Hello there Japan enthusiasts,
Second post on this subreddit. Two years ago I asked you about your first time in Japan, how you felt to hype me up, and it ended up being a pretty cool [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/88yqqj/going_to_japan_soon_just_to_hype_myself_up_i/). Well since then, I’ve been to Japan twice and I’ll share some tips on **how to spend 2 weeks in 日本 for 1350 quid only which is not much at all.**
**Why ?** I am a student and don’t have that much money, and discovering new countries is something I love doing. Especially since I went to Japan the first time in 2018, I absolutely love this country and try to go once a year. That’s why, as a broken student, I try to spend as little as possible while still being able to enjoy my trip to the fullest.
This advice/trip report will be for people who don’t mind sacrificing a bit of confort if it means saving a bunch.
There are two parts in this post, 1st I explain how I spent 800 euros for accomodation, flights and transportation from Tokyo to Osaka and back. Second, I do a trip report. The first part is not very long so I recommend reading.
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\- **Part I :** Let’s talk about the stuff you need before you go.
**First of all** if you want to go to Japan, you’ll need a plane ticket, unless you have a private jet with a pilot, but I doubt you’d be reading this if that was the case. In my case, I travel from Western Europe. For this 14 day trip, I went to Japan from September 13 to September 27. People will explain better than me what’s the best time to visit Japan since it depends on what you want to do, but I went in September because it was the Rugby World Cup. I was a bit lucky and dodged Faxai and Hagibis (typhoons).
I found tickets for 470e in early July after 1 or 2 months of scanning the prices every now and then and looking at trends. If you’re travelling from Europe, you’re looking for tickets in the **450-550 euro range**. In that price range, it will be lowcost companies of course with dodgy food and limited comfort, but that’s the point of the low budget trip. I took Aeroflot, Paris CDG to Narita in 16 hours (instead of 12-13 hour flights) with an hour in Moscow airport. Flights were fine and had 3 seats for me on the way back. Absolute bargain if you ask me!
**Second,** you’ll need accomodation. In this trip format of 1 week in Kansai and 1 week in Tokyo, it doesn’t matter which you do first. I went for Kansai then Tokyo as I had been to the capital before. So you’re looking for cheap places to sleep. -> Capsule hotels can do the job, but it’s boring, so I used hostels instead, met interesting people and paid about 12500円 in both. I chose Ark Hostel in Osaka and booked for 6 nights and Sakura hotel in Asakusa and booked for 6 nights also. I’ll explain later why Osaka for Kansai.
**Third,** for the stuff you need before you go is transportation from Tokyo to Osaka. You have several options. JR pass is not what you’re looking for if you’re staying 2 weeks in Japan on a budget for Tokyo and Kansai. You can choose low cost airlines or night buses. Personally I went for [nightbuses](https://www.kosokubus.com/en/special/nightbus.html). Paid about 70 euros for Shinjuku – Umeda, and 60 for Namba – Ikebukuro. Planes also work but you need to book early.
**Finally**, the important point of this post is the Kansai accomodation. **You only need one**. Osaka is the best base to sleep in Kansai because you are in the middle of Nara, Kyoto and Kobe. All are reachable with local trains in 35/40 minute rides with the suica card you use in Tokyo. It’s a strategic place and will make you save some money. The trains from Osaka to these cities cost between 5 and 10 euros, so totally worth it. The good thing is that you can choose what day you go to Kyoto, Nara etc. It’s up to you. Plus Osaka is the best between these cities during the night. I see too many guides and travel reports where people sleep in each town, it’s cool but it’s more of an hassle and it’s only good if you stay in Ryokans, which is not suitable for this kind of budget trip.
That makes us a total of around **800 euros** with flight, accomodation and transportation from Tokyo to Osaka and back. To summerize what I mentionned in this segment of things you need before you go, I made this [graph](https://imgur.com/a/TMu15IZ) of what I did.
