Japan Travel in a Month. Anyone/Sites That Can Do It for a Fee? Lotsa Question in Post

PVA on 22/01/2025 - 16:24

Weird title I guess.
But, anyway, there’s 3 adults wanting to go to Osaka between 19th Feb and 3rd Mar .. 10 days in there somewhere. From Brisbane or Gold Coast.
Been to a travel agent and they are vague and just telling us exactly the same costs if I search on Jetstars site. I found heaps cheaper flights on Beat That Flight ..

We want a cheap holiday , I know time is not on our side for big bargains. Is there any site/people that can do the search for a fee … I though there used to be (vague memory from a while back).

So really flights and accommodation recommendations.. hoping for a holiday with total cost (travel accom and all other things like food and trains etc) to be under $5k per person .

Is that doable or just a stupid idea?

Or any one know a good travel agent on the Gold Coast for us.?

Travel Asia Japan

Comments

  • boomramada on 22/01/2025 - 16:29

    What is the cheapest deal you found so far? have you tried google ? ie https://www.google.com/search?q=flight+aggregators

    • mskeggs on 22/01/2025 - 16:32
      +1

      If you paypal boomramada $100 they will sort you out.

    • PVA on 22/01/2025 - 16:58

      I am just a bit scared doing the wrong thing … or missing something we should have..

      Flights at Jetstar were near $1600, Cathy are $1100 (maybe not), China Air $1107.

      Accom … https://www.skyscanner.com.au/hotels/japan/osaka-hotels/the-…
      $131 pn . This looked ok, in an ok area … but then again I have no idea what’s a good location. Cheapest accom at Helloworld (they didn’t say what hotel just that it’s close to Osaka station??) is $450 a night

      • boomramada on 22/01/2025 - 17:19

        One would be direct, the other would be via HK or China, I think you should find a travel agent.

        https://www.google.com/search?q=travel+agent+near+me

      • Daabido on 22/01/2025 - 19:19
        +2

        That looks like one single bed and the dreaded Japanese semi-double. Bigger than a single, smaller than a double. Very uncomfortable for two people.

      • icejester on 22/01/2025 - 23:45
        +1

        Yea Namba is a good area, Umeda or Shinsaibashi is good also
        Your hotel seems fine

        Generally a good way to search is go for 3/4 star hotels on booking.com with rating >8.0

        Cathay and China Air prices seem pretty good for last minute flights

      • Lukian on 23/01/2025 - 14:25

        The booking timeframe is too late/too close to the flight dates for cheap flights to Japan.

        Cathy are $970-1020 per person depending where you book. Bit of a long layover in Hong-Kong airport on the way back, but it's daytime thankfully and not too hard to occupy yourself in a nice airport for several hours.
        https://www.google.com/travel/flights/s/bs5Q876v6BqqDeU86

        Jetstar are $965 no stopovers to Tokyo (outbound) and long multi-stop on the way back or via Cairns ($1300) or Qantas non-stop ($1597).

        10 days in Osaka is plentiful, but you'll ideally be day tripping to Kyoto (possibly 2-3 days) and Nara.

        10 days is enough to do a Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto trip too.
        Eg. https://insideosaka.com/osaka-kyoto-tokyo-10-day-itinerary/

        For accommodation: Are you okay sharing a room or need seperate rooms (2 or 3)? & Is anyone asthmatic or smoke-sensitive? (Japanese accommodation isn't guaranteed to be smoke-free, but you can filter search listings).

        If you're after some really budget/cheap accommodation - single room airbnbs for 3 people/2-3 beds in Chuo ward, Osaka start at $70-90 per night. (Walking distance to Dotonbori).

  • scrimshaw on 22/01/2025 - 17:21

    Is there any site/people that can do the search for a fee … I though there used to be (vague memory from a while back).

    No longer a thing when you have search engines that are doing most of the heavy lifting.

    Some flights are much cheaper than others but there's usually a catch. For e.g China Eastern airlines BNE - KIX is pretty cheap at $907 but you have to take into account that there is a long layover at Pudong Shanghai on the way there, so while you might have saved $100 per person on the tickets, you will be spending some of those savings on accomodation at Shanghai. Which can be affordable or expensive depending on availability. The Jetstar direct flight from BNE to KIX is priced at $1,011 and this is would be preferable if you don't want to waste a day in Shanghai.

    On Google Flights the search page will display a ⚠︎ on the flight if there is a long layover.

    • PVA on 22/01/2025 - 18:40

      What about China Airline, not China Eastern .. flights with them are less than 2 hours stopover.

      Jetstar direct would be perfect , but find zero at the price you say.

      • scrimshaw on 22/01/2025 - 18:59

        you will get much better options if you opt to do a multi-city trip, instead of leaving Japan from Osaka, consider taking the trip via Shinkansen to Haneda or Narita airport to fly to BNE. This is called an open jaw ticket

        Just go to Google flights page and instead of picking "round trip", pick "multi-city" instead.

        Then search for flights BNE -> KIX and NRT -> BNE
        or HND -> BNE as alternative option.

      • freefall101 on 22/01/2025 - 19:04

        Might have been jetstar one way and not the other. I can see $1,280 though, which isn't far off, or it's just timing

  • Daabido on 22/01/2025 - 19:29
    +1

    I always stay in Shinsaibashi. I get the cheap Limousine Bus to and from Kansai Airport.

    MyStay hotels are the sweet point between dirt cheap dives and expensive hotels. They are all around the country.
    https://www.google.com/search?q=mystays+shinsaibash

    It's also a one minute walk to Mos Burger. Osaka is a food lover's paradise.

    Japan is cheap at the moment. You will have a great time within that budget. Fly direct if you can. You're worth it.

