I love Japan!  The mix of beautiful gardens and nature, rich culture, high tech stuff, cool weather, good food and kind people makes it my best place to visit in Asia.  Here is my recommended Day 1 (complete with expense breakdown) of backpack trip to Japan with the fam.

My family of 8 (including extended family - I don't have 6 kids) took the Cebu Pacific flight that arrives Osaka at 8pm.  Everyone was excited but still fell asleep on the 4-hour plane ride.

Cebu Pacific flights are cheaper by almost P2,000/person.  And since there were 8 of us traveling,  that translated to P16,000 savings.

MONEY CHANGER:

Change your money at the airport if you haven't in the Philippines.  A fellow Pinoy traveler said we should have exchanged in the Philippines because the rate is better.  As for our experience,  money changers in Osaka are hard to find and if you do find them the rate is not as good as the airport, so change at the airport.  Money changers in Tokyo and Kyoto are plentiful but rates are still better at the airport.

WHERE TO STAY:

We stayed at Hotel Monterey in Namba, Osaka. It is a luxury hotel for only P 6,000/night.  The hotel resembles an Austrian royal palace and it has a magnificent view of Namba.   It has a full grocery just nearby that sells wonderfully prepared packaged meals.

Since it was already 9:30pm when we got to Hotel Monterey, we decided to just get packaged food for dinner.  And because it was late, most were between 30-50% off (most groceries do discounts after 9pm)!  Food in Japan is all good - fine dining, fast food, vendo or packaged!

The must-go-to Shinsaibashi strip is a 6 minute walk from Hotel Monterey.  However,  if you love Zara, Uniqlo and Gu they are at the opposite end of Shinsaibashi and is a 10-15 minute from the hotel.  If you are planning some major shopping on these brands,  look for hotels at the Shinsaibashi area.  If you are not too finicky about rooms with a smell of cigarette you can try Hearton Hotel, Shinsaibashi.  I stayed there during my 2010 visit and the location is fantastic (3-5 mins walk to brands and Shinsaibashi station) but the hotel has that cigarette smoke smell:(

HOW TO GET TO NAMBA:

From Kansai Airport head to the train station and purchase a Nankai Airport Express ticket to Namba (50 minute train ride).

EXPENSES IN US $ AND PESO PER PERSON (room rate though is twin sharing):

Note:  Charges or routes may differ at your time of travel.  Please just use this as your general guide.  For exact time of train departures and arrivals,  please use Hyperdia.com.  Just input the destinations in TheGoMom's guide (be careful of spelling - misspelled destinations will result in area not found).

Click this for my Day 2 Post - 8-Day Backpack Tour of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka: Day 2 Tokyo (Harajuku, Shibuya, Pre-loved bag Shopping etc)

Travel Happy!