So overall, you get the general idea on how I limited costs with accomodation and plane tickets and how to aim for 800 euros. In the following part, it will be more of a trip report, where I’ll describe and narrate what I did and what I visited – in this case, how I spent the remaining 550 euros (RWC ticket, food, metro, museums, castles and beers basically). I’ll share some tips and places to see, so feel free to continue the read. If you understood the concepts decribed above, then it’s good enough for me and I hope it will have helped. How you spend your money once you are in Japan is totally up to you of course ! 😀 – but I feel you should stick around because you might learn things !
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\- **Part II :** Let’s talk about **the stuff in Japan** [shall we](https://imgur.com/gallery/RsdNZud).
**13/09:** I arrived at 2pm in Narita. My bus was at 23:30 for Osaka in Shinjuku. I was not meeting anyone that week, it was solo travel. I took the train to Shinjuku and put my bags in lockers. I had 340円 left on my suica card from my last trip, so I put 10000円 back in, that was enough for the 2 weeks. I roamed around Shinjuku. *That’s what I did, I roamed around Shinjuku, walked in stores, just getting the vibes of the city as I was finally back in Japan. It was good to be back.* I went up the [metropolitan](https://imgur.com/a/RD8RXGB) building because that’s always what you should do when you arrive. It’s a free, [great view](https://imgur.com/a/wqXsEHd) of Tokyo. Eventually, by the end of twilight, I went back in town, stopped in a konbini to get 2 onigiris and a peach suntory, went to grab my bags, and went to the station around 9pm. I ate and passed out on a bench in Shinjuku station waiting for my bus with an alarm at 23:10.
**14/09:** It was 6:30 am here in Umeda, I slept a bit in the nightbus but I was still tired. I had to wait for my check-in at 10:30 am. So i had 4 hours. It was my first time in Osaka, eventually, the excitement took over my tiredness. As usual, I put my bag in lockers and went on exploring the [neighborhood](https://imgur.com/a/rouhgxJ) of my hostel. *As you can see from that photo, it was still hot in september in Osaka, around 29°C in the afternoon. Quite enjoyable. The lockers are right under the Higobashi station underground. They are easy to find and the station is just next to the hostel.* Time for check-in at [ark hostel](https://www.google.fr/maps/place/Ark+Hostel/@34.6911079,135.4953764,20z/data=!4m15!1m6!3m5!1s0x6000e6f00540dfcb:0x11b46e752460237c!2sHigobashi+Station!8m2!3d34.691077!4d135.4964399!3m7!1s0x6000e6f07225c32f:0xe2f8e9863c6643a6!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d34.690885!4d135.4954603) was coming. I went to the hostel, did my bed and instantly slept. I slept until 5 or 6 pm. Still kind of jetlagged. I figured I had to go for a evening/night exploration so I walked in [town](https://imgur.com/a/XdnNOP9) again and explored a bit as I was looking for food. I remember finding a cheap rice bowl restaurant as you can commonly find in Japan. Went back to the hostel eventually, talked to a roommate for a few minutes and went to sleep.
**15/09**: I took my time that day, I wasn’t rushed by having to take trains and stuff. I thought I’d go for the [Osaka Castle](https://imgur.com/a/NIWHkRq) after finding a pocari sweat and onigiris. The castle costs 600円. *In that last photo with the castle, you see it from a spot a lot of people miss as they just walk straight to the castle. The spot is exactly* [here](https://www.google.fr/maps/@34.6857218,135.5248347,21z)*. Don’t miss it ! By the way, you have great* [views](https://imgur.com/a/s3ctmx8) *from the top of the monument. To visit the castle and do a tour of the park, it will take around 2 to 3 hours.* Later in the evening, I decided to go to [Tsutentaku](https://imgur.com/a/yrmYy57). Great spot for street food ! I devoured my Takoyakis which is a dish from Osaka. Later I walked back to the hostel and went to bed because I was going to Kyoto the next day and was really excited.
