Cost
I always recommend international airports over domestic airports since they tend to be cheaper. I flew into Narita International Airport from New Orleans, Louisiana. I typically avoid sharing the price of flights since everyone flies from different areas, and that plays a critical role in pricing of your trip, so I will not include the price of airfare in estimated costs for a trip to Japan.
I encourage anyone going to Japan to buy the Japan Rail Pass unless you will only stay in a specific area of Japan for your trip. You can get the Japan Rail Pass at $219 for 7 days, $349 for 14 days, or $444 for 21 days. This price is without taxes applied, and you will need to allow time to get the pass shipped to you before your flight. I bought the 7-day pass since I stayed 8 days in Japan. The Japan Rail Pass will save money on the rides of the Shinkansen trains as well as Tokyo’s JR train lines. A ride on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka typically costs about ¥17,000 which equates to about $120. If you plan on checking out Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kobe, and other key areas in Japan, this pass will make that extremely more convenient and allows you to save money since you get unlimited rides with no added cost, which allows the benefit of taking the train anywhere it is operating without worrying about the price of each individual ride. If you planned on going only to Tokyo, then I would say maybe don’t get the pass, but instead get a SUICA card.
Lodging has a wide array of options, from luxurious hotels to hostels; there is something that will accommodate your budget. I do plan on checking out Japan’s pod hotels for the experience next time I am here, but they had some pricier options when I was putting this trip together. My lodging numbers will be skewed higher since I stayed in Japan during Cherry Blossom season, but rest assured there are deals to grab. In Shin-Osaka and Tokyo we found some very nice deals for less than $100/ night. Our lodging was about $900 after taxes and fees. We stayed at the APA Hotel Shinosaka-Eki Tower from April 8th-11th and Tokyo’s Hotel Metropolitan Edmont from April 12th and left Japan on April 15th.
Eating in Japan was relatively cheap compared to eating in the United States. Most meals can be found between ¥600-¥2,000 or about $5-$15. There are steakhouses and fancier options to peruse. For instance, based on my research, Kobe Wagyu Beef can range from ¥8,000 to ¥30,000 for a meal, but perhaps you can find a small shop with meat on a stick for ¥1,100. It is not a lot of it, but it will give you the wonderful taste and experience of Wagyu Beef without the expense. If you must eat some Kobe Wagyu Beef, pay a visit to Kobe and eat some for lunch, it will be cheaper than dinner prices and it is cheaper in Kobe than it is around the country. Eating for lunch goes for many restaurants, dinner will be pricier than lunch and it is the preferred time to get some great meals at a good price. Most restaurants close for a period to get ready for dinner and ensure dinner prices are paid.
You can easily eat on a budget in Japan by eating at 7-11s or other convenience stores which have great options for food, or looking around for a ramen shop. The price you pay for food is entirely up to you and the food here is phenomenal. I set a budget of about ¥3,000 per day for food or $20 and most days I paid a lot less than I budgeted. I ate pastries at 7-11 and grabbed a juice and coffee for the day for breakfast, and lunch I would have a nice meal. Most restaurants also have complementary tea and water to drink with your meal. Vending machines tend to have drinks for anywhere between ¥100 up to ¥550. The higher priced machines tend to be in an odd spot but you can easily walk a block or two away and there will be cheaper drinks in other vending machines. I would buy two or three drinks at a vending machine with lower prices to have drinks in my backpack as I walked around.
Below is a table of estimated expenses based on my adventure
| Estimated Expenses | 7 days |
| Lodging | ~$900 |
| Food(¥3,000/ Day) | $140 |
| Transportation(rail pass) | ~$240 |
| Transportation(no rail pass) | $~450 |
| Total with Rail Pass | $1,300 |
| Total without rail pass | $1,500 |
Transportation
Getting around Japan is entirely dependent on what you are aiming to do. If you are trying to stay in one specific area or go to various different locations, your transportation can be vastly different. For my trip to Japan, I took the shinkansen primarily as well as their train system in various cities. If you are looking to explore different areas I highly recommend obtaining the Japan Rail Pass to use the shinkansen. The Japan Rail Pass is only available to those visiting the country. It has options for a 7, 14, and 21 day pass. On my visit I purchased the 7 day pass and it worked well for my 8 day trip. The Japan Rail Pass paired with taking the occasional public metro or train is perfect for getting around.The typical cost of a metro train ticket is between ¥160 – ¥360 however it does vary depending on distance.
