Hi everyone, I am intending to head to Japan in August for about 12 days, specifically to Osaka, Kyoto amd Nara. Any recommendations on where I could get good flight deals, cheap accommodation and must visit places? If you have an itinerary for these places, that would be perfect.

Kyoto was awesome! We were only there for a day. We went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine (wear good shoes, it's a hike up), bamboo forest, and Iwatayama Monkey Park. The monkey park was really neat. The monkeys are wild but comfortable being near people. If you want to feed them, you have to go in a cage - the opposite of a zoo
In Osaka we went to the castle. Inside it's a modern museum. And our favourite place to eat in Osaka was Ichiran - it's quite an experience.

Great, thanks!

Do these places have entrance fees? I'm on a budget but I would like to maximize my experience.

We spent 6 or 7 days using Kyoto as a base last August. Monkey park and bamboo forest was a day (we went to a fireworks festival that night), a day at Nara for the deer park and Buddha, another day in Kyoto going to the Golden Pavilion and Fushimi-Inari, a couple days in Osaka to see the Umeda Sky building, Osaka Castle, Pokemon Centre (travelled with kids, lol) the aquarium and ferris wheel.

We went in August and it was HOT - 35+ degrees before the humidity. Depending on when you are in Kyoto, there is the Daimon-ji (?) festival to honour ancestors. There are five written characters on mountains around Kyoto that they light up the one night. It poured rain the day of it last year so they could only light one of the five.

we had okonomiyaki for lunch at a mall by the train station - they cook it on the table in front of you. We also went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant - depending on how many dishes you eat you get to play mini games at the end.

We were there in the summer too, and it was really hot.

Sounds amazing! I am considering if I should be getting the JR pass or the 4-day Kansai pass, since I am on a budget, and I would only be travelling in the Kansai region. Did you get either of these passes?

JR pass may not be worth it, since there are multiple train companies and the JR pass is only good for JR. We did Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo trip and figured that the only way to actually get our money's worth is if we make it a round trip. I would recommend doing more research on it

Thiviyan we had the JR pass. We spent a week in Kyoto/Osaka area, a night in Hiroshima and a week in Tokyo. We also had local tour guides in Kyoto (my cousin and his wife) who planned routes for us that pretty much just used the JR lines. We did use some subways to get to the apartment we rented too.

If you looking for a stay in Kyoto, I recommend "Sakura Terrace" for your stay. Their free/heathy breakfast, and one complimentary drink at night are actually pretty awesome. And it's convenient (next to subway) and very cheap!
http://www.sakuraterrace.jp/en/

Awesome, thanks for the recommendation!

Try airbnb, and I would use Osaka as the hub. It's neat staying in a Japanese apartment rather than westernized hotel
Osaka is less touristy and depending on where you're staying it could be very convenient w/ the train. If you haven't tried it already, staying in a ryokan is a must when you visit Japan. It's quite expensive so if you are on a tight budget, just stay 1 night.

Sure, I shall consider it! Thanks for the recommendation!

I second the deer park and giant Buddha in Nara. Amazing! Miyajima Island is a fantastic stop also. We took the Shinkansen around Japan to get to our destinations faster and rode the subway while in Tokyo and Osaka.

Raymond Tat