When I search for places to visit in Tokyo, I always find Hitachi Seaside Park standing out for me. It’s a bit far which also means it costs a bit much but is it worth it? Oh, yes! And I wouldn’t hesitate going back on a fine weather if I can.
Last Day in Tokyo for this 6-Day Japan Trip
We checked out on Day 4 and left our luggage inside one of the many lockers in Oshiage station for JPY700 ~ Php350. Oshiage station has a direct train line to Narita International Airport.
Asakusabashi Station to Oshiage Station
Take the train from Asakusabashi station (A16) to Oshiage station ( A20), 4 stops, Travel time: 6 minutes. Fare: None on Tokyo Pass, otherwise JPY180 ~ Php90.
There are lockers right outside the platform. You can choose from a variety of sizes.
Oshiage station lockersWe paid by just swiping our PASMO cards, the risky part is we better not lose our PASMO cards so we could smoothly proceed to the airport in the afternoon.
Paying by cash is another option, you just need to remember the PIN to open your locker.
Oshiage Station to Hitachi Seaside Park
- Take train from Oshiage station (A20) to Asakusa station (A18), 2 stops. Transfer to the Orange / Ginza line (G19) for Ueno station (G16). Total fare: None on Tokyo Pass, otherwise: JPY280 ~ Php140. Travel time: 12 minutes
- Transfer to the Joban line at Ueno station for Katsuta station. Travel time: 2 hours 20 minutes. Fare: JPY2,270 ~ Php1,135. (Use Suica/Pasmo card)
- Take the bus to Hitachi Seaside Park from Katsuta station exit. Travel time: 15 minutes. Roundtrip bus fare + Entrance Fee combo: JPY1080 ~ Php540.
Hitachi Seaside Park Admission Ticket + Roundtrip Bus Transfer Combo. Purchase this outside the Katsuta Station Exit where people are queuing for the bus to Hitachi Seaside Park.Grab a map at the entrance upon arrival. Make sure to visit all areas especially the Miharasahi no Oka Hill.
Hitachi Seaside Park was a very beautiful huge park with flowers and plants I never saw before.
Biking around the park (JPY400 ~ Php200 for 3 hours) was our plan if only it wasn’t drizzling and so windy.
We walked around the park with a relaxed and happy feeling that only trees and plants, and a beautiful park like Hitachi Seaside Park can give.
Oh, I just love trees.
We enjoyed each area around the park. Restaurants, cafes, and stalls are scattered around for lunch.
It was hard to say goodbye in the afternoon but we had to go back to Tokyo for our flight to Osaka in the evening.
Hitachi Seaside Park to Narita International Airport
- Take the bus from Hitachi Seaside Park to Katsuta station. Travel time: 15 minutes. Roundtrip fare already paid.
- Transfer to the Joban line at Katsuta station for Ueno station. Travel time: 2 hours 20 minutes. Fare: JPY2,270 ~ Php1,135. (Use Suica/Pasmo card)
- Take train from Ueno station (G16) along Orange / Ginza line the to Asakusa station (G19). Transfer to the Pink / Asakusa line (A18) to Oshiage station (A20). Total fare: None on Tokyo Pass, otherwise: JPY280 ~ Php140.Travel time: 12 minutes
- Take the Keisei Narita Sky Access directly to Narita International Airport from Oshiage station. No transfers. Fare: JPY1170 ~ Php545, Travel time: 53 minutes. (Use Suica/Pasmo card)
So long, Hitachi Seaside Park!Tokyo to Osaka
We flew to Osaka on Day 4 via Jetstar and arrived late at Kansai airport where we rode the right train this time to our intended destination. Hooray!
Kansai Airport to Nankai Namba Station
Take the train along the Nankai Line Airport Express to Nankai Namba station, the last stop. Travel time: 46 minutes. Fare: JPY920 ~ Php460. (Use Suica/Pasmo card)
Nankai Namba station is right inside the Takashimaya Department store building.
At Fuku Yado – Fuku Hostel Nagomi Namba, our home for two nights in Osaka. I ate breakfast here for two mornings.We walked our way to Fuku Hostel from Nankai Namba station. Other tourists were also rolling their luggages while following Googlemaps, a life-saver indeed.
Kintetsu Nippombashi station is right at the ground floor of our hostel building. This was very convenient for us as we were planning to visit Nara Park and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto which are easily accessible from Kintetsu lines.
Fuku Hostel guests gather here for a movie night every day at 8 pm.I had close encounters with trees and flowers today. What made me happier was that Hitachi Seaside Park has hills overlooking some parts of the Ibaraki Prefecture. I didn’t expect this.
