24 days in Japan : itinerary and budget
This time, I am going on the other side of the world : Japan ! I was excited to discover this country full of mystery and culturally so far away from ours. Well, it is done and in family because I shared this experience with my brother. I relate with you my itinerary of those 24 days but also my budget … Is Japan as expensive as we thought ?!
Japan is located at level of Spain if we want to compare it to France. It has 4 seasons, included the famous cherry blossoms in Spring. It appears that each season in Japan has it own charm and ambiance. I have chosen Autumn, first because of the timing and secondly it is Momiji season or « red leaves » of maple trees. This is literally an event here and becoming as popular as cherry blossoms.
Unfortunately, the country is relatively mountainous and Autumn is not settling at the same time in the whole country. Indeed, around Hokkaido region in the north the cold has already come in October whereas Kansai region, where Kyoto and Osaka are located, Autumn is only settling from November. As for Tokyo, trees are changing colors around mid-November or December. You can find each year an autumn leaves prediction calendar.
So, I planned my itinerary for mid-November as follow :
D1 : Paris – Osaka
D2 : Osaka – Hiroshima
D3 : Hiroshima – Miyajima
D4 : Hiroshima
D5 : Osaka – Universal Studios
D6 : Osaka – Universal Studios
D7 : Osaka
D8 : Osaka
D9 : Osaka – Nara
D10 : Kyoto
D11 : Kyoto
D12 : Kyoto
D13 : Kyoto
D14 : Kanazawa
D15 : Takayama
D16 : Shikarawa-go – Takayama
D17 : Tokyo
D18 : Tokyo
D19 : Tokyo
D20 : Hakone
D21 : Hakone – Tokyo
D22 : Tokyo
D23 : Tokyo
D24 : Tokyo
D25 : Tokyo – Paris
As you can see, the arrival and departure city are different. I could have get a multi-destinations flight with excellent price, and I highly recommend you this option if you have to go to Japan. It might save you time and money to not have to get back to where you need to catch the plane. I will write an article about transportations in Japan.
This itinerary mainly follows Autumn evolution throughout the country even if my quick detour in Japanese Alps in D14, D15 and D16 was already too late. It also include the usual main stops for a first time trip in Japan.
Budget now is one of the nightmare of a trip to the country of the rising sun. You can travel for all types of budget : from backpacker to easy-going traveller. Let say it, Japan is an expensive country comparable to all industrialized countries. But overall, you can travel for not so pricey if budget is limited with 20 to 30 € for a night in hostel, about 20 € for food except fast-food (kombini + 1 lunch set in restaurant) and eventually 10 € for transportation (in town) per day. You can add your own personal expenses for visits and souvenirs, and a little more to travel in other cities.
If you follow me for a while, you know more of less how I travel. And here is my budget for these 24 days in Japan :
Multi-destinations flight Paris-Osaka-Tokyo-Paris costed me 510 € with KLM.
Accommodations costed me in total 630 € including 14 nights in hostels, 8 nights in private room (shared or private bathroom) and 1 night in a ryokan (dinner and breakfast included).
Transportations (my article about Japan Rail Pass) throughout the country and within cities costed 386 €.
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Food, in kombinis, restaurants and street food, represented 610 €.
As for visits, I only spent 30 € for the whole trip.
As usual, souvenirs depend on each person.
So, my basic budget amount to 2200 €.
Like I say, this is my way of travelling. And this number will vary according to your habits and needs. Money should not stop you to go discover this amazing country. Whether you go for 14 days or 24 days, you will be in an other world.
Inspire yourself to plan your next trip !
See you soon.
So