Using their public transportation system can be a bit confusing and intimidating at first if you are not prepared, so I will give some pointers on how to use Japan’s travel system. When you first arrive in Japan, if you purchased a Japan Rail Pass you should find a kiosk to receive that pass. You will need to make this purchase in advance and ensure you have the paper confirming your pass upon arrival in Japan. Using the shinkansen is a bit easier to get used to than the other substations in Japan. Most stations will have English and Japanese on signage, and most of the terminals to purchase tickets will also have an option for English and other languages as well. Using the shinkansen terminals, scan your pass then search what station you are at then the station you would like to go to. For example, if you are in Tokyo Shinkansen Station trying to go to Kyoto, first search Tokyo and eventually it will give you a chance to tap on the station then you will search for Kyoto, again it will let you select Kyoto. Type this in slowly so you don’t accidentally tap a different station then the one you intended to choose.Then you select a time and seat. It will then print out a ticket. You will use the Rail Pass to enter the shinkansen gate. Look for the platform your train will be at and make sure you enter the right cart as well.
For the metro substations, you will use terminals but you will look at the map close to these terminals(usually right above the terminal). These maps will provide information for the stops along the route and the price of the ticket to go from where you are to the station you want to go. You will choose the number train route and then choose the price for which stop you will get off at. You then pay and it will print a ticket. This ticket will be used to enter the station and take the train, as well as exit the station when you get off. In my opinion the rail pass is worth the price paid IF you plan on going to any destination with the shinkansen. Two rides with the shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka will just about make up for the price of the rail pass. If you purchased a Japan Rail Pass, search trains with JR and those trains can be used with your Japan Rail Pass as well.
For more information on the Japan Rail Pass visit: https://www.jrailpass.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmtGjBhDhARIsAEqfDEfJ4oPGEFIoIOCH7SySOfC0p9KbieH-0n0LGs1fwsfWnKO6CoM5gMcaAlakEALw_wcB
Shin-Osaka & Osaka
Shin-Osaka was where I stayed for half of my trip. Shin-Osaka was very peaceful and was a place I would enjoy living in. There were some nice spots to eat at in both places. I enjoyed walking around, checking out the city, and checking out some of the stores they had to offer. While walking around I did participate in gotcha games as well as tried some delicious food!
I kept stopping to check out the temples and shrines and I absolutely adored my time throughout Japan. Getting to Osaka from Shin-Osaka, I walked across the bridge connecting the two for about an hour. This provided a spectacular view of Osaka and it was quite a relaxing walk. I checked out some stores with anime figures and merch while here. If you are a fan of anime or manga, check out Den Den Town in Osaka. There were many card stores, shops for anime figures and lots of places to grab some food. In my opinion, Den Den Town is a lot better than Akihabara in terms of good, quality figures.
After a nice walk around Osaka it was time to finally try some delicious food at a shopping center. The place chosen had different bowls to choose from with chicken and pork primarily offered. For Demon Slayer fans, they had a collaboration with tea where you could collect tea bottles with different characters on it. I thought that was quite fascinating. The restaurants were amazing and I enjoyed all the food I tried. Some of my favorite figures I came across were a Dark Magician Girl, an Ichigo in Bankai, and a Natsu.
Kyoto
Kyoto was very nice. Another place with amazing food and I enjoyed the scenery here more than in Osaka. Kyoto, much like Osaka, is well known for having very good food. I walked through Kyoto and eventually got to a park of sorts with a beautiful river. My first day here didn’t go as planned unfortunately, but the view below made it worth the walk! Ending the night here we came across a nice temple but unfortunately I cannot remember the name of it. I thought it was quite wondrous though!
