If you don’t mind the long flight and if you have three or more days, it’s probably equal or less expensive to visit Japan than take a staycation in Hawaii.
Weird, right? Let’s do a simple 3-day calculation of transportation, food and lodging here:
I’m sure you have a lot of questions about the numbers themselves. I did the best I could to select comparable type hotels: 4-star, 2 beds, best value among excellent ratings and high marks for location. The airfare — well, that’s a hard one to estimate. I took what the lowest airfare was three weeks out for the same period I selected for the Fri-Mon weekend. This amount, however, will vary by season and availability.
One thing is clear though, other than the airfare, Japan prices are so much lower. Granted, I presumed you already own a car and only need to park it on Oahu, so other than that, every other Hawaii price is higher than it would be in Japan. If you add in comparable attractions, Japan is even more of a bargain. For instance, comparing the cost of going to Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood on a Saturday? Osaka Japan, $58. Hollywood, $139. I could go on and on. We visited the Osaka Aquarium, rated one of the top in the world, even higher than the iconic Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Prices? Osaka Aquarium, $18. Monterey Bay Aquarium, $65. For a Hawaii comparison the much smaller Maui Ocean Center Aquarium is $50.
Notably hotel prices are so much higher in Hawaii. Although the list prices for Maui and Oahu were $978 and $1156 respectively, once all the additional add-on taxes and resort fees were added in, the price ballooned. Not so for the Japan hotel, which does not add on more odd charges after the sticker price. Honestly, it’s a bit audacious. The Oahu hotel added on not only four types of taxes (10.25% State, 3% Tourism, 0.5% local, and 4.21% city), it also added a $150 resort fee and a $33.81 property service fee.
If you’re in Honolulu and haven’t visited Japan, what are you waiting for? Getting around the big cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto doesn’t require an ability to speak Japanese. You’ll be able to get around just fine.
In my next post, I’ll regale you with tales of Japanese foodie heaven for a price that now seems ridiculously low.