International Travels, Japan, Others

7D6N Detailed DIY Itinerary and Budget to Japan: Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo

FootlooseTomCat

Before you scroll down, allow me to tell you that one can decide on his budget to Japan. I didn’t have much the first time I went there as I was going through a dark financial patch in my life at that time. I lived on Kumbini food so I can buy pasalubong for home, and also because I did not have enough money.

I vowed to myself that I will prepare for my second trip (Mary’s first). Also because, the food there is part of the culture, it simply cannot be ignored. Plus we also came up with a buy and sell plan to somehow compensate for the expenses.

And so, the story went. I had to prepare this itinerary in between work, for maybe 6 weeks? It involved a lot of research and time. I hope you can find something useful in this blog. This is just a truthful account of our personal travel.

Day 1 Sunday June 26

0100 wake up

0200 ETD house grab car GRABANDFLY

₱ 200

0230 ETA NAIA travel tax

₱1260*2

0535 ETD NAIA to Narita

1035 ETA Narita breakfast at McDonalds in the airport

JPY 600 for two

1220 ETD Narita to Ikebukuro Sunshine 60 Limousine bus

JPY 9000 RT*2

1430 Lunch at the Sunshine 60

JPY 1800 for two

1500 Leave luggage at the Locker

JPY 500 until 1am

1530 Ikebukuro to Shibuya (train) Free activities: Hachiko, Shibuya Crossing

JPY 200*2

Walk from Shibuya to Meiji Temple

1800 Meiji Shrine to Ikebukuro (train)

JPY 200*2

1830 Dinner, Cafe, Relax, wait for the bus

JPY 1600 for two at the Ramen house

JPY 1000 for two at the Cafe de Crie

2210 ETD Willerexpress paid in advance

JPY 13,400 for 2 (paid for in advance)

TOTAL EXPENSES DAY 1: PHP: 3,440 JPY: 15,300 (PHP 6,758 ) Grand Total: PHP 10,198

1419
This is how I prepared our budget and itinerary – researching the transpo cost, and the duration of each ride

 

1492
Mary walking down the Shibuya Crossing on a summer day
1494
This is the Torii Gate at the entrance of the Meiji Shrine, which closes at 5pm. Upon entering, you have to bow done once, and once more when exiting.
1459
This locker is located at the Sunshine 60 bus terminal in Ikebukuro. Most bus and train stations have these so tourists can roam the place in their idle time without pulling luggages. The amount depends on the size of the

2045.JPG

 

Day 2 Monday June 27

0650 ETA Umeda Sky Building (from Willer Bus) walk from the building to the subway

Train from Osaka to Tennoji (AirBNB)

JPY 280*2

0730 ETA AirBNB to shower, change, leave luggage

0830 Breakfast at a nearby restaurant

JPY 1600 for two

0900 ETD AirBnB to USJ

JPY 430*2

0945 ETA USJ (Regular Tickets, no express passes)

JPY 7400*2

1900 End of USJ (snacks and water)

JPY 3150 for two

1930 USJ to Osaka Station

JPY 170*2

2000 Dinner (kumbini)

JPY 500 for 2

2200 Lights off

TOTAL EXPENSES Day 2: JPY: 21,810 (PHP: 9,633)

1583
Hogwarts – worth the queue, I should say. Oh and there’s that butterbeer for Y600 a glass
1532
Mary holds the 3,300-peso (times 2) ticket to USJ. This does not include express passes as they ran out when we got there. We also didn’t plan on buying any. LOL
1619
Snacks inside USJ: Turkey leg at JPY 850, Churros at JPY 600, Frozen Mango at JPY 600. In the background is one of the craziest roller coasters we saw in the park.
1524
On the way to USJ, backpack contains biscuits, water, coffee in a starbucks tumbler and mints

 

1584
Definitely worth every penny. Just don’t do this every year. =)

 

 

Day 3 Tuesday June 28

0600 Wake Up

0800 Pack Up, Check Out, Leave Luggage

Breakfast (from the Kumbini)

JPY 650 for two

0830 ETD for Osaka Castle from Tennoji

JPY 280*2

0910 ETA Osaka Castle (didn’t enter as we were pressed for time)

Snacks (ice cream and squid – good combo?)

JPY1200 for two

1100 ETD for Fushimi Inari (train)

JPY 400*2

1200 ETA Fushimi Inari

Snacks (Pork like Liempo on a stick, orange juice)

JPY 1200 for two

1630 Got lost aboard the bus looking for Kinkakuji, decided to go back to Osaka so we won’t miss our bus back to Tokyo – there was no English translation on the bus!

