Tokyo Tower

Yeap! So this is the final compiled version of my 30 Days Solo Travel in Japan. It mainly covers from the central to the south of Japan; namely Tokyo, Kamakura, Enoshima, Mount Oyama, Hakone, Fuji, Osaka, Nara, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Kyushu Region; Beppu, Yufuin, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kagoshima.

Be warned! It’s a very long post! And mostly, I travelled by foot unless it’s impossible such that a Shinkansen, local train and domestic flight are required.

And do note! It is NOT a BUDGET trip. It’s pretty much travelling with COMFORT!! I had Business Class in a Budget Airline, Scoot in this case. The business class consist of almost everything and comfort that I want. The overall cost of the Scootbiz is equivalent to or cheaper than an economy airfare from the usual airlines. And definitely, you can get airfares that are lower than mine if you can travel on off-peak period or you can buy tickets way in advance which I do not have the luxury to.

I did not go on diet nor did I eat just onigiri to survive all meals. At times, I do cook or/and have food from supermarket! It taste good still! I had a lot of yummy food! You just don’t need to visit restaurants to have good food! Here’s the link to food post Must Try Food in Japan.

I did not couch surf to save on my accommodation. I still prefer some comfort to have a shared dormitory rather than just a couch. If you want more privacy, with additional of SGD5-SGD10, you can get a private room in most hostels. Which I didn’t really need that as most of the time, I’ll be out by 0800hr (Japan Time) and back only after dinner.

It’s really a long post! And I’m going to roughly guide you how to navigate this post. This post do not have many photos! It’s basically information, figures (as in numbers), the places I’ve been to. So if you like to see pictures, how to get to the attractions, general feel of how much is spent on each day on transport and admissions. So click on the links to see it in much more details.

Do note that prices may change as times past, so this is just a rough guide if you are using this itinerary as your reference.

Total Expenditure: JPY358535 / ~SGD4269

Total Flight: JPY94992/~SGD1131
Singapore to Tokyo (Narita Airport) Round Trip [ScootBiz] SGD838.79
Tokyo (Narita Airport) to Osaka (Kansai Airport) [Peach Aviation] JPY7630/ ~SGD91
Fukuoka Airport to Haneda Airport (Japan Airline J-Class) JPY16890/ SGD201
Note: You can choose to fly via multi-city such that Singapore to Osaka Direct and followed by Tokyo (Narita Airport) to Singapore [ScootBiz] ~SGD 1160.

I did not book my ticket from Narita to Osaka. I booked it online the moment I collected my WiFi-egg. This give me more room of freedom and buffer time; instead of the idea of missing any flight due to late arrival. However, if you take domestic flights it is cheaper, and some times maybe faster than taking Shinkansen. For example, Fukuoka Airport to Shinjuku via Shinkansen will cost JPY37400, takes about 3 hours and with 02 transfers required. While taking a domestic plane is cheaper, including checking in luggage would probably require up to a maximum of 2hrs and it’s JPY 16890.

Total Accommodation: JPY83315 / ~SGD992
[Check out the accommodations for 30D29N here.]

Total Food Expenditure: JPY62548 / ~SGD745
An average food expenditure of JPY2084/~SGD25 per day
Note: I had sashimi, wagyu beef, oyster feast, sukiyaki and many more. I’ll do up a rough post on what type of food I ate in Japan when time permits.

Total Transportation: JPY86110 /~SGD1025
Sanyo-Sanin JR Pass [7 Days]: JPY18300 / ~SGD218
All Kyushu JR Pass[5 Days]: JPY18000 / ~SGD214
Northern Kyushu JR Pass [5 Days]: JPY 10000 / ~SGD119
Other forms of Transport [Ferry, Bus, Trains that are not included in the JR Passes]: JPY39810 / ~SGD474

Note: For this, there are no easy ways to really know if you should get your JR Passes. I’ve got the regional passes instead of the general pass.

There are a few considerations:
1. Do you want to be able to access to the fastest train like Nozomi and Mizuho? To me time is precious, so the difference from the general 21 days pass didn’t seem a lot. So I decided to do regional pass which gave me access to all the JR trains without restrictions. And the time save varies between 30 minutes to 1.5hrs.
2. Do you have a base location that you stay and do a lot side trips to other parts of Japan? I generally have a base and do lots of side trips. As I find it tedious and time consuming to have constant change of accommodation; so in general, minimum stay 3D2N at base. Apart for one exception in Hakone 2D1N.

