I can't claim to be an expert, but I visited Japan last year and found that you can get away with eating very cheaply if you want to. Lawson 100 yen shops, Za W

I can't claim to be an expert, but I visited Japan last year and found that you can get away with eating very cheaply if you want to. Lawson 100 yen shops, Za Watami and Watamin Chi FTW! We found this awesome Tonkatsu place (it was a chain, I forget the name) in Kyoto where you could get a great feed for an average price. Plus if you're willing to be a little more adventurous and get off the beaten track, there's always some cool little hole in the wall where you can find interesting food at reasonable prices. And the service in Japan - pretty much regardless of what price you're paying - is amazing... you have to experience it to believe it. I came home and was in culture shock for a couple of weeks whenever I went into a restaurant or retail store. Likewise accommodation (at least the kind used by travellers) was also average to cheap if you were willing to do a little research before hand (http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/ http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/ was what I used mostly). However if what I was told by people living there is anything to go by, longer term accommodation can get pretty expensive. But you can also spend as much as you want if you're looking for luxury food, hotels, ryokans, whatever. This held pretty much true for us all the way from Tokyo to Kagoshima.