Self-Launched Honshu: Osaka to Tokyo on a Backpacker Budget

Arrive at Kansai International (KIX) or Itami and take the Nankai Rapi:t or airport limousine bus into the city (approx £10-14). Check into a hostel in the Shinsekai or Namba area — Osaka has some of the best-value dorms in Japan. If the operator's version starts with a welcome dinner, your equivalent is wandering Dotonbori at night: takoyaki, kushikatsu and okonomiyaki for under £12. Pick up a Suica/ICOCA IC card at the station (¥500 deposit, refundable) — it works on virtually every bus and metro you'll use for the rest of the trip. Activate or collect your Japan Rail Pass if you bought one before arrival (the 14-day pass is the sweet spot for this route; buy online and exchange in Osaka).

🚌Airport train/bus into Osaka, ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm in Shinsekai/Namba, £16-22

• →Dotonbori night market walk
• →Pick up IC card + JR Pass
• →Osaka street-food crawl

Start at Osaka Castle — the main keep and surrounding park (tower entry ~£4, park free) are easy to do independently and take a relaxed half-day. The commercial tour bundles Osaka Castle the same day as Nara, but splitting it lets you pace yourself. Afternoon is yours: Umeda Sky Building for sunset views, or the Kuromon Ichiba market for lunch (grilled seafood skewers, tamagoyaki) for a few hundred yen. Evening: Shinsekai for kushikatsu, or the retro Hozenji Yokocho alley in Namba. Grab a cheap konbini breakfast for the morning — the tour's included breakfast is replaced by your own mix of supermarket/kombini/coffee-shop options at £3-5.

🚌Osaka metro, ~£4 day pass (Osaka Amazing Pass is good value if you want the museum entries)

🛏Hostel dorm, £16-22

• →Osaka Castle + park
• →Kuromon Ichiba market
• →Umeda Sky Building or Namba nightlife

Take the Kintetsu or JR line from Osaka to Nara, roughly 40-50 minutes on JR (covered by JR Pass) or Kintetsu (cheap, ~£4). Hit Nara Park first — free entry, and the famous deer are all over it; buy shika-senbei (deer crackers) for £1. Then Todai-ji Temple with the Great Buddha (~£4 entry) and the walking trail up to Nigatsu-do for a good view. Round it out with Isui-en Garden (~£5) before heading back. Lunch: a Nara-style kakinoha-zushi or a cheap bowl of udon for under £8 in the streets near Sanjo-dori. The operator's version provides lunch, dinner and a guide here; you're doing exactly the same sights under your own steam, and you'll save by eating where the locals do.

🚌JR/Kintetsu Osaka-Nara return, free with JR Pass or ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm, Osaka, £16-22

• →Naara Park deer
• →Todai-ji Temple
• →Nigatsu-do viewpoint
• →Isui-en Garden

Take the JR Special Rapid (Shin-Kaisoku) from Osaka to Kyoto — about 30 minutes, covered by your JR Pass. Drop bags at your Kyoto hostel (the Kyoto Tower / K's House / Piece Hostel area is well placed for transit). Then run the Arashiyama loop: Togetsukyo Bridge, the bamboo forest (free, best before 9am to avoid crowds) and the riverside. In the afternoon, head north via bus 59 or the JR Sagano line to Ryoan-ji (rock garden, ~£3 entry) and Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion (~£3). Both are close together and easy to string on foot/bus. Budget-wise the tour is doing exactly these four stops; you're doing them on a Kyoto one-day bus pass (~£4) or the metro/bus day fare.

🚌JR Osaka-Kyoto, free with JR Pass or ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Kyoto, £18-26

• →Togetsukyo Bridge
• →Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
• →Ryoan-ji rock garden
• →Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

Get up early for Fushimi Inari Shrine — free, open 24 hours, and utterly magical before 8am when the torii tunnel is quiet. Hike the forested pathway with shrines a decent way up (30-60 mins of climbing; you can turn back any time). Back into central Kyoto mid-morning for a self-booked tea ceremony (English-language sessions run £15-30 and can be reserved via GetYourGuide or the tea houses themselves, e.g. in Gion or Ninenzaka). Afternoon: an origami or fan-painting workshop — Kyoto has several short cultural classes in English, usually £15-25 and bookable direct — or browse Nishiki Market for lunch and souvenirs. Evening: Gion alley walk on your own. This is the one day the commercial tour packs a lot of structured classes; all of it is independently bookable, often cheaper, and without the fixed schedule.

🚌Kyoto local train/bus + metro, ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Kyoto, £18-26

• →Fushimi Inari torii hike
• →Tea ceremony (self-booked)
• →Origami/fan-painting class
• →Nishiki Market
• →Gion evening walk

This is a long transit day — exactly what the tour does, by rail across Central Honshu. Best route with a JR Pass: Kyoto to Nagoya on the Shinkansen (30 min), Nagoya to Matsumoto on the Shinano limited express (about 2 hours, covered). In Matsumoto, drop bags, then explore Matsumoto Castle (one of Japan's original-construction castles, ~£4 entry) and the old Nawate-dori and Nakamachi streets for a look at miso and lacquerware shops. The tour includes a miso house visit — you can do the same at a Matsumoto miso shop or, if you're passing through Nagano, a working miso brewery, typically £3-6 for a short tour/tasting. Stay in a budget guesthouse or ryokan-style room — this is the one night worth spending a bit more for the atmosphere.