    Whirlpool has an extensive Japan travel thread;
    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/91qpmyx9-33

    • PVA on 22/01/2025 - 21:28

      Is 10 days or so too long to stay at Osaka? Not really wanting to rail to Tokyo but if there’s other easy to get to places…

      • Sweet3st on 22/01/2025 - 21:36

        There will be other places nearby such as Kyoto and Nara. Easy to get to by train and definitely worthwhile if a bit touristy. Koyasan is special and not too far.

      • scrimshaw on 22/01/2025 - 21:38
        +1

        You can use Osaka as a hub to travel to other places. Kyoto is only 30 minutes by train and will take a few days to fully explore. Nara and Kobe also very close by. Uji is also a hot spot for internal tourism.

        • PVA on 23/01/2025 - 10:36

          Thanks.

          Looks like we just buy flights and accommodation and take it from there when we arrive.
          I’m not really the type that want to pre book things here and hoping (maybe) Feb is a little out of season … but will still be crazy busy anyway .. at least not hot and sweaty.

  • plmko on 22/01/2025 - 19:38

    Lol organising a trip to Osaka a month before World Expo

    Good luck. The cheap stuff is all gone.

    • PVA on 22/01/2025 - 21:03

      Ah, didn’t know that.

      • Sweet3st on 22/01/2025 - 21:38
        +2

        The expo isn't until April.

  • Hardlyworkin on 22/01/2025 - 19:40

    Buy a guidebook and do some quick study. Otherwise there are a million online sites. Book the cheapest flights that work for you. Look at an example itinerary. Book hotels based on that itinerary. Buy a rail pass (not sure they are as good as they use to be) or travel as you go. I don't believe it's peak season so all very do able.

    • scrimshaw on 22/01/2025 - 20:53
      +2

      Rail passes have massively increased in price last year, you can use online fare calculators to work out whether buying a pass will save you money, but in most scenarios it will end up being more expensive than buying tickets seperately.

      • petestrash on 23/01/2025 - 00:32
        +1

        That's only the nationwide JR pass. There are plenty of regional passes that still make sense. Check JR west website for a list of regional passes in the area being visited. https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/ It can be quite affordable if you want to venture outside of the Osaka/Kyoto area.

  • Sweet3st on 22/01/2025 - 20:16

    Google Flights + Booking.com. Second Shinsaibashi in Osaka, very central to sights. I always get hotel breakfast in Japan, they do the most amazing buffets!

    • Sweet3st on 22/01/2025 - 20:42

      Google Flights has Brisbane-Osaka return on Jetstar for those dates at $1281. Check Jetstar website and don't forget to allow for baggage.

  • icejester on 22/01/2025 - 23:46

    Accommodation in Japan is very reasonable even with last minute bookings not like here in Aus where even with lots of rooms remaining places charge 2-3x for last minute bookings for hotels and flights

  • petestrash on 23/01/2025 - 01:04
    +1

    Your budget of 5K each is easily doable if your willing to compromise on the size of your rooms, and you don't go crazy on sprits or other things that are expensive there.

    I'm going for 2.5 weeks in may with the same PP budget.

    We managed to get flights with Cathay for $700, but Cathay can still be had for just under $1000 on your dates, if you're happy with a long layover on the return trip, but that also means you get to break your return journey spend some time in Hong Kong without paying for a hotel and get better arrival times into Osaka than Jetstar gives you, not to mention you're not flying Jetstar.

    Are you looking to all stay in one room, two, or 3 singles?

    Hotel rooms in Osaka and Kyoto have become more expensive the last few years due to the surge in tourism from the US due to the weak Yen and strong Dollar. We normally stay in business hotel chains that are within a 5 minute walk of a train station. Then do a google street view of the area and see if your're happy with the location.

    We budget $150 a night, and have managed to bet that in 6 out of the 7 stays we have. The only one over was Kyoto which was $175 a night, but we are staying in part of the Kyoto station complex with a good breakfast.

    We normally book rooms with cancellation as the rate can come down or offer free breakfast etc if they are not full. Rarely works in the tourist areas these days, but if your happy in the older parts of town like near Dobutsuen-mae Station, these are less used by foreign tourists and often drop in price closer to the date.

    https://travel.rakuten.com/aus/en-us/ is having a bit of a sale at the moment you may find something there that suits your needs.

  • GnarlyKnuckles on 23/01/2025 - 02:14
    -1

    If you want a cheap holiday, why have you picked the most expensive country in Asia to 'holiday' in? For 5k, you could have an absolutely sensational holiday in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, et al.

    Forget Japan, if you want value for money.

    Holidaying in Japan will cost you way more than it costs you to simply exist day-to-day here in Australia, and you will encounter some 'passive/soft racism'. By that I mean, for example, that you will tend to be ushered to the very back of the restaurant (where you can not be seen from the window), numerous cabs you try to hail will simply ignore you, Karaoke places/etc. will tell you they are 'full'; when clearly they are not … and so on.

    If you want to have a nice time with your friends in Asia 'on a budget', go to a different Asian country—not Japan.

    • Lukian on 23/01/2025 - 13:23

      There's an app for cabs. I personally haven't encountered any of what you've mentioned in a previous 2 week + 3 week trip to Japan.

  • Nutrino on 23/01/2025 - 07:57
    -1

    I do research for you. Fi hundred and fitty dola. You pay NAW…

    • PVA on 23/01/2025 - 10:31

      😀

  • Lastchancetosee on 23/01/2025 - 08:36

    We did a Mycruises 10day tour in September last year with flight + all internal travel + accommodation + breakfasts + 1 or 2 dinners for $4999, so might be worth checking their offers.

    • idboys on 23/01/2025 - 13:24

      $4999 each or per couple?

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