**16/09**: Walked to Umeda station around 10am to take the train to go to Kyoto! The train ride was cool looking at the cities passing by. I remember arriving in Kyoto station and being amazed. *It reminded me of a scene from my favourite anime, Oregairu, where Hachiman walks on top of the station. I recommend going on top of the station, it’s free, there are escalators if you are lazy and the* [view](https://imgur.com/a/td79F4E) *up there is good.* I walked all the [way](https://www.google.fr/maps/dir/Kiyomizu-dera/Kyoto+Station,+Higashishiokoji+Kamadonocho,+Shimogyo+Ward,+Kyoto,+Japan/@34.9907526,135.7633315,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x0:0x62af658650c434ba!2m2!1d135.7850463!2d34.9948561!1m5!1m1!1s0x600108ae918b02ef:0xb61a446e74a21c08!2m2!1d135.7587667!2d34.985849!3e2) to Kiyomizu-dera, a insane and famous temple of Kyoto. *As you have probably guessed, i love walking, but hey, it’s free and it’s good for you. Also, it allows me to find the endangered species that is fanta peach, the best drink.* [Anime river](https://imgur.com/a/1M4ei8D) *by the way. Walking also allows you to see the lesser known things. For instance i stumbled accross this beautiful* [shrine](https://imgur.com/a/VT7FkrU) *on the way. I was the only one* [there](https://www.google.fr/maps/place/Chisekiin/@34.9937933,135.7806144,18z/data=!4m22!1m16!4m15!1m6!1m2!1s0x0:0x62af658650c434ba!2sKiyomizu-dera!2m2!1d135.7850463!2d34.9948561!1m6!1m2!1s0x600108ae918b02ef:0xb61a446e74a21c08!2sKyoto+Station,+Higashishiokoji+Kamadonocho,+Shimogyo+Ward,+Kyoto,+Japan!2m2!1d135.7587667!2d34.985849!3e2!3m4!1s0x600108d207c7391f:0xd41a8a41c47587a7!8m2!3d34.9941164!4d135.7806335)*.* I walked my way up next to the cemetery and visited the [temple](https://imgur.com/a/bN3AI3E). *A must do in Kyoto.* After that I went into the [old town](https://imgur.com/a/NOWkBn2) close by to seek for [food](https://imgur.com/a/lmFG92m) as it was already probably 2 or 3 pm. I took the metro that follows the river down to Fushimi Inari shrine. I walked the whole thing, it was [awesome](https://imgur.com/a/dkEJdvE). *Once you’re at the top, there’s a place where you can walk a bit in woods (not far just like 50 meters) and enjoy a crazy* [view](https://imgur.com/a/Gxpmw3S)*. On a good day, if you look towards the South West you might see Osaka and its Harukas 300 skyscraper.* It was getting late and I walked a whole lot that day, so I decided to take the metro back to Kyoto station this time and then back to Osaka. Grabbed food and a Sapporo in a konbini and went straight to bed after that.
**17/09**: I went to Nara that day. Same as for Kyoto, it was a 30 minute train ride more or less. I remember eating a great curry for like 900円 on my way to the park. I took my time and explored the old town with its [pagodas](https://imgur.com/a/juisbLS). One thing I can’t recommend enough is walking, *yes walking again,* all the way up the [Yakakusayama hill](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mt.+Wakakusa/@34.6876592,135.8480193,16z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1scurry!3m4!1s0x600139bbcd63548d:0x1f687ca8591106f1!8m2!3d34.6906192!4d135.8540207). It’s about 500円 to enter the hill park but the [views](https://imgur.com/a/3lT0Ujw) are totally worth it. After that, I went [back](https://imgur.com/a/ECfSALT) to the station, walking in the shotengai for a moment and headed back to Osaka.
**18/09**: That day I was going to Kobe. You know the drill, 30 minute train ride it is, from Umeda. I didn’t do anything fancy in [Kobe](https://imgur.com/a/xQfQKt5). I just explored different neightborhoods, visited the center and went up the [Kobe port tower](https://imgur.com/a/vi93e3g), the red tower that costs 700円. I don’t know if I recommend going to the top for 700円. It’s nice but the view isn’t out of this world.
