Japan's kitchen and Japan's old capital, 15 minutes apart — neon canals, street food, ten thousand torii gates and a golden pavilion
✈ International🛂 Visa — Japan Visa Required💱 ¥
¥266,493
Est. total budget · 2 adults
5
Days
9
Attractions
13
Meals planned
💡 Recommended trip length for Osaka & Kyoto: 5 days — Osaka Castle, Dotonbori and Umeda, two full days in Kyoto for Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji and Higashiyama, plus Nara.
🗓 Prices & visa rules verified: August 2026
1
Arrival Day
Unlock to see details
🔒
2
Day 2 — a free sample of your itinerary
Your unlocked preview day
🍙
08:00
🍙Breakfast
Convenience-store onigiri and coffee, or a hotel Japanese set.
¥818 /person (est.)
🏯
09:35
🏯Osaka Castle & Nishinomaru Garden· Chuo
🕒 09:00–17:00 · Last entry 16:00 · Tower interior is a modern museum with a lift — the exterior and grounds are the real draw. Under-16s enter the tower free.
¥800.00⏱ 2.5 hoursculture
Osaka Castle → Kuromon Ichiba Market
🚇~20 min by Metro · Osakajokoen (JR Loop) → Nippombashi (S17)
🦀
12:25
🦀Kuromon Ichiba Market· Nipponbashi
🕒 09:00–18:00 · Last entry 16:30 · Go before 11:00. Eating while walking is frowned on — most stalls have a counter or a spot to stand and finish.
Free entry⏱ 1.5 hoursshopping
🍜
13:55
🍜Lunch
Ramen, udon, or a kaiten sushi belt.
¥1,799 /person (est.)
🛍
15:10
Free time
A gap in the day — relax, explore the shops, or wander a nearby neighbourhood.
Kuromon Ichiba Market → Dotonbori
🚶~10 min on foot · Nippombashi (S17) → Namba (M20)
🎐
18:00
🎐Dotonbori & Shinsaibashi· Namba
🕒 11:00–23:59 · Last entry 22:00 · Takoyaki and kushikatsu are the local specialities — and never double-dip the kushikatsu sauce, it is a genuine taboo.
Free⏱ 3 hoursnightlife
🍢
21:10
🍢Dinner
Okonomiyaki, takoyaki and kushikatsu in Dotonbori.
¥3,271 /person (est.)
3
Day 3
Unlock to see details
🔒
4
Day 4
Unlock to see details
🔒
5
Departure Day
Unlock to see details
🔒
🔒 You're viewing 1 of 5 days. Unlock to open the other 4 fully-planned days.
✈️Flights¥140,661
Per person · return from India¥70,330
Total · 2 adults¥140,661
🏨Accommodation¥45,797
3-Star hotel · per night (per room)¥11,449
4 nights × 1 room¥45,797
🎭Attractions & Activities¥9,200
Osaka Castle & Nishinomaru Garden¥1,600
Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion¥1,000
Kiyomizu-dera & Higashiyama¥1,000
Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden¥4,000
Nara Day Trip — Todai-ji & Deer Park¥1,600
Total (all pax)¥9,200
🍽️Food & Dining¥50,703
🌅 Breakfast × 4d × 2 pax¥6,542
☀ Lunch × 5d × 2 pax¥17,991
🌙 Dinner × 4d × 2 pax¥26,169
Total food & dining¥50,703
🚇Airport Transfer¥3,880
Nankai line · per person, one way (cheaper than a cab at ¥36,800 for this group)¥970
Airport ⇄ hotel · 2 legs × 2 pax¥3,880
🚇Local Transport¥12,000
Per person · per day (public transit)¥1,200
5 days × 2 pax¥12,000
🛂Visa — Japan Visa Required¥4,253
Entry typeSingle-entry tourist visa — JAPAN eVISA route available to Indian residents
Fee₹1,300 single entry / ₹2,600 multi-entry, plus VFS service charge ₹1,500-2,200
ProcessIndians cannot use the MOFA portal directly — apply through a MOFA-accredited agency or VFS
ProcessingAbout 3-5 working days by eVISA; apply 4-8 weeks ahead in peak season
ValidityStays under 30 days for the eVISA route
TipCherry blossom (late March-April) and autumn colour (November) are the peak application periods — apply early.
Estimated Grand Total
Osaka & Kyoto · 5 days · 2 adults
¥266,493
Your dates, group & final plan set inside the full itinerary.
In your Itinerary
9 attractions
✓ All 9 attractions with descriptions, opening hours & ticket prices. Your personalised day-by-day plan unlocks with the full itinerary.
✓ Day 2
01 / 9
🏯 Osaka Castle & Nishinomaru Garden
Chuo
culture
2.5 hours
🕒 09:00–17:00
A reconstructed white-and-gold keep on massive original stonework, ringed by moats and, in the Nishinomaru garden, six hundred cherry trees.
