I lived in Japan for around six months last year, and I estimate that I spent around $2,000 per month. I stayed in a nice dormitory-style guest house run by Oa

I lived in Japan for around six months last year, and I estimate that I spent around $2,000 per month. I stayed in a nice dormitory-style guest house run by Oakhouse. Rent was about $750 per month, with no key money or anything like that. The bedrooms (bed, desk, and mini-fridge) are private, but the rest is shared, which led to me making friends with some really great people. I wasn't in full-tourist mode, but I didn't go out of my way to save money. I found it fun to learn how to shop and cook most of my meals like a local might (lots of chicken curry and yakisoba), but I regularly went out for dinner with friends, and drinking binges on the weekends. I lost quite a lot of money to Bank of America's ATM and currency conversion fees (I later got a Capital One money market account, which has better fees, and finally Schwab, which has none). I saved a tremendous amount of money by buying huge bags of chicken at Seiyu (Walmart), and learning what out-of-the-way big grocery stores my Japanese housemates shopped at. I could have saved a lot of money on train fare if I'd blown $100 on a cheap bike from Seiyu (or gotten a local to buy a bike at the ward sales they have every few years -- abandoned bicycles collected by the police are sold cheaply, but it's only open to ward residents). Getting a cell phone is a huge hurdle now. You have to pay exorbitant rental fees, or have a foreign resident card (not available on a tourist 'visa'). Or, do what I did, and get a local friend to buy a prepaid phone in his or her name. That will have to be a very good friend. :-D