🚌Kyoto-Nagoya-Matsumoto by JR (covered by JR Pass)

🛏Guesthouse/ryokan room in Matsumoto, £22-32

• →Matsumoto Castle
• →Miso house / miso tasting
• →Nawate-dori and Nakamachi streets

Train up to Yudanaka (JR Shinonoi Line to Nagano, then the Nagano Dentetsu line to Yudanaka; the private section isn't on the JR Pass, ~£8). From Yudanaka station take the Nagaden bus or a short taxi to Jigokudani Monkey Park (~£5 each way on the bus, entry ~£5). Walk the 25-30 minute forest trail to the monkey pool and watch the Japanese macaques bathe in the onsen — one of the best value days on the whole trip. Afternoon: a sake brewery in Yudanaka or back in Nagano — Yudanaka has several small breweries that offer free or low-cost tastings, and Nagano is a major sake-brewing centre. Stay the night in Yudanaka or Nagano in a budget guesthouse/temple stay — this is the night the commercial tour uses a ryokan, and the local equivalent is far cheaper when booked direct.

🚌JR + Nagaden private line + bus, ~£15

🛏Guesthouse in Yudanaka or Nagano, £20-30

• →Jigokudani Monkey Park + Jigokudani trail
• →Snow monkey watching
• →Sake brewery tasting

Head down from Nagano to the Fuji Five Lakes. Quickest with a JR Pass: Nagano to Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen (1h20), then a JR Chuo line train to Otsuki and the Fujikyu line to Kawaguchiko (last section is private, ~£8), or route via Mishima with the Shinkansen and a local bus up to the lakes. Once at Lake Kawaguchi, the Mt Fuji 5th Station is reachable by Fujikyu bus from Kawaguchiko Station (~£12 return, seasonal — the road is closed to buses roughly late November to April, so check ahead). Walk around the lake for classic Fuji views and, if you want the ropes, ride the Kachi Kachi Ropeway or Komagatake Ropeway near Hakone (~£8). Sleep in a lakeside hostel in Kawaguchiko, or a budget hotel in Mishima if you want a cheaper bed. Fuji visibility is best early morning — set an alarm.

🚌JR pass trains + private Fujikyu line + local bus, ~£20

🛏Lakeside hostel, Kawaguchiko (~£22-30), or budget hotel Mishima (~£25-35)

• →Mt Fuji 5th Station (or lakeside views if closed)
• →Lake Kawaguchi / Lake Ashi walk
• →Komagatake or Kachi Kachi Ropeway

Travel down to Kamakura (from Mishima or Odawara, JR Pass covers the Tokaido line; from Kawaguchiko you'd go via Otsuki and the JR). Kamakura is a quick day of big sights: Kotoku-in with the Great Buddha (~£2 entry), the walkable Komachi-dori shopping street, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine (free). The whole temple-and-street loop is roughly a half-day and easy to do on foot from Kamakura Station. Then a 1-hour JR train into Tokyo (Yokohama line / Shonan-Shinjuku), check into a hostel in Asakusa, Ueno or Shinjuku, and spend the evening on your own — Asakusa's Nakamise-dori at night, or Ueno's izakaya alleys. Replaces the tour's included transfers and guide time with local trains and a free evening.

🚌Fuji Lakes-Kamakura-Tokyo by JR (JR Pass covers most)

🛏Hostel/capsule in Tokyo, £20-30

• →Kotoku-in Great Buddha
• →Komachi-dori
• →Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
• →Asakusa evening walk

Big Tokyo day, all self-bookable. Start at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa (free) and Nakamise shopping street right outside, then take the subway to Tokyo Skytree and ride the observation deck (~£15-20 if you book ahead; cheaper on some weekdays). Afternoon: Tokyo National Museum in Ueno (~£5) plus the rest of Ueno Park, and/or Shinjuku Gyoen if you're there in a different season. For the tour's dinner cruise on Tokyo Bay, the independent version is a Tokyo Cruise or Himiko/Sumida river cruise (~£8-12) by day, or an evening bay cruise with a simple dinner (~£25-40) — or, more cheaply, the Yurikamome train across the bay at night and dinner at a cheap chain restaurant in Shibuya/Shinjuku for £8-12. Final night in Tokyo — splash out on ramen or a standing sushi bar.

🚌Tokyo subway day pass, ~£6

🛏Hostel/capsule in Tokyo, £20-30

• →Senso-ji Temple + Nakamise-dori
• →Tokyo Skytree observation deck
• →Tokyo National Museum
• →Tokyo Bay / Sumida river cruise

Depart from Narita or Haneda. Narita is about an hour by Narita Express or the cheaper Keisei Skyliner (~£15); Haneda is 30-40 minutes on the monorail or Keikyu line (~£4). If you have a late flight, Central Tokyo is easy to explore in the morning before you head out. The commercial tour ends here too — the difference is you've controlled your own pace, eaten where you wanted, and spent a fraction of the price.

🚌Airport train/monorail, £4-15

🛏—

• →Airport transfer
• →Optional last-minute shopping in Tokyo