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Japan Budget Travel Itinerary : 10 day trip

Osaka-Tokyo-Nikko-Kyoto
Japan is definitely one of the best countries Ive been so far. Im sure a lot of people dream to go here too because of its
anime-themed lands, good-mannered people, and heaven-tasting food. Good news is you can go here in a limited budget
and still enjoy everything Japan has to offer!
The first time I visited this country was last 2014. During that time, since we have limited days, we just stayed in Kanto
region and spent $260 for nearly 5 days (check my post here). After the trip, I told to myself that I need to go back and
bring my whole family as well. This dream came true 9 months after -product of my pisofare booking skills(astounding
http://mariannedanetrinidad.com/japan-budget-travel-itinerary-10-day-trip-osaka-tokyo... 24/5/2016
Japan Budget Travel Itinerary : 10 day trip Osaka-Tokyo-Nikko-Kyoto | The Madal... Page 2 of 19
4500 pesos roundtrip per person promo fare with baggage), and hardwork for our travel budget. The caveat is the
duration of the trip is 10 days, plus it arrives and departs in same airport (Narita in Tokyo) because the dates and choices
are very limited with the consideration of promo fares. Its quite longer than my original plan which means more budget
needed. After several nights of planning and decision-making ( JR pass or overnight bus, etc), I was finally able to
complete our itinerary for an epic Japan trip.
Famed torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine, the setting of Memoirs of a Geisha movie
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ABOUT THE MADALDAL KID
Without further a do, Im sharing with you our 10-day Japan Budget
Travel isitinerary
We only spent a
Marianne
a budget (Interprefecture).
traveler who
total of 42,700 php (~$900) per person, All-in ( no hiddensimply
charges
inclusive
of promo airfare, hotel,
wants to explore
the world,
food, transportation, and entrance fees).
experience unique food and culture,

and take breathtaking pictures. She
wants to inspire more people to travel
and fulfill their dreams..in a budget.
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AND JAPAN
Senso-ji, a famous Buddhist temple in Asakusa

The good thing about here too is that I designed the whole trip with the consideration of comfort. If its budget, it doesnt
mean that you need to sacrifice the comfort of having your own room, a good bed and own bathroom. Its one of the travel
mantras of The Madaldal Kid. I wont really push for the cheapest ever expenditure. Its always the right balance between
cost and comfort.
Notes/Disclaimers: (a) Itinerary is quite conservative since I traveled with my parents so its not that jampacked so
they wont be tired. (b) We didnt go to Disneyland nor Disney Sea since were not that fond of theme parks. (c) We stayed
in not-so budget hotels but more of business hotels ( Hotel Chuo Oasis & Hotel Chuo Selene in Osaka area
Horidome Villa in Tokyo) that are cheap. (d) the train fares are not mentioned since I bundled them in the Icoca/Suica
card loads, and during the 7-day JR Pass, we didnt spend much on fares given that JR pass covers most JR and local
O
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website
trains ( aside from Rinkai). (e) Some other itineraries can be cheaper
butthis
check
if it includes
a KantoG(Tokyo,
Chiba, etc) to
Kansai trip (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, etc). Travel between these 2 areas can add up to some costs as well.
You can also download the numbers file here (just convert it to excel if you are a windows user): (click here to get a copy of
Budget Travel Itinerary for 10 days)
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Whats the best way to travel to and fro Osaka/Kyoto/Nara to Tokyo Purchase JR Pass or just use
the overnight bus?
Personally, I prefer JR Pass. You can only make value out of it if you are going to have at least 2 trips
between Osaka/Nara/Kyoto to Tokyo, otherwise, it might not be worth it to purchase.
Its true indeed that overnight bus might cost half or lesser than a 7 day JR Pass for 29,000 JPY. However, if
you are not a fan of long land travels (10 hours or more) plus the discomfort and fatigue after the trip, then
BUDGET ACCOMMODATIONS
better not take this option. I just realized that even if I can save an overnight hotel for the 10 hr overnight
trip, the next day, I might not feel good and just waste one of my precious days in Tokyo.
Riding a shinkansen is definitely an experience you should try. Its even better than riding a good airline!
Last reason- if you are traveling with your parents or other elders, do not take the bus option. Even if they
say they will be ok for the long land travel, the truth is they might not feel good too that next day. They
deserve the best
BOOK TOKYO HOSTEL
JR Pass
Dragonball cell/spaceship from J-World, Ikebukuro, Tokyo