JPY 400*2

1730 Dinner

JPY 1500 for two

 

1830 Pick up luggage, take cab to Umeda

JPY 4500 for two

 

2100 Willerexpress Bus Osaka to Tokyo

JPY4800*2 (paid for in advance)

TOTAL EXPENSES Day 3: JPY: 11,210 (PHP 4,950)

1512
Willer Express Night Bus from Tokyo to Osaka vv, with a cocoon for one’s privacy when sleeping. We saved 2 nights’ worth of accommodation here.

 

1626
The AirBNB we rented had rooms available at the 3rd floor, after a spiral staircase, for us who have 2 luggage. No need for AC as it was still cold in the summer, and was also drizzling
1515
Umeda Sky Building – where WillerExpress bus drops off and picks up its passengers from this side of Osaka. They have a waiting lounge and a powder room too.
1516
This experience – walking from Umeda to the subway, and from the subway to the AirBNB accommodation, made us decide to take the cab going back. It would have been okay to walk without these.
1746
Getting lost in trying to find the next Kyoto spot. Each bus stop was announced in Japanese without English translation, unlike in trains where it’s both in English alphabets and Japanese characters. The people in the streets are also less conversant in English than the ones in Tokyo.

 

1679
Osaka Castle – you can take a picture of the outside without paying the entrance. If you have time and extra yen, entrance is at Y600 per person
1732
Temples in the Fushimi Inari Shrine (10000 Torii Gates)

 

Day 4 Wednesday June 29

0620 ETA Sunshine 60 Ikebukuro

0700 ETD for AirBnB (Sunshine 60 to Komagome cab)

JPY1500 for two

0730 ETA AirBnB

Check in, change, shower, change

I had a different itinerary for today but Mary requested for something light as we haven’t really rested well since we came from Manila.

 

0930 Breakfast

JPY 1450 for two

1000 Komagome to Asakusa (train)

JPY 330*2

Pasalubong (ref magnet and key chain at Y700 each)

JPY 5000 (estimate)

Matcha Parfait

JPY 950 for two

1400 Asakusa to Tokyo Station

JPY 310*2

Tokyo station has a Ramen street, an anime street, that you can spend half day in it and feel it’s not enough.

 

1430 From the Tokyo Station, exit at Marunouchi

Walk to Imperial Palace and head back to Tokyo Station

 

 

1830 Queue at Rokurinsha for about 45 mins

JPY 2000 for 2

2000 Tokyo Station: Pikachu store, Character street, LEGO, Star Wars, Tamiya, anime, premium KitKat, other pasalubong

2100 ETD Tokyo station to Komagome

JPY 170*2

2130 ETA AirBnB

2230 Lights off

TOTAL EXPENSES: JPY: 12,420 (PHP 5,486)

1825
One of the views near Asakusa is the Asahi Beer Hall near the Sumida River. And yes, that’s the Tokyo Sky Tree to the left on this gloomy day.
1780
Mary and some tourists clad in the Kimono, pose at the Sensoji Temple
1797
Mary at the Kaminarimon Gate in Asakusa. This is my second time in the area so I’m just taking her pictures =)
1819
Please don’t cut your budget on food. Japanese food, from Matcha, to Sushi, to Ramen, and everything else in between, is a must experience. Matcha Parfait at Y950
1868
The queue outsid Rokurinsha, a small but very popular ramen restaurant in Tokyo Station (Ramen Street)

 

1845
A 15-walk to the Imperial Palace from the Tokyo Station (drones not allowed by the way). This is the closest we could get as we were told the Imperial Family is inside.

 

 

Day 5 June 30 Thursday

0600  Wake up, breakfast (kumbini)

JPY 900 for two

0830 Komagome to Yokohama (express train)

JPY 950*2

Meet up with Tet, a high school friend

Toll, gas for Tet’s car

JPY 5000 (estimate)

The drive from Yokohama to Mt. Fuji 5th station was more than 2 hours one way. We only had time to take a few pictures and time lapses as we left the house kind of late.

