Japan Trip 5/4-12/4: Osaka-Kyoto Itinerary 2014

My very first trip to Japan and also the longest trip I ever went since I started my travel journey. I went to Osaka and Kyoto during the Sakura season which is also the most peak of the peak season in the country. In this post I will list down all the places I went during my 8 days stay in Japan, a good reference to those who planning your trip to Japan!

Transport:
I have booked my flight ticket one year ago from Malaysia Airlines promotion to Osaka. It is a very good deal at that time compare to AirAsia. I managed to book the flight ticket for RM899 per person only including free meal and 30kg of baggage (which is quite enough for a person).

For the transportation in Kyoto and Osaka, basically we only need to travel using the public transport like bus and subway. We bought the ICOCO and HARUKA pass and used it during our whole trip. I will explain more on the public transport in the next post.

Hotel:
We booked the hotel 4 months in advance however due to the peak season most of the hotels were taken up and we only left limited choices. I would recommend to book at least 6 months in advance if you would travel during the sakura season.

In Kyoto, we booked the chain hotel- APA Hotel Kyoto-Eki-Horikawadori for JPY 54,000 (3 nights-around RM586 per night) and in Osaka, we booked Namba Oriental Hotel for JPY 56,000 (4 nights) which is around RM455 per night. Both hotels were just within 5 minutes walk to the subway station which I found it very convenient for us to travel around. I booked both hotels from Booking.com and I personally quite like to use Booking.com because it allows cancellation for free unlike Agoda. It is expensive to travel during the sakura season as accommodation price will go up 3-4 times compare to normal days. 

Places to visit:

We reached Osaka airport and took JR train to Kyoto. We started our trip in Kyoto for 4 days 3 nights and end the trip in Osaka for 5 days 4 nights before we depart back to Kuala Lumpur. I would recommend to start your trip in Kyoto because there isn't any airport in Kyoto for you to travel back and you will still need to travel to Osaka to catch a flight back to your home country. 

Here are the places I visited during my trip:

Kyoto:

1. Fushimi Inari Shrine

2. Nishiki Market

3. Kyoto Station & Kyoto Tower

4. Maruyama Park

5. Kodaiji Temple

6. Kiyomizu-dera Temple

7. Sagano Scenic Railway

8. Bamboo Groves

9. Tenryuji Temple

10. Togetsukyo Bridge 

11. BIC Camera

Osaka:

1. Dotonbori

2. Osaka Aqurium

3. Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade

4. Den Den town

5. Osaka Castle

6. Tsutenkaku Tower and Shinsekai

7. Universal Studio Japan

8. HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel

9. Yodobashi Camera

10. Kuromon Market

Food:

There are variety of food in Japan like Japanese food, Chinese food, Western food, Italian food and many more. The price is around JYP 800 to JYP 3000 for mid-range restaurant. For the Japanese fast-food, it is around JYP 400-JYP 600 where you will see a vending machine outside the shop. Just slot in the money and press your choice of food then get the receipt and give it to the counter to order. However, all vending machine is written in Japanese only, it is hard for non-Japanese to make order. Besides, if you are a fan of Sashimi, I would recommend to go to their local wet market (Nishiki Market and Kuromon Market) in the morning for fresh Sashimi at lower price.

Here are the extension posts:

• Japan Trip 5/4-12/4: Travel from Osaka Airport to Kyoto- ICOCO & Haruka Pass
• Kyoto Day 1: Kyoto Station- Fushimi Inari Shrine-Nishiki Market
• Kyoto Day 2: Higashiyama District: Kiyomizu-dera Temple-Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka- Kodaiji Temple-Maruyama Park
• Kyoto Day 3: Arashiyama District: Sagano Scenic Railway-Bamboo Groves-Tenryuji Temple-Togetsukyo Bridge-Kyoto Tower
• Osaka Day 1: Kuromon Ichiba-Osaka Aquarium-Dotonbori
• Osaka Day 2: Part 1- Kuromon Market
• Osaka Day 2-Part 2: Osaka Castle,Tsutenkaku Tower and Shinsekai
• Osaka Day 3: Universal Studio Japan
• Osaka Day 4: Umeda ( Our last day in Japan)