So generally if you are doing a lot town/city hopping, JR pass can be quite a good saver. But I advise you to do a rough check of the train prices using Hyperdia and have an estimation of your travel cost.

Total Admission Fees to Attraction Spots: JPY31570 / ~SGD376

Note: If you are a student, do bring along your student ID, sometimes it comes to good use for student price and save quite a fair bit. Those not student, don’t fret. Chances are that you will get one-day transportation pass, this pass usually can give you discounts of JPY50-JPY400 too!

30 Days Itinerary in Central to Southern of Japan

Day 01: Arrival in Japan and Osaka – Dotonbori
Check out Day 01 here.
Day 01 Total Expenditure: JPY8730
Transport: JPY8,730
Admission: JPY0

Day 02: Ikeda [Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum] to Osaka [Museum of Living and Housing and Umeda Sky Building]
Check out Day 02 here.
Day 02 Total Expenditure: JPY2160
Transport: JPY960
Admission: JPY1200

Day 03: Osaka [Kuromon Ichiba Market, Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum, Shitenoji, and Osaka Palace]
Check out Day 03 here.
Day 03 Total Expenditure: JPY1300
Transport: JPY0
Admission: JPY1300

Day 04: Nara [Kofuku-ji, Yoshiki-en, Todai-ji, Nigatsu-do, and Katsuga-Taisha]
Check out Day 04 here.
Day 04 Total Expenditure: JPY1210
Transport: JPY710
Admission: JPY1500

Day 05: Kobe [Nunobiki Herb Garden, Nunobiki Waterfall, Kobe Maritime Museum, Kawasaki Good Times World, Kobe Tower, Meriken Park, and Mosaic]
Check out Day 05 here.
Day 05 Total Expenditure: JPY2540
Transport: JPY1140
Admission: JPY1400

Day 06: Himeji [Himeji Castle and Koko-en]
Check out Day 06 here.
Day 06 Total Expenditure: JPY2120
Transport: JPY1080
Admission: JPY1040

Day 07: Hiroshima [Hiroshima Castle, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, A-Bomb Dome, Peace Clock Tower, Children’s Peace Monument, Light of Peace, Cenotaph for A-Bomb Victims, and A-Bomb Memorial Museum]
Check out Day 07 here.
Day 07 Total Expenditure: JPY1060
Transport: JPY640
Admission: JPY420

Day 08: Yamaguchi [Akiyoshi-do]
Check out Day 08 here.
Day 08 Total Expenditure: JPY3540
Transport: JPY2340
Admission: JPY1200

Day 09: Hiroshima [Miyajima Island; Itukushima Shrine, Floating Torii, Dashio-in, Mount Misen]
Check out Day 09 here.
Day 09 Total Expenditure: JPY1000
Transport: JPY0
Admission: JPY1000

Day 10: Hiroshima [Okunoshima Island; Poison Gas Museum, Okunoshima Lighthouse by the coast,and Poison Gas Manufacture Plant Ruin]
Check out Day 10 here.
Day 10 Total Expenditure: JPY720
Transport: JPY620
Admission: JPY100

Day 11: Kyushu Beppu [Beppu Tower, Street along Beppu Station]
Check out Day 11 here.
Day 11 Total Expenditure: JPY0
Transport: JPY0
Admission: JPY0

Day 12: Kyushu Beppu [08 Beppu Hells and Sand Bath]
Check out Day 12 here.
Day 12 Total Expenditure: JPY4030
Transport: JPY900
Admission: JPY3130

Day 13: Kyushu Yufuin [Street shops along Yufuin, Lake Kinrinko, Floral Village, Owl Forest, and Sansuikan]
Check out Day 13 here.
Day 13 Total Expenditure: JPY1100
Transport: JPY0
Admission: JPY1100

Day 14: Kyushu Kumamoto [Dyeing and Hostel Nakashimaya, Sunroof Shinshigai, Kumamoto Castle]
Check out Day 14 here.
Day 14 Total Expenditure: JPY0
Transport: JPY0
Admission: JPY0

