
Aww for me that seems so short. If you found it amazing though that's what matters. I actually want to go soon.. But haven't made plans. Never been. Been reading about the areas to go that aren't so expensive or tourist trap type places, think kefalonia is meant to be good!
castaneom@reddit
Well I’m coming from the US so I can only do one European trip per year, on that same trip I spent the other eight days in Spain. This year I’m planning to visit Krakow and Budapest then go down to Greece for the last nine days. I could just do Greece, but I always like to add a new city or country on every trip.. but that’s just me. We all travel differently. And yeah, Kefalonia seems great! That’s why I gotta visit on this trip :) where are you coming from?
aubrx@reddit
Oh Spain is another one I want to get to! Where in Spain did you go? What made you pick Krakow and Budapest? Going somewhere new each time doesn't seem like a bad idea at least you will see something different! And learn what places are worth coming back to
castaneom@reddit
Well I’ve been to Spain a few times. I’ve been to Barcelona, Bilbao, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Madrid, Sevilla, San Sebastián, Zaragoza, etc. I love Andalucía (south).. the most, but it’s a huge region! So, I still have a lot to discover. I’m Mexican and American so I speak Spanish fluently.. Spain’s my favorite European country. It’s so easy to travel to.
Why Poland and Hungary? It was just random.. but I’m from Chicago and I have some Polish friends. Also dated some.. lol So, I just wanted to finally visit. Budapest has flights to the island I want to get to. And I’ve always wanted to visit the city! Lol. It literally all works out.
aubrx@reddit
Wow you've been all over the place.. I'd go to Spain for the climate and horses to be honest. Berlin is another on my list, my grandma is from there! Do you get up to much nature type stuff in Spain while you're there?
castaneom@reddit
In Spain I’ve mostly done city stuff, but I’ve done some light hikes.. I’m more of a beach person, so I do a lot of that. I do love nature, but I’m limited because I don’t drive so I do what I can. Definitely do a lot of walking when I’m in Europe! :D Berlin’s cool! It’s a lot of fun!
aubrx@reddit
Oh I can understand the driving part, I drive but don't have enough money to rent cars. Beaches are still great if you aren't able to access more out of the way areas.
castaneom@reddit
Yeah, that’s always a challenge. I always do a lot of research before I book.. gotta make sure what I want to see is accessible without a car. Like I’m researching Kefalonia right now and luckily Myrthos beach is accessible via buses. Stuff like that for etc..
aubrx@reddit
It does make things trickier. And so many of the books just assume everyone can hire a car! I'd likely be doing the same as you, having to plan more to accommodate travelling with no car. Japan is super easy without a car for example.
castaneom@reddit
Japan would be a super easy place to travel to because they’re not so car centric.. so it makes sense you can get almost anywhere without one. I’ve known so many people who’ve traveled there that I need to visit soon. Hopefully in the next two years I’ll make it out there. I just really like Europe for now. When are you planning to go?
aubrx@reddit
Definitely go and see it for yourself. The public transport infrastructure is amazing, I don't know if it's better than Europe but.. It's SO much better than Aus. There are a few rural areas that can be a pain but overall you can get almost everywhere that's populated, each town is connected by a train or if not train, buses.
I haven't gotten any concrete plans yet, they're more wishes than anything. With the jet fuel prices it's more affordable travel closer to home.. I was really wanting to go to Europe in August or September for the warmth.
castaneom@reddit
I definitely will. I just gotta figure out exactly what I wanna see first and if I can combine it with at least one more country. I’d probably combine it with a trip to Thailand. For now those two are at the top of my list.
If not I’d mostly stay in Japan and do like a four day trip to Korea or something. And yeah, it really sucks about the fuel prices. The airlines are going to price gouge like crazy.
My parents really wanna visit Mexico this summer and they waited too long (I’ve been asking them if they were gonna travel this summer, since December). Direct flights to our home city/state are gonna cost at least $900-1000 USD. That’s their fault though, it’s high season and they wanna travel next month all of a sudden. Smh.
Well I hope you get to travel somewhere fun even if it’s not Europe this time around. I’ve been working on my September trip lately.. I just have to figure out the logistics. I just bought train tickets from Budapest to Vienna for a day trip.
I’ve probably mentioned it, so I’m doing Krakow/Budapest > Zakynthos/Kefalonia and go fly home from Athens. The reason I’m visiting Vienna for a day trip is because I’ve always wanted to see Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss.” I know I’m crazy, but I have to see it. I love that painting.
Capable-Engineer-897@reddit
Personally, I always follow my heart. The best trips are the ones that come exactly when you want them to come. Going to Japan when you really want to go to Japan is gonna be a better experience than going to Japan when you want to go to Italy, even if it's a bit more expensive. I went to Japan last summer and it was definitely not that cheap. China is cheap. South Korea is kind of cheap. Japan is not.
Extension12125@reddit
right? I'm not sure how we have established this as a fact that Japan is cheap. It is affordable, for the most part, but even then that depends on what you want out of the trip, and most importantly, where you live - for most of the world, it isn't cheap at all, just barely affordable.
