KSY, MDEI | YOUR FULL-STACK PRODUCT SPECIALIST

DIY 7-Day [Very] Detailed Japan Itinerary — Only CAD 1.8K or PHP 75K Per Person for 7 Days (With Photos!)

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by

Karen SueAnn Yao
in

Table of Contents:

  1. Travel Summary
  2. Visa Applications
    • Applying from Canada as a Filipino citizen (PR)
    • Applying from Manila, Philippines
    • Sample Itinerary file that we submitted
  3. Expenses (🛎️ with links to booking sites)
  4. Itinerary
    • Stuff we pre-booked and did before the trip
    • Stuff we had to buy in-person
    • Detailed itinerary with photos
  5. Final Thoughts
    • General Must-Knows
    • Good-to-Know Before Booking Anything
    • ChatGPT & Money Saving Tips

Look out for the bellhop bell 🛎️ emojis, they’re helpful tips.

Disclaimer: I’m not a travel blogger, but I like traveling and I like arriving at places informed and prepared. I’m sharing this for my friends and extended families who’ve asked. Also, expenses and details below are of own experiences, these can change per person, per price, per season, per itinerary.

1 of 5. Travel Summary

Travel DatesMonday, Dec 2, 2024 to Tuesday, Dec 8, 2024 (7 days)
No. of Travellers4 (me, my parents and my sister)
All first-timers for Japan
Destinations• Tokyo (3 full days)
• Mt Fuji (1 full day)
• Osaka (1 full day)
• Universal Studios Japan (1 full day)
• Kyoto (1/2 day)
• Nara (1/2 day)
Total CostCAD 5,806.69 / PHP 232,267.44
OR roughly CAD 1,451.5 / PHP 70K per person

Excludes my flight back to the Philippines, since it’s not really a Japan-specific expense.

2 of 5. Visa Applications for Filipino Citizens

APPLYING FROM ALBERTA, CANADA

Applying as a Filipino from Canada is pretty straightforward with their eVisa services. All other requirements are straightforward:

  1. PR card, scanned
  2. Passport photo, scanned
  3. Most recent bank statements with transactions for the past 4 weeks, scanned
    • If it’s the middle of the month, you can request this directly in-person from the bank and they can print it out within minutes.
  4. Itinerary (with schedules and flights, see sample below in blue highlight)
  5. Passport, scanned
  6. Another National ID (can be Canadian driver’s license), scanned

I think it’s free for Filipino nationals. Anyway, when it was approved, I got a document in my account which I printed out and showed with immigration when we landed at Narita.

Helpful links:

APPLYING FROM MANILA, PHILIPPINES

As far as I know, you need a credited travel agent in the Philippines to submit your Japan visa application for you.

I’m not super familiar with this process, but I know they were required a lot more like marriage certificates and tax forms, but I know my parents and sister submitted their application through Reli Tours and Travels.

I think they charge a PHP 999 handling fee, but the visa application itself is free.

🛎️ I would suggest following forums and groups online for best practices.

WORD OF CAUTION

There are people in forums and groups that provide risky tips, especially for first-time applicants. They may say you need a large sum of money on your accounts or cut your itinerary if it’s more than 5 days. We don’t have much in our savings accounts — believe it or not, definitely not as much as what people state on those forums, but we were still approved. Follow those tips at your own risk.

Our best practice when applying for visas is: Be transparent and be detailed-yet-concise on your applications.

🛎️ Things we did that I think helped with our applications:

  1. My mom added a cover letter on the application and reiterated that we had properties to our names, full-time jobs and that we’re well-travelled.
  2. I added a cover letter with 2 paragraphs in front of my bank statements document to reassure them that I had the capacity to save more and enough money before my flight, plus I added my paystubs for the past 3 months to show consistent, dependable income.
  3. They have a standard Itinerary template (see sample) you have to fill out and submit. We added copies of all our booking confirmations, including flight, hotel, and tours i.e. Klook confirmations under that page.
  4. My family applied and got approved first before I did, and to show that it’s genuinely a family trip, I also added their visas at the end of the schedule/itinerary requirement.