Should I rent a separate hotel in Kyoto and Nara or just stay in Osaka?
Unless youll be staying in Kyoto or Nara for 2 days or more, I recommend to just stay in Osaka. Its the
center of the Kyoto-Osaka-Nara area, and train fares between Osaka Kyoto, or Osaka-Nara are just around
1000 yen roundtrip (380 php) quite manageable. In all of my Japan trips, I always book Hotel Chuo Selene
or Hotel Chuo Oasis because their rooms are clean, and the hostel is very accessible to JR Osaka loop line.
Hostels in Kyoto are more expensive since it entices more tourists. During our November trip, I cant find
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any cheaper options already even 3 months before the trip, thats why we ended up trying the
Ryokan Kyoto.
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BOOK OSAKA HOSTEL
Shibuya crossing, daytime

You budgeted 500 yen for some of the meals? Will I be eating in a convenience store with that
budget?
No. I keep on telling this to folks who havent visited Japan yet food in Japan is cheap for its price and
quality. A 390 yen can buy you a good udon in a local shop in train station (airconditioned and clean). You
can buy a big beef bowl from Yoshinoya with your 500 yen ( way better taste than the one we have here in
PH). These are definitely great but cheap options right?
Japan Budget Travel Itinerary : 10 day trip Osaka-Tokyo-Nikko-Kyoto | The Mad... Page 10 of 19
GOOGLE
LAZADA
Our first Japanese meal after our checki-in in Hotel Chuo Selene. We tried a local restaurant 2 mins away from
the hotel. It costs 390 yen roughly around 130 pesos. Not bad right?
LAZADA
420 yen udon from Shinjuku station. Yummy! Remember to eat it with a slurp to let the chef know that you like
it!
Where should I purchase Japanese yen here in Philippines?
I buy mine from Czarina Forex. It has branches in Makati and Alabang. I just make sure to call first before
going in their store. Usually, they have Japanese yen in the afternoon after some Japanese also sell these to
them. So far, I always feel that they have a better rate than banks and Philippine airport. I dont really prefer
changing all of my money when I arrive in Japan since it entails double forex- PHP to USD to JPY, and
when I try to compute the difference, its usually breakeven or even less. It depends per person, but these
are my personal recommendations
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Is it easy to apply for Japan Tourist Visa? Should I apply first before purchasing a ticket?
Yes! As long as you have legal and complete documents, you wont have problems. You can check my
detailed post about how to apply for a Japan Tourist Visa here.
For me, I always buy promofare ticket first. Very good deals are hard to find so I always grab the
THE MADALDAL KIDS
opportunity, then I apply for the visa. If you feel that you have legal
ofSrequirements for visa applications
T O set
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(COE, ITR, Bank statement, or even Affidavit of support), then dont be scared. If you apply for visa first,
then you arent able to find a promofare in time, you might end up being forced to buy an expensive plane
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Arashiyama bamboo groves, Kyoto

