Japan is still at the top of the “revenge travel” list for a lot of you, and for good reasons! From amazing food and beautiful landscapes to very unique shopping options, there is something from everyone.
Additionally, the USD-JPY and EUR-JPY exchange rates are still very low, making it the perfect time to combine career change and exciting travel.
From visa rules to tips for accommodation, here is our ultimate and up-to-date 2025 Tokyo travel guide.
1.No visa needed for many countries
If you are from one of the 71 visa-free countries, including most of Europe and North America, you do not need to apply for a visa in advance. You can simply fly into Japan and be given a 90-day tourist visa upon arrival (there are few exceptions for countries like Thailand and Malaysia which are listed on the MOFA site).
If your country is not in the above list, you will still need to obtain a short-term tourist visa for 90 days. Le Wagon Tokyo will be able to assist you with a required invitation – Book a call with an advisor to confirm your eligibility.
2. Longer visas for our part-time programs
Note that a 90-day tourist visa allows you to enroll into our full-time 9-week Web Development course or Data Science bootcamp. If you are planning to join our 24-week part-time courses, some options could be available for you:
3. Plan ahead!
From Day 1 to Demo Day, our bootcamp lasts for exactly 61 days, and 68 days if you are also planning to join our Career Week, giving you 3 to 4 weeks to make the most of your trip outside of the bootcamp.
We usually recommend flying in a few days before start date to get used to the time difference — most of our students coming from abroad also plan a couple of weeks to visit the country afterwards. Check out some of our graduates’ trip advice!
Where is our campus?
Let’s start with the obvious: Tokyo is a huge city, and you will want to make sure that you pick a place not too far from our campus!
Our campus is conveniently located an 8-minute walk from Meguro station. From there, you can catch the most famous Tokyo train line, the Yamanote, which goes through famous tourist spots like Shibuya, Shinjuku or Ueno.
The go-to option for mid-term stays: Share Houses
The cheapest, most convenient, and basic go-to option for those who want to stay a couple of months while studying at our coding bootcamp is a Share House. It also happens to be a really good way to meet locals and fellow travelers, and you won’t be annoyed by paperwork.
Here is a list of the most popular Share Houses around Tokyo:
Sakura House, Oak House, Borderless House, TokyoCityApt, Create, GGHouse, BeGoodJapan.
Other options
Craigslist also has a good selection of apartments for rent for short or mid-term stays.
You can also find more nomad-dedicated places, like Tokyo Chapter or Section L. They’ll organize events, introduce entrepreneurs, and overall connect you to the right people. Haun is also a good option if you are looking to meet locals in a longer term environment.
We’ve asked some of our recent graduates where they chose to stay, and they mentioned that Hmlet, Homestay and MetroResidences could sometimes list interesting deals.
Lastly, Airbnb tends to be quite expensive, but you may be able to get a decent deal for a 2-month stay if you reach out to the owner.
Photo by Edward Ma on Unsplash
How to pick a neighborhood?
It’s difficult to pinpoint what the actual city center is, and it often refers to very posh neighborhoods dedicated to expat living. There is so much more Tokyo can offer in terms of local living, and up-and-coming areas such as Shimokitazawa (listed as one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world by Timeout) or Nakameguro can be perfect bases for a short stay, being close to our campus.
One last thing you need to know: rents are very “linear” in Tokyo, and mostly depend on the neighborhood, distance from the nearest station and building construction year. This means two things: you’ll always get what you pay for, and you have access to the full range of prices.
Budget: 80,000–100,000 JPY / month (550–700$)
Normal day
Now you have a place to stay. What do you eat? 800 JPY for lunch and 1,200 JPY for dinner will be the minimum you’ll spend. We also have a supermarket next to the campus where you can buy some decent lunch boxes for 500–600 JPY.
Budget: 2,000 JPY / day
Photo by Danis Lou on Unsplash
Party time
A lot of places offer all you can eat & drink for as low as 2,500¥, but if you’re the party type you’ll probably hop from one bar to another, and finish your night (or early morning) in one of the local clubs.
