Our Japan tour is a small group adventure with like-minded travelers who will explore and share the culture of Japan with you. We have a welcome dinner on night one of the tour so you can get to know the entire group and start bonding from the outset. We have so many inclusions on tour starting with a language class with a Toyko local so you can start to speak Japanese as you travel around the country. Not only a fun tour but also a learning experience! If we had to pick two highlights over the 10-day trip it is our pirate ship cruise, where on a clear day you can see Mt Fuji and sleep on tatami mats at the traditional temple stay.
Highlights (TL/DR):
Japan is a magical place where old and new collide. A country full of incredible natural beauty, futuristic cities of neon, world-renowned food, and a culture steeped in tradition. This tour immerses you in the Japanese culture for 10 days of fun and adventure.
Japan has a way of enveloping you from the moment you step off the plane. The unique culture and friendliness of the people will stay with you forever. From partying in the famous Shinjuku area of Tokyo to walking down the stone paths of the Gion district in Kyoto, we will show you the best of the country in 10 days. Starting in Tokyo and finishing in Osaka we explore the iconic areas of Japan plus some places off the tourist trail. By the end of the 10 days you would have lived and breathed the Land of the Rising Sun.
10 Day Japan Tour - Tour itinerary - 10 Days
Touch down Japan! Welcome to the land of culture, a country with majestic mountains, crazy neon lights, world-class food & ancient and fascinating history. A land where the sake is hot or cold, where the sun glistens off the snow-covered peaks, where incense floats around temples and shrines & where the technological advances take the world by storm. Japan is a dream, a desired destination where all those leave with a newfound sense of wonder. Arrive into your traditionally designed Tokyo hostel in the beautiful Asakusa area to be greeted by your tour guide.
Once we’ve settled in, we’ll take you out to feast on Japanese cuisine and meet the rest of your group. After dinner, we’ll head to Asakusa to visit Senso-ji when the crowds have gone. This is one of the most important temples in Tokyo, this illustrious red temple is a feast for the senses!
Accommodation: Twin Share with shared bathroom
Included Activity – Welcome dinner and Senso-ji
Optional Activity – Tokyo Skytree
This morning you will meet a Tokyo local who will give us all a language and culture class to prepare us for our travel in Japan. You’ll learn simple Japanese customs and phrases to help you dictate your way across the country. Once we have learned all we need, we’ll head out to the birthplace of Japanese teen pop culture Harajuku. We’ll then grab traditional bento boxes and head into Yoyogi park, host of the beautiful Meiji Shrine. After that, we’ll make our way to Akihabara – Tokyo’s electric town -and be blinded by the all the neon lights and crazy shops in store. We’ll challenge you all in the Sega Centre and provide you with a map and “Best things to do” so you can explore around the area.
Accommodation: Twin Share with shared bathroom
Included Activities – Japanese language & cultural class, Survival booklet, Harajuku tour, Meiji Shrine, Akihabara tour
Optional Activities – Maid Cafe, batting cages
Today we’ll head to the world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market. Tokyo is famed for its seafood delights and this market is the birthplace of Japan’s most famous food; sushi! Once we have toured the area, we will head over to our sushi making class where sushi masters will teach you how to roll the perfect sushi and fry teriyaki! After your sushi lunch, we’ll head back to the hostel for a quick freshen up before heading to the incredible Shinjuku area for an unparalleled skyline of Tokyo before a meal of Yakitori and beer down the famous Omoide Yokocho alley. After dinner, we will treat you to an incredible show like no other, where robots dance to the theme of thriller whilst lasers and lights bounce off the walls at the world-famous Robot Restaurant. Wrapping up the day by viewing the world-famous Shibuya Pedestrian Crossing.
Accommodation: Twin Share with shared bathroom
Included Activities – Fish market tour, sushi-making class, Tokyo Government building lookout, Robot Restaurant, Shibuya Crossing
Optional Activity – VR Centre
Today we leave Tokyo by the aptly named “Romance Car” to the stunning mountainous town of Hakone. After checking into our guesthouse accommodation situated in the mountains, we will spend the day exploring the surrounding areas on a variety of different transport including Cable Cars, Rope Ways and even a Pirate Ship. Why is Hakone so special? Well, not only is the food incredible but the views you can get of Mt Fuji on a clear day are pretty spectacular also. After a day of exploring and taking photos of Japan’s most famous mountain we’ll enjoy a typical Japanese Nabe dinner and then head to the roof deck to watch the sunset over the spectacular little town.
