Japan Itinerary and Budget Breakdown

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I used Japan guide primarily in crafting my itinerary. I think I copied 90% of their 10-day guide, entering and exiting Tokyo. Very comprehensive and understandable.

Day 0
Evening flight to HK.
Day 1
Connecting flight from HK to NRT. Explore Shinjuku. Overnight Tokyo.
Day 2
Explore Asakusa and Odaiba. Overnight Tokyo.
Day 3
Explore Imperial Palace. Explore Shinjuku. Overnight Tokyo.
Day 4 (JR Pass Day 1)
Day trip to Nikko. Overnight Tokyo.
Day 5 (JR Pass Day 2)
Shinkansen to Kyoto. Overnight Kyoto.
Day 6 (JR Pass Day 3)
Eastern Kyoto Sights/ Higashiyama Walk
Day 7 (JR Pass Day 4)
Western Kyoto Sights/ Imperial Palace
Day 8 (JR Pass Day 5)
Daytrip in Nara
Day 9 (JR Pass Day 6)
Return to Tokyo. Bum around Tokyo.
Day 10 (JR Pass Day 7)
Travel via Narita Express to Airport. Fly back to Manila.


Budget breakdown:
I spent Php a total of 90,000 for my 10 day trip in Japan – spent in USD, JPY and PHP. The allocation of the budget:



The story of each slice:
Airfare – You must be outraged by the airfare fee. I flew via Cathay Pacific which cost me $ 463.58/ Php 19,904.25. There are some budget airlines that fly to Japan. However, I wasn’t very confident how the visa application would go. I opted to be safe and got a fare which was refundable. That is the price of safely. 

Visa fees – This includes the bank certification fee, birth certificate fee and the visa processing fee. I also got an insurance from Blue Cross. Insurance is not required but I wanted to be covered, just in case. (Notice how fear costs me money).

Airport fees – Terminal Fee, Philippine Travel Tax

Japan Rail Pass (JRP) – PRICEY. YEZ. There are cheaper ways of traveling between regions. But riding these bullets trains is a part of the Japan experience!

Transportation – transportation expenses not covered by the JRP. subway passes, bus tickets

Accommodation – Hostels.

Shopping - I love myself, my family and friends! Loaded on Kitkat. Since I had leftover funds from food, I was able to splurge a bit here. I also needed to buy some thermals because I packed too warm and I found the weather too cold when I was there.

Tours – This includes all the entrance fees and tickets for everything. I didn’t a guided tour anywhere.

Comments

  1. arabesqueJanuary 20, 2013 at 10:45 PM

    thanks for sharing your travel thoughts and expenses.
    It was indeed helpful,
    when we went to Europe last year,
    i was worried about schengen visa,
    and what places to see etc..
    your blog is inspiring. ^0^
    i think I had to re-read it more than once just to review it again. ^0^

    ReplyDelete
  2. taxshopnetJanuary 29, 2013 at 8:42 PM

    Nice post.
    A valuable information here.
    Thanks for sharing with us.
    Tax Somerset

    ReplyDelete
  3. dimdroidMay 10, 2013 at 12:17 PM

    Thanks for providing such a great article, it was excellent and very informative.
    as a first time visitor to your blog I am very impressed.
    Economics :)

    visit me :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mariane BallesterosJanuary 22, 2014 at 9:50 PM

    Good thing may CebuPac na! I have always daydreamed of traveling to Japan, mine would probably take 2-3 weeks kelangan pagipunan!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Adventure AccountantJanuary 22, 2014 at 10:23 PM

    Japan is worth saving for! Maximum number of days for tourist visas is 15 days. If you want to request for a longer stay, I think you may need to purchase some tour or explain more why you'll exceed the 15 days. The travel agency can help you with that. Enjoy! :)

    ReplyDelete

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