This is probably where I should write something profound about Japan and my experience taking in its culture, speaking its language, and learning its history.

Instead, I have just two words for you:

Monkey Park.

The Iwatayama Monkey Park in Kyoto, Japan is my new happy place, and it’s easy to understand why.

You’ve got a beautiful view of the natural Japanese forest. You’ve got an expansive view of the city, below. And then, of course, there are the monkeys.

Totally, completely worth the 500 Yen (about $4). The monkeys are free to roam. They just hang out, enjoy the view with you, and, if you accidentally look them in the eye, chase you so you scream in terror. (Those are some fast monkeys!) What’s the catch? Well, there is a 20-minute uphill hike that’s semi-arduous. But that’s probably just me. The woman ahead of me in platform wedges seemed to do just fine.

Activities in Japan were surprisingly frugal. As an animal lover, the Iwatayama Monkey Park was by far my favorite cheap thing to do in Japan, but there are obviously also lots of beautiful shrines, parks, and gardens to see.

(In the below video, I mistakenly refer to it as the Arashiyama Monkey Park, because it’s located near the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove)

Ueno Park in Tokyo and the Higashiyama and Arashiyama districts of Kyoto were a few of my favorite places to visit in Japan. They cost nothing, and the temples, shrines and gardens are stunning.

But even aside from those activities, we were able to keep things cheap without trying very hard. Here are some highlights of how we stayed frugal:

7-Elevens: Yep, there are 7-Elevens in Japan, and they’re just like the 7-Elevens here except, well, completely different. It’s a great spot for a quick snack, like onigiri or mochi ice cream, both of which cost about a dollar. Onigiri are little rice balls full of fish or kelp, and they’re delicious. I never thought I’d enjoy 7-Eleven grub so much, but thank you for the recommendation, A Constant Traveler! Oh man, they also had this ice cream in a pouch thing that was so good, I’m drooling just thinking about it. It’s almost like a Capri Sun, but filled with ice cream. I miss the Japanese 7-Elevens already 🙁

100 Yen Shops: These were sort of like dollar stores, but more like .83 cents stores, thanks to the exchange rate. Either way, 100 Yen shops are everywhere, and they’re filled with Japanese chotchkies, home goods, candies, etc. Great places to find cheap but fun souvenirs. I bought teddy bear socks for myself. Hella kawaii.

Check it out: Brokepedia’s Guide to Saving Money on Travel

The Ramen Floor at Kyoto Station: I was embarrassed at how long it took to find this place. It’s on the 9th floor of the station, near the main atrium. I had a hell of a time trying to find it when I got off the subway, but if you come in from the entrance of the station, it should be pretty easy. Anyway, it’s an entire floor devoted to different kinds of ramen, varied by region. This was another great recommendation from Heather Yamada-Hosley of A Constant Traveler and NerdWallet. My fiance and I ordered two big bowls of ramen, a bowl of fried rice, and a plate of gyoza and spent about $15 total.

It was a surprisingly frugal trip in general. After doing the math, I realized we spent about $2,500, total, for a two week vacation–that includes all of our food, gifts, lodging, flights, rental car while in Hawaii, etc. We found some great deals on Airbnb, and, of course, I wrote about using travel rewards to pay for the flights. Still, it’s less than I planned to spend, and I’d already planned to do Japan on a budget.

It was still a splurge, don’t get me wrong. But I still think we did okay. And the best part? We were frugal, and it idn’t feel at all like being frugal. It just felt like a hell of a time in Japan.