5 Ways to Turn Your Next Osaka Trip into a Budget-friendly Vacation

by Paul Wenceslao / December 20, 2019

Many places of interest in Osaka don’t even have an admission fee!

Osaka draws hordes of tourists at any point of the year. After all, the prefecture is home to myriad attractions, countless food choices, and a pleasant climate. But perhaps the biggest reason why they keep on coming back is the surprisingly low costs. Travelers on a budget need not spend a fortune to access many of Osaka’s special features.

From cheap accommodations to affordable food choices, down to nifty shopping hacks, there are many was budget travelers can keep the costs low and the outstanding experiences at a high at all times. Simply put, a memorable trip to Osaka is well within reach of a decent budget, and we have listed a few tricks to make sure that happens.

1. Hostels, not hotels

Let’s face it: Majority of the living spaces for tourists in Osaka, and perhaps the entire country, are tiny. So whichever lodging option you take, you will be working with a space that can barely fit you and your luggage. You might as well go with one of the cheapest options available – hostels.  

Compared to hotels, hostels are more affordable and provide you bigger restrooms, albeit for communal use. Some hostels, like E-Hostel in Chuo Ward, are equipped with kitchens and expansive dining areas that you can use for cooking or heating and consuming first-rate grocery and convenience store fare. Hotels typically have expensive restaurants rather than kitchens.

2. Quick meals at the nearby grocery and convenience store

Instead of splurging on pricey restaurant fare daily, go for the ready-to-eat meals at any of the convenience stores in Osaka, like Family Mart, Lawson, and 7-Eleven. The dishes on offer, especially the karaage (Japanese fried chicken), are restaurant-quality, probably better than many of the Japanese restaurants in the Philippines in terms of taste and sometimes affordability. 

An even better option is a rather obscure 24-hour grocery found only in Osaka called Super Tamade, which carries even cheaper meals and a ton more options that are, once again, restaurant-quality. We suggest that you pick a hostel that is near a Tamade for meal runs at any time of the day, including the ungodly hours. 

3. Secure an Osaka Amazing Pass

The Osaka Amazing Pass not only cuts down on a traveler’s transportation costs – given that it grants the user unlimited access to the bus, subway, and tramway systems within the prefecture – it also serves as a a free pass to a number of tourist attractions like the Umeda Sky Building Observatory, Osaka Castle, and the Japan Night Walk Tour, among others. At 2,700 yen (PhP 1,350) for a one-day pass, it’s an absolute steal. You might as well obtain one or more two-day passes if you intend to stay long in Osaka.

4. Shop at GU, Daiso, and the stores at Amerikamura

GU is popular among locals and foreign tourists for a couple of reasons: superior styling and absurdly low prices. Discount sales are common in the said retail chain, and when the prices drop, they absolutely plummet. Think jackets that you can score for as low as PhP 175, and lounge ensembles priced at Php 500 a set. The non-sale items are already cheap to begin with. 

An equally notable establishment is Daiso, which sells most of its goods at only 100 yen (PhP 50). The range of products is staggering, from food to home items, to arts and crafts. If you like branded apparel and are not finicky about wearing slightly used clothes, the Amerikamura District is a quintessential source of pre-loved items. And just like Daiso, the number of bargain options is practically endless. You can purchase dresses, button-down shirts, and sometimes jackets for as low as 500 yen (PhP 250) at a store named Jetrag, an ideal starting point of your shopping journey at Amerikamura.

5. Visit attractions with free admission

Many of the places of interest in Osaka don’t come with an admission fee, and those that do can either be covered with an Osaka Amazing Pass or have sprawling areas that you can visit for free. The places you can visit free of charge include Dotonbori, Sagano, Fushimi Inari, Nara Park, Umeda Sky Building (the observatory is free with an Osaka Amazing Pass), the temples at Higashiyama, Namba Parks, and the hot spring at Arima Onsen. Should you want to visit certain paid areas, the rates typically aren’t too stiff. Just bring a little extra for good measure.

Aside from the aforementioned travel hacks, it is wise to be on the lookout for airline seat sales online and the discount promos offered by booking sites for lodging. You can obtain massive discounts from such that can very well turn a costly vacation into a budget-friendly one even before you reach the shores of Japan.   

Got any other travel hacks? Let us know in the comments!