    Here’s a copy of the itinerary we actually submitted (PI redacted):
    Yao Family – Japan Itinerary.pdf

3 of 5. Expenses

🛎️ Click on the links to check where we booked them.

ActivityDetailsCADPHPCovers
FlightsCebu Pacific
Depart: MNL to NRT
Return: KIX to MNL		1,677.7167,108.524 pax
Visas (PHL Citizens)From Alberta, CA (eVisa)FreeFree1 pax
From Manila, PHL (Reli Tours)75.003,000.003 pax
AirBnBsKita City, Tokyo609.3924,375.524 pax
Osaka587.4423,497.404 pax
Klook.comMt Fuji & Hakone One Day Trip from Tokyo with Lunch501.0020,040.004 pax
Shibuya SKY87.263,490.404 pax
Tokyo Subway Pass52.342,093.604 pax
1D Osaka Amazing Pass
– Metro Pass
– Osaka Castle
– Umeda Sky Bldg
– Tsutenkaku Tower
– Wonderloop Cruise		115.204,608.004 pax
Universal Studios Japan – Studio Pass (Admission only)313.5612,542.404 pax
Universal Studios Japan – Express Pass (Skip-the-line)940.3637,614.404 pax
1W Have Fun Kansai Pass
– Toei Kyoto Studio Park
– Something
– Something		54.202,168.004 pax
Bullet Train (Shinkansen) from Tokyo to Osaka612.6524,506.004 pax
Limousine Osaka to Airport Transfer67.002,680.004 pax
Internet Sakura Pocket Wi-Fi77.403,096.0015 Devices
TransitSuica & ICOCA Cards365.0414,601.604 pax
Food
Misc / Shopping
TOTAL6,135.21245,408.24
Est. Cost Per Person1,533.8061,352.06

4 of 5. Itinerary

STUFF WE PRE-BOOKED AND DID BEFORE THE TRIP

  1. Flights
  2. Accommodations
  3. Sakura Pocket Wi-fi (1 pocket device is enough for the 4 of us)
  4. All Klook.com passes per person (See expenses list)
    • Including Shinkansen, Tokyo to Osaka tickets
    • Booked/selected time of entry as well for some attractions (if required)
  5. 🛎️ Money exchange; check your options and providers who’ll give you the most exchange.
  6. Googled the weather to figure out OOTD’s in advance. 🛎️ 10-14°C is like a night in Baguio, any lower you may need a thicker jacket.

STUFF WE HAD TO BUY IN-PERSON (OTHER THAN FOOD)

  1. Bus transfers from NRT Terminal 2 (Cebu Pacific) to Shinjuku Station per person
    • 🛎️ Better to buy this in-person in case of flight delays, long immigration lines, or errands you have to do at the airport e.g. wi-fi pick-up
  2. Suica transit cards for Greater Toronto Area per person
    • Bought at NRT, available at Tokyo Metro Vending Machines
  3. ICOCA transit cards for Kansai area per person
    • Bought at Shin-Osaka station, available at Osaka Metro Vending Machines

🛎️ Yes, it is 100% worth it getting these transit cards so you don’t have to pay with cash each time i.e. you just tap when boarding.

🛎️ You can add IC Cards (SUICA and ICOCA) on your Apple or Google Wallets and load and use it from there. I opted for the physical incase our phones died.

