Itinerary & Budget Breakdown

Changing the font to Arial for superior reading...

I have the general outline of the trip planned with flexibility to wander a freely a bit.  I'll land in Osaka on March 16th.  Just writing this had in a small panic because I was double checking my flight itinerary and it showed ARRIVAL as 3:35pm Fri March 15th.  I have a hotel reserved for the 16th.  I reassured myself by noting that if I leave San Francisco at 11:25am March 15th, Osaka is 17 hours ahead, so they are most definitely already on the 16th, and no amount of time zone crossing will change that.

So after probably sleeping the first day/night at the hotel, I'll be in Osaka for 2 days.  I don't have any sleep plans for those 2 days, so I'll be winging it.  On the 19th I'm planning on going to Nara.  They have regular trains going there.  After spending a night in Nara and maybe part of the next day I'll head to Kyoto on 20th.  I have a hostile reserved there for 7 days/nights (under $30 a night).  On the 27th I'll spend the full day in Kyoto unless I want to do something else nearby.  I have a night bus booked to Odawara station.  It leaves at 11:50 and gets there at 5:50, so 6 hours of sleep if I can fall asleep on the bus.  There's a regular bus that goes from there to Hakone, which I should only have to wait like 30 minutes for.  I'll spend a day and night in Hakone.  After Hakone I'll take the bus back to Odawara, and from there go to Kamakura, Yokohama, or skip right to Tokyo.  I'm not sure if I want to go to Kamakura or Yokohama yet.  Kamakura is called the "Kyoto of the East" and is known for its shrines, temples, and large bronze Buddha.  Since I'll be coming from Kyoto, not sure I want to spend time there.  Yokohama is a big city, but should be more toned down from Tokyo and might be a good way to transition.  On the 30th I have to be ready at noon at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, which is in the western part of Tokyo.  My next destination is Shinjuku and from there I have a winding path around Tokyo for the next 6 days.  On April 6th my flight leaves Tokyo Haneda airport at 10:40am, layover in Chicago, and lands in Minneapolis on April 6th at 11:48am. 

Itinerary

Mar 15:                 Leave MN via United Airlines

Mar 16:                 Sleep in Osaka hotel

Mar 17-18:            Osaka

Mar 19:                 Nara

Mar 20-27:            Kyoto

Mar 28:                 Hakone

Mar 29:                 Kamakura, Yokohama, Tokyo?

Mar 30-April 5:     Tokyo

April 6:                 Leave JP via United Airlines

Trip Cost & Budget:   $3151.86

Airfare
1419.63
 Paid in advance
Insurance
106
 Paid in advance
Osaka Hotel Day 1
56.07
 Paid in advance
Hitsuji-an Kyoto Hostile
208.58
 Cash during visit
20 days food 
600
 Cash during visit
Misc expenses
600
 Cash during visit
Currency conversion fee
80
 Paid in advance
Ghibli Museum Ticket
9.05
 Paid in advance
Bus Kyoto to Odawara
72.53
 Paid in advance

I estimated a daily cost of $60 with an even split between food and miscellaneous costs. I'm thinking around $6 for breakfast, $9 for lunch, $9 for dinner. The misc category would be entry fees for sites, transportation fees not already accounted for, souvenirs, any hotels or internet cafes I'll be staying at, and laundry. I'll be tracking my money each day. Tokyo in particular is where there are some things I want to throw a little more money at, so hopefully I'll be enough in the green to do them.