Curious About the Average Cost of Transportation from Tokyo to Osaka? Here's My Take!

2020.02.04 published

How much is the standard travel expense for the Tokyo-Osaka route?

The two major cities of Japan: "Tokyo" and "Osaka."

☑ I'm having my wedding in Tokyo, but friends are coming from Osaka.

☑ I'm having my wedding in Osaka, but a colleague who has been transferred to Tokyo is coming.

Many of us might have guests coming all the way from Kansai and Kanto for our weddings!

When introducing distant guests, the first concern is the "travel expense."

Traveling and staying overnight costs both time and money, so while we can't eliminate the time burden, we want to lessen the financial burden as much as possible.

However, if the bride and groom were to cover all transportation expenses for everyone, it would be too challenging.....

How many times have I thought, "I wish there was a magic door....!!"

@rnkj_wd

But just how much should we typically give as travel expenses?

In this article, we will look into how much the travel expenses are for moving between Tokyo and Osaka.*

What are the methods and costs, and how long does it take to travel between Tokyo and Osaka?

There are mainly four ways to travel between Tokyo and Osaka:

① Shinkansen (bullet train)

② Airplane

③ Overnight bus

④ Car

Here are the costs for each method of transportation.

① Shinkansen

The first mode of transportation that comes to mind for traveling between Tokyo and Osaka is the "Shinkansen."

It's fast and easy to board, making it the most popular means of travel.

The prices don't change even during peak seasons, making it a particularly strong option for brides getting married during long holidays or busy seasons.

Here are the one-way fares when traveling by Shinkansen:

☑ Unreserved seat: 13,620 yen

☑ Reserved seat: 14,450 yen

☑ Green car: 19,230 yen

You can travel between Tokyo and Osaka in about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

② Airplane

The airplane is notable for having the shortest travel time and can sometimes be cheaper than the Shinkansen.

There are two airports in Osaka: Osaka International Airport (commonly known as Itami Airport) and Kansai International Airport (commonly known as Kansai, located in Izumisano City).

Tokyo has Haneda Airport and, in Chiba, Narita Airport.

You can travel using LCCs for around 4,000 yen.

However, LCCs operate from Narita Airport, not Haneda Airport, adding extra time and money (about an additional 1,000 yen to Tokyo Station).

Here are the costs for traveling by airplane:

☑ Full-service carriers / Haneda route

(ANA/JAL/Star Flyer)

Around 10,000 to 35,000 yen

☑ LCC / Narita route

(Jetstar/Peach/Vanilla Air/Spring Airlines Japan)

Around 4,000 to 15,000 yen

You can travel between Tokyo and Osaka in about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Prices can vary greatly depending on the time of year, with Golden Week and New Year holidays often being two to three times more expensive and harder to book seats, so brides getting married during those times should be cautious.

Depending on the circumstances, you might end up needing to give a higher travel allowance than usual.

③ Overnight bus

The overnight bus can be the cheapest means of travel depending on the season, but the travel time is quite long (about 8-10 hours, even while sleeping at night), which is a downside.

It might be inappropriate to ask guests to take such an uncomfortable and time-consuming trip to your wedding, so it's better for the bride and groom not to suggest the overnight bus.

☑ 4-seat rows: 4,000 to 8,000 yen

☑ 3-seat rows: 6,000 to 10,000 yen

It's quite common for guests who received a travel allowance equivalent to the Shinkansen fare to actually travel by overnight bus to save money, resulting in some savings on travel expenses.

④ Car

Finally, the last mode of transportation is coming by car. The cost for gas and highway fees usually ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 yen.

Carpooling can also be an option, making it the most cost-effective method if several people are coming together.

However, it takes about seven hours, which can also become burdensome, so it’s safer for the bride and groom not to suggest this option.

You might not be able to predict travel time due to potential traffic jams.

[Traffic expenses from Osaka to Tokyo]

When summarizing the means of transportation—Shinkansen, airplane, overnight bus, and car—it looks like this.

It seems best to expect guests to travel by either Shinkansen or airplane.

If they're taking a flight, the distances from Kansai Airport, Narita Airport, and Haneda Airport to their homes or the wedding venue should also be considered.