✓ Day 2
02 / 9
🎐 Dotonbori & Shinsaibashi
Namba
nightlife
3 hours
🕒 11:00–23:59
The Glico Running Man, a canal of neon reflected in black water, mechanical crabs over doorways, and the densest concentration of street food in Japan.
✓ Day 2
03 / 9
🦀 Kuromon Ichiba Market
Nipponbashi
shopping
1.5 hours
🕒 09:00–18:00
Six hundred metres of covered market — scallops grilled in front of you, tuna cut to order, wagyu skewers and fruit priced like jewellery.
04 / 9
⛩ Fushimi Inari Taisha
Kyoto
culture
2 hours
Ten thousand vermilion torii gates winding up a wooded mountainside behind the shrine of the rice god — the full circuit takes two hours and sheds the crowds after twenty minutes.
05 / 9
🏯 Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion
Kyoto
culture
0.75 hours
🕒 09:00–17:00
A three-storey pavilion in gold leaf standing over a still reflecting pond — the most photographed building in Japan, and it earns it.
06 / 9
🍵 Kiyomizu-dera & Higashiyama
Kyoto
culture
2.5 hours
🕒 06:00–18:00
A wooden temple on stilts over a hillside, reached through the preserved lanes of Higashiyama — machiya teahouses, Sannenzaka steps and, if you are lucky, a real geiko.
07 / 9
🌆 Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden
Kita
views
1.5 hours
🕒 09:30–22:30
Two towers joined by a rooftop ring 170 metres up, reached by an escalator suspended through open air — the best sunset in Osaka.
08 / 9
🦌 Nara Day Trip — Todai-ji & Deer Park
Nara
culture
5 hours
🕒 07:30–17:30
Japan's first capital — a 15-metre bronze Buddha in the world's largest wooden building, surrounded by a park of 1,200 bowing sika deer.
09 / 9
🎢 Universal Studios Japan
Konohana
adventure
10 hours
🕒 08:30–21:00
Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, both done better here than almost anywhere — and an all-day queue unless you plan properly.
✓ All 3 stops on your Day 2 route. Unlock to see all 9 attractions mapped across your full itinerary.
✓ All 10 tips — visa, airport transfer & ways to spend less.
🛬
Airport → your hotel
Kansai International Airport (KIX) is about 50 km from Osaka. The Nankai line reaches Namba in 45 min (¥970; the Rapi:t limited express is ¥1,520, ~37 min). For Kyoto, the JR Haruka express runs directly in ~70–80 min (~¥3,000). A taxi into Osaka is ¥15,000–20,000. Add your hotel on the Day-by-Day tab for an exact distance and fare. Verified Jul 2026.
🆘
Emergencies
110 police, 119 fire and ambulance. Japan is exceptionally safe; the bigger risk is a medical bill, so travel insurance is not optional.
📱
SIM & data
Buy a data eSIM before you fly, or pick up a tourist SIM or pocket wifi at Kansai airport. Free wifi is patchy outside stations and convenience stores.
🌤
Best time to visit
Late March to early April for cherry blossom and November for autumn colour — both are spectacular, expensive and extremely crowded. May and October are the quiet sweet spots. July and August are hot and humid; June is the rainy season.
🚄
Getting around
Get an ICOCA or Suica card and tap everywhere — trains, buses, lockers and convenience stores. Osaka to Kyoto is 15 minutes by shinkansen or 30 by Hankyu for a fraction of the price. A JR Pass is NOT worth it for a Kansai-only trip.
💴
Cash still matters
Cards are widely accepted but small restaurants, temples and markets are often cash-only. 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs reliably take foreign cards; many bank ATMs do not.
🛂
Visa for Indians
Indian passport holders need a Japan visa — there is no visa-on-arrival. Since September 2025 the JAPAN eVISA route is open to Indian residents, but applications must go through a MOFA-accredited agency or VFS rather than the MOFA portal directly. Embassy fee ₹1,300 single entry plus ₹1,500-2,200 service charge; decision usually in 3-5 working days. Apply 4-8 weeks ahead for cherry blossom season.
🍢
Food to try
Osaka is Japan's kitchen — takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu and kitsune udon. In Kyoto go for kaiseki, yudofu and matcha. Vegetarians should learn to ask about dashi, which contains fish and is in almost everything.
🤫
Etiquette that matters
No eating while walking, no phone calls on trains, no tipping ever, and take your shoes off where you see a step and a shoe rack. Tattoos may bar you from public baths — check first or use a private onsen.
⛩
Beat the Kyoto crowds
Kyoto is overwhelmed by mid-morning. Start at 06:00-07:00 at Fushimi Inari or Kiyomizu-dera, do the big sights before 10:00, then rest and go out again after 16:00.