**19/09**: Back to Kyoto. This time to the West side of the city, near the bamboo forest. This time I didn’t take the train to Kyoto station. I went directly to Arashiyama. *If you look on maps, you’ll see it’s a short walk to the shrines, gardens and bamboo forest. Upon arriving, I recommend walking on the left side of the Katsura river for a bit, you get a* [nice scenery](https://imgur.com/a/TsXi8d3)*.* After walking along the river, I went to the [bamboo forest](https://imgur.com/a/5KywQNl). It was pretty cool but I didn’t expect that many people so be ready. Close by I went to the [Okochi Sanso Garden](https://imgur.com/a/Uw6rz7e) which I highly recommend. It costs 1000円 but it’s cool. Went home after that, and walked a bit in Osaka to catch the breeze of the night. Found this [cool looking shop](https://imgur.com/a/nAv4Hdv).
**20/09**: Final day in Kansai, left hostel around 11am. I had the night bus at around 11pm. So I went to namba, put my bag in lockers and explored some parts of Osaka I didn’t go to. I went inside the [Harukas](https://imgur.com/a/RQsD0AF), the ones that I could see in the distance from Fushimi Inari! I just stayed in that area, went in a manga shop. Eventually when night came along, I decided to go a last time in Tsutentaku, got this gorgeous [shot](https://imgur.com/a/r7ml1nS). It was raining and I was the only one without an umbrella I remember. But it was worth it. Anyways, I took the bus and was on my way to Tokyo.
**21/09**: Arrived in Ikebukuro and took the Yamanote Line to Ueno. I then walked my [way](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gare+d’Ueno,+JR+Ueno+Station,+7+Chome-1+Ueno,+Tait%C5%8D,+Tokyo,+Japon/Sakura+Hostel+Asakusa,+%E3%82%B5%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%9B%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%AB%E6%B5%85%E8%8D%89+2+Chome-24+Asakusa,+Tait%C5%8D,+Tokyo,+Japon/@35.7143792,139.7865039,14z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x60188e9e93d3060b:0x6c89b36d7b4f9244!2m2!1d139.7774091!2d35.7141672!1m5!1m1!1s0x60188f8f30a648d7:0x838b8bd39718e213!2m2!1d139.7948263!2d35.7160224!3e2) to Sakura Hostel in [Asakusa](https://imgur.com/a/y6HNmBU). *There almost no one at 7 am at the temple, that was pretty cool.* I had time since the bus arrived at 6am and I was checkin-in at 10 am. I was so tired, I passed out on a bench near the sumida river waiting for 10 am. Once I had checked in, I slept again for a bit. Nothing much happened that day, it was a recovery day for me, and there was France Argentina *(rugby)* on TV so I was pretty stoked.
**22/09**: I woke up around 9 am for my day trip to Yokohama, to visit the city and go to a rugby game. *You guys know how it works. 40 minutes train again for like 600*円. I walked around the city along the [sea](https://imgur.com/a/Kd03L5h). I really liked the general vibe of Yokohama. It felt more relax than Tokyo and the seaside was calming. Had to go to the rugby game at the Yokohama stadium which is a bit out of town. Met my brother and his girlfriend for the [game](https://imgur.com/a/GIxSz3J). After the game, we went to a bar in town to watch the England game and to catch up.
**23/09**: Day in Tokyo with my brother and his girlfriend. We went to Odaiba. I HIGHLY recommend walking on the Rainbow bridge. *Everything involves walking it seems … I’ll put the link to this* (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8uHPaPY1Vw) *where the youtuber explains how to do it. It’s free! Dew it! The* [views](https://imgur.com/a/9rjUGR5) *are insane honestly.* Odaiba is pretty cool. *I recommend seeing the Gundam statue and the Miraikan museum for those who are into science.* On the way back we stopped in Shibuya, grabbed food and we went our separate ways from there.