Snacks at the stop

JPY 1400 for two

1700 Yokohama to Ikebukuro Station (more pabili requests)

JPY 470*2

Chocolates galore at Don Quijote

JPY 8000

1900 Ikebukuro to  Komagome (train)

JPY 160*2

2000 Dinner (kumbini and pizza place nearby)

JPY 1200 for two

TOTAL EXPENSES: JPY 19,600 (PHP 8,657)

1912
Mt. Fuji in its naked summer beauty
1937
From the viewing deck (Climbing starts the day after we visited)
1922
Mary, myself and Tet after a long drive that cuts through mountains. Why not? I first took a guided trip to Fuji in 2015 for JPY 17,500 which includes a boat ride at the lake, a cable car to the top of Komagatake. That was the first time I experienced snow and Fuji wasn’t visible then.

 

Day 6 July 1 Friday

0700 Wake up, light breakfast (own food)

0900 Meet Tita Nene / Tito Rolan

Komagame to Kanagawa (train)

JPY 700*2

Brunch at Cowboy (Tita’s treat)

1200 Nike store (5 pairs and 1 pair Adidas)

JPY 20000 (for reselling)

2000 Dinner near Komagatake

JPY 2120 for two

2100 Home / Pack up

TOTAL EXPENSES: JPY: 23,520 (PhP 10,389)

1962
My Tita and Tito, who’ve lived for almost 3 decades in Japan.
1994
Nike Roshe for Mary (originally for sale but she said she wants it for herself)
1986
Nike Kaishi (sold)
1980
Adidas Gazelle (sold)
1966
For my brother’s birthday!
1990
Nike Suketo (unsold – guess who will use it?)

 

1977
For our last dinner, this and something with eel and nori in it which Mary didn’t like (nori).

Day 7 July 2 Saturday

0500 Wake up, breakfast

0600 ETD AirBnB to Narita Airport

Taxi from AirBnB to Ikebukuro

JPY 1500 for two

0620 Ikebukuro Limousine Bus

0900 ETA Narita Airport

1145 ETD Narita to NAIA

1545 ETA NAIA  to Ortigas

₱200 promo code: GRABANDFLY

1700 Home

TOTAL EXPENSES: JPY: 1,500 (PHP 662) PHP: 200 GRAND TOTAL: PHP 882

2000
All the luggage and a box of Ramen, while waiting for the limousine bus at Sunshine 60
2013
Flying with Cebu Pacific, always.

SUPER GRAND TOTAL (EST): PHP 50,195 / 2 = PHP 25,097 per person for 7D6N

Exclusions:

  1. Cebu Pacific Airfare: booked October 2015, traveled June 2016 PhP 13,228.62 including baggage allowances only for both trips (no meals, seat selection, insurance)
  2. Willerexpress Tokyo-Osaka – JPY 13,400 for 2
  3. Willerexpress Osaka-Tokyo – JPY 9,600 for 2
  4. AirBNB 1 night Osaka – USD 50 (got this for free due to AirBNB credits)
  5. AirBNB 3 nights Tokyo – USD 169 (PhP 8,422) for 2
  6. Visa Processing at Reli Megamall – PhP 950 per pax
  7. Other requirements for Visa processing

Please visit my other Japan blogs to see more tips, photos, and adventures you may want to do on your own.

Any other tips you want to add? Please leave comments below.

Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita!

Published by FootlooseTomCat

8 thoughts on “7D6N Detailed DIY Itinerary and Budget to Japan: Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo”

    1. Hi Weiyen, thank you for reading the blog.

      Yes they ask you your gender because if you’re a solo traveler they make sure you’re seated with other women too. If you’re a couple, you can choose to sit together. It’s more like ensuring solo women travelers feel safe. I bought our tickets less than a month before the trip and the price really varies. For instance, our fare from Tokyo to Osaka was more expensive than the return ticket.

      Good luck and enjoy Japan!

      1. thanks for your reply! oh but how can I choose to be seated together wif my partner then? because I saw the booking details only get to choose how many male n female right?

  2. Pingback: faith > fear // travel edition v 2017 |

  3. Oh, reading this really helps, like familiarizing names of places, thank you very much in addressing my doubts and fear in exploring Tokyo and Osaka. Love it!

  4. Hello! This is very helpful. Will go to japan this coming april! ID like to ask if you purchase a jr pass? And may i know your itinerary in kyoto? Thank you so much

    1. hello, sorry for the late reply. No, we didn’t get a JR Pass because we were on a budget. We just took the overnight bus from tokyo to osaka and back. we only did a day tour from osaka to kyoto. all of these things are on the article. let me know if you have additional questions. =)

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