First, what expenses do you have each month...are you living with your parents when in the US? My wife goes to Japan each year (she was born there and her entire family lives in Shinzouka and the surrounding areas (middle Japan). A couple weeks is about $2000 and she's not spending money on lodging. $1200 of that is airfare. The exchange rate is terrible now fortunately now it is at least hovering around 80YEN per dollar...it had dropped to around 70 for a while.
To put this in perspective, even 4 years ago it was around 120YEN per Dollar. 10 years ago a bit more. Oddly the 'historic' sites don't show that picture accurately.
I'm well aware of the exchange rate and history, and I also got a similar airfare rate. But divide that out in a longer period and its much more reasonable. I don't live with my parents when in the US. I already listed my expenses in an earlier post. Currently my only expenses in the US are for a cell phone...it should only be costing me a few dollars so I might as well keep my plan phone and number. I paid to store my vehicles in a secure location, cost me $150 for 3 months.
Most low income people couldn't come up with $5,000 of disposible income, that is about $400 per month. What kind of lodging are you doing in Japan? You are doing Hostels. You don't have a private bath, you share a room...most people wouldn't even qualify to lodge there and if they did most wouldn't want to do that.
I have a private room with my own lock and key (and a private balcony). Anybody can come, there are no qualifiers...at least none that I had to meet. Yes the bathrooms (2) and kitchen are shared between 5-6 rooms, but the toilets are separate from the shower and there have been no conflicts to date. There's a real washer and drier as well. Its costing me 64000 yen a month. It shouldn't be impossible to save $200/month even at $25K/yr. Even if you only went every 4 years that's not bad. Most people never leave the country, thinking its to much. They'll spend a couple grand on Disney World or something instead.
It's interesting that you are claiming you can do all this cheap and are still eating out at the 'expensive' places.
Uh...I spent $20 once on an alcohol and dinner experience, Hooters cost me about 13$. Their drinks are expensive but I don't normally drink. Just water (free). Otherwise it costs me under 1000 yen a day to eat well. There's a nice pastry shop in the station here (1min walk), they charge 100-280 yen an item depending on what you want. A big ol' melon bread thing costs 100 yen and there are several varieties and even some with some kind of custard/cream goo. A bread thing with a hotdog thingy in it is like 200yen and a big shrimp patty sandwich thing is 280. I can do a melon bread or two for breakfast and a hotdog thing for lunch. About 400 yen total. There's a ramen shop here where you can get a big bowl of fried rice or ramen, onion&seaweed soup, and 5 gyoza for 550-570yen. That usually what Ill do for dinner. And if I'm wandering around, I have no problem finding cheap places to eat. The last one was some kind of vertical rotisserie meat thing that they cut and stuck in a pita like thing with veggies and sauce for like 400yen. I dont even need to eat 3 times a day...several times I have only eaten once. So even at $400 month in food, $1100 ticket, and what $800 in rent, that's the $5K for the 3 months I'm here. And I'm eating well trying new foods and having fun. There's maybe another $100/month transportation (average 250 yen a day) so far. My $5k figure is not exaggerated or unreasonable.
again a very rare situation. It's common to bath around each other and see tits and the like, especially at the hot springs...but most aren't walking around half naked outside of that. Most hostels are VERY STRICT in Japan about separating the males and females. Also your stuff is sort of free for the taking.
There don't seem to be strict rules here, there's at least 5 females sharing a room...possibly two rooms. They don't seem to be bothered walking to the shower naked and usually they go 2-3 at a time. There's really only room to hang up one set of clothes to keep them dry, otherwise they go on the floor or something and may get wet. Probably why they just go naked. I've seen it a few times now (and once a naked chick in the kitchen) and they have even stopped to say hello.
Nomihodai is very limited. You are getting the small selections of beer, wine and some cocktails that restaurant bought, these are all the 'well drink' types. You aren't getting Patron, Moet, etc. They usually have a white and red wine, only a few beers, some regular spirits. You also only have 1 or 2 meal selections for those places.
I had a big multi-page menu for food and a double sided menu for all the drinks available. I don't normally drink and don't know anything about alcohol, that's why I went...just to give it a try since the price was right. I had a large variety of drinks, don't know what all they were but I was satisfied. I've since found an even cheaper place than I originally went to.
If you are in North Japan then things will be better as the tourism took a big dive. I know guys that clean up reactors that recommend staying away from 20 miles minimum from that disaster site pretty much for our life times. They also did not sign on to decontaminate even though it was tied to up to half million dollar bonuses. Many died and have had issues that did.
You can do Japan for $5k over 3 months...you aren't going to really enjoy places like Tokyo on that. Mt. Fuji area, the country, etc sure. If one likes just getting out in nature, it can be cheap...but you still are faced with the terrible YEN exchange. There are many islands that over a better experience and much much cheaper.
Well yeah, you don't want to waltz into the reactor...but its pretty safe most everywhere else in Japan. There just seems to be a ton of people freaking out saying the entirety of Japan is deadly and that huge self propelled radioactive fuel rods are heading for America and even the entire west coast is doomed. I just saw a youtube video that someone sent me pretty much to that effect. I really did LOL.
You can't say I'm not enjoying Tokyo, I'm here your not. I know what I'm spending, you do not. I don't know if you've ever actually been here, but if you have you clearly aren't even attempting to be frugal. I can't even speak the language, only ran into 1 who could speak english, and I am doing very well for myself. Just wander around look at all the stuff and keep an eye out for good deals. You must be the type of person with your nose stuck so high that you cant see the good deals right in front of your face.