Travel2gether

Our trip, on paper ✂

Osaka, Japan

Osaka + Nara in 4 days

Apr 1–Apr 4, 2027 · 3 nights · 4 travelers

Osaka at cherry-blossom time: street food in Dōtonbori, the castle park in bloom, sunset from the Floating Garden, and a day with the bowing deer of Nara — or Universal Studios, if that's your group. Tap any slot to swap it.

🛂 Visa required for a PH passport — Tourist visa needed, usually filed through an accredited travel agency; a limited eVisa scheme has been expanding.

Day 1 — Land, then eat your way down Dōtonbori

Thu · Apr 1, 2027

18°/9°C — Mild days, cool nights — a light jacket after dark.

13:40Land at Kansai Airport (KIX)

Immigration and bags, then pick up an ICOCA card for trains and the metro.

14:45Train to Namba

Pick: Nankai rapi:t limited express · JPY 1,430

16:00Check in — Namba

Namba has three train lines, Dōtonbori, Kuromon Market and the Shinsaibashi arcades within walking distance — and the train to Nara.

17:30Hōzenji Yokochō

A lantern-lit stone alley around a tiny temple whose Fudō statue is covered in moss — visitors splash it with water for luck.

18:15Dōtonbori food crawl

The canal, the neon, the Glico running man on Ebisu bridge. Share as you go.

Pick: Takoyaki + okonomiyaki crawl · JPY 1,500–2,500

20:30Tombori River Walk + Shinsaibashi

The canal-side boardwalk, then the covered Shinsaibashi-suji arcade, open late.

The fast train from the airport drops you in Namba, where the hotel is. The evening is Osaka's favourite pastime: kuidaore — eat until you drop.

Day 2 — Castle in bloom, Shinsekai, the Floating Garden

Fri · Apr 2, 2027

18°/9°C — Picnic weather if it's dry. Hanami spots get packed at lunchtime and on weekends.

09:00Osaka Castle Park

Pick: Nishinomaru Garden + walk the moats · JPY 200–300

12:00Hanami picnic lunch

Convenience-store onigiri, karaage and strawberry sandwiches under the trees — this is what locals do in blossom season.

14:00Shinsekai + Tsūtenkaku

Osaka's retro 1910s neighbourhood of neon, pachinko and kushikatsu shops under the Tsūtenkaku tower. Climb the tower for the lucky Billiken statue, or just walk Janjan Yokochō.

17:30Umeda Sky Building — Floating Garden

The open-air rooftop ring between two towers. Stay through sunset (~18:20) as the city lights come on.

19:30Dinner in Umeda

Under the tracks at Umeda there are izakaya alleys; the Hankyu and Daimaru food floors for anything else.

Thousands of cherry trees around Osaka Castle in the morning, retro Shinsekai for kushikatsu, and the city lights from 173 metres up at sunset.

Day 3 — Nara — the deer and the Great Buddha

Sat · Apr 3, 2027

18°/7°C — Nara's park is big and open — sun hat and water. A degree or two cooler in the morning than Osaka.

07:45Your day

Pick: Nara day trip · JPY 1,360

08:30Nara Park and the deer

Around 1,000+ free-roaming deer, seen as messengers of the gods. Buy crackers from the licensed stalls only.

09:15Tōdai-ji — the Great Buddha

A 15-metre bronze Buddha in one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. Squeeze through the hole in a pillar the size of the Buddha's nostril for good luck (there's a queue).

11:00Kasuga Taisha

Through the forest to the vermilion shrine famous for its 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns. The inner cloister is a small extra fee.

12:30Lunch in Naramachi

Pick: Kakinoha-zushi · JPY 1,200–1,800

14:30Back to Osaka — Kuromon or a rest

Kintetsu back to Namba. Rest, or browse Den Den Town (anime, figures, retro games) before dinner.

18:30Last big dinner

Yakiniku, a conveyor-belt sushi, or back to Dōtonbori for whatever you missed on Day 1.

Forty minutes from Namba: the bowing deer of Nara Park, the giant bronze Buddha in the world's largest wooden hall, and a forest shrine of 3,000 lanterns.

Day 4 — Kuromon breakfast, last shopping, home

Sun · Apr 4, 2027

18°/9°C — Mostly covered markets and arcades — a good day if it rains.

08:00Checkout — bags held at the hotel

08:30Kuromon Market breakfast

Pick: Graze the stalls · JPY 1,500–2,500

10:30Pasalubong run

Pick: Don Quijote Dōtonbori · JPY 5,000–10,000

14:00Collect bags → rapi:t to KIX

Board ~15:00, arrive ~15:40.

18:30Fly home to Manila

Lands around 21:45. Trip complete.

Breakfast at "Osaka's kitchen", the pasalubong run on Shinsaibashi-suji, and the rapi:t to KIX by 15:00.

Budget worksheet

Item		Amount
Transpo		JPY 56,860
Round-trip airfare	MNL ⇄ KIX, sakura season	JPY 45,000
PH travel tax + terminal fee		JPY 5,000
rapi:t both ways		JPY 2,860
IC card — metro + Nara train		JPY 4,000
Accommodation		JPY 27,000
Hotel in Namba	sakura-season rate, quad ÷ 4 × 3 nights	JPY 27,000
Meals		JPY 18,000
Per diem	~¥1,500 / meal × 3 × 4 days · per person	JPY 18,000
Rail & entry		JPY 4,000
Castle, Umeda Sky, Tōdai-ji, deer crackers		JPY 4,000
Shopping		JPY 10,000
Pasalubong	Don Quijote, Shinsaibashi	JPY 10,000
Insurance		JPY 2,500
Travel insurance		JPY 2,500
Communication		JPY 1,500
eSIM	~4 days	JPY 1,500
Visa		JPY 6,000
Japan visa via accredited agency	PH passport	JPY 6,000
Total		JPY 125,860