.
Since I came back from Japan, a few friends have been asking me about expenses, but I realised I didn't really keep track of my expenses. I brought 40,000 yen and limited myself to 10,000 yen per day for transportation, entry fees and food expenses. Activated my credit card too, which helped a lot during emergency situations i.e. when your mom spent like cray at a fabric store and forgot her own credit card. I mean we have enough cash but the credit card were for unplanned shopping, mostly.
Flight tics are dependent on what airline and the time of travel. Mom paid for the accommodation because she wanted to and I let her do all the bookings herself cuz from my experience as a child of an architect, they are a bit particular about living spaces - even while on vacation. So I let her manage it.
To break it down, but note that this is not particularly precise either -
Accommodation
We took 1 room for 3 adults and as Japan can be quite strict on their regulations, we played safe and mentioned there will be 3 adults and needed an extra bed. Service was good, beds were comfy, no problems with the bathroom and amenities were provided as per usual. Room may be a bit small but then again we spent the whole day outside and came back only to sleep. So who needs too much hotel luxuries? I highly recommend one stays nearer to a subway or train station as it is so so so much easier to get around. TAXIS ARE DAMN EXPENSIVE. A mere 5km ride costs almost 3000yen. Dayum. Oh yeah, made this booking through Booking.com and Agoda.com as there was a promotion price and free cancellation. IMO, Agoda have the cheaper prices most times. Very helpful help desk too as mom accidentally cancelled the reservation and they helped us to reinstate it - a bit of an issue cuz the booking for Kyoto was a no-cancellation one. Opted for no hotel breakfast as we have to find halal food anyway.
Osaka
Hotel Hearton Nishiumeda - 200 metres from Osaka Train Station
Cost for 2 nights : 43,875 Yen
Kyoto
Hotel New Hankyu Kyoto - right in front of Kyoto Train Station
Cost for 2 nights : RM1547.00
Yeah I know what you're thinking - PRICEY. But there are always other options and there is also Airbnb - which in my opinion had some good choices but as I said, my mom was in charge of this one since it's on her. No complaints on my part tho hehe.
Entry fees and transportation
Osaka
- Osaka Amazing Pass - 3000 Yen for 2 days - free access to all subways and busses and city trams and free entry to most tourist attractions (which covers almost everywhere and everything you wanna see in two days) like Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building, Tempozan Ferris Wheel. Seriously saved a lot from this one, esp with the entry fees.
- Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan - 2,300Yen
-Universal Studios Osaka - 7000yen - didn't go though
Bought an umbrella for 500Yen cuz it was raining like heck on the second day
Kyoto
-Kyoto City Pass - 2000Yen - free access to all subways and busses and city trams. To be honest, you ride a lot more busses in Kyoto cuz the subways are not all interconnected as in Osaka and you may need to buy tickets again when you wanna get on other lines. So, I'd recommend this if your route of sightseeing is mostly accessible by busses.
-JR Line to go to Fushimi Inari (no subway there) - 300 Yen return
-Entry fee to Kiyomizu Dera temple - 400Yen
There's a LOT of walking involved though (wear comfy comfy comfy shoes, like, oh I dunno, your NMD? HAHA) It's not like you get off the train station/bus stop and the place you wanna go is right in front. NOPE. A lot of walking involved, but there's a lot to see too so you kinda don't realise a bit the distance. Google Maps helped tons. Do you know that they even have step by step instructions how to get to places? They will detail out which train to take, or where to change stops, or what bus to take, and what path to take to take exactly to where you wanna go. They have this notification that informs you if the place you're heading is closed or open by your eta. SUPER helpful.
Download Google Translate too. You can take pictures using Google Translate and highlight the words you wanna translate - and they will help. Was super helpful in helping me determine if this and that food is edible or not, as in, no pork/lard/alcohol.
Another things is to rent a mobile wifi. I rented mine at http://visondata.com.my. You gotta make a reservation online first and they will call you to confirm your reservation and pickup time/place. Mind was at KLIA. Costed around RM160 for 5 days. Unlimited data at RM20/day and the RM60 is for insurance just in case anything happens to the device. You can opt to not take the insurance, but I took it anyway just in case. Better safe than sorry.