DETAILED, DAILY ITINERARY

🌸 = Key Attractions | 🍜 = Food Spots / Food Streets

Day 1 – Monday, December 2, 2024 | Akihabara Electric Town

Arrival12:00 PM Arrival
• Immigration
• Get checked in luggage
Before leaving
the airport		• Activate free eSim from Klook
• Pick up Pocket WiFi at airport
• Redeem Subway Passes at airport
• Buy SUICA cards, load with JPY 2K
Transit to
Hotel/BnB		• 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
– Buy bus transfer
– Take bus to Shinjuku Station
– Transit from NRT to Shinjuku Station
Check in• 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
– Arrival at Shinjuku Station
– One (1) 25-min train ride to AirBnB
– Check-in
Dinner• 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
– 🌸 Akihabara Electric Town
 –🍜 Dinner – Food/Shop:
* Don Quijote Akihabara
* Ameya-Yokocho (Ameyoko) in Ueno
* Yurakucho Gado-shita
* Buy quick breakfast food for tomorrow

Day 2 – Tuesday, December 3, 2024 | Mt Fuji & Shinjuku

All-day
(Mt Fuji Tour)		• Leave by 6:00 AM
– 🌸 Mt. Fuji & Hakone One Day Trip (Klook.com)
– Pick up & drop off at Shinjuku station

• 🌸 Shinjuku Stroll

• 🍜 Dinner – Food/Shop:
– Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane)
– Kabukicho & Golden Gai

Day 3 – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 | Shibuya, Asakusa, Minato

Morning• 8:00 AM – Leave BnB

• 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM
– 🌸 Hachiko Statue
– 🌸 Shibuya Crossing
– 🍜 Breakfast – Food:
* Shibuya Mark City area
* Ichiran Shibuya, Ichikakuya, Okumura

• 9:45 AM – 11:15 AM – 🌸 Shibuya Sky (Klook, 10AM entry)

🛎️ There are Klook passes that include admission to Shibuya Sky but check the prices of each attraction. Some attractions are cheaper when booked individually, especially if you don’t have time for the other attractions included in the pass.
Lunch • 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
– 🍜 Lunch – Food/Shop:
* Shibuya Center-Gai
* Don Quijote Shibuya

• 12:00 PM – 1:20 PM – 🌸 Tokyo Tower
After lunch• 1:20 PM – 1:50 PM – Travel to Nezu Station

• 1:50 PM – 2:30 PM – 🌸Nezu Shrine

• 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM – 🌸Travel to Asakusa

• 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
– 🌸Senso-ji Temple
– 🌸Asakusa Shrine

• 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM:
– 🍜 Snacks – Food/Shop:
* Nakamise (Nakamise-dori Street)
* Asakusa Menchi (浅草メンチ)
* Denboin Street (伝法院通り)
Afternoon to Evening• 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM – 🌸 Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center

• (Optional) 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM
– 🌸 Tokyo Skytree
– 🍜 Snacks – Food:
* Tokyo Solamachi (Tokyo Skytree Town)

• 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM – 🌸 Ushijima Shrine & Park

• 6:30 PM – onwards
– 🍜 Dinner – Food/Shop:
* Asakusa Yokocho
* Don Quijote Asakusa
* Get quick breakfast food for tomorrow

Day 4 – Thursday, December 5, 2024 | Osaka

Check out & Bullet train (Shinkansen)• 6:15 AM
– Checkout
– Transit to Tokyo Station (35 min)

• Return SUICA card at Tokyo Station

• 7:30 AM – 🌸 SHINKANSEN DEPARTURE

🛎️ Book seats ahead of time with Mt Fuji views! Specifically, seats D or E.
Before leaving the station• 10:30
– Arrival at Shin-Osaka Station
– Get Subway Passes (Osaka Amazing Pass)
– Get ICOCA card, load with JPY 7.5K
Osaka in the Morning• 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
– Take subway to Osaka Station
– Check-in luggage
* Osaka Station Luggage Storage
* Or Bounce Luggae Storage app

🛎️ Our BnB check-in time was later in the day, so we just put our luggages in storage temporarily. If you’re booking a hotel, there are services who will keep and deliver your luggage for you.

