Japan Travel Itineraries

Thinking about visiting Japan? Brilliant choice! But let’s be real – figuring out where to go, what to see, and how long to spend in each place can feel very overwhelming – there’s just so much to see and do! Whether you’re dreaming of a short but sweet one week visit, exploring a bit deeper with a two week adventure, or fully immersing yourself in Japan over three weeks (which is what we did!), I’ve got you covered with a variety of ideas for your Japan Travel Itineraries.

Our Three Week Japan Travel Itinerary

We have wanted to visit Japan for as long as I can remember. We actually had to cancel a trip we had planned pre-pandemic (cheers COVID). So when we finally got the chance to go, we knew we had to make it count – especially if we were going to endure the long and painful flight there.

When it came to booking our flights, we played around with different dates because prices can be wild. Like, literally doubling in price from one day to the next. Flight-wise, it actually worked out £400 cheaper for us to stay three weeks instead of two… so that pretty much made the decision for us. Longer trip and cheaper flights? Sorted!

How much does three weeks in Japan cost?!

A lot of you want to know what we spent so I spent a long (and eye opening) afternoon working it out for you! I understand it is interesting to have an idea, but take it with a pinch of salt. As with all trips, they can be as expensive or as budget friendly as you want them to be. Our flights were £1800 but could have been £4000, based on one choice to have a stop over. You have choices like this throughout the whole trip which can double, triple and quadruple the total cost.

This was a dream trip for us and we didn’t scrimp on the accommodation. There were always cheaper options but also much more lavish options, i’d say our trip would be classed as mid range.

Main considerations when budgeting:

• Flights
• Accommodation
• Transport
• Food
• Attractions
• Extras (Souvenirs, eSim, insurance etc)

Flights and accommodation will make up the biggest chunk of your spend. Transport can be expensive if you are visiting a lot of places like we did and using the bullet train. Food is very affordable and although you can spend a lot here, there are tons of really affordable and delicious options. Attractions can be expensive, but I really wouldn’t recommend booking too many of these. I’ll talk about the big theme parks below, but the most interesting part of Japan is just being in Japan. Exploring the streets, the shrines, the food, the culture – everywhere we went was fascinating and looking back, the highlights were actually things that cost the least.

Where we stayed (with prices)

Just a heads up – we travelled during a peak tourist season. April is one of the most popular times to visit Japan thanks to the cherry blossom season, and as you’d expect, prices go up. Accommodation, flights, and even some attractions can be more expensive around this time. The prices mentioned below will likely be higher than you’ll find in quieter months.

3 nts Tokyo – £473 – Tokyu Stay Aoyama Premier

This is a very central hotel close to the popular area of Shibuya and close to Meiji Shrine. It is just around the corner from a metro stop and has a variety of supermarkets and shops near by (we used the 7/11 for breakfast each morning). The rooms are tiny, but the view incredible. We were on the 14th floor and had an excellent view of the city.

3 nts Kyoto – £600 – Kyo-machiya Stay Fushimi Inari

We wanted to stay in a traditional house and this place was amazing. Note that the £600 was our families portion of the stay only. The house has 4 bedrooms and sleeps 12 people. We shared the cost with my brother and his family, plus my parents. This house would only really be ideal if you are a big family or travelling as a group. The price we paid did seem to be extortionate, as you can get the whole house for £800 for 3 nights in June! I do a house tour on my instagram story (See Japan Highlight) and it is beautiful. It’s a 2 minute walk to Fushimi Inari shrine making it easy to get there before the crowds.

2 nts Osaka – £387 – Hotel Keihan Universal Tower

We were basically visiting Osaka for Universal, so it made sense to stay in a hotel near the park. This is a fantastic option, the entrance to the hotel is on Universal’s Citywalk – the avenue where all the shops and restaurants are leading up to the park gates. A great location if you plan to get to the park early to queue. (I talk more about Universal Studios here and share more hotel recommendations).

The rooms are clean and spacious and there are rooms that sleep up to 8 people. Ask for a room with a park view if you want to get the kids excited! You get tickets for a free welcome drink on arrival, which we got really excited about. We were quite disappointed to find it was a cup of tea, coffee or soft drink (and not good coffee either!) There is a great all you can eat buffet on the top floor with fab views.