Budget: 5,000 JPY per party night
Up until very recently, it was not possible to get your hands on a Suica or PASMO transportation card for a stay over 28 days. Fortunately, JR recently resumed sales, and you can purchase one at almost every JR station — it’s the 21st century though, and you can now also install a digital version directly on your mobile phone! (we were told it might not work with some foreign Android phones).
A train ride in Tokyo can cost anywhere between 1 and 3$ depending on where you’re staying, and there are very few discount options.
If you are not a fan of public transportation, consider getting your hands on a bicycle. Sites like Craigslist or Facebook groups list options for all budgets. The very popular local second-hand shopping platform Mercari also offers plenty of options. Fun fact, since it’s costly to get rid of pieces of furniture, fridge, television, etc… a lot of foreigners leaving Tokyo will just give their bicycles away. Conveniently, our campus even has a free bicycle parking option!
Luup has also completely taken over the city, and you can very easily register and grab a scooter at the closest station.
Budget: 5,000 JPY (45$) for a bicycle, 300 to 600 JPY (2–5$) a day for commuting.
Photo by Noa Nguyen
It’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to get a Japanese mobile number unless you are a resident of Japan. However, buying a data-only prepaid mobile SIM card is super easy. These SIM cards can be found at major international airports, electronics retailers like BicCamera, and ordered online from Japan’s Amazon.
There are many brands you can choose from, but we’ve heard many good reviews about Nippon Sim. It is known for its good prices and also offers one of the longest terms available, up to 180 days.
Lastly, you might already be familiar with eSIM services, and these will also work for Japan: Airalo or Nomad will do the trick.
As you probably already know, the official currency in Japan is the Yen — And great news for international travelers, it has been very low for the past year, with no sign of getting stronger (which is obviously not great news for locals…).
Some exchange rates at the time of writing:
1 Eur = 164 JPY
1 USD = 155 JPY
1 CAD = 111 JPY
1 AUD = 101 JPY
1 GBP = 197 JPY
Most ATMs, especially in convenience stores, are now VISA-friendly, and you will be able to withdraw cash easily. We do not recommend bringing cash in with the hope to exchange it: banks do not offer that service, and your only option will be the very expensive Travelex.
Now more than ever, the reputation Tokyo has of being one of the most expensive cities to live in is not deserved. Let’s make a quick budget for our 2 months stay in Tokyo!
Accommodation: 80,000 to 100,000 JPY
Food & Drinks: 60,000 to 100,000 JPY per month
Party (optional!): 30,000 JPY per month
Transportation: 20,000 JPY per month
With a little bit of margin, that gives us a minimum monthly budget of around 200,000 JPY — That is roughly 1,300 USD / 1,200 EUR at the time of writing!
You have your flights booked, laptop in your backpack, Yens in your pocket, ready to dive into bustling Tokyo – how is your “Nihongo” though? For the first time in our travel guide, we’re covering popular Japanese learning apps:
Are you passionate about kanji characters, and want to be able to get by in restaurants by reading some menu items? Wani Kani will get you up to speed with basic (to very, very hard) kanjis, and vocabulary based on these kanjis.
If you are looking to quickly pick up basic and practical sentences for your day-to-day life, and learn the intricacies of Japanese grammar, Bunpro is your friend – Little bonus: once you become a Le Wagon Tokyo graduate, you can get a discount on their annual subscription.
With over 70 different nationalities among our 900+ students, the Tokyo branch of Le Wagon remains one of the the most international campuses worldwide. This creates a unique bootcamp experience, mixing different backgrounds, cultures and life aspirations!
The whole team is looking forward to welcoming you soon in Tokyo!
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Ready to change your career and study at our Tokyo campus in 2025? Our next Web Development and Data Science sessions will run as below:
Full-Time (9 weeks)
Winter session: January 6th — March 7th 2025
Spring session: April 7th — June 6th 2025 (the cherry blossom season 🌸🌸)
Summer session: July 7th — September 5th 2025
Part-Time (24 weeks)
Spring session: March 29th — September 5th 2025
Feel free to schedule a short call with our bootcamp manager and discuss your journey with us here. Looking forward to seeing you in Japan!
Thumbnail photo by Aleksandar Pasaric on Pexels
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