Where is the best / recommended place to stay in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto area?
In Osaka, you can stay anywhere near the stations of Osaka Loop Line. This line is basically the heart of Osakas
train system and it will bring you near to any destination. My personal choice is Hotel Chuo Oasis or
Selene very near Shin-imamiya station. Its cheap , very clean, and very accessible (1 min away from Osaka loop
line and 2 other local Osaka lines) . I always stay here whenever I go to Osaka/Kyoto area.
In Tokyo, stay in Shibuya or Shinjuku area. Both of these places have very good stores to visit even at late night
(shopping, restaurants, crossing). There are tons of Airbnb places here, so just try to check. While its true that
there are cheaper places in Asakusa area, I dont really like the quiet night vibes in that area, and its quite far
(around 30-40 mins by train) from Shibuya (other side) where most of the attractions are. (Shibuya crossing,
Hachiko, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Odaiba, Meiji Shrine, Hamamatsucho, Kawaii stores in Shibuya like One Piece,
Disney, Loft, etc). Reason too is, Im a big fan of the lively vibes of Shibuya seeing a LOT of people crossing the
street with their own personalities, a LOT of shops here an there especially my top 2 favorites- Loft and Tokyu
Hands). When we visited during the Autumn of Nov 2014, we stayed in Hotel Horidome Villa (near Tokyo station).
In Kyoto, we just stayed near Kyoto train station since trains and buses all originate from there. We booked last
minute so we cannot find any cheaper alternative, and decided instead to experience a high-tech way of staying in
Japan via Capsule Ryokan Kyoto. Overall, I was very happy of the good service of this place, very clean, highttechnology and efficient rooms.
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GEAR!
Kochia and Cosmos field in Hitachi Seaside Park, Ibaraki, Japan (2 hrs from Tokyo)
How can I make my trip even cheaper? 42,000 pesos all-in still sounds too expensive for me.
First option: Stay in a dorm/shared room + bathroom. Overnight rates for these places are around 600 pesos per
night only as compared to the daily rates of the places Ive stayed for around 1200 pesos/night. I personally didnt
opt for this since Im quite meticulous with bathrooms and dubious room smells. I prefer to have my own private
space when traveling. Though Ive stayed in dorms in the past, Ill just try it again for super extreme budget
situations. (but no.. ill just work hard to earn the extra money needed. haha)
Second option: Take overnight bus from Osaka to Tokyo and vice versa. Honestly though, this will not help you
save a lot. ( *fares to be mentioned are the normal costs without pass based from Hyperdia) -Remember, we used
the JR Pass (worth 29,000 yen) to cover the following:
(1) Osaka-Tokyo-Kyoto roundtrip shinkansen <7000 yen roundtrip if overnight bus>
(2) train expenses for the 7 days of activation of pass <approx. 5000 yen>
(3) Nikko roundtrip from Tokyo <approx. 6000 yen roundtrip>
(4) Tachikawa roundtrip from Tokyo <approx. 2000 yen roundtrip>
TOTAL without JR Pass: 20,000 yen.
META
SAVINGS: 9,000 Yen around 3,400 pesos (in exchange for some comfort in traveling plus
Register
shinkansen experience)
Third option (but not recommended): Just stay in one prefecture either in Kansai (Osaka/Nara/Kyoto), or
Log in
Kanto (Tokyo/Chiba/ etc).
Entries RSS
Read more about my Budget Travel Osaka Adventure:
Comments RSS
1. Part 1- Japan Travel like a Ninja for only 12,000 pesos Personal Tips and Notes
WordPress.org
2. Part 2- Day 1-Japan Travel Like a Ninja for only 12,000 pesos Arashiyama Bamboo Groves, Tenryu-Ji Temple,
and Umeda Sky Building
3. Part 3- Day 2-Japan Travel Like a Ninja for only 12,000 pesos Osaka castle, Tenma, Pokemon Center Osaka,
Dotonbori
4. Part 4- Day 3-Japan Travel Like a Ninja for only 12,000 pesos Kyoto, Kinkakuji Temple, Botanical Garden,
Osaka Castle, Denden Town
5. Part 5- Day 4-Japan Travel Like a Ninja for only 12,000 pesos -Namba, Dotonbori, Ichiran,Shinsaibashi
6. Part 6-Japan Travel Like a Ninja for only 12,000 pesos-Itinerary and Budget
7. Japan Travel in a Budget:Osaka-Nikko-Kyoto-Tokyo Autumn Highlights
8. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Universal Studios Japan Experience
Tokyo/Kanto Budget Travel posts:
1. Budget Travel Itinerary for Japan 10 days- Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo-Nikko

2. Hitachi Seaside Park Japans Best Autumn Spot
3. Chureito Pagoda, Shimo-yoshida- Great View of Mt. Fuji
4. Fujiko Museum (Doraemon) in Kawasaki Japan Experience
5. Aoyama Flower Market Tea House Relaxing Afternoon snack
Going to Japan soon but dont know where to start? Try to avail of my customized budget itinerary to learn and be able to
tour Japan alone! Just click here.
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Budget: OsakaNikko-KyotoTokyo Autumn
Highlights
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Park: Japans
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Temple, and
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Building
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(Doraemon)
Museum in
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F ILED UN DER : BUD G ET T RA VE L, K YO TO , J A PA N, OS A KA , JA PA N , TO KY O, JA PA N
COMMENTS
J says
04/14 2016 at 5:08 pm
Hello! Thank you for sharing your itinerary. I just have a few questions and I hope you could answer them.
1) What time did you arrive in KIX? Your itinerary only shows that you exchanged your JR Pass at 10.30pm.
Im asking this because well be flying with CebuPac, too, to Kansai and plan to go straight to Kyoto upon
arrival. Our ETA is at around 8pm JST. And, if we follow your recorded time, it would be very late to go to
Kyoto.
2) Can you give me a link to the Kyoto Pass you used on Day 10? I cant seem to find a pass to KIX at such a
low price. I dont think its the Bus Pass too since it wont cover the ride to KIX.
3) Did you carry you luggage around? If not, what facilities or services did you make use of during your trip?
Reply
Maslinda says
03/08 2016 at 11:27 pm
I cannot seems to load the itinerary. If dont mind sharing, can email to me at maslinda.ed@gmail.com.
Reply
Marianne Dane Trinidad says