2 nts Kobe – £140 – Toyoko Inn JR Kobe Station Kita

This was the cheapest place we stayed during the whole trip. Toyoko Inn is a chain of business hotels in Japan, you’ll find them throughout the country at very low prices. Think Premier Inn level of clean but basic. Our room had a fridge, a kettle, a safe, a TV. Breakfast was also included in this price (Think soup, noodles, bread and egg).

The location was perfect. Close to public transport and walking distance to Harbour land. If you want a cheap and basic base in Kobe, this is a great shout. One thing to be aware of is a lot of the rooms are smoking rooms,

Be aware that it is very common to bed share with children in Japan. This hotel will let you book a twin room, like the one in the picture below, for a family of 4. Consider booking two rooms if you will need the space.

2 nts Hiroshima – £178 – Celine Kanayama Building

This 2 bedroom apartment was a bargain. It was shared between my parents and our family, so the £178 was our portion. The beds are SO comfy, probably one of the best sleeps i’ve ever had. Each bedroom has two double beds, so there is tons of space. There are also two bathrooms, so great for privacy if travelling with another family. The only down side I can think of is that it is on the 4th floor, with no lift. Absolutely fine if you are fully mobile, but could be an issue for some people.

It is walking distance to all of the main attractions in Hiroshima, and just around the corner from an amazing Okonomiyaki restaurant. There is a small playground by the river and another just across the bridge as you walk towards the main station.

3 nts Kanazawa – £262 – Tmark City Kanazawa

We booked a triple room here and it was well enough room for our family (two adults, a 6 year old and a baby). The hotel is lovely and modern and in a great location. We were walking distance to all of the main sites and had lots of good restaurants around us.

5 nts Tokyo – £840 – Minn Kasai

For our final 5 nights in Tokyo we wanted somewhere with a fair bit of space, not the easiest thing to find in Tokyo without spending a fortune. These one bedroom apartments were a great find. They are well located for the Disney Parks and close to a station for accessing central Tokyo. We organised a day trip to Mount Fuji and the apartments were central enough to be included in the pick up.

Each apartment had a double bed and a bunk bed. The kitchen was well equiped and meant we could save money with a supermarket shop. There is a large supermarket just across the road, a 7/11 a 2 minute walk away plus lots of restaurants to choose from in the surrounding area. The Italian restaurant just across the road is brilliant. We have eaten lots of Italian food around the world, and this was excellent. They had activities for kids, high chairs and a yummy menu.

Total accommodation spend for the three weeks: £2,880

How much did we spend on our three week trip?

Flights: £1,800

Accommodation: £2,880

Transport: £689

Theme Parks: £837

7/11 and fast food: £207.96

Other attractions: £378.10

• Teamlab Borderless (£21 per adult. £8 for Leo – £50)
• Shibuya Sky (£18 per adult – free for under 6 – £36)
• Pokemon Cafe (We paid £7 each for someone to get us entry when it was sold out – £21)
• Day trip to mount Fuji – £360 for six people (£240 for our family – my parents paid £120)
• Osaka Castle (£3 per adult – free if under 15 – £6 total)
• Orizuru Tower (Hiroshima) – £11 per adult, £3.10 for age 4-5 (£25.10)

Total spend for the above: £6,792.06 for our family of 4

It will be slightly more than this as we had a couple of nice meals outside of the fast food and supermarket spends which are included above but we paid in cash so I can’t quote exact prices for these. It isn’t too useful for me to quote food exactly, as we will all eat differently.

To give you an idea of food spends, a supermarket breakfast (coffee and pastry, would be around £6 for us all), a sit down dinner for our family would cost around £30 with beers. Grabbing lunch in a market would cost around £10-15 for us all. As I have mentioned before, food can be as budget friendly or as expensive as your choices dictate.

Final Thoughts on Japan Travel Itineraries

Whether you’ve got one week or three, Japan offers something for every type of traveller. Our own experience showed us that with a bit of clever planning, Japan doesn’t have to break the bank – and it can be an unforgettable family adventure. As you can see above, we spent A LOT of money, but, we got a lot of value for what we spent. And that is the key to budget travel, scrimping when you can (hello 8 hour stopover…) so you have extra cash for things that matter.

Hopefully, our itinerary and budget breakdowns help you plan your perfect Japan travel itinerary!