Vacations aren't about net profitability. You can visit Japan and enjoy reasonable prices when you're there. Or you can go to many other popular destinations and be repeatedly insulted by $600 hotel rooms, $30 burgers, and $15 bottled beers.

Why would they have to offset the cost? They are just saying, being in Japan is a cheaper experience right now than ever before (not sure if it is true). The cost to get there is their only impediment. They still want to go and eat food and see experiences they cannot get at home.

Also, if the trip is of sufficient length, you can totally offset the cost.

When I lived in NYC, I used to travel to the UK a few times a year, and the flights between NYC and London were around $500 round trip. The cost of eating in the UK was typically 1/2 that of NYC, plus cool castles and history.

I’m assuming GP would like to visit Japan anyway.

About a month for me