Tokyo has a reputation for being expensive, but there are plenty of ways to save your yen, from eating classic convenience store fare to using special discount passes for museum entry. With a bit of planning and imagination, Tokyo doesn’t have to break the bank. Check out our top tips for travelling in Tokyo on a budget...

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Staying at a capsule hotel is a great way to combine affordable and quality overnight accommodation with a true Tokyo experience. The 9h nine hours hotel chain has ten locations in Tokyo – including one in Kanda, which is exclusively for women – where you can enjoy the efficient capsule hotel system.

Vending machine restaurants offer affordable and filling food, and a slice of real Tokyo life. Insert some yen into the slot, select a meal, and a ticket will pop out. Give this to the staff at the counter in return for a steaming bowl of ramen or a piled plate of fluffy rice. Yoshinoya, the oldest fast-food restaurant in Tokyo, has served gyudon – a hearty dish of rice, beef, and onion – since 1899. If you’re on the go, combinis (convenience stores) are a great place to pick up some cheap and tasty food, especially onigiri (rice balls).

Use the prepaid Suica or Pasmo cards to ride trains, subways and buses around Tokyo. If you’re planning to travel extensively around the country, the Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) is recommended, but a number of JR regional rail passes are also available that cover specific areas close to Tokyo. For those not travelling too far from the capital, there is the JR Tokyo Wide Pass which covers popular sites in the region, including Lake Kawaguchi, Nikko, and the Izu Peninsula.

Few cities are as adventurous in their architectural style as Tokyo, making it a pleasure to admire buildings old and new. Contrast the grand dames, such as Tokyo Station, with more modern constructions, such as the Prada structions, such as the Prada Aoyama Building. Religious sites rarely charge admission and the city has thousands of free temples and shrines.

Most architecturally interesting are Senso-ji Temple and Meiji Jingu Shrine. For a great city view, the free 45th-floor observation deck at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is hard to beat. The glittering vistas from the upper floors of the Shubya Hikarie are equally seductive.

Among Tokyo’s profusion of historic buildings and impressive museums, you’ll also find spots to soak up some culture free of charge. For something traditional, the Imperial Palace offers complimentary tours of the grounds most days. And for lovers of Japanese pop culture, the Tokyo Anime Center hosts free exhibits throughout the year.

If you’re interested in seeing Kabuki (a type of traditional Japanese theater) but don’t want to spend a lot of money on a play you can’t really follow, hitomaku-mi – or single-act – tickets are the perfect choice. They enable you to watch just one act of a play at Tokyo’s Kabuki-za, which could last anything from 15 minutes to an hour, with prices on a sliding scale.

If you’d rather be the performer than the audience, make a beeline for one of the city’s karaoke spots for a night of cheap but highly entertaining and ultra-Japanese fun. Karaoke Kan and Karaoke no Tetsujin are cheap and popular chains, while Karaoke Uta Hiroba includes soft drinks in the price. Look out for nomihouda uda udaiii (all-you-can-drink) promotions if you need some Dutch courage before your first song.

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