We still remember the excitement we felt while planning our 23-day Japan trip. The thrill began when we scored our roundtrip flights from Manila to Narita via Cebu Pacific during their seat sale for Tokyo. I (Laarni) have always loved staying up late, eagerly waiting for announcements of seat sales from different airlines. It’s become a bit of a ritual for me—trying to snag those discounted fares every single time.
And guess what? It paid off! We managed to book our flights for just Php 7,445 (USD 130) with one checked baggage (20 kg) included each. Staying up late was definitely worth it! 😊
As a U.S. citizen, Kevin didn’t need a visa to travel to Japan for up to 90 days, but as a Philippine passport holder, I had to apply for one. So, I gathered all the necessary documents and submitted them to UHI in Makati. The cost was Php 1,500 (USD 26) for a multiple-entry visa.
A recent update is that the Japan Visa Application Centre (JVAC) in the Philippines will begin accepting visa applications starting April 7, 2025. It’s better to check the official websites for the new process!
Things We Booked Before Our Japan Trip
Accommodation
Japan offers a wide range of budget-friendly hotels, and we were keen on finding the best options for our Japan trip. One chain we relied on was Sotetsu Fresa Inn, which has several locations across Japan. The room sizes vary depending on the location, with the Sotetsu Fresa Inn in Sendai offering more spacious basic rooms compared to the ones in Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nihombashi-Kayabacho in Tokyo.
When booking budget hotels, it’s important to keep expectations in check—most rooms are small and designed for basic needs like a bed, toilet, shower, a table and chair, and a small free space.
My golden rule when traveling is this: if I won’t be spending much time in my room and only need it for sleeping, I don’t book a fancy one. As long as it’s safe, I’m all for budget travel!
But, we did splurge on one luxurious place in Kyoto—**Nazuna Kyoto Nijo-jo**. The traditional Japanese-style rooms were so beautiful that I didn’t want to leave. It was incredibly relaxing and a real highlight of our trip.
Here’s a list of where we stayed:
- Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nihombashi-Kayabacho (Tokyo)
- Sotetsu Fresa Inn Sendai (Sendai)
- Kizuna Lodge (Nagano)
- Naniwa-Ku Osaka-Shi (Osaka)
- Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyoto-Shijokarasuma (Kyoto)
- Nazuna Kyoto Nijo-jo (Kyoto)
- Fuji Hotel (Kyoto)
Tours & JR Pass
We booked our tours and JR passes via Klook. It’s a great platform, and sometimes they offer promotions or discounted rates, so we made sure to keep an eye on those deals.
For tickets to places like the Studio Ghibli Museum, you can purchase them directly from the museum’s website or at Lawson convenience stores once you arrive in Japan. Unluckily, we weren’t able to get one! 🙁 All gone!
Others
We didn’t bother with a SIM card or pre-paid phone plan since Japan has so many free Wi-Fi spots. Plus, Kevin used his Google Fi, which worked out perfectly.
Another important step we didn’t overlook for our Japan trip was travel insurance. I never travel internationally without it because you just never know what could happen during your trip.
And finally, our itinerary. Planning a 23-day Japan trip might sound like a lot of time, but trust me—there were still so many things we couldn’t fit in. This was our first time traveling to Japan together, though we’d each visited before on separate trips. Despite the long list of activities we had planned, we quickly learned that Japan has so much to offer; you’ll always find more to do than you could ever fit into a single trip.
We will be posting our detailed 23-day Japan trip itinerary soon! 