• 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
– 🌸 Umeda Sky (Osaka Amazing Pass)
– 🍜 Brunch – Food/Shop:
* Nakanoshima (中之島) Food Street
* Shin-Umeda City (新梅田シティ)
* Shin Umeda Shokudogai
* Hankyu Sanbangai
* Umeda Chikagai (梅田地下街)
* Whity Umeda (ウィティ梅田)
* Daimaru Umeda (大丸梅田)
After lunch• 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM – 🌸 Osaka Castle (Osaka Amazing Pass)

• 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM – 🌸 Shitenno-ji Temple (Osaka Amazing Pass)

• 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM – Get Luggage & AirBnB Check In
Afternoon to Evening• 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
– 🌸 Namba Yasaka Shrine
– 🌸 Hōzen-ji Temple (法善寺)
– 🍜 Snacks – Food/Shop:
* Kuromon Ichiba Market
* Nipponbashi Denden Town (Anime District)
* Namba Parks (Rooftop garden)

• 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM – 🌸 Wonderloop Cruise (Osaka Amazing Pass)

• 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
– 🌸 Osaka Tsutenkaku Tower (Night stroll)
– 🍜 Dinner – Food:
* Dotonbori Street Food & Shopping
* Don Quijote

Day 5 – Thursday, December 6, 2024 | Universal Studios Japan

🌸 Universal Studios Japan• Leave by 7:30 AM; Arrive at 8:00 AM

Studio and Express Passes Booked through Klook.com

🛎️ Express Passes are worth it. Express passes are separate from the studio entrance pass (admission pass), and it lets you skip lots of lines. It’s pricier but definitely worth it.

• We had dinner near our BnB (near Namba station) but you can just have dinner at the park.

Day 6 – Thursday, December 7, 2024 | Nara & Kyoto

🛎️ We intentionally did Nara before Kyoto because forums and ChatGPT said it’s less crowded in Nara in the mornings. Most people try to run to Kyoto at 6-7 AM so the crowds are just inevitable, and I thought it’s just the lesser evil to at least visit an area with less people first. But you can do Kyoto first!

Morning at Nara• 6:30 AM – 🌸 Depart Osaka for Nara 30-45 min

• 7:30 AM – 11:30 AM
– 🌸 Nara Deer Park
– 🌸 Kasuga Taisha Shrine (Torii Gates)
– 🌸 Todai-ji Temple
– 🍜 Breakfast & Lunch – Food/Shop:
* Nara Park Area (Near Todai-ji) Food
* Higashimuki Shopping Street
After lunch at Kyoto Studio Park• 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Nara to Kyoto, JR Nara Line or Kintetsu Line

• 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM – 🌸 Toei Kyoto Studio Park (Kansai Pass)

🛎️ If you’re a fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Studio Park is a must visit!

• 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Travel to Kiyomizu-dera
Afternoon to Evening at Kyoto Shrines• 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
– 🌸 Ninenzaka
– 🌸 Sannenzaka
– 🌸 Kiyomizu-dera (Kiyomizu Temple)

🛎️ In Kyoto, we intentionally avoided Fushimi Inari Shrine (Senbon Torii) and the Bamboo Forests because it’s known to be super crowded, no time left and there’s a bamboo forest in the Philippines.

🛎️ Instead, I asked ChatGPT where else there are nice Torii Gates; hence, why we visited Nara’s Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Tokyo’s Nezu Shrine.

• 5:00 PM – Wrap up in Kyoto and head back to Osaka

If you have more time, you can visit:
– Adashino Bamboo Forest
– Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
– Kimono Forest
– Hirano Shrine
– Fushimi Inari Shrine (Senbon Torii)
– Tenryū-ji Temple
– Togetsu-kyo Bridge

You can have dinner at Kyoto, but we didn’t cause we met my best friend at Osaka for dinner.

