8 Days Comfortable Osaka-Tokyo Travel for Only 50,000PHP
- Athena Charanne R. Presto
- Dec 16, 2017
- 5 min read
You already know that Japan is not sky-expensive anymore. But I think it is also time for you to know that YOU DO NOT NEED TO PLAN WEEKS, EVEN MONTHS, BEFORE JUST TO GET AN AFFORDABLE JAPAN TRIP.
When I saw that there is a seat sale for the second week of December—a few days before my 21st birthday—I impulsively booked one for myself. It was only after a few weeks that the weight of hefty bills began to haunt me. Moreover, I was entering into the meat of my work. I became too busy and did not have time to really plan my travel.
Thankfully, we now have a lot of digital help that makes travelling A LOT easier and cheaper.
I flew to Japan with only sure hotels and activities. I did not even dare learn simple Japanese words and phrases—because hey, there’s Google Translate. I also did not study the train system in Japan beforehand—because again, we have our trusty friend, Google Maps. I swear on the reliability of these Google Apps. These helped me survive more than a week abroad and honestly, the GMaps was so accurate I could only laugh internally as I went from one tourist spot to another.
Below is a detailed file of my expenses for my Osaka-Tokyo travel:
Before we proceed, just a reminder that the PHP-JPY exchange rate was pretty high when I went to Japan. December 2017 and the months before saw a rapid drop of the Philippine currency, so try to look at the current exchange rate first before you base your travel expenses on the above photo. Now let us try to run through the items here.
I chanced upon my Manila-Osaka and Narita-Manila flight on Cebu Pacific’s Facebook page. I am sure there are still cheaper promo fares than the one I got because when I booked my flight, it was not yet sale season.
I got my visa from Golden Eagle Travel & Tours. Unlike other visas, you are not allowed to personally process your Japanese visa so you have to get it via one of the travel agencies that are authorized to get a Japanese Visa. The visa itself is free but the travel agencies charge their own handling fees. I chose Golden Eagle Travel & Tours because it is the authorized agency nearest to where I live.
UP Diliman to Ninoy Aquino International Airport fare, and vice versa, was based on Uber.
Some airlines ask if you would like to pay your travel tax online along with your flight ticket, to save you some time falling in line at the airport. I never pay my travel tax online because we never know—I just might not make it on the day of my flight.
I booked most of my activities in Klook and AirBNB. Most of the experiences that AirBNB offered were pricey that was why I only got to book one activity from the app. Note that the activities on sale in KLOOK are legit. They are indeed cheaper than if you buy your ticket via walk-in. The Osaka Amazing Pass (a pass that lets you enter some top Osaka tourist destinations for free and give you an unlimited use of the Osaka public transportation), for example, was 200PHP cheaper in Klook than in Japan itself. Other than this, getting the OAP in Japan would mean that you have to queue up for a long time and you also have to sign papers before you get your purchase.
I purchased the 4G Wifi, Osaka Amazing Pass, Tokyo Subway Pass (a pass that gives you unlimited use of the Tokyo and Toei Subway Lines), San Rio Puroland ticket (here the Klook price was half of the original price offered by the theme park itself), Aqua Park Shinagawa ticket, and Tokyo Tower Observatory ticket via Klook.
I got myself an ICOCA card for the train from Kansai Airport to Osaka. There is a card deposit fee of 500JPY and the fare itself costs 981 JPY. The Osaka Amazing Pass cannot be used from the Airport to Osaka center.
I booked my hotels a month before my trip via Agoda. Everywhere in Japan is basically near a train station, so I did not have to burn my brows just comparing different hotels using different criteria. All I looked at are the prices and the rooms that the hotels offered. I am perfectly satisfied with the services of Hotel Chuo (I rated this 10/10) and First Cabin Hotel (I rated this 8/10 because the hotel did not offer free drinking water and the check-in time was 5PM, a lot later than that of other hotels). I did not opt for the capsule hotels because I tend to just throw my things here and there after a long day. I had no regrets getting myself a single room because hell, my things were really all over the place each night that I came home.
I got my Osaka to Tokyo overnight bus ticket at WillerExpress. Taking a bus ride to Tokyo was better for me because it is 2,500PHP cheaper than the Shinkansen Bullet Train and you get to save one night of hotel fee by sleeping in the bus. The ride was comfortable overall. I booked the bus ride which offered small apartments, food tray, leg rest, foot rest, CR, charging outlet, blanket, pillow, and women seating (meaning women get to be seated side by side). Of course, you can also choose a regular bus like the one we have in the Philippines and save up to 5,000PHP.
Some of the train lines you have to take to get to SanRio Puroland and Aqua Park Shinagawa are not part of the Tokyo and Toei Subways, which means you cannot use your Subway Pass. You can also load up your ICOCA Card so you have something to use outside the Subway Pass privilege. However, I got myself a PASMO Card (this card is not available in Osaka) for the sole reason that it is customizable. I like seeing my name on the different cards that I used *wink wink*.
My Tokyo center to Narita Aiport train fare was pretty cheap because I did not take the Keisei Skyliner. I just took a regular Keisei train from Ueno Station to Narita Airport Terminal 2 which is 1,500JPY cheaper. Unlike the Skyliner, you do not need to prebook the regular train.
Average price of food in Japan is 500PHP. Yes, it is pretty expensive. But at least the taste is good! Make sure that the hotel you will be staying in offers free water so you can save further.
You CANNOT go to Japan and NOT shop. The items there are so kawaii so please do not pass up the opportunity to get yourself some cute Japanese goodies! I spent about 7,500PHP on shopping, but I added only 4,000PHP to the suggested overall budget since I think anyone could spend this much on Japan shopping.
So there you have it! You get a comfortably delicious and eventful Osaka-Tokyo trip for 8 days, for only 50,000. You do not even have to pull your hair out planning just to enjoy. Please message me for questions.