**24/09**: I didn’t do much that day in the first half on the day. I was meeting Japanese friends in the afternoon, so I decided to go to Akihabara before just to have a look at things. Akihabara is cool *especially if you love Steins;Gate.* I ate [there](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Yokohama+Family+Ramen/@35.6989508,139.7705527,21z/data=!3m1!5s0x60188c1d0184f0a9:0x60ce2ea089131d0e!4m5!3m4!1s0x60188c1d017f0fa3:0x21516809a95fde02!8m2!3d35.6989555!4d139.7704905). *Not in the family ramen, but on the thing above when you go up the stairs on the left, but there is nothing to click on it. They sell ricebowls, porc and chicken. It’s really good and around 600-1200*円. Took Yamanote Line and met friends at Hachiko statue. We strolled in Yoyogi park the afternoon, and went for a nomihoudai in the evening for like 1700円.
**25/09**: I decided to have a chill day and go to Chiba. One of the reasons is that there is inspiration there for the Oregairu series. It’s about as far as Yokohama but to the East. I looked at the locations from this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/3nuksa/oregairu_locations_in_real_life_w_google_maps/) on reddit where the guy explains where the spots are. Recommend if you like the anime. Chiba is a cool city that is off the beaten path, I liked it there. So apart from the 500\*2 yen train ride and the konbini food for lunchtime, didn’t spend anything. *Even if you don’t like or know about Oregairu, I think Chiba is worth visiting, especially if it’s your second time in the Tokyo area and you’ve already seen the main things in Tokyo.*
**26/09**: Same as the previous day, but this time is was a [Your Name](https://imgur.com/a/wLM3DGv) pilgrimage. Closer, in Yotsuya, Akasaka and Shinjuku. *This* [guide](https://www.tofugu.com/japan/your-name-locations/) *will explain better than anyone where to go for the pilgrimage. It’s what I used.* As you end up in the evening in Shinjuku for the night photos, I decided to meet my friends again in Shinjuku. We grabbed food at a Burger King and went to a konbini to grab a few strong zeros, found a place to drink and had a good time. It was my last evening in Tokyo. The last night is always nostalgic. Headed home at around midnight and packed my bags.
**27/09**: Woke up at around 8 am to take the train to Narita and off I went…
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Here you go. To summerize on this part, you can see I did quite a few things, you can manage to visit places even with a limited budget. After the first 800 euros of the first part, I used 10k Yen as metro for 2 weeks in Kansai and Tokyo as I mentionned above. So that was about 900 euros. I used about 3000 yen in parks and museums. That’s 925 euros. I had bought the Rugby ticket a while ago, that was 60 euros. We’re at 985 euros. I set my self about 2000 yen per day for food and konbini drinks and a bit more when I was with my brother or my friends. That’s about 350 more euros so 1335euros. I bought a manga in Akiba so that was 600円 more. That’s 1340. I remember setting myself 1350 euros on my trip account, and returned home with 9 euros. That’s pretty much it.
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Conclusion: Of course, I didn’t eat Wagyu beef, I didn’t stay in a fancy Ryokan, but that’s out of question when you’re travelling on a budget. I’ll do that when I have a salary haha. But I feel like when you’re in your early twenties, this type of trip works well. You get to do a lot of things while still being able to not break your wallet. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post and had an insight on what it’s like to visit Japan for 2 weeks on a budget. This took me a while to write, looking back at my photos and stuff. I hope this advice will be helpful and I hope the pandemics cease in the near future so we can all enjoy what we love – Travelling to Japan !
\~ *Sayonara.*
15 comments
Sounds like you enjoyed it! In the past, I always traveled the same way. Night buses are incredibly cheap compared to the bullet train. Cheap hostels usually get the job done. And it’s interesting just to walk around and eat random foods.
you could have a trip to japan as low as 1000 bucks if you are willing to hobo it a little. 600 bucks for a flight on the off season plus 20 dollar a night hotel. it really depends what you want to do.
