I promise to make this blog prettier one day but for now I just really wanna write this and get it out of my system before I completely lose interest in writing this ww



Hello!

A lot of my friends (note: 2) were interested in how I budgeted my money when I go to see Japanese musicals in Japan. So I decided to write this down.

Please also note I only go for 3-4 days. I never stay for too long.

A word of caution:

If you're a fan girl you know how expensive this fandom gets.

(General)

1. Flights 

If you're not chasing after any limited events, I ENCOURAGE you to just book a random seat off a seat sale. Just get whatever's the cheapest. The dates don't matter to you. You just need to fly. Don't choose a seat when booking, that doesn't matter, conserve your money for goods.

The problem is when you're chasing after events, which is most probably why you're reading my blog now anyway lmao.

First, I am usually the type that won't book a flight until I get a stage/event ticket. For one, it's easier to bail out on that ticket compared to a flight one and it's way cheaper compared to a two-way flight ticket so yes, get a ticket first.

I said "usually" because for TeniMyu I actually booked the flights before I got tickets lmfao and I'm still trying to get my hands on these tickets as I type. There's no extra advise here, just buy tickets for your event before your flight. Face the consequences of your actions.

Now for the plane fare, the actual meat of this blog.

I just usually buy plane fares that co-inside with the dates of the shows I'm seeing. Yes. They're a lot more expensive than sale tickets.

For comparison, you can buy a 2-way ticket for 4,000 php on sale but the price I usually pay for 2-way tickets averages on 12,000-17,000 php. Yes, I prioritize time of arrival over everything. I usually book a flight that's a day before a show if possible if not, I book the ones that arrive at 6-7 and just make my way through.

Important note: Avoid holidays. If your show is on a Philippine holiday, better book it as soon as you can.

Summary: Booking for specific dates are hard and expensive. They cost roughly 15,000-17,000 php (even on budget airlines)

2. Food allowance

I am by nature a small eater so I barely need to eat anything through out the day. Usually 5,000 yen (2,500 php) is enough for me to get through a 2-3 day trip.

For that amount you can get 2-3 teishoku (those that cost around 1,000~1,5000 yen are most ideal) or a fuck ton of onigiri.

Try to visit a supermarket if you can. 100g~200g of Kimchi is less than a hundred yen and if you eat that with a salted onigiri your total meal would only be roughly 200 yen.

DRINK LOTS OF WATER

3. Transportation

This one I don't skimp on. I had moments when I didn't know if my money will be enough to go back to the airport (protip: it wasn't) so allot around 10,000-15,000 yen (5,000-7,500 php) on transportation inside japan. You'll be surprised at how expensive that is but if you're gonna be riding and changing trains a lot that's just the bare minimum. Also, airport to wherever else in Japan starts at 1,000 yen.

If you're going to more than one prefecture, DO NOT RIDE THE SHINKANSEN like, what the fuck is wrong with you? Tokyo to Osaka costs 13,000 yen one way. Do NOT ride it. Ride a bus or ride a plane to the other prefecture. Yes, planes are cheaper than shinkansen. Though honestly I do not know how it will affect a "single entry" visa so if you have that, I do not suggest riding a plane. If you wanna risk it, I once rode Narita<->KIX for around 8,000 yen both ways.

Night Buses usually cost around 5,000-8,000 yen (2,500 to 4,000 php) depending on the day(s) you're going to travel. I actually just use one bus company so I'm not aware if there are cheaper options, but I think there are.

Although there is an exception to this rule, if you're going to prefectures that are right next to each other and you know it's cheaper to go by shinkansen than by bus by all means, do go. I unfortunately have never done that so I can not advise anything. Also, I have NEVER used the JR pass cause it will be a huge waste of money for me. If you're going on 3+ prefectures I think that'd be the cheaper option since you'll get to use it a lot.

Be sure to book your bus before your trip!

4. Accommodation

Just get a cheap one. The one I have booked recently costs around 8,000 yen (4,000 php) but I think there are cheaper options--nay, there were cheaper options but I didn't book them in time ;_;
I usually stay at my friend's place so it's usually free for me.
BEFORE YOU CALL ME A FREE LOADER (WHICH I AM) I JUST STAY FOR 1-2 NIGHTS MAX OK DON'T JUDGE ME

5. ???

BURN ALL THE REST FOR MERCH.

With all of these stated your minimum budget for an event-centric fan girl trip should be:
26,500 php 

Also, please let me stress: The price above does not include ticket(s) to your event, pasalubong, extra money for emergencies and of course merch money.

I might/will update this with general price ranges for merch if I don't get too lazy. View Comments »

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