# 10 — Working Budget for the Complete Plan

**Family:** 4 people: 2 adults, daughter (16), son (12)
**Travel:** October 1–18, 2026
**Japan:** 15 physical nights
**Budget rule:** do not publish a false grand total while flights and the two remaining lodging totals are missing.

## Current Truth

| Category | Status | Working value |
|---|---|---:|
| Flights | Booked; receipt total missing from the documents | Add actual paid family total |
| Tokyo Oct 2–11 | Booked Airbnb; reservation total | ILS 3,638.99 |
| Kyoto Oct 11–13 | Booked Airbnb; amount paid | ILS 796.37 |
| Osaka Oct 13–15 | ESLEAD HOTEL Namba East direct lead | JPY 35,184 |
| Tokyo Oct 15–17 | Provisional Airbnb lead; checkout must be reconfirmed | ILS 1,380 |
| **Booked lodging subtotal** | First 11 of 15 nights | **ILS 4,435.36** |
| Remaining lodging | Osaka + final Tokyo / 4 nights | Not ready |

Keep the ILS and JPY values separate until bookings are held and the card exchange rate is known. See [02-ACCOMMODATION.md](./02-ACCOMMODATION.md).

## Planning Envelopes

These are control ranges, not quotes:

| Envelope | Family range |
|---|---:|
| Local Tokyo/Kamakura transport + both Skyliner trips | JPY 65,000–75,000 |
| Tokyo ↔ Osaka/Kyoto reserved Shinkansen | JPY 110,000–125,000 |
| Food and non-ticketed snacks | JPY 190,000–260,000 |
| Major attractions and workshops excluding USJ | JPY 150,000–260,000 |
| USJ Studio Pass + current Nintendo-capable Express product | JPY 90,000–180,000 |
| Arcades, gachapon and crane games | JPY 25,000–45,000 |
| Anime/character shopping | Set a separate family cap |
| eSIM, laundry, lockers, rain gear and pharmacy | JPY 20,000–35,000 |
| Contingency | 10–15% of all variable categories |

Why the attraction range is wide:

- PokéPark prices vary by date and pass class.
- USJ Express inventory and products rotate.
- Nintendo Museum is lottery-dependent.
- Joypolis, Tokyo Dome City and Odaiba can use either individual tickets or passports.
- Mundo Pixar is now a must-do and adds about JPY 20,100 plus ticket fees. The attraction budget must include it; Oct 4 saves time by cutting lower-priority browsing rather than Pixar.
- Shopping is deliberately excluded from “attractions” so it cannot hide inside the plan.

### Kyoto traditional-experience subtotal

| Experience | Current family amount |
|---|---:|
| Mizuekai · second-floor seats | JPY 32,000 |
| Mizuekai · first-floor seats | JPY 40,000 |
| UZUMASA admission | JPY 10,000 |
| DRUM TAO HIBIKI | JPY 40,000 |
| Fushimi Inari lower-gates visit | Free |
| Awata Shrine procession | Free |
| **Recommended Kyoto total** | **JPY 82,000–90,000** |

The total excludes UZUMASA paid attractions, food and transport. Optional Mibu Kyogen would add about JPY 3,000 for the family and should replace part of UZUMASA, not extend the day.

## Booking Ledger

Fill the actual charged amount immediately after every purchase.

| Experience | Date | Booking state | Actual family charge |
|---|---|---|---:|
| Cat Cafe Temari no Oshiro (Kichijōji Petit Mura) | Oct 8 | Reserve · about JPY 5,300 for four at the weekday rate | — |
| teamLab Planets | Oct 4 | Timed ticket | — |
| Mundo Pixar | Oct 4 must-do | Buy timed 11:45/12:00 entry | About JPY 20,100 + fees at current D pricing |
| Joypolis | Oct 4 | Decide passport vs individual | — |
| PokéPark KANTO / DisneySea fallback | Oct 5 | Monitor official PokéPark inventory; otherwise buy DisneySea officially | Record selected park total |
| KAWAII MONSTER LAND | Oct 6 | Timed ticket | — |
| Shiro-Hige Totoro cream-puff pickup | Oct 9 | Reserve closer to travel | Record actual order |
| Tokyo Dome City | Oct 10 | Live ride choice | — |
| Ghibli Museum | Oct 8 | Release Sept 10 | — |
| Mizuekai · 13:00 | Oct 11 | Purchase method TBA | JPY 32,000–40,000 |
| LOUTRE otter café (side quest) | Oct 11 | Optional walk-in; no reservation | — |
| UZUMASA Kyoto Village | Oct 12 | Admission; recheck show calendar | JPY 10,000 before extras |
| DRUM TAO HIBIKI · 19:00 | Oct 12 | Buy when two-month window opens | JPY 40,000 |
| Fushimi Inari | Oct 13 | No ticket; lower-gates visit | Free |
| Yūzen engraved chopsticks | Oct 13 | Walk-in after 09:30; reconfirm hours | Record actual product total; JPY 1,100 floor unverified |
| Rock Star + America-mura snake café (side quests) | Oct 13 | Optional walk-ins; about JPY 1,100 + drink and JPY 2,000 per person | — |
| USJ Studio Pass | Oct 14 | Buy | — |
| USJ Express product | Oct 14 | Buy exact current product | — |
| Nintendo Museum | Oct 15 | Lottery by July 31 | — |
| Pokémon Café | Oct 16 | Release not announced | Meal total, no reservation fee |
| Taiko-kan + one bachi pair | Oct 16 | Museum walk-in; buy in shop | About JPY 3,150–3,750 |
| Sumida Aquarium (optional finale) | Oct 16 | Decide on the day; buy at door or online | About JPY 8,800 for the family |