Food
1. Konbini food
Onigiri - 150yen - 200yen (bought like 3 of these in one day)
500 ml Meiji milk - 172yen (super gooood)
Coffee/Matcha Latte - 200-300yen
Banana - 3 pieces for 265yen
Matcha icecream - 300yen/cone
If you saw my IG you'd know I eat one per day so, yeah
Lunch and Dindins
1st Day - Za- Udon - udon and tempura - 800yen
- SagaMartha Indian/Nepalese food - Potato Naan + Spicy Vege Curry - 1300yen
2nd Day - Ganko - Nanban Tori Set - 900yen
3rd Day - Ayam-Ya - Spicy Miso Ramen + Egg + Karaage - 1150yen
4th Day - Yoshiya - Tori Bento Set - 1400yen
- Ayam-Ya - Mazemen + Egg - 860yen
Kinda kept it at one big meal per day and have konbini food and the stuff we brought from home, like Maggi, biscuits and breakfast bars. Lunch and Dinner we went to halal/muslim friendly food joints so it's always a bit pricey. How do I know they are halal? There's this app I use, Halal Gourmet Japan. Superrrrr helpful cuz they even help find one in your area range.
Anyway if you're a non-muslim, I think the food is much much cheaper, esp with all the street foods. There's the Pablo Cafe in Dotonbori which is solo hyped but I think it's truly nice la, tho unfortunately it's probably non-halal so i didn't go try so yeah, try to adjust your budget accordingly. In my opinion it's always good to bring extra. Anyway my budget of 10,000 yen per day ends up with some of extra at the end of the day.
If anything, Japan is not a cheap country for travel esp with parents, so bear in mind not to skimp too much if you can afford it. I spent a bit I guess, but I enjoyed it immensely. I mean might as well go all out now that I'm here, if you get what I mean.
Shopping is up to you. I kinda just swiped my credit card for most shopping but I didn't shop much. I bought a pair of NMD though. TEEHEE. It's kinda addicting though, once you wear one, you kinda keep wanting more. I have dropped my small hobby of sneaker collecting since after uni days as I don't wear them as much but I've started again - sorta. I still followed trends even though I didn't buy anything, but now....itchy hands. I want to travel more though. Need to save money still. I started using my 50mm and enjoying photography again. I dunno. Lots of wants, temptations and stuff.
Prioritise guys.
I kinda want to go again to Osaka Kyoto because there's till tons to do and see there. Maybe next year. I didn't even get to see the Ninja show at Kyoto and go geisha hunting.
Since I came back from Japan, a few friends have been asking me about expenses, but I realised I didn't really keep track of my expenses. I brought 40,000 yen and limited myself to 10,000 yen per day for transportation, entry fees and food expenses. Activated my credit card too, which helped a lot during emergency situations i.e. when your mom spent like cray at a fabric store and forgot her own credit card. I mean we have enough cash but the credit card were for unplanned shopping, mostly.
Flight tics are dependent on what airline and the time of travel. Mom paid for the accommodation because she wanted to and I let her do all the bookings herself cuz from my experience as a child of an architect, they are a bit particular about living spaces - even while on vacation. So I let her manage it.
To break it down, but note that this is not particularly precise either -
Accommodation
We took 1 room for 3 adults and as Japan can be quite strict on their regulations, we played safe and mentioned there will be 3 adults and needed an extra bed. Service was good, beds were comfy, no problems with the bathroom and amenities were provided as per usual. Room may be a bit small but then again we spent the whole day outside and came back only to sleep. So who needs too much hotel luxuries? I highly recommend one stays nearer to a subway or train station as it is so so so much easier to get around. TAXIS ARE DAMN EXPENSIVE. A mere 5km ride costs almost 3000yen. Dayum. Oh yeah, made this booking through Booking.com and Agoda.com as there was a promotion price and free cancellation. IMO, Agoda have the cheaper prices most times. Very helpful help desk too as mom accidentally cancelled the reservation and they helped us to reinstate it - a bit of an issue cuz the booking for Kyoto was a no-cancellation one. Opted for no hotel breakfast as we have to find halal food anyway.
Osaka
Hotel Hearton Nishiumeda - 200 metres from Osaka Train Station
Cost for 2 nights : 43,875 Yen
Kyoto
Hotel New Hankyu Kyoto - right in front of Kyoto Train Station
Cost for 2 nights : RM1547.00
Yeah I know what you're thinking - PRICEY. But there are always other options and there is also Airbnb - which in my opinion had some good choices but as I said, my mom was in charge of this one since it's on her. No complaints on my part tho hehe.