Oftenwrongs@reddit
Accomodations are not lower due to yen. They are higher due to insane demand and rocketinf tourism for a decade.
takame2002@reddit
No right or wrong answer. Some people are deal hunters and are willing to go anywhere that offers great deals but will still have a good time. Nothing wrong with that.
yesitismenobody@reddit
If you want to see a very cheap place with the best of what Asia has to offer (basically what people imagine Japan is like), go to China. Japan was always described as being from the future to me, and going there I felt like it was stuck in the past, or maybe an idea of the future from the 50s. China felt incredible from the first moments and really feels like an utopian futuristic society. Visa requirements were just lifted for Canadian citizens and accomodation in regular hotels pretty much anywhere outside of Beijing and Shanghai ranges from $10 to $25 a night, with prices jumping more to the $40 to $75 range for the 2.
TrixieChristmas@reddit
You: "Currencies of stable countries don't usually halve or double their value in an instant without major global economic events..."
The World: Hold my beer.
You posted this on March 13, 2026? You didn't notice anything happening that might affect the global economy, airfares, or currencies?
yesitismenobody@reddit
Not really. There's been a lot going on over the last year and there's barely any changes in overall global economy. Did you notice anything?
TrixieChristmas@reddit
You seriously did not notice the war in the Persian Gulf going on literally right now? LOL!
roleplay_oedipus_rex@reddit
You should prioritize going where you want to go.
I should have gone to Lebanon, etc. 10 years ago but I didn't, and oh the regret.
themaster1359@reddit
This, absolutely go where you want, when you want (/can). This more applies to if there’s a specific where instead of the want of getting a good deal on travel, which can be fun too.
budgieBird800@reddit
Same! And Venezuela. I declined a trip 20 years ago because I had to work and I regret it
Similar_Face_2462@reddit
OPTIMIZE OPTIMIZE OPTIMIZE
miralare@reddit
Prioritize on where you want to go because you never know what‘s Happening next. Also, Italy can also be quite cheap depending on where you are and what you wanna do. I went wo Japan and regularly travel to italy and I don‘t think that there is a huge difference.
antsam9@reddit
Once I checked flights, and got a tip it's cheaper to fly to Japan from Chicago via Italy, and surprisingly, it was. A direct flight to Japan was 1200, and flying to Italy was 300, then Istanbul for 150, 500 from istanbul to tokyo.
You might save money by doing both?
TrixieChristmas@reddit
This is the way!
jcocab@reddit
Japan is implementing significant tourist tax hikes in 2026 to combat overtourism. Effective July 2026, the national departure tax (International Tourist Tax) triples to ¥3,000 per person for air/sea travel. Additionally, Kyoto will introduce steep, tiered accommodation taxes of up to ¥10,000 per night for high-end stays starting March 1, 2026.
TrixieChristmas@reddit
But also Chinese tourism to Japan has plunged and the yen is about to take a huge hit from an oil shock from the war in Iran.
Miss_Might@reddit
Go where you want to go.
Jordangander@reddit
The weak yen won’t save you a lot of money. Check the cost of airfare and see what that is doing. A flight that runs $1k vs a flight that runs $600 means the $200 you save off the weak yen just cost you $200
AltruisticWishes@reddit
You're making assumptions about where OP lives. Airfare to Italy isn't necessarily cheaper
Jordangander@reddit
You are correct, I am also making an assumption about airfare to Japan.
It is entirely possible that OP lives in Germany and can simply drive to Italy and they are using the Canadian dollar as an example.
AltruisticWishes@reddit
Thanks for confirming how much you don't know. In much of the US, airfare to Italy is as much or more than airfare to Japan
FermatsLastAccount@reddit
I can fly to Venice from NY for just under $400 round trip next month. I could leave next week for under $500.
AltruisticWishes@reddit
I'll take your word for it, but flying to Italy is at least as expensive as flying to Japan for most of the US
fist_my_dry_asshole@reddit
Can you guys not read? He literally says "I'm from Canada."
Jordangander@reddit
Yes, he did. Which is why I presented my first post.
I was responding to the person who apparently figured that OP might be lying about where they live and decided to post contradictory information.
Then deleted it when presented with their stupidity.
AltruisticWishes@reddit
And shockingly bad math. Visitors from the US are saving way more than $200 because of the weak yen
ardwd@reddit
The wen is weak but Japan is still very expensive compared to Italy
budgieBird800@reddit
I’d recommend prioritizing Japan not because of the FX rates but because they are eventually going to get so fed up with tourists being rude and literally shitting everywhere, that travelling there is going to become really expensive and limited.
cefotetan2gq12@reddit
Yes before airlines raise ticket prices because of the chaos and oil prices
gdore15@reddit
I think the weak yen argument is stronger for Americans than Canadians. We had similar low as US (close to 80 yen for 1$) but now it's 115 CAD and close to 160US right now (let's say 150-160).
So for Canadians, yes it is good, we had similar peak in 2024 and in 2007, but it's nowhere the big opportinity that Americans would see.
As for the potential savings. I visited Japan several times since 2008 and it's not as if inflation was so strong that it would make it that much more expensive.
