mrwunrfl

I think that inquiring in advance about reserved seat availability, without buying, is not worthwhile. You can buy the reserved seat in advance or at the last minute or take the risk of standing in an unreserved car.

When you board at Kyoto station there will be quite a few people getting off. Worst case, I think, is that you stand for the short ride to Nagoya where a lot of people will get off and then you snag a seat.

If you do take the shinkansen or limited express TO Odawara then you likely will get a seat. Tokyo (if you board there) is the terminal station, so the train will be empty when it arrives. The short Odawara to Tokyo trip on JR is where your risk of standing is highest, I believe, because there won't be a lot of people getting there so any standers would have dibs on any empty seats. It might actually be difficult to get a reserved seat for that trip as they would be taken by people who boarded at stations before Odawara. That would be the one reserved seat that I would definitely get in advance (that is, if I took that train, which I wouldn't),

Unless money is really tight then go ahead and get a reserved seat so that you can make the trip more enjoyable.

mjs

Took the Odakyu romance car trip last week. The trip is not particularly scenic but does give a nice look at some of the countryside although mostly you are going through suburbs. I should add that I also feel that way about most of the train rides in Europe and I have done probably 6 months worth over the years. Price to my memory was about 5200 yen round trip plus another 300-750 yen extra each way for the romance car with reserved seats. This includes the Hakone free pass for travel around Hakone. I think the total was about low 6000's per person rt. The romance car has two advantages. First, there are no transfers. Second it is a bit faster, maybe 20 minutes. Third, you have a reserved seat. There are two ticket offices for Odayku at the Shinjuku station where you begin your journey, one on the west side and one on the east side.
Agree with someotherguy about food. Easy to eat out in Japan for 700-1200 yen. My costs maybe a bit higher as I like Shrimp. My typical meals are Tendon (tempura shrimp over rice), Tempura soba (tempura shrimp over noodles), Char su ramen (pork over noodles), Tonkatsu (battered freed pork with rice), and Yakisoba (pan fried noodles). I often east sushi sourced from the department store food halls. IMHO they are better than Harrods and Bon Marche.
You can save money for sushi and other freshly prepared foods in the department stores starting at around an hour before closing which is usually around 8pm as they will mark down their foods 30-50%. Will sometimes splurge for a top Tempura restaurant for about $150/person or a top Sushi restaurant for about $300/person.

ClementineLdn

Hey guys,

Thanks for the input. I've been looking into my budget a bit more.

So far I have

34848 yen for accommodation
24140 for transport (one overnight bus, one shinkansen trip, one Hakone free pass)
40,000 yen for food (based on 4000 yen/day)

Which so far is 98988 yen for the 10 days. Does this sound right? I was considering downgrading my accommodation in Kyoto and spending that money on food instead. On top of what I have already budgeted for, I'll need to buy public transport passes in Tokyo and Kyoto - will look into that tomorrow. Is there anything else I'm missing (essentials-wise)?

someotherguy

I routinely travel around Japan (mostly outside the big cities, though) for $100 a day all in, and that's about what you are budgeting, so I'd say it looks OK. I rent cars as well as take trains in that budget, but obviously not every day.

Incidentally, if you have any frequent flier miles, domestic flights in Japan are a steal: typically 10 or 12k miles per segment with $0 "tax" and widely available about 2 months prior: OneWorld miles for JAL and StarAlliance for ANA. You can also buy flights for about $100 a segment through a "Japan Pass" or similar addon to an international ticket. Then you could do ITM (Osaka) to HND (Tokyo) instead of the Shinkansen...OTOH you probably want to experience the Shinkansen at least once.

Similarly, hotel points are often good value for western chain hotels in big cities. However, Japanese business hotels like Toyoko Inn are typically under $55 a night and, if you are a member of their "International Club", you earn one free night for ten, plus 5 to 20% nightly discounts. However, I think you need some rudimentary Japanese, or at least some prior experience, to enjoy these.

ClementineLdn

I don't have any frequent flier miles or hotel points, so that's out! I was initially going to take an overnight bus back from Kyoto, but decided I'd like to experience the shinkansen once...it's kind of eyewateringly expensive at over 80GBP, but I think it's one of those must-do things in Japan!

I think the difficult part for me is figuring out the non-fixed costs like food. I'm going to have to be VERY disciplined about not splashing out huge amounts of money. I think one or two of the hostels have free coffee/tea, so I'll make use of that, and try to pick up something at McDonald's or a convenience store. I think I might have to go really cheap a couple of days (cup ramen) in order to splash out a bit more on other days.

Kavey

The best options for cheap drinks to enjoy during the day/ evening is the convenience stores and vending machines, both of which are everywhere...

Vending machines are like rats in London, you're really never very far from them... http://www.petedrinks.com/2012/10/co...-a-difference/

Is breakfast included in your hotel bookings?

If not, you could spend anywhere between 400 and 1000 yen on breakfast at a coffee shop, or buying items yourself from the convenience store or a bakery. Chains like Tully and Doutour are not expensive and offer breakfast set deals. Indies do too, but the prices are more variable. They're definitely quite a thing in Kyoto: http://www.kaveyeats.com/2014/03/kyo...fast-sets.html We also liked to just grab a coffee and a doughnut or croissant in various bakery / cafe chains or indies. And sometimes we'd just buy something in the fresh food section of the convenience stores.

For lunch, it's very easy to stick to less than 1000 yen a meal. You can spend anywhere from 800 to 3000 a day on dinner, right up to 50,000 yen!!!!

Ramen, udon or soba noodle, okonomiyaki, katsu, katsu curry, omuraisu, yakitori restaurants will easily allow you to spend around 1000 yen or so for dinner. We found kaiten zushi (conveyor belt sushi) places offering a plate for 100 yen or 150 yen. You're unlikely to eat more than 10 or 15 plates, probably less. http://www.kaveyeats.com/2014/02/kai...he-corner.html

In stations you can always pick up a great and filling bento for 800-1200 Yen for something lovely. http://www.kaveyeats.com/2014/01/tokyo-bento.html

Yakiniku was usually more, we might spend 2000 to 4000 each for that kind of meal, very protein heavy but love them: http://www.kaveyeats.com/2014/03/enj...-in-japan.html

It's the drinks that seem to put the price of meals up in cheaper places, so you can just have the free water / free tea and grab a coffee afterwards.

If you want to work through all the food posts I made, you could go backwards through http://www.kaveyeats.com/tag/japan

Do keep a little slush aside to take advantage of places like these: http://www.kaveyeats.com/2013/05/jap...suke-jaya.html and http://www.kaveyeats.com/2013/04/yub...e-delight.html

Anyway, that's all I can think of! x

ClementineLdn

Thanks, Kavey! No, breakfast isn't included in my bookings, but I can make hot drinks (I'm taking my travel mug), so that will at least save some money. What I usually do in Europe is buy a pack of croissants or rolls and just have a couple of those every day with my tea, so maybe I can do something like that. Are water and free tea commonplace in every restaurant, like in Korea? Your food posts looks AMAZING! I can't wait to try some of the places.

Kavey

My memory says water or iced tea were offered free mostly in the less expensive places, such as the ramen places or the katsu curry places...

Yes, you'll be able to buy croissants, rolls, yoghurts or whatever breakfast item you like in the convenience stores for an inexpensive breakfast.

Am so excited for your trip!!!!