## Food Budget

The old JPY 10,000-per-day family figure is too low for this itinerary’s character meals, festival snacks and special dinner.

Use:

| Day type | Family food envelope |
|---|---:|
| Simple arrival/recovery | JPY 8,000–12,000 |
| Normal city day | JPY 12,000–17,000 |
| Festival/park/day-trip day | JPY 15,000–22,000 |
| Celebration dinner day | JPY 25,000–45,000 including dinner |

A normal ramen meal for four is roughly JPY 4,000–6,500 before extras. Pokémon Café is a meal charge, not a paid reservation.

## Variable-Day Controls

| Day | Main variable spend | Control rule |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 3 | Anime shopping + arcades | One wish list and cash envelope per child |
| Oct 4 | teamLab + Pixar + Joypolis | Pixar is funded and protected; price Joypolis against the rides the family will truly do and cut extended Gundam/mall time |
| Oct 5 | PokéPark / DisneySea fallback | Buy through an official channel only; never budget a Fiverr/reseller premium |
| Oct 6 | Kawaii/character goods | One cute purchase target each |
| Oct 8 | Ghibli + Nakano | Protect Ghibli; compare before buying and stop Nakano after 60–90 minutes |
| Oct 9 | Curry Festival + vintage | Ravine/parks are free; share mini curries and set one shopping target each |
| Oct 10 | Celebration + optional free projection | Hold one inclusive day envelope excluding the gift; the projection is free, but moving dinner to West Shinjuku may change the reservation |
| Oct 11 | Mizuekai/Awata | Choose one Mizuekai seat tier; do not add paid sightseeing |
| Oct 12 | UZUMASA/HIBIKI | Choose only the paid UZUMASA extras the children will use; Mibu is a swap |
| Oct 13 | Fushimi/Yūzen/Dotonbori | Fushimi is free and time-boxed; set a chopstick ceiling before choosing, then share Osaka portions |
| Oct 14 | USJ | Buy exact Express value; do not assume a generic bundle |
| Oct 15 | Nintendo Museum | Budget only after lottery success |
| Oct 16 | First Avenue + Taiko + final shopping | Protect the bachi budget; use a two-or-three-shop First Avenue target list and cap duplicate purchases |

## Celebration Envelope

| Item | Range |
|---|---:|
| Tokyo Dome activities | JPY 10,000–20,000 |
| Planned keepsake | JPY 3,000–8,000 |
| Dinner | JPY 16,000–32,000 |
| Karaoke/dessert extra | JPY 3,000–8,000 |
| **Total excluding gift** | **JPY 32,000–68,000** |

## Transport Notes

- The 12-year-old uses adult rail fares during the trip.
- The detailed July 25 route audit in [03-TRANSPORT.md](./03-TRANSPORT.md) produces a baseline of about JPY 61,200–62,000 for four, including both Skyliner trips, Yurikamome, the Yomiuriland gondola and Enoden. The JPY 65,000–75,000 envelope leaves room for the final-base taxi, one timing-saving taxi on Oct 16 and minor live-route changes.
- Individual reserved Nozomi tickets remain more appropriate than a nationwide JR Pass for this route.
- The Oct 15 return may start in Uji/Kyoto if Nintendo Museum succeeds; reserve the long-distance train only after the museum slot is known.
- Do not budget a Hakone or Fuji day: neither is in the complete plan.

## Cash and Cards

- Keep one day’s cash plus a backup reserve; do not carry the full trip budget.
- Use cash envelopes for arcades/gachapon.
- Record every prepaid ticket in the ledger to avoid counting it again as daily cash.
- Check actual card foreign-transaction fees and exchange rates before converting the full budget.

## Before Calling the Budget “Final”

- [ ] Insert the actual flight receipt total.
- [x] Record Tokyo Oct 2–11 and Kyoto Oct 11–13 booking totals.
- [ ] Confirm Osaka and final-Tokyo four-person checkout totals.
- [ ] Record PokéPark pass class and charge.
- [ ] Record the exact USJ Studio + Express product and charge.
- [ ] Record Nintendo Museum result.
- [ ] Set the family anime/character shopping cap.
- [ ] Add 10–15% contingency.
- [ ] Convert currencies once, using the actual payment/statement rate.

The honest current output is a controlled set of envelopes, not a grand total. Update this file after each booking rather than carrying old sample prices forward.