Japan's ongoing economic recession has brought some good news for travellers to the extent that there are now more discount deals available and, in certain cases, yen prices have remained stable or even fallen slightly. Unfortunately, such advantages have largely been wiped out by the recent strength of the yen, meaning that your foreign currency buys you that much less. However, with careful planning Japan is still a manageable destination for even those on a modest budget. The key is to do what the majority of Japanese do: eat in local restaurants, stay in Japanese-style inns and take advantage of any available discounts. That said, if you make the wrong choice of bar or take a longish taxi ride, it can blow your budget apart.

The Japanese currency is the yen (Ľ), of which there are no subdivisions. Notes are available in denominations of Ľ1000, Ľ2000, Ľ5000 and Ľ10,000, while coins come in values of Ľ1, Ľ5, Ľ10, Ľ50, Ľ100 and Ľ500. Apart from the Ľ5 piece, a copper-coloured coin with a hole in the centre, all other notes and coins indicate their value in Western numerals. Note that, at the time of writing, ticket, change and vending machines have not yet been upgraded to accept the new Ľ2000 notes and Ľ500 coins (older, more silver-coloured Ľ500 coins are OK). Also at the time of writing, the exchange rate was approximately Ľ175 to Ł1, Ľ118 to US$1, and Ľ66 to A$1. Japan is currently experiencing negative inflation at a rate hovering between zero and minus one percent.

Money and information
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Costs
By far your biggest outlays are likely to be accommodation and transport. In the case of accommodation, you can keep costs down by staying in hostels or cheap Japanese inns and by sharing a room with two or more people . As an approximate guide, the average price of staying in a youth hostel dorm is...

Consumption tax
A consumption tax ( shohizei ) of five percent is levied on virtually all goods and services in Japan, including restaurant meals and accommodation. Sometimes...

Changing money
Though credit cards are gaining in popularity, Japan is still very much a cash society; even in major cities you'll be settling most bills in ready money. Thanks to the country's low crime levels and a surprisingly undeveloped banking system, most Japanese carry around relatively large amounts of yen, and it's fine for...

Credit cards and wiring money
Credit and debit cards are far more widely accepted in Japan than they were a few years ago. The most useful cards to carry are Visa and American Express, followed closely by Mastercard, then Diners Club, which you should be able to use in those hotels, restaurants, shops and travel agencies where they're used to...

Japan currecny
The Japanese currency is the yen (Ľ), of which there are no subdivisions. Notes are available in denominations of Ľ1000, Ľ2000, Ľ5000 and Ľ10,000, while coins come in values of Ľ1, Ľ5, Ľ10, Ľ50, Ľ100 and Ľ500. Apart from the Ľ5 piece...