The standard travel allowance is said to be between half to full amounts of the expenses incurred.

If you leave the mode of transportation up to them, it seems reasonable to offer between 15,000 and 30,000 yen.

[By the way] What about accommodations?

A point to consider alongside the travel expenses is whether guests will need to stay overnight.

If they do require accommodation, it might be nice to share a bit of the hotel cost as well.

The cost for a decent hotel tends to be around 7,000 to 10,000 yen per night, whether in Tokyo or Osaka.

However, if you book a package that includes both the Shinkansen or airplane and hotel, you can manage to arrange transportation and accommodations for about 20,000 to 30,000 yen.

If the bride and groom are managing accommodation arrangements, it would be advisable to look into bundled plans as well.◎

What have actual brides done?

Now, let's look at how actual brides have handled travel expenses and accommodation costs, including who took care of the bookings, etc.

《①》

I gave 20,000 yen as a travel allowance to a friend who came from Osaka!

The round trip on the Shinkansen costs about 30,000 yen, and covering the full amount is tough, but over half seems just right. Many people I asked on Instagram also mentioned 20,000 yen.

《②》

I covered the full round trip on the Shinkansen, which I arranged. They said they would stay, but since the ceremony is scheduled to end at 5 PM, they can return the same day, so I didn't particularly cover accommodation costs.

《③》

I originally planned to give the standard allowance of 20,000 yen, but upon checking, the total for the LCC flight and the hotel where the wedding is held came to around 21,000 yen. (Accommodation for guests was at a special discounted rate.)

I thought I could cover the whole amount with that, so I told my friend, "I plan to give you 20,000 yen, but if you can come with this, I can cover the full cost."

They said it was nice of me to cover the full amount, but I honestly explained that with the hotel discount, it comes to about 20,000 yen.

Since they are friends close enough to invite to the wedding, I was honest about the money.

They arranged everything, and they were happy to stay at the hotel after the wedding!

《④》

I didn’t offer any travel allowance.

Among my close friends from high school, we have groups living in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka, and we decided that we wouldn’t give travel allowances when we get married, as we understand each other.

《⑤》

Since it was a membership-fee wedding, I technically shouldn’t have needed to pay travel expenses, but I felt bad about it, so I gave 5,000 yen.

《⑥》

They said they would come by Shinkansen, so I gave them about half of the cost, which is 15,000 yen.

《⑦》

I covered 10,000 yen as a travel allowance for my fiancé's friend. They mentioned they carpooled with four people, so I think that amount was too little, but I’m glad they were satisfied.

《⑧》

I wanted my close friend living in Osaka to attend both the wedding and the after-party, so I arranged the Shinkansen and a hotel close to the venue! This was done via a package plan from a Japanese travel agency.

Altogether, it became quite a burden at 35,000 yen, but I was just happy they came from so far.

《⑨》

My fiancé's relatives living in Osaka (his parents and two children) told me they would cover travel expenses if we could provide a hotel.

So, I arranged for them to stay at a partnered hotel near the wedding venue.

I had initially planned to give a 70,000 yen travel allowance, but since it only required one room, it came to 20,000 yen.

I remembered previously when they mentioned, "I’m thinking of visiting Disneyland the day after the wedding. But for a family of four, tickets can get pretty pricey!" So, I also gifted them Disneyland tickets with the money I had planned to give!

I was glad they appreciated it.

How should we handle travel allowances?

We've introduced the methods of transportation between Tokyo and Osaka and shared experiences from senior brides.

Many brides seem to bear costs around 20,000 yen.

Additionally, those who received 5,000 yen as travel expenses expressed feeling it was "too little" and seemed quite dissatisfied!

While a round trip on the Shinkansen costs around 30,000 yen, additional transportation costs from home to the Shinkansen station and from the Shinkansen to the wedding venue must also be considered.

Ultimately, the time to come—around two hours—represents a significant burden.

To avoid dissatisfaction, it seems best to offer a little more than the standard amount.

➡ How much did you give? Where did it come from? Experiences of 34 brides regarding travel allowances

@yuri.wedding11