Day 7 – Thursday, December 8, 2024 | Osaka & Departure

Morning at Osaka• 8:00 AM
– AirBnB Checkout
– Check in Luggage at Namba Station

• 9:00 AM
– 🌸 Tsutenkaku Tower (Kansai Pass)
– 🌸 Tennoji Park with Osaka Sign
– 🍜 Lunch – Food:
* Negiyaki Yamamoto (Umeda EST)

• 2:30 PM – Pick up Luggage & Transit to Osaka Station

• 3:00 PM – Left for Osaka Station
Before leaving the station• Return ICOCA card at Osaka Station
• Return Sakura wifi in mailbox at Osaka Station
KIX Airport Arrival• Left at 3:20 PM from Osaka Station – Kansai Airport Transfer (Klook.com)

• Arrived by 4:30
• 7:55 PM Flight

5 of 5. Final Thoughts

GENERAL MUST-KNOWS

  1. Google Maps and chatGPT are your best friends. Use them. Get a pocket wi-fi or data plan (sim or eSim) so you can conveniently search online. Try to digest the map and rough locations of key and central stations to help you envision routes.
  2. Be cautious of the train hours. They’re not 24/7 so if you’re far from your hotel, look up the train hours so you won’t get stuck.
  3. Google or ChatGPT attraction hours and admissions/entrance fees. Some areas are free, some are not; some are 24hrs, some are not.
  4. If you’re back is strong enough, use backpacks to keep my hands free (those 50-120L ones), especially if you’re with parents or kids. I opted for backpacks so I can help my parents.
  5. Plan your outfits ahead to avoid overpacking. Mine all fit in a carry-on, so I used my check-in for souvenirs.

    Google the weather on the dates you’re there! 10-14°C is like a night in Baguio, any lower you may need a thicker jacket.
  6. 7 days is not enough. Accept the fact you will not be able to visit everything you wanted to visit. Weigh the pros and cons of the places, choose lesser evils, and budget your time wisely.
  7. There’s always people everywhere at almost any given time. Choose your battles.
  8. We didn’t really have time for Onsens, but if you do, go to one! It’s one of the highlights of Japan.
  9. Forums and ChatGPT mentioned that it’s fine to use the Suica OR ICOCA card all throughout major cities in Japan without having to switch, but I still had us switch from Suica to ICOCA because I read that ICOCA is more widely accepted around Kansai (less hassle loading/topping up).
  10. Go online and visit itineraries or pages of tour packages and mimic it. Even if you don’t pay for it, they give you a general overview of which stops they’ll take, and you can somewhat copy the itinerary from that tour’s page and just DIY it.
  11. If you want to book packaged 1-day or 2-day tours, check the stops and make sure you like them. Remember: When you’re on group tours, you’re paying for the convenience of not having to create your own itinerary for the day.

    It’s cheaper to DIY everything but it both has pros and cons.

    Example: I did not want to create a detailed itinerary for Mt Fuji because it’s far from Tokyo, I was scared of getting lost so we just booked a package for that, inclusive of the bus rides from and to the city; but I’m fairly familiar around cities, so I decided to DIY the attractions within the cities.
  12. Get the Sakura Pocket Wi-fi and/or eSims. If you plan to temporarily split up in some attractions get individual eSims to be able to contact each other, but if you’re confident you’ll all stick together, just the pocket wi-fi is enough.

    eSims require newer phones tho, so make sure your phone is compatible.
  13. Most importantly: Be respectful of temple and shrine rules. Cover up your tattoos, dress modestly, observe silence, moderate voices, use masks if you’re sick. They may be tourist attractions, but they are still religious grounds.
  14. Just be socially responsible and mindful. Don’t be naive, uncultured a-holes.
  15. Finally: Bring power banks and wear comfortable shoes.