Day 15: Kyushu Takachiho [Suggested itinerary: Takachiho Gorge 高千穂峡, Takachiho Shrine 高千穂神社, Amanoiwato Shrine 天岩戸神社]
Check out Day 15 here.
Day 15 Total Expenditure: JPY0
Transport: JPY0
Admission: JPY0

Day 16: Kyushu Nagasaki [Peace Park and Memorial Hall, Atomic Bomb Museum, Oura Church, Glover Dori]
Check out Day 16 here.
Day 16 Total Expenditure: JPY1910
Transport: JPY500
Admission: JPY1410

Day 17: Kyushu Kagoshima and Sakurajima [Karasushima Observation Point, Akamizu View Park, Yunonohira Observatory, Dinosaur Park, Kagoshima Aquarium]
Check out Day 17 here.
Day 17 Total Expenditure: JPY1800
Transport: JPY500
Admission: JPY1300

Day 18: Kyushu Fukuoka [Canal City, Kushida Jinja, Kawabata Dori, Hakata Michiya Folk Museum, Tochiji, Christmas Market at Tenjin, Illuminations at Tenjin]
Check out Day 18 here.
Day 18 Total Expenditure: JPY660
Transport: JPY460
Admission: JPY200

Day 19: Huis Ten Bosch (Amusement Park, “Netherlands” in Japan)
Check out Day 19 here.
Day 19 Total Expenditure: JPY6900
Transport: JPY0
Admission: JPY6900

Day 20: Kyushu Fukuoka [Oh Sadaharu Baseball Museum, Fukuoka Tower, Robosquare, Fukuoka City Museum]
Check out Day 20 here.
Day 20 Total Expenditure: JPY1770
Transport: JPY820
Admission: JPY950

Day 21: Tokyo [Yadoya Guest House, Nakano Broadway]
Check out Day 21 here.
Day 21 Total Expenditure: JPY1120
Transport: JPY1120
Admission: JPY0

Day 22: Tokyo [Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Dori, Shinjuku, New Year Celebration, Temple and Shrine Hopping to receive the New Year.]
Check out Day 22 here.
Day 22 Total Expenditure: JPY310
Transport: JPY310
Admission: JPY0

Day 23: Tokyo [Yushima Seido, Maach Akihabara, Akihabara Shopping, Sensoji and Nakamise Street, New Year Celebration at Yadoya Guest House]
Check out Day 23 here.
Day 23 Total Expenditure: JPY430
Transport: JPY430
Admission: JPY0

Day 24: Tokyo [Tsukiji Market, Tsukiji Hongwan-ji, Odaiba, Fuji TV Building, Statue of Liberty, Rainbow Bridge, Divercity at Odaiba, Palette Town]
Check out Day 24 here.
Day 24 Total Expenditure: JPY1400
Transport: JPY1400
Admission: JPY0

Day 25: Tokyo [Tokyo Tower, One Piece Tower, Koenji Streets]
Check out Day 25 here.
Day 25 Total Expenditure: JPY3820
Transport: JPY620
Admission: JPY3200

Day 26: Hakone [Open Air Museum, Gora Park, Lake Ashi]
Check out Day 26 here.
Day 26 Total Expenditure: JPY8600
Transport: JPY7400
Admission: JPY1200

Day 27: Hakone and Fuji [Glass Forest, Gotemba Premium Outlet, Lake Kawaguchiko, Music Box Museum]
Check out Day 27 here.
Day 27 Total Expenditure: JPY2660
Transport: JPY760
Admission: JPY1900

Day 28: Enoshima and Kamakura [Iwaya Cave, Enoshima Shrines, Cocking Garden, Sea Candle, Hase-dera, Kotuku-in, Komachi Street]
Check out Day 28 here.
Day 28 Total Expenditure: JPY2990
Transport: JPY1870
Admission: JPY1120

Day 29: Mount Oyama [Oyama-dera, Afuri-Jinja, Mount Oyama Summit]
Check out Day 29 here.
Day 29 Total Expenditure: JPY7000
Transport: JPY7000
Admission: JPY0