You see, I love trees but I love being on mountains (or hills) much much more. Such a beautiful place to cap our Tokyo trip as we look forward to visit Nara Park and Universal Studios Japan on Day 5! 🙂
| Tokyo-Osaka-Nara-Kyoto Itinerary: Day 4 of 6 |
| On Conversion: JPY1000 ~ Php500 |
| On Time Zone: GMT + 9 (Japan Time is 1 hour advanced compared to Philippine Time, e.g. 7 am in JP is 6 am in PH) |
| Day 4 | Hitachi Seaside Park Day Trip From Tokyo |
| 7:00 AM | Check out. Leave bags at Oshiage station locker (JPY700 ~ Php350). Grab breakfast (JPY1000 ~ Php500) |
| Asakusabashi Station to Oshiage Station | |
| Take the train from Asakusabashi station (A16) to Oshiage station ( A20), 4 stops, Travel time: 6 minutes. Fare: None on Tokyo Pass, otherwise JPY180 ~ Php90. | |
| 7:30 AM | Oshiage Station to Hitachi Seaside Park |
| 1. Take train from Oshiage station (A20) to Asakusa station (A18), 2 stops. Transfer to the Orange / Ginza line (G19) for Ueno station (G16). | |
| Total fare: None on Tokyo Pass, otherwise: JPY280 ~ Php140 | |
| Travel time: 12 minutes | |
| 2. Transfer to the Joban line at Ueno station for Katsuta station. Travel time: 2 hours 20 minutes. Fare: JPY2,270 ~ Php1,135. (Use Suica/Pasmo card) | |
| 3. Take the bus to Hitachi Seaside Park from Katsuta station exit. Travel time: 15 minutes. Roundtrip bus fare + Entrance Fee combo: JPY1200 ~ Php600. | |
| 10:30 AM | Explore and enjoy Hitachi Seaside Park. |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch (JPY1000 ~ PHP500). Stroll around. |
| 1:00 PM | Go back to Tokyo. Last minute stroll at Solamachi Mall/Tokyo Skytree. Get luggage at Oshiage station before boarding Narita Sky Access line for airport. |
| Hitachi Seaside Park to Narita International Airport | |
| 1. Take the bus from Hitachi Seaside Park to Katsuta station. Travel time: 15 minutes. Roundtrip fare already paid. | |
| 2. Transfer to the Joban line at Katsuta station for Ueno station. Travel time: 2 hours 20 minutes. Fare: JPY2,270 ~ Php1,135. | |
| 3. Take train from Ueno station (G16) along Orange / Ginza line the to Asakusa station (G19). Transfer to the Pink / Asakusa line (A18) to Oshiage station (A20). | |
| Total fare: None on Tokyo Pass, otherwise: JPY280 ~ Php140 | |
| Travel time: 12 minutes | |
| 4. Take the Keisei Narita Sky Access directly to Narita International Airport from Oshiage station. No transfers. Fare: JPY1170 ~ Php545, Travel time: 53 minutes. (Use Suica/Pasmo card) | |
| 6:00 PM | Check in at Narita airport. |
| Dinner. (JPY1000~PHP500) | |
| 8:00 PM | ETD to Kansai Airport, Osaka. |
| 10:00 PM | ETA Kansai Airport. Take train to Nankai Namba Station and walk to hostel. |
| Kansai Airport to Nankai Namba Station | |
| Take the train along the Nankai Line Airport Express to Nankai Namba station, the last stop. Travel time: 46 minutes. Fare: JPY920 ~ Php460. (Use Suica/Pasmo card in the Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto) | |
| Check in at Fuku Yado – Fuku Hostel Nagomi Namba | |
| Estimated Expenses each: PHP5800.00 |
|
Japan Trip Notes
We stayed for 6 days on a very tight budget.
Use Google to know which train to board at a real-time schedule by specifying your specific departure train station and your arrival train station on the search box, e.g. “Narita Airport station to Oshiage station” or “Kansai Airport station to Nankai Namba station”.
Use Google / Google Maps to navigate around by specifying your specific location and your desired destination on the search box, e.g. “Asakusabashi station to Hostel East57”, “Nankai Namba station to Fuku Yado Nagomi”, or “Hankyu Arashiyama station to Arashiyama Bamboo Groves”.
We already paid for our air fare, accommodation, admission tickets, and passes months before this trip with complete list below. Click each highlighted item to book or know the details.
Accommodation
3 nights in Tokyo at Hostel East57 Asaskusabahi
2 nights in Osaka at Fuku Yado – Fuku Hostel
Pocket Wifi
Unlimited 4G Wifi for 6 Days (Narita Airport Pick up, Kansai Airport Drop off)
Passes and Tickets
Tokyo Disneysea Admission Ticket
Universal Studios Japan Admission Ticket
Reloadable Smart Card
Suica Card or Pasmo Card (Can be used across Tokyo, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto)
Plane Tickets
Manila to Tokyo via Cebu Pacific
Tokyo to Osaka and Osaka to Manila via Jetstar
- We only had to bring cash for our meals and fare around the Osaka-Nara-Kyoto region and very few parts in the East which were not covered by our passes.
- We had to stick to our budget as we only had so much.
- Our passes and loaded smart cards made us ride the trains and buses conveniently.
- A pocket wifi is a necessity, it’s your life-saver as you go around Japan.
- You get to explore more of Japan if you get lost. 🙂
It was also quite fun despite being pretty time consuming trying to find out how to flush when you visit their toilet for the first time.
You can play false flushing sounds to overlap some unwanted sounds that you make. 😉I read and tried to understand all these characters and drawings around 3 times (and experimented how they work) before giving up and looking elsewhere to find out how to flush. First-timer problems!
Flushing is as simple as hovering your hand on the sensor not on your seat but on the wall beside you or behind you. What a good laugh! 🙂
Seat cleaners are even available!
8 Travel Tips from A Frugal Traveler
Keep these travel tips in mind to help you make the most of your travels.
Natasha is a full-time banker who gets to take a breather when she travels. She loves being challenged. Adventures and whatever engages her logic get her excited.