One reason i didnt travel when i was younger is i listened to people that didnt travel. my mom was like if you go to asia it will cost you like 10k. lol thanks mom should never have listen to you haha.
Thank you for this post! I’m also a student in Europe and i’ve been thinking about going to Japan a lot recently so your experience will be very useful! If i may ask a question though, what was your situation with language? If I barely speak any Japanese is it possible to feel at least partly comfortable?
Great insights, much appreciated.
I guess people need to decide if they’re going to fully experience Japan (staying and ryokans and going to private onsens and eating in traditional restaurants/inns and what have you) with the extra costs it comes with, or simply opt for much cheaper options even if it means you won’t get to fully immerse yourself (even in this case, you will undoubtedly experience what Japan has to offer). The latter is definitely for budget travelers, and it serves as a spark to revisit and enjoy what you couldn’t before.
As someone who has gone to work in Japan twice but left both times due to money and just this recently the pandemic. This has loads of great information in it for someone like myself who wants to check out more of the country without spending all those hard earned yennies I made through the winter.
Cheers for sharing this information and look forward to what the comments can offer.
Yeah, I spend about that much including some minor shopping, eating kobe beef, as well as A5 wagyu beef hotpot, during my 2 weeks in Japan earlier this year. Totally doable, but, excluding the cost of jr pass.
how was your flight through Moscow? I’ve been to Japan 5 or 6 years ago and I used Aeroflot too, but I found the transfer through Moscow quite unpleasant (specifically the people at the airport).
Anyone knows if Night buses are comfy? I usually dont take buses beacuse I get quite sick from all the jumping around. Are those night ones similar or smoother? They sem a pretty good option.
I, like you enjoy walking (though I enjoy biking even more) to see the cities I’m in, but I think that this style and pace of sightseeing really requires much more time than you had. You did 1 week each in Kanto and Kansai, which is what I usually recommend as a starting point ***assuming that you’re moving at a relatively brisk pace and have a tightly planned and logically structured itinerary***. For someone doing things at the pace you did them at, I would have just picked one region and spent the entire two weeks there–maybe staying a week in Osaka and a week in Kyoto, for example. Doing things this way is also a good way to save money, because you don’t have to worry as much about intercity travel and you can sometimes get extended stay discounts at hostels and AirBnBs (also, you could do a longer-term bike rental for very low cost). Again, I really do understand the value of moving at a slower pace and exploring in a more unstructured way–in fact I encourage it–but I also see a report here that skips so much that you were literally right next to, and also a report that spends a lot of time walking around stations rather than walking around truly beautiful areas that are a bit farther from the station.
Another thing I noticed was what seems to be a misunderstanding of the transit system–primarily because you lacked awareness of non-JR transit lines. There are at least a few instances on this report where you took unnecessary detours to go through JR Stations. When you go somewhere, look at a map first and find the nearest stations–don’t just automatically assume that you need to (for example) go to Kyoto Station to get to Kyoto or Nara Station to get to Nara or Kobe Station to get to Kobe or Osaka Station to get to Osaka.
As far as the night bus is concerned–I get it, they’re cheap. I’ve used them before for that reason too, but this report is a clear example of why I don’t usually recommend using them if you can avoid it–especially if you don’t have much time in the country. You lost most of 2 full days (roughly 15% of your trip) because the quality of sleep you got on the buses was so bad, not to mention how that might have affected your energy and your ability (or inability) to get over jet lag over the following days. And on top of that, you had to deal with arriving way earlier than things open with no place to settle or shower because you were there before your accommodations’ check in time.
> Osaka is the best base to sleep in Kansai because you are in the middle of Nara, Kyoto and Kobe.