Entry fees and transportation
Osaka
- Osaka Amazing Pass - 3000 Yen for 2 days - free access to all subways and busses and city trams and free entry to most tourist attractions (which covers almost everywhere and everything you wanna see in two days) like Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building, Tempozan Ferris Wheel. Seriously saved a lot from this one, esp with the entry fees.
- Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan - 2,300Yen
-Universal Studios Osaka - 7000yen - didn't go though
Bought an umbrella for 500Yen cuz it was raining like heck on the second day
Kyoto
-Kyoto City Pass - 2000Yen - free access to all subways and busses and city trams. To be honest, you ride a lot more busses in Kyoto cuz the subways are not all interconnected as in Osaka and you may need to buy tickets again when you wanna get on other lines. So, I'd recommend this if your route of sightseeing is mostly accessible by busses.
-JR Line to go to Fushimi Inari (no subway there) - 300 Yen return
-Entry fee to Kiyomizu Dera temple - 400Yen
There's a LOT of walking involved though (wear comfy comfy comfy shoes, like, oh I dunno, your NMD? HAHA) It's not like you get off the train station/bus stop and the place you wanna go is right in front. NOPE. A lot of walking involved, but there's a lot to see too so you kinda don't realise a bit the distance. Google Maps helped tons. Do you know that they even have step by step instructions how to get to places? They will detail out which train to take, or where to change stops, or what bus to take, and what path to take to take exactly to where you wanna go. They have this notification that informs you if the place you're heading is closed or open by your eta. SUPER helpful.
Download Google Translate too. You can take pictures using Google Translate and highlight the words you wanna translate - and they will help. Was super helpful in helping me determine if this and that food is edible or not, as in, no pork/lard/alcohol.
Another things is to rent a mobile wifi. I rented mine at http://visondata.com.my. You gotta make a reservation online first and they will call you to confirm your reservation and pickup time/place. Mind was at KLIA. Costed around RM160 for 5 days. Unlimited data at RM20/day and the RM60 is for insurance just in case anything happens to the device. You can opt to not take the insurance, but I took it anyway just in case. Better safe than sorry.
Food
1. Konbini food
Onigiri - 150yen - 200yen (bought like 3 of these in one day)
500 ml Meiji milk - 172yen (super gooood)
Coffee/Matcha Latte - 200-300yen
Banana - 3 pieces for 265yen
Matcha icecream - 300yen/cone
If you saw my IG you'd know I eat one per day so, yeah
Lunch and Dindins
1st Day - Za- Udon - udon and tempura - 800yen
- SagaMartha Indian/Nepalese food - Potato Naan + Spicy Vege Curry - 1300yen
2nd Day - Ganko - Nanban Tori Set - 900yen
3rd Day - Ayam-Ya - Spicy Miso Ramen + Egg + Karaage - 1150yen
4th Day - Yoshiya - Tori Bento Set - 1400yen
- Ayam-Ya - Mazemen + Egg - 860yen
Kinda kept it at one big meal per day and have konbini food and the stuff we brought from home, like Maggi, biscuits and breakfast bars. Lunch and Dinner we went to halal/muslim friendly food joints so it's always a bit pricey. How do I know they are halal? There's this app I use, Halal Gourmet Japan. Superrrrr helpful cuz they even help find one in your area range.
Anyway if you're a non-muslim, I think the food is much much cheaper, esp with all the street foods. There's the Pablo Cafe in Dotonbori which is solo hyped but I think it's truly nice la, tho unfortunately it's probably non-halal so i didn't go try so yeah, try to adjust your budget accordingly. In my opinion it's always good to bring extra. Anyway my budget of 10,000 yen per day ends up with some of extra at the end of the day.
If anything, Japan is not a cheap country for travel esp with parents, so bear in mind not to skimp too much if you can afford it. I spent a bit I guess, but I enjoyed it immensely. I mean might as well go all out now that I'm here, if you get what I mean.
Shopping is up to you. I kinda just swiped my credit card for most shopping but I didn't shop much. I bought a pair of NMD though. TEEHEE. It's kinda addicting though, once you wear one, you kinda keep wanting more. I have dropped my small hobby of sneaker collecting since after uni days as I don't wear them as much but I've started again - sorta. I still followed trends even though I didn't buy anything, but now....itchy hands. I want to travel more though. Need to save money still. I started using my 50mm and enjoying photography again. I dunno. Lots of wants, temptations and stuff.
Prioritise guys.
I kinda want to go again to Osaka Kyoto because there's till tons to do and see there. Maybe next year. I didn't even get to see the Ninja show at Kyoto and go geisha hunting.