My second day in Kyoto, I made my way to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and got a great view of Kyoto from atop a mountain. This grove is where I got one of my favorite pictures I took on this trip to Japan and only the picture can do justice for the view I had. Words could not describe how breathtaking this view was, and I nearly passed it up. I looked over, saw a beautiful rainbow and was entranced by the beauty. Kyoto truly gave me the best time on this trip and I would love to go back! There were also some very nice temples and shrines to visit!
While in Kyoto I got to try some delicious taiyaki in red bean and custard and those were much more delicious than I imagined they would be. After seeing this fish modeled pastry in numerous anime, I have wanted to try it, and it was utterly delightful. A great treat after some pork katsu dinner. The food is absolutely delicious.
On the way to the train station after the first day, we saw a nice silhouette of Yugi and Dark Magician in a shop window and I was super excited, for I am a big fan of Yugioh!
Hiroshima
The day to Hiroshima began with Hiroshima Castle. Walking around, seeing the foundation of buildings as the only thing remaining was a sorrowing experience. The thought of a building being there, and now what remains of it is only the foundation it stood on left an impact. When arriving at Hiroshima Castle, I thought it was such an amazing site to see. The cost of admission was maybe ¥300 and it has some nice history to enjoy. With multiple facts about the castle, numerous katana, hilts, and armor that was worn, this castle was an experience to enjoy. Leaving the castle, I just had to take a picture of the bridge. There is a shrine nearby that I urge you to visit when you go to Hiroshima Castle.
After Hiroshima Castle, I made my way to the Bomb Dome and I thought it was another mesmerizing attraction to see. Then, I made my way to the Eternal Flame and got to see the mesmerizing fountain in the area. Hiroshima was such a nice area yet had a strong somber feeling.
After taking in Hiroshima and the sights it had to offer I had to try a taste of okonomiyaki, which is basically a pancake made with cabbage, bean sprouts, noodles and meat. This is a must try on your trip to Japan! It was extremely delicious, cost about ¥1,100 and was surprisingly filling. I usually am not easily filled, but this was one that did the trick!
Tokyo
Tokyo was a very huge place and while I enjoyed Tokyo, I will say it was not what I expected. I would have much rathered spent that time in Shin-Osaka, Osaka, Kyoto or Hiroshima. Tokyo was not bad by any means, it just was not my cup of tea. There were parts of Tokyo that I did enjoy. The food here was extremely delicious, as to be expected, throughout my adventure here. My first day here, we walked our way to Akihabara after checking into the hotel. Akihabara is known as the center with a bunch of anime shopping centers, maid cafes, and has some good eats. I enjoyed the shopping centers here, however I felt the shopping center in Osaka was better. Akihabara’s stores and food were quite scrumptious, but as I mentioned in my New York destination, I am not the biggest fan of shopping, even if it is for anime figures, cards or posters.
My biggest turn off from Akihabara was the number of lewd stores, while there are some nice stores to browse, one of which I purchased the Love Hashira from Demon Slayer, there were a great number of lewd stores. At first, I thought it was cool to see a few stores with fan service characters and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy what I saw. However, I wish there would have been a better selection of quality figures. If there was a nice Dark Magician Girl or one of my favorite anime or video game characters, I may have purchased one. I enjoyed the first two stores like this but then after seeing a couple more I did not care for it anymore. There were magazines, comics, body pillows, figures and if you are into that there is a bunch in Akihabara and I implore you to check them out. However, if you are looking for nice anime figures that arent as lewd, I suggest checking out Den Den Town in Osaka. It was a lot better in offerings of anime merch, gotcha games, and it was better for families. Akihabara was nice, had a plethora of shops to check out, and looked better in terms of appeal, but I would advise you to go to Osaka for better prices, wider array of products and overall a better experience. Akihabara’s stores were okay, I just found most figures were of lesser quality. There is heavy advertising for maid cafes since there is quite a bit to choose from. I was not fond of this since there was almost an entire line of maids marketing for their cafe, and they seemed quite unhappy.
