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Japan on a Budget: Our Family's Complete Itinerary 🇯🇵
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items Planning a trip to Japan? This guide includes the itinerary my family used, which covered the different attractions, shopping districts, foodie hotspots, & budget-friendly hotels.
Sections
4
Osaka
Tokyo
Side Trips in Japan
Budget Hotels
Osaka
This place has a lot of food vendors! You can just explore this massive place & try their delicious dishes, street food, and more. Our hotel was near Dotonburi so we always visit this at night & just explored the place & tried lots of foo...
Dotonbori, Osaka, Japan
Beautiful & historic castle. You can go inside but we didn't have tickets so we only explored the outside. Also, they sell ice cream near the train station. Their waffle ice cream was so delicious!
Osaka Castle, Osaka, Japan
We bought Studio Pass tickets on a weekday so the crowd was thin. We arrived around 8am to 9am so the line on the rides was not long & only waited for around 30 mins to 45 mins. Honestly, the longest line we waited was the Super Nintendo one (iir...
Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan
Tokyo
We got out from the Asakusa Station & just walked to Sensō-ji & Tokyo Skytree. Japan is easy to explore as everything is connected by trains & you just need Google Maps.
Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan
There was a bit of a crowd when we arrived so it was a struggle to take pictures. There's also some stores nearby where you can buy souvenirs & eat local foods.
Sensō-ji, Tokyo, Japan
It was spring when we visited Tokyo so we were able to see Cherry Blossoms.
Sumida River, Tokyo, Japan
We didn't go up here & only took pictures of the tower outside with the cherry blossom & went inside the mall.
Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo, Japan
Great place to buy toys, anime, manga, video games, and more.
Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan
I actually haven't watched or read Harry Potter but the theme park was cool to explore. I vaguely recognise the sets from the movie. If you're still a fan, its nice to visit.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo - The Making of Harry Potter
Highly recommend this! Amazing & unique experience. There's a lot of rooms here with various art installations. We tried to visit as many rooms as possible. Overall, it was really immersive art experience.
teamLab Borderless: MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM
We only visited Tokyo DisneySea as we have already experienced Disneyland. We visited the park during the weekdays so the crowd was thin. Waiting in the lines were a bit longer than USJ though. Most of the rides were designed for older kids & fam...
Tokyo DisneySea Park
Massive shopping district where you can buy clothes, shoes, souvenirs, food, and more. Shibuya Crossing is located here so its a great place to take pictures.
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Fantastic view from the sky deck! The deck is open so would not recommend going up here when its rainy. We went up early so we didn't get a chance to see the sunset.
Shibuya Sky, Tokyo, Japan
Facade of this train station is great for pictures! It feels like you're in Amsterdam instead of Japan.
Tokyo Station, Japan
Ginza is close from Tokyo Station so you can easily walk down the strip & check out the high-end stores here.
Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
Another shopping district that is a must visit. Place is huge but its another great place where you can shop & eat food.
Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan
We went on a sidetrip to Yokohama. Awesome night view of the bay & you can take pictures of a parked cruise ship.
Zou-no-hana Park, Yokohama, Japan
Iconic building in Yokohama. There were celeberating a festival when we went there. Outside the building were food stalls & inside were shops.
Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, Yokohama, Japan
Side Trips in Japan
This temple is close to Arashiyama so you can explore this before going to the bamboo forest.
Tenryu-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan
Very tranquil place to walk. There might be a lot of tourists so you have to walk further so its not too crowded.
Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
The deer are just soo cute! They sell crackers nearby so you have the chance to feed them.
Nara Park, Nara, Japan
We wanted to DYI this but instead just booked a tour. Tour was solid even though it was fast paced. Anyway, we went to three places but Takayama & Shirakawa-go was the highlight of this tour. In Takayama, you have to eat the Hida beef! So delicio...
Shirakawa-go Day Trip: Enjoy Gujo Hachiman and Hida Takayama
Small mall & there's a free observation deck at the top. You can take pictures with the Mirai Tower as your background
Oasis 21, Nagoya
didn't really go up here but it's nice. Looks like the Eiffel Tower haha
Chubu Denryoku MIRAI TOWER, Nagoya
My mom wanted to visit this haha. Anyway, iconic bookstore in Japan & nice for IG. You can visit this while you're in Aeon Mall.
Tsutaya Bookstore Noritake Shimmachi, Nagoya
We went to Kyoto again and booked this train pass. We planned to go to Kobe but deferred it since we just wanted to eat the beef. Anyway, this was really affordable for us since you can ride the train unlimited times for 1 day as long you're on the H...
Hankyu 1 Day / 2 Day Tourist Pass Discount
We rode this scenic train and the view was just breathtaking. 100% recommend. I was lucky to be seated on the window seat so I was able to capture photos.
Sagano Romantic Train Ticket in Kyoto, Japan
Must visit historic place in Kyoto! Lots of tourists were taking pictures of the pagoda. Was able to experience watching the sunset while here.
Sannenzaka Ninenzaka, Kyoto
Budget Hotels
This hotel is just a 2-minute walk from the train station entrance, making it incredibly convenient for getting around. You'll also find plenty of restaurants & convenience stores nearby, perfect for grabbing a quick breakfast before heading out ...
Oak Hotel Edo in Tokyo
This hotel is near Dotonbori which is really convenient because you can easily go there to eat & shop.
Plum Hotel, Osaka
Hotel was near Oasis 21 mall & bus terminal. We booked the connecting rooms this 2026 where you basically have two rooms & bathrooms. Very convenient for us as a 4-person family. Hotel also has breakfast which was solid. Very convenient as it...
Kuretake Inn Nagoya Hisayaodori
Hotel is walking distance to Dotunburi and you can easily walk there to eat & shop! We stayed in this hotel this 2026 and it was really spacious for a 4-family vacay. You can easily travel to the airport via bus by going to the Osaka City Air Ter...
Tabist Sakuragawa River Side Hotel