GOOD-TO-KNOW BEFORE BOOKING ANYTHING

  1. Familiarize yourself with the location, maps and cities. Enter locations you wanna visit in Google Maps and try to build a rough itinerary before booking anything so that you don’t book stuff that you actually won’t have time for. See what’s close to each other, and find the best routes.
  2. Big attractions like Shibuya SKY or TeamLabs require timed entries and can run out. Klook will give you time slots to choose from when you’re booking. Book at least 3-4 weeks ahead before you lose spots.
  3. The above are expenses and itineraries for a December trip. Other seasons, especially spring i.e. Cherry blossom season, stuff may be more expensive and harder to book.
  4. Get flights with checked-in luggages, just cheaper that having to buy them separately.
  5. AirBnB is cheaper than hotels in Japan, mostly.
  6. Get accommodations close to stations, just easier that way. Don’t put your full trust on the estimates given on accommodation sites, like when they say “5 minutes from the station.” Google locations and distances yourselves to double check.
  7. No, we did not buy the very expensive JR pass. I used ChatGPT to figure out a rough estimate of how much transit costs we needed within the entire trip, and compared the prices of just getting an IC card versus a JR pass. It was not worth it for us to get the JR passes, so we just Suica and ICOCA. See ChatGPT trick below.
  8. Watch out for B1G1 Klook sales. We got the Have Fun in Kansai Pass half off because they had a B1G1 promo, a lot on that. Sometimes Klook also offers freebies, like we got 1 free eSIM which was nice.
  9. It’s cheaper to book USJ admission tickets and expresses passes on the actual USJ website, but for some reason it wouldn’t accept any of our credit nor debit cards. We read forums, and they experienced the same. We ended up just booking on Klook, like the others. Give it a shot though: https://www.usj.co.jp/web/en/us
  10. You need to pre-book for some pocket wi-fi providers, they won’t sell it onsite. Ours was unlimited internet for 7 days, for multiple devices and we just picked it up from the airport and dropped it in a mailbox (the return envelope was already included in the packaged). 100% worth it. We used Sakura Pocket Wi-Fi.

CHATGPT & MONEY-SAVING TIPS

  1. I can’t stop saying it but yes, ChatGPT is your best friend. When in doubt, ask: https://chat.openai.com/
  2. There are so many packages you can get from Klook, but beware of the costs. Some attractions are cheaper when booked individually.

    Example: There’s a Klook Pass Greater Tokyo that, for only 2 attractions, costs CAD 60 / PHP 2.5K per person. The only attractions that we wanted from it AND had time for were the Metro Pass (which is CAD 13 / PHP 520 on its own) and Shibuya Sky (CAD 22.80 / PHP 950 on its own) = that’s only CAD 35.80 / PHP 1.4K, not CAD 60.

    If you have time for other attractions, for example combining teamLabs AND Shibuya Sky, then the passes are worth it.
  3. List down the “must visits” that you saw online in blogs and social media, places you’re 100% sure you want to visit, then throw it to ChatGPT, and it can build you a rough itinerary. Be specific on the duration you have for that city, “…within a day” or “I’m only in Tokyo for 2 days.”

    Sample prompt: “I want to go to Shibuya Sky, Akihabara Electric Town and Asakusa all in one day. Give me an itinerary, with the best time to leave my BnB and including travel times using Tokyo’s metro, so I can accomplish visiting them all.”
  4. Use ChatGPT to figure out how much to allot for food. Sample:

  5. Use ChatGPT and Google Maps to determine the best cost for you. This will show you whether or not it’s worth getting the JR Pass or Metro Day passes.

    Example: JR’s 1-week pass is a whopping CAD 344 / PHP 14K / JPY 37,650 for 7 days per person, and that excludes metro transit i.e. city subways and buses.

    🛎️ For 7 days and for all our transits, including metro passes, the bullet train, and JR railways (via ICOCA and Suica passes), we only spent CAD 240 / PHP 10K / JPY 26,246.29 per person.

    Here are the steps I did using ChatGPT and Google Maps:
    • Step 1: List down each route’s point A to point B you want to go to, specified by Google Maps. Ex. “1 way – Namba station to Umeda Station” then “1 way – Umeda Station to Kintetsu-Nara Station” and so on.

      ⚠️ When using Google Maps, make sure you change the time to “Arrive at” or “Depart at” to midday hours in Japan. If it’s midnight in Japan during the time you’re searching, it won’t spill much transit options cause it’s assuming you’re leaving at midnight.

    • Step 2: Throw in all those routes that you listed down into ChatGPT. Sample prompt: “Here are all the routes I need for my trip. [Insert your list]. Can you estimate how much I have to load on my ICOCA card.”

      It’ll provide an answer similar to the one below:

      Sample answer from ChatGPT

Good luck and have fun! 🌸

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