***Really strongly disagree.*** There’s nothing necessarily wrong with staying in Osaka, but if you’re spending more time in Kyoto (as most visitors do) I would stay in Kyoto. You could easily spend 3+ days in Kyoto (I generally recommend 3 as an absolute minimum just for a quick run-through of the highlights), and saving yourself 3+ back and forth trips is not insignificant (not to mention that staying in the city makes it easier to do things on foot/bicycle and get to places earlier/later in the day). Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara form a triangle and there really isn’t any advantage to staying in Osaka vs Kyoto for getting to Nara. Kyoto is farther from Kobe and Himeji than Osaka, but depending on how exactly you’re getting there and where exactly in the each city you’d be staying, the difference in actual transit time may be negligible. For example, if you’re taking the Shinkansen to Himeji, Kyoto might actually end up being more convenient. Furthermore, Kyoto is closer to Shiga, which has plenty of its own attractions, and a lot of tourists don’t even go to Kobe, so really it’s more of a tradeoff than an advantage.
>Walked to Umeda station around 10am to take the train to go to Kyoto! The train ride was cool looking at the cities passing by. I remember arriving in Kyoto station and being amazed. It reminded me of a scene from my favourite anime, Oregairu, where Hachiman walks on top of the station. I recommend going on top of the station, it’s free, there are escalators if you are lazy and the view up there is good. I walked all the way to Kiyomizu-dera, a insane and famous temple of Kyoto. As you have probably guessed, i love walking, but hey, it’s free and it’s good for you.
There was no reason to even go to Kyoto Station here. If I were you I would have taken Hankyu from Umeda to Kawaramachi and walked from there–it gets you closer to Kiyomizu-dera the walk takes you past Kiyamachi and Pontocho, and through Gion and other sights in Higashiyama, so it’s much more interesting. Not saying Kyoto Station itself isn’t interesting, but if I only had a very short 2 days in Kyoto, I would be moving as efficiently as possible.
Edit: Actually, I just looked up where your hostel was. You should have just walked to Yodoyabashi and used Keihan the whole day. You could have saved yourself a lot of time, money, and transfers, not to mention the fact that it gets you closer to the things you actually wanted to see.
If you’re looking for an even better view than from Fushimi Inari, I recommend Shogun-zuka behind Maruyama Park. The overlook in front of Kodai-ji/Ryozan Kannon is also very nice and very easy to get to.
>I decided to take the metro back to Kyoto station this time and then back to Osaka. Grabbed food and a Sapporo in a konbini and went straight to bed after that.
Again, no reason to go to Kyoto Station here. You could have just hopped on the Keihan line right in front of Fushimi Inari and ridden it all the way back to Osaka.
>17/09: I went to Nara that day. Same as for Kyoto, it was a 30 minute train ride more or less. I remember eating a great curry for like 900円 on my way to the park. I took my time and explored the old town with its pagodas. One thing I can’t recommend enough is walking, yes walking again, all the way up the Yakakusayama hill. It’s about 500円 to enter the hill park but the views are totally worth it. After that, I went back to the station, walking in the shotengai for a moment and headed back to Osaka.
I don’t quite get why people go to Nara and skip the amazing things they’re standing right outside of. Some of the things you apparently walked right past without bothering to go in are literal wonders of the world. Todai-ji in particular is one of the most amazing historical sights in all of Asia. Just why?
>20/09: Final day in Kansai, left hostel around 11am. I had the night bus at around 11pm. So I went to namba, put my bag in lockers and explored some parts of Osaka I didn’t go to. I went inside the Harukas, the ones that I could see in the distance from Fushimi Inari! I just stayed in that area, went in a manga shop. Eventually when night came along, I decided to go a last time in Tsutentaku, got this gorgeous shot. It was raining and I was the only one without an umbrella I remember. But it was worth it. Anyways, I took the bus and was on my way to Tokyo.
Incidentally, you can also see Umeda Sky Building pretty clearly from Fushimi Inari.
As long as people avoid expensive cities like Tokyo, it’s so easy to stick to a budget in Japan! When I was in Kyushu, my hostel was ¥1800/night, I could have 3 meals with drinks *and* dessert for around ¥1500/day if I felt like splurging, and taking public transportation was maybe ¥600/day.
