While walking the streets of Japan you will be amazed by the contrast between ultra-modern buildings next to traditional temples, by the kids walking around in their self-created fashion, and an elderly lady in a traditional kimono. Japan is such a mix of contradictions that it is almost impossible to get your head wrapped around it. Finally, you’ll learn to just enjoy it. These contrasts can be seen in various destinations of Japan.
Tokyo is a highly polished metropolis known for its high fashion and technical gadgets. Hakone is where you will see a slower side as you enjoy a kaiseki dinner at your hot spring ryokan inn. In Hiroshima, you find peace in a city devastated by war.
On Miyajima Island, you will see the world is reborn and filled with beauty. You will then travel to Kyoto that has survived for 1200 years and is the home of Japanese traditional culture arts like tea ceremony and flower arranging. Finally, you will find yourself in Osaka known as the kitchen of Japan, and it’s down to Earth locals.
This tour can be fully customized.
The below itinerary is an example of a Classical custom tour.
Price per person based on double occupancy for two travelers:
Classical: from US$4,900
Superior: from US$7,250
Luxury: price upon request
Request a Quote
You will start in Tokyo which was the seat of the military government during the Edo Period (1603 to 1868). On the second day of your tour your private guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and will show you Tokyo based on your interests. You will then head to Yudanaka where you will get a chance to meet Japanese monkeys in their wild habitat. Later refresh yourself and enjoy a traditional meal in a hot spring ryokan. Many of Japan’s artisans are from this area so you will travel to Kanazawa to see Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s best. Rural Japan will be your next visit as you take a day trip to Shirakawa-go filled with thatched-roof farmhouses.
You will then head north to Takayama to see a well-preserved merchant street and morning market. For the next day you can stay in Takayama area and take a cycling tour in rural Takayama or head to Gero Onsen to stay at a hot spring ryokan.
The samurai capital was in Edo but the imperial capital remained in Kyoto, your next destination. Here you will explore the streets where the emperor and other aristocrats played and worshiped. In Kyoto we include a traditional tea ceremony and a private local guide for your second day in Kyoto. From the ancient capital, we invite you to take a day trip to Osaka, most famous for its inhabitants and local cuisine. Nara was the capital of Japan before Kyoto was founded so we also include a day trip. You will then head back to Tokyo to prepare for your flight home.
This tour can be fully customized.
The below itinerary is an example of a Classical custom tour.
Price per person based on double occupancy for two travelers:
Classical: from US$5,540
Superior: from US$8,630
Luxury: price upon request
Request a Quote
This once-in-a-lifetime tour combines the best of Kyushu giving you a chance to explore fully the island and its culture from Fukuoka down south to Amami Oshima. You will first rent a car and head to Kurokawa Onsen to relax in a ryokan (traditional inn) with a hot spring bath and a gourmet dinner. The next day you will face nature on its wildest side around Mt Aso volcano.
Then it will be time to discover the legends of Takachiho Gorge before stopping in Kumamoto and witness the reconstruction of its famous castle. Later you will head to Kagoshima where stands Sakurajima (one of Japan’s most active volcanoes). After breakfast in Kagoshima, you will visit Chiran Samurai District. This town preserved houses and gardens that are about 250 years old. Next, you will head to Ibusuki for a black-sand spa.
After dropping off your rental car you will onboard for a 3 hours ferry ride and disembark on Yakushima Island. The subtropical island of Yakushima famous for its wildlife and cedar forests. The oldest trees are said to be over 7000 years old. Finally, the cherry on the cake: you will fly to Amami Oshima who will show you all its splendor!
This tour can be fully customized.
The below itinerary is an example of a Classical custom tour.
Price per person based on double occupancy for two travelers:
Classical: from US$5,730
Superior: from US$9,450
Luxury: price upon request
Request a Quote
Our Rural Discovery Independent Tour will introduce you to rural Japan and its people while staying with a Japanese family. Of course, you will see some amazing sights but the point is to sit down and talk with Japanese people, learn how Japanese live, and experience something beyond traditional sightseeing. Our rural home-stay tour will give you stories that you will remember long after your photos have faded.
*Learn to cook traditional Japanese dishes
*Explore the village by bicycle or on foot, visit Izumo Daijingu Shrine and the Anao Temple which usually do not welcome tourists
*Experience a traditional tea ceremony, try Japanese ikebana (flower arrangement), write Japanese calligraphy, and try to play the Koto (traditional Japanese stringed instrument) with our local cultural experts and artisans
*Ride riverboats through the Honzu River Gorge, an ancient trade route to Kyoto
*Tour a local sake brewery, a tofu maker, a pottery studio, a antique shop
*Relax at the Hiyoshi Hot Springs, treat yourself to a Shiatsu massage
*Bonsai workshop
*Visit the world’s best whetstone excavation site
*Journey through rice paddies and farmlands to the historic mountain village of Miyama
This tour can be fully customized.
The below itinerary is an example of a Classical custom tour.
Price per person based on double occupancy for two travelers:
Classical: from US$3,500
Superior: from US$4,800
Luxury: price upon request
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Hokkaido is the most northern and second largest of Japan’s four main islands. Your tour will start in Sapporo and will you around this mostly unspoiled land. Your first stop will be at Furano where in summer rolling lavender fields forms a picturesque scenery. Next you will head to Abashiri on the northern coast of the island and stay at a hot spring ryokan inn where you will appreciate a delicious dinner.
In the winter this area is known for the ice flows which you can cruise through. You will then head inland to Kawayu Onsen and Lake Kussharo located in Akan Nation Park to enjoy nature. You then head south a quaint town called Kurshiro on the eastern coast. This town is famous for wildlife especially in Kushiro Shitsugen National Park. You will finally head back to Sapporo.
This tour can be fully customized.
The below itinerary is an example of a Classical custom tour.
Price per person based on double occupancy for two travelers:
Classical: from US$5,100
Superior: from US$6,890
Luxury: price upon request
Request a Quote
Central Japan is a region of tall mountain ranges and fast-flowing rivers and this small-group tour takes you there. It wasn’t until recently that roads reached the remoter villages, and today many remain remarkably well-preserved and evocative of centuries past. Our journey takes us through Japanese history from modern Tokyo, known as Edo during Japan’s period of rule by the Shoguns, to end near Kyoto, Japan’s capital for 400 years and the repository of much of the country’s cultural heritage.
From Tokyo, we head first to Yudanaka Onsen hot spring where the famous “snow monkeys” come to enjoy the natural hot spring baths just like humans. In feudal times people traveling from Kyoto to Tokyo would use the Nakasendo way – the road through the central mountains – one of a network of ancient highways. We will visit one of the best-preserved sections in the Kiso Valley, where the lovely villages of Tsumago and Magome have been immaculately restored.
October 15 to October 28, 2024 – full
November 5 to November 18, 2024 – full
February 11 to February 24, 2025
March 25 to April 7, 2025
April 12 to April 25, 2025
May 16 to May 29, 2025
September 3 to September 16, 2025
October 7 to October 20, 2025
November 4 to November 17, 2025
Starting from US$4,930.00 based on double occupancy (subject to change without notice)