Eventually, I went to the Pokemon Center that was about a 20 minute walk from Akihabara. This is not the famous Pokemon Center with Mewtwo inside of it, but I did enjoy it. My only dislike of both centers was the lack of the orignal starter pokemon, however I understand since the new generation game came out it would make sense to highlight them. I could not find Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle or their evolutions and I was hoping to get a Blastoise. That aside, I liked the store but waited to buy things at the other one that had Mewtwo.
The next day I made my way to the other Pokemon Center which is where the Pokemon Cafe and the Nintendo store is. This one is within a shopping center and I wanted to check out the park they had on top of this shopping center, however I did not get to. First I checked out the Pokemon Center and had to get a nice picture of Mewtwo. Here I bought a Togepi plush. I then went to check out the Nintendo store. They had some Mario, Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Pikmin merch in at the moment as well as some other items. In the Nintendo store I had to purchase the red, blue, and yellow Pikmin plushes. I love the game Pikmin and could not pass up the great price for three Pikmin. There was also an anime store which held mainly stickers and in my opinion, basic anime merch. Nothing too fancy or cool and nothing that caught my interest to potentially buy. There was also a nice Capcom store but again nothing I wanted to buy. Around the shopping center there was an 8-bit Mario to see, a picture of Luffy from OnePiece as well as Ryu from Street Fighter. I did enjoy this shopping center a lot.
After checking out the shopping center, I made my way to see the famous Godzilla statue. On my way to it I came across the famous Shibuya Crossing and almost did not realize it at first. However, something told me to take a second and look at the crosswalks and I immediately knew where I was! It was mesmerizing to see the number of people crossing at one time. I did take a picture of people crossing as well as when there were no people crossing. This was another place that made me enjoy Tokyo a little more. Eventually from here we came across the Godzilla statue and there was a perfectly placed Super Mario Bros. movie ad underneath it. I thought it was hilarious.
The next day was traveling to see 2 of the Gundam statues in Japan. The first one was the one in Tokyo, Unicorn Gundam. When getting off of the train, there was a nice park to walk through and the cherry blossoms were beautiful in this park. I have never seen Gundam and was only familiar with it, however seeing the Unicorn Gundam was an amazing experience. The size of this Gundam was unbelievable and I thought it was nice. After this, we made our way to the Yokohama Gundam where there is a Gundam Factory to buy merch as well as the moving Gundam! My bro decided to check out the factory and go to the platform to see the Gundam moving. I just stayed outside and got a nice picture or two of this Gundam. Unfortunately, it is proposed to be taken down and does not have a lot of time left to be on display. However, there will be another Gundam being put up somewhere in Japan.
After leaving the Yokohama Gundam, we walked along the riverwalk and wound up at a nice shopping district with some delicious food. We came across what I thought to be a flower bed competition, each of those flower beds were absolutely gorgeous. I ate some omurice and got some apple and cherry pie from the shopping district. As we were making our way back I came across the famous Ferris Wheel in Tokyo. To end this night I ate some Soba and a pork chasu bowl.
Food
The food was absolutely amazing everywhere I went. It looked good, it tasted good, it was truly amazing food! If you go to Japan, you have to indulge in the food. Get some drinks from vending machines, if you come across an icecream vending machine, try one, enjoy the delicious food all around you. Unfortunately I do not like sushi, but I recommend going to a conveyor belt sushi place if you do enjoy sushi. Here are some pictures of the food I enjoyed while in Japan! I cannot wait to return and indulge in the wonderful food offered!
Wrap up
I highly recommend a trip to Japan. It has an amazing culture, breathtaking views and offers so much to do! It is truly an amazing experience for any adventurer, a hot plate for foodies, amazing hikes for nature enthusiasts and hikers, as well as anime central for my otaku out there. There is no reason to stay inside the hotel in Japan unless you are sleeping. When getting on the plane to return home, I was already excited for my next trip back! I enjoyed Japan and the experiences it offered and I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys travelling.
If you like what you see, please leave a like. Also, please leave some feedback on how this could be better or if there was something you enjoyed! Thanks for checking this out and as always, It’s Turtle Time!
It's Turtle Time! 
Leave a comment