Having an upcoming two-day trip to Yamanashi area this weekend I was happy to find some figures on how much is usually spent by Japanese for a pricier local hotel or ryokan stay. Based on a review done by Nikkei Shimbun (618 participants, half male and half female) the result showed with 39% percent the typical amount spend for a stay including dinner and breakfast lies in the range of JPY 10,001 to 20,000.
In my case the goal will not be on the excellent food provided at the place we stay, but much more having access to a private outdoor rotenburo (outside hot spring bath). I cannot wait to soak in the hot water and relax. For sure I love to be pampered with amazing local specialities at a ryokan, but for this trip we would like to focus on tasting local Udon unique to the Yamanashi prefecture. We will be focusing on two very specialities: One is Yoshida Udon close to Mount Fuji (described as tender and chewy at the same time) and then another version of Udon: Hoto (flat udon noodles in a thick soup, related to Udon, but actual preparation of the Udon itself is different).
Coming back to the money spent for accommodation; in our case we will have no food included and will be staying for JPY 10,000, which is reasonable considering we will have our hot spring bath for ourselves. In general the Nikkei Shimbun review found:
Up to JPY 10,000: 7 percent
JPY 10,001 to 20,000: 39 percent
JPY 20,001 to 30,000: 37 percent
JPY 30,001 to 50,000: 12 percent
More than JPY 50,001: 1 percent
Not traveling: 4 percent
For sure Japan is a country of travelers, because there were only 4 percent who did not spend money on accommodation!
I hope the upcoming travel will be a unforgetable experience, because the timing is right to see mountains full of fall colors, eating wonderful udon, plus having a relaxing spa experience combined with a promising Inka exhibition. What could I wish more!
Wishing you a wonderful autumn,
Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)