More than the strenght of the yen, what can make a difference is what you decided to do. What kind of accommodation, what kind of food, what kind of activities, what kind of transport. Some examples.
You can get a bed in the dorm of a hosted for... 3000-4500 yen a night, a hotel can be like 10 000 yen in Tokyo.
Can get a simple meal at 500-1500 yen (a 1000 yen average is doable), and you can decide to eat A5 wagyu, sushi omakase and spend over 10 000yen on a meal. Can decide to go out and spend 1500 yen on fancy cocktail or 1500 yen on a desert.
You can go to attractions that cost 0-500 yen and you can go to museum that cost 2000-3000, or go to an amusement park and spend like about 9000 yen for a 1day pass for Universal Studio (then maybe add express pass....
Can decide to stay in a single city for under 1000 yen a day and do nearby day trips for 1000-2000 yenor you can decide to go to Kyoto and Hiroshima then back to Tokyo and now cost like 45 000 yen just in shinkansen tickets.
And of course, how much money you spend on buying stuff. I just returned and spent easily close to 90 000 yen on souvenirs and stuff I wanted to buy.
g23nov@reddit
go to your top choice - if you went to Japan would you spend the whole trip "man, I wish I went to Italy instead"?
jaydogggg@reddit
We were considering Italy this year but compare euro to cad and CAD to yen. It puts into perspective how much you'll save going to Japan instead. My wife and I got back on the 5th and spent a total of 4300 cad for the two of us for 11 days. That's flights and hotels and lots of shopping. Italy what I priced out for us was minimum 5000 cad.
LsForDays@reddit
i went to japan just now and also 6 months ago. exchange rate was 1 usd = 150 jpy back then, and 1 usd = 160 jpy right now.
inflation has far outpaced how weak the yen is and my recent trip was more expensive
Soukchai2012@reddit
Its definitely a good time to go to japan - not cheap, but certainly much cheaper than 5+ years ago.
Solidao54321@reddit
Yes. I am Canadian and on a budget and the weak yen made the trip so enjoyable and low stress. And Japan is so safe and hassle free and Google Maps and translate make everything easy. Honestly it is such a better choice than Europe at this point.
RainbowCrown71@reddit
If your only reason is the currency, you’re not going to enjoy it tbh.
Also the Yen has been weak now for 5 years hovering in the $1 = ¥140-160 range. I don’t think it’s going back down 40% anytime soon.
CheapEbb2083@reddit
Or not. There are no guarantees
FujiiyamaMama@reddit
It is more affordable but the yen is pretty much on par with Canadian (you’ll maybe get $10-$15 for every $100 CAD) and Japan itself isn’t cheap. That said, it’s better now than when the yen was stronger than CAD.
ptherbst@reddit
Bro I wanted to the the Transsiberian train and always put it off, look where we are now
AltruisticWishes@reddit
One can argue it both ways, but in my experience, it is more fun to go when the exchange rate is really good, all things being equal
Pretty_Sir3117@reddit
Weaker yen but triple the hotel prices. Honestly I feel the total cost was cheaper pre-covid even when the yen was strong
hezaa0706d@reddit
Don’t come to Japan unless you actually have an interest in the country. Too many vanilla tourists coming over here and mucking things up just because “it’s cheap” and “trending on tik tok”
seamallowance@reddit
Who appointed you to the Tourism Police?
Moonagi@reddit
The Japan Ministry of Tourism
lnvu4uraqt@reddit
Japan and Italy will likely still be around in the future to visit. Currency fluctuations, not so much but your risk tolerance may vary.
Otherwise_Lychee_33@reddit
go to where u wanna go
Zealousideal_Crow737@reddit
If you're a woman, traveling to Japan is far safe, but the language barrier is worse. The flight is also pretty expensive.
Italy, depending on where you stay, can be affordable. The South is usually cheaper and smaller towns.
I wouldn't base judgement on currency but more so what you want out of the experience right now. I recommend hoarding credit card points and you may be able to afford at some point.
conanmagnuson@reddit
I was just there in December and the round trip from Portland Oregon was ~$500. Also everything in Japan was about 2/3 the price of US goods and services.
hezaa0706d@reddit
Yeah but so is our salary.
Zealousideal_Crow737@reddit
How the hell was it 500 that's crazy
conanmagnuson@reddit
Zipair
YouFoldInTheCheese9@reddit
Go to Japan. It is a more unique experience than Italy, IMO. Plus it is farther from you, so best to do the longer travel while youre younger as it affects you more as you age.
sitheandroid@reddit
It's about 10% more than you'd get a year ago, and the same as you'd get 2 years ago. If saving $250 on a $2500 holiday will make or break the trip, then go now.
Personally I'd never let exchange rates influence me, when I could easily save more by choosing different accommodation, places to eat, transport etc.
andyone100@reddit
Yes, go to Japan. It’s great. Italy can wait. That’s great too😊
lucapal1@reddit
Very minor part of planning for me,but I gyuess it depends on your financial situation.
Certianly a place being relatively 'cheap' is a positive thing.But no idea what will happend in the futre..next year the yen may be stronger,weaker or roughly the same as now.
I'd decide based much more on where you actually want to go ;-) Rather than the relative strength of a currency.