That being said, my friends who went to Tokyo or Kyoto would never be able to live the same way I did in Kyushu.
If I considered going to Chiba it would be only because I wanted to eat lunch at Tomita.
Since you didn’t really do anything much in Osaka I think staying in Kyoto and doing the day trips from there makes more sense.
I went to the Miraikan my first time in Tokyo and found it slanted to much younger people (teens and younger).
If you go to Nara, the Todai-ji is really a must.
I think that late October or November are better than September because of the higher chance of typhoons, more rain and warmer in September. For sure I had more rain during my september trip two years ago than my trip late octobre last year.
Yeah, hostel can be cheap. I would prefer them to capsule hotel as they attract different kind of crowd. If you want to have some help from people at the front desk about places to see and such and more chance of someone who speak in English, or talk with other guess : hostel.
If you want to share space with salaryman who missed their train because they went to drink too much with their coworkers, people who mind their own business and will not talk to you : capsule hotel.
All capsule hotels might not be like that, but I did not like my first experience that much because of that. My second was a bit of a “mistake” as it did look like a hostel on the booking website. That one was pretty decent,, but for sure it was not typical hostel crowd.
For Osaka over Kyoto, I think the main argument is if you want to go out during the night or not, and if you like it more lively (Osaka) or more quiet nights (Kyoto).
For transportation, Kyoto is also connected to Nara, the only place longer to reach would be Kobe, as you have to pass by Osaka. Just considering cost of transport, it depend on where you plan to spend each day, for example if you plan to go to Kobe and Osaka one day and 3 for Kyoto, you might as well stay in Kyoto and it would be about the same. In any case, I would say that both are good options, it’s really a personal preference. Changing is also really not necessary, but there is also cheap hostels in Kyoto, so it’s not an issue at all do do both it you really want to.
One thing many people forget when doing these lists, is the Japan Explorer Pass. Inexpensive domestic flights for foreigners. You can fly from Tokyo to Osaka for about $75 (about 60 quid/67 euro).
Sure, the overnight bus saves you one night of accommodation, but you also sacrifice time, a good nights sleep, and potential experiences. As a solo traveler, hotel rooms are very inexpensive for the quality in Japan. A tip for anyone who has a gung-ho/ambitious itinerary like this, save yourself as much time as you can, that way you can fill your time with more memories and experiences.
If you have a little more money to burn, don’t just pass these tactics by. Scrimping here and there on your trip can help you save enough for one incredible night’s stay at a nice ryokan that you otherwise might not have considered affordable. My first trip to Japan, our accomodations for 13 of 14 nights averaged at around $25 per person per night with private rooms for the three of us. (This was pre-minpaku airBnB, but you can still easily find places cheaper than that. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, I stayed 5 nights in an Asakusa hostel last Nov. that was $20 a night for a private room. It was raining the whole time and the room became damp enough to nearly turn me into a frog, but it was sleepable and dirt cheap.)
Because of that, we were able to splurge on one ~$300 night at [Kozantei Ubuya](https://www.google.com/search?q=kozantei+ubuya&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk00Exo7J-8KqPZw5t2W1c8RS9L7vSw:1594356658874&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHorCy8cHqAhUvWN8KHXKdCn8Q_AUoAnoECBsQBA&biw=2050&bih=1010&dpr=1.25) by Mt. Fuji, which was incredibly worth it.
Great report and guide!
70 euros is quite expensive for an overnight bus from Tokyo to Osaka, though. You can find many, many overnight buses from Tokyo to Osaka for [~2800yen (23 Euros)](https://www.bushikaku.net/search/tokyo_osaka/202009/), and especially if you travel there on a weekday.
You can even get one of the really nice [3-seat across with two isles buses](https://cms-images.ttk.cc/images/48028/original.jpg) for ~4000yen from Tokyo to Osaka.