NOT INCLUDING your airfare and hotel, you need about 180.00 US per day to cover meals, the train, museum entrance fees, etc. MINIMUM 180.00 US PER DAY THAT IS A BARE MINIMUM. If you want spending money above that, bring more. I would recommend doing Osaka/Kansai Region on 210.00 US per day in case you want to buy a trinket here and there/perhaps take a few cabs. REGARDING SUSHI There are many different kinds of sushi restaurants, the cheapest being the infamous sushi train restaurants that serve up tuna that has been farmed in NZ and Austalia. Those are cheap; about 25.00 per person. But if you want real sushi from a real sushi bar where the fish is actually native to Japan watersā¦you and your friends can prepare a budget for that. It will cost 500.00 US for 3 peopleā¦but I have heard it is well worth it and not to be missed.// You can get Kobe beef for around 100.00 US per plate these days.
Namahottie, for the freshest Sushi go to the Tsujiki fish market (in Tokyo) and try one of the small restaurants / shops around there. That would be early breakfast instead of dinner, but itās IMO worth it.
I spent 6 days in Tokyo at the beginning of this month and didnāt spend too much money. Stayed at a hostel near Asakusa (pretty cool neighborhood with temples) called Khaosan Tokyo Annex in a dorm bunk for US $17 a night. If you Google that name it will come up right away. Peronally, I prefer Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe -more traditional, old wooden temples perched on hilltops that you can hike up, that kind of thing. I found Tokyo similar to Taipei and NYC -litter, grimey sidewalks, just a huge city, basically.
Nama-
Iāve never been to Osaka, except the airport 
But I can tell you that it is very expensive to drink in Japan. Just going to a convenience store, you will end up paying $3.00 - $3.50 for a single beer. That adds up real quick. If you are going to restaurants/bars to drink, you can plan on 2-3 times that much. I canāt count the number of $8.00 draft beers Iāve had in Japan. Thank God for expense accounts Itās a very good idea to stock up at the Duty Free at CKS before heading over.
As mentioned previously, there is a wide range of sushi. I would personally avoid the sushi train places, I can usually get by with $40-50 for dinner.
Nama,
If youāre going to stay in Japan for just a week, youād save yourself and your friends money by staying the whole time in one place. Iād recommend Kyoto, as it has far more to offer a visitor than Osaka or Kobe. Lonely Planet can recommend a number of budget accomodations. However, if youād like to stay in a somewhat more upmarket hotel without breaking the bank, I suggest the Palace Side Hotel, which offers reduced rates for long-term stays palacesidehotel.co.jp/ Great sushi will cost a lot, but Iāve always found the sushi at most conveyor-belt places (kaiten-zushi) to be pretty good, and at affordable prices (roughly a dollar per plate with 2 pieces, depending on the exchange rate). As for reasonable drinking options, places popular with ex-pats (like the Pig & Whistle and Hub) wonāt set you back too much. One thing to remember, though: Kyoto (and Osaka, Kobe and pretty much everyelse in Japan, with the exception of Hokkaido) is going to be brutal in July, hot and humid. Hope this helps.
Thanks everyone for your input. I would like it as time goes on as I will be planning this probably up to June.
As for hotels, I plan on getting a ryokan room which would have breakfast and dinner included, if they want it. Going to Osaka would be better because it doesnāt cost that much to go to Kobe and Kyoto by train. I used to live in Osaka, and going to the cities were nice day trips. We could just invest in a train pass.
Any other suggestions please keep them coming cheers 
Hello everyone, we changed our plans and are going to Kyoto. We are landing in Osaka, and I am told that we must take a train to Kyoto.
Has anyone done this before? Will it be a comfortable trip to Kyoto?
When we do finally arrive in Kyoto, what are some recommendations for sites to see, places to go, and things to do in Kyoto?
I have never been there before, but would like to see the best of Kyoto has to offer on our 5-6 day trip. Thank you all.
Ric
[quote=āsusuteaā]Hello everyone, we changed our plans and are going to Kyoto. We are landing in Osaka, and I am told that we must take a train to Kyoto.
Has anyone done this before? Will it be a comfortable trip to Kyoto?
When we do finally arrive in Kyoto, what are some recommendations for sites to see, places to go, and things to do in Kyoto?
I have never been there before, but would like to see the best of Kyoto has to offer on our 5-6 day trip. Thank you all.