03/20 2016 at 2:44 pm
Maslinda- I just checked it now and it still works.https://www.dropbox.com/s/nzlute9ynustvcf/Japan%

20Budget%20Itinerary%20for%2010%20days-%20The%20Madaldal%20Kid.numbers?dl=0
Reply
shiro says
01/22 2016 at 5:00 pm
heya, awesome itinerary. Im planning to go to Japan in early april to see cherry blossoms, thinking of using
your itinerary. Is the Manila-Kansai that you mentioned this airport?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansai_International_Airport ?
Btw, I keep getting into your mobile theme on my dekstop. I also have a wordpress site and experienced this
problem before. I would suggest you turn off your jetpack mobile theme if your wordpress theme have a
mobile-optimized theme.
Reply

01/24 2016 at 11:40 am
Shiro, thanks a lot!Yes the airport is KIX. For the mobile theme thanks for the tip ill go and try it out!
Reply
Lili says
01/16 2016 at 10:04 pm
Hi
Are you arranging a group tour?

I would to join for 2016 cherry blossom schedule
Pls let me know. Thanks.
Reply

01/24 2016 at 11:45 am
Hi Lili, yes, but not the 2016 cherry blossom since I have other plans on that time. Thanks!
Reply
Jane says
01/16 2016 at 11:05 am
Hi! Really helpfull tips. Thank you for share.

If i have JR pass, should i buy the Suica?
How the weather during your trip?
Any tips about chlotes at autumn?
Thank you.
Reply

01/24 2016 at 11:46 am
Thanks Jane! Yes. there are still some lines in Japan not covered by JR pass (i.e. Rinkai line going to
Odaiba), so having a Suica card handy might be helpful
Reply
Megan hui says

01/13 2016 at 11:35 pm
Hi I find your itinerary to Japan very very useful.. As I have never been to Japan I was not aware where should
I visit. However when I tried to download the itinerary from your link I cant open the file. Is it possible for you
to send me an email please.
Reply

01/24 2016 at 12:28 pm
Thanks Megan! Its in .numbers format ( Excel counterpart in Mac). You need to convert it to .xls so you
can open it. You can read through the comments in the file section and other folks have placed a link for
a converter
Reply
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Japan Budget Travel Itinerary : 10 day trip Osaka-Tokyo-Nikko-Kyoto | The Madal...

HIRE ME AS A TOUR GUIDE!

Japan Budget Travel Itinerary : 10 day trip

ABOUT THE MADALDAL KID

experience unique food and culture,

BUDGET HOSTELS IN SEOUL

Senso-ji, a famous Buddhist temple in Asakusa

JAPAN BUDGET HOTELS

Shinjuku Granbell Hotel

SEOUL BUDGET HOTELS

HOTEL TRAVEL SEARCH

BOOK TOKYO HOSTEL

Dragonball cell/spaceship from J-World, Ikebukuro, Tokyo

BOOK OSAKA HOSTEL

Shibuya crossing, daytime

Vietnam Hongkong India Japan

Japan Macau Malaysia Osaka,

Japan Others Restaurant

Arashiyama bamboo groves, Kyoto

UPGRADE YOUR TRAVEL

Tokyo/Kanto Budget Travel posts:

1. Budget Travel Itinerary for Japan 10 days- Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo-Nikko

MORE FROM MY SITE

Marianne Dane Trinidad says

Maslinda- I just checked it now and it still works.https://www.dropbox.com/s/nzlute9ynustvcf/Japan%

Marianne Dane Trinidad says

Are you arranging a group tour?

Marianne Dane Trinidad says

Hi! Really helpfull tips. Thank you for share.

Marianne Dane Trinidad says

Megan hui says

Marianne Dane Trinidad says

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Copyright Notice: This copyright

Disclosure: The Madaldal Kid shoulders

applies to all images and posts of

all travel costs unless stated otherwise.

this website . Any of these may not

I'm also welcome for any sponsored

posts- just email mdtrinidad@gmail.com.

blog/website without the author's

expressed written consent. All

THEME BY 17TH AVENUE POWERED BY WORDPRESS & GENESIS

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