Accommodation: Twin Share on tatami mats with shared bathroom in Guesthouse
Included Activities – Mt Fuji Viewing, Ropeway, cable car, pirate ship, rooftop dinner
Optional Activities – Onsen
Today we board the bullet train, a soaring feat of engineering that throws you across the countryside. We’ll take a bullet train to Nagoya, and then a scenic train journey will take us past the stunning mountains all the way to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Takayama. Our accommodation tonight is in a stunning Japanese temple. Never before would you have stayed in more beautiful surroundings, your bed will be on simple tatami mats. In the afternoon we’ll head out for some traditional Sake tasting and you can even treat yourself to some infamously tasty Hida beef. After all of that you get a real chance for you to focus on your mindful experience as you sleep soundly in the temple with most rooms offering views of a traditional Japanese garden.
Meals – N/A
Accommodation: Multi – share in a temple
Included Activities – Sake Tasting, Temple stay, tour of Takayama Old Town
Optional Extras – N/A
In the morning your guide will walk you around the beautiful old town and village of Takayama and show you to the morning market on the banks of the Miyagawa River. After stopping for lunch we’ll board the train back to Nagoya and take our final bullet train to Kyoto. Famous for its shrines, temples and Geisha’s, Kyoto is a sure fire way to find your inner peace and get lost exploring its small alleyways. In the evening, we’ll walk around Kyoto’s Gion district, known for Geisha’s (Japan’s traditional art form of entertainment), if you are lucky enough, you might even spot one.
Meals – N/A
Accommodation: Twin Share with shared bathroom
Included Activities – Gion District Walking tour
Optional Activities – Kimono Hire, Geisha performance
We’ll rise early in the morning and take the subway to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine. We arrive early to escape the bustling throng of tourists and work our way through the mountain exploring the corridors of never-ending red gates. Afterward, we head to Kiyomizu-dera, one of Japan’s most famous temples. A stunning bamboo and wooden complex that sits high in the mountainside. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore, check out Nishiki Market or head back to the Gion District to wind your way through the quaint streets before we leave Kyoto for Osaka!
Accommodation – Twin Share with Shared Bathroom
Included Activities – Fushimi-Inari Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Optional Activities – Nishiki Market, Bike Rental
This morning we’ll head to the astonishing Golden Pavilion, a beautiful gold-laden building, surrounded by lakes which showcase a stunning reflection of the building. After we’ll head to Daitoku-Ji, a quiet, leafy complex of old temples, away from the main tourist districts. In the afternoon we head to a traditional Kendo (Samurai sword fighting) class housed in the dojo where it all began. Your authentic Bushido instructor, a descendent of a Japanese Samurai, will teach you the way of this respectful martial art, before finishing with a 10 minute guided meditation to finish off this incredible day.
Accommodation – Twin Share with Shared Bathroom
Included Activities – Golden Pavilion, Zen Garden, Kendo Class & Guided Meditation in Dojo
Optional Activities – N/A
This morning we take the train to Arashiyama. This stunning town is flanked by mountainous valleys with a river working its way through the middle. We’ll start off by wandering through the Instagram worthy bamboo forest, before climbing the steps up to Monkey Mountain. Once we make our way down, we’ll board a private rowboat and explore the valleys the traditional Japanese way. We’ll then jump on the train and head to Osaka. After checking in we will head out into the Dotonbori area, a wild ride of an inner-city complex, the ‘kitchen of Japan’ will take you in with its lights, colors, food and people and after our food tour you won’t want to leave. There is no better way to view this incredible, living, breathing city than tasting your way through it. In the evening we’ll wrap up our tour with one final Japanese tradition – Karaoke!
Accommodation: Triple Share with shared bathroom
Included Activities – Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Monkey Mountain, 30-minute boat tour, Dotonbori Food Tour (4 dishes), All you can drink Karaoke
Optional Activities – Canal boat tour, extended karaoke
After nursing your head from last night's antics, it’s time to say goodbye to your group and the new friends you have made from your tour. We hope we have shown you the best that Japan has to offer. If you’re continuing your travels with us, we can’t wait to see you in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka or the Philippines! If you’re returning home, we hope we have at least inspired you to #exploremore
Accommodation: N/A
Included Activities – N/A
Optional Activities – N/A