Ric[/quote]
My wife just went there in NOvember.
The Information office in nearly EVERY train station is your friend. Chat them up and get all the brochures you can. The trip from Kansai Osaka Airport is not long.
What to see in Kyoto? Around CNY? Dude thatās like their busiest time of year. Temples.
Get a local JR pass, train/subway and bus, or some combination thereof. PLAN before you go. Transportation can get VERY expensive. A combo subway/bus pass will save your wallet a lot of pain.
[quote=āsusuteaā]Hello everyone, we changed our plans and are going to Kyoto. We are landing in Osaka, and I am told that we must take a train to Kyoto.
Has anyone done this before? [/quote]
Yes, you can take a bus or train. If you take the train, tickets with reserved seats are more expensive. But you might be able to find a place to sit without a reserved seat, depending on the time of day.
Itās Japan. Certainly itās comfortable.
Get a copy of Old Kyoto: The Updated Guide to Traditional Shops, Restaurants, and Inns, by Diane Durston. It covers all of that, focusing on traditional places. Itās the book. After all, for those who arenāt interested in traditional places, Kyoto isnāt the right destination.
Enjoy Kyoto. Itās wonderful.
Canāt believe that Cherry Blossoms werenāt mentioned. Dear lord, if there is a 8th wonder on this earth, it would have to be those.
Definitely grab an area-wide train pass for a month or a week, depending on your time. Kansai West is one (Kansai is the central region that encompasses Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe). available even before you leave the international terminal, from a small counter on the ground floor on your way to the train station that links you through to Osaka, where you would probably change at Xin Osaka for Kyoto, about 45 minutes to Osaka and another 50 minutes to Kyoto.
The best castle to seee in japan, anywhere in japan, is Himeiji Castle. was not blown up in the war and then rebuilt like Osaka was, but retains all the old woodwork and stonework fortifications and even the extensive gardens and moat, etc. in well-maintained original condition. Osaka Castle has been attacked with a big gilt brush and is way too flashy now. Himeiji is about at the end of the range covered by your kansai West rail pass: from Osaka travel through Kobe for about another hour, 30 minutes walk from the station to the castle entrance, closes about 4 in the winter. Not too much else to do in Himeiji though.
edit: Now that I think of it, Iām not certain if it was Kansai west or Kansai central. Anyroad, the correct one for the Kansai international airport (the main Osaka international stop) is the one you need for Kyoto through to Himeiji, and Osaka as well.
Not much to do in Osaka, and avoid the Warner Village or whatever that theme park is. Grabbing a ferry trip or water taxi somewhere around the harbour is great if youāre into ships and shipping.
I second that recommendation to see Himeji Castle. I stopped there en route to Hiroshima (also fantastic) from Kyoto (a wonderful city) and was blown away. Absolutely fabulous.
Osakaās pretty boring except for a day/night in the Namba district. Universal Studios would have been nice except for the terrible crowds (I could only go there on the weekend though - weekdays would probably be much better). Skip the castle in Osaka - BORING.
A dive into the archive here to say Iād go to Utsunomiya (hardly a typical tourist destination) just to try some of these gyoza:
Guy
My personal recommendations are Matsuyama in Ehime and the Mazda Museum in Hiroshima if you go there
And if you go to Kyoto I thought the golden pavilion is lame, but the temple complex nearby Daitoku-ji is beautiful I particularly like the Koto-in sub temple and thereās that mountain that you can take the tram to; very beautiful
Yeah, beauty temples historical sites museums, blah blah blah.
My focus is on gyoza! : D
Guy
Best place in Japan (maybe the world!) for diving is the Okinawa islands. Either the main island (Okinawa), from where you can do boat dives in the Keramas, or out further in Miyako and Ishigaki areas. fabulous water clarity, amazing biodiversity, huge coralsā¦ and not dynamited since the 1945 invasion of Okinawa (well, pretty much the whole island got well and truly fucked over then, but itās totally recovered).
One of my classmates is currently in Hokkaido knee deep in snow. Awesome landscapes.
I heard travel to Japan next month is on discount as people do not want to leave before the elections.
Mine is ramen. And Iād like to try more variations of local tempura. Oh and the fantabulous soy milk huo guo.
Templesā¦
Get this awesome coin purse 
That is creepy!