Description
Embark on a 10-day journey through Japan’s timeless wonders. From the bustling streets of Tokyo to the ancient temples of Kyoto, this tour offers a perfect blend of modernity and tradition. Discover iconic landmarks, serene gardens, and cultural treasures while savoring authentic Japanese cuisine. Ideal for travelers seeking a comprehensive exploration of Japan’s rich heritage and vibrant cities.
**Travel insurance is compulsory for all One Life tours **
Inclusions
- Activities – 26 included activities + 10 optional extras over 5 amazing locations.
- Transport – we include all your transport from day 2 to day 9. Getting around Japan by subway can be testing, but our experienced tour leaders know the system like the back of their hand and will make it seamlessly easy. With all bullet trains included, a cable car and a pirate ship to view Mt Fuji – we’ll make sure your transport around Japan is smooth and comfortable! All you have to do is make your own way from/to the airport on Day 1 & 10 and we’ll take care of the rest!
- Accommodation – You and your travel buddies will be throwing your slumber parties in twin share or triple share rooms, with one night in a multi-share temple stay – from modern hostels to traditional Japanese guesthouses and a night spent on a simple tatami mat in a stunning Japanese temple!
- Food – 4 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners included. Japan has given the world so much iconic food, so it is always a big part of any trip to Japan. There’s so much to see in Japan, we will make sure you’re well fed and energized for each day!
- Your crew – Our crew comprises of award winning tour guides who will make your trip unforgettable. Expertly trained and prepared for every circumstance – they’ll be your new best mate and a fountain of knowledge all wrapped up in one and will stop at nothing to make your trip life changing. Our local guides are second to none – in each destination they’ll partner up with your tour leader to show you how passionate they are about their home.
Not Included
- International Flights
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Visas
- Some Meals
- Arrival Transfer
Highlights
- Visit the Meiji Shrine
- Explore Harajuku & Kihabara
- Night skyline viewpoint of Tokyo,
- Cross the famous Shibuya Scramble, walk through Tsukiji Market
- Sushi making masterclass
- Cable car in Hakone over the mountains
- Cruise to see mt Futi on a clear day
- Sake tasting
- Guided night walk in geisha district of Kyoto
- Golden Pavilion
- Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Red Gates of Fushimi Inari
- learn Kendo (sword fighting) with samurai descendant
- Guided meditation in the Dojo
- Climb Monkey Mountain
- Arashiyama bamboo forest
- A wild night of
- Karaoke in Osaka
- Street food tasting along Dotonbori
Your Travel Itinerary
Touch down in Tokyo! Arrive into your Tokyo hostel and relax until the evening. Tonight we’ll take you out to feast on Japanese cuisine and meet the rest of your group. After dinner when the crowds have all dispersed, we explore the iconic Tokyo Senso-ji Temple by night!
We’ll start the morning off with a a Japan Orientation Briefing. You’ll learn simple Japanese customs and phrases to help you dictate your way across the country. We’ll then head out to the birth place of Japanese teen pop culture, Harajuku. We’ll then head into Yoyogi Park, host of the beautiful Meiji Shrine.
Afterwards, we’ll head to Akihabara – Tokyo’s electric town – and be blinded by the all the neon lights and crazy shops in store. You can challenge each other in the arcades, check out the famous Maid Cafes or just wander around the area.
In the morning after breakfast we will head over to our own private sushi making class! You will learn how to make Miso soup, three types of sushi and the secrets behind Teriyaki! Vegetarian option is available but you must notify your guide/One Life a week before the tour starts. This evening we head to Shinjuku, we’ll see an unparalleled skyline of Tokyo, check out the famous Omoide Yokocho alley & grab some dinner. before viewing the famous Shibuya Pedestrian Crossing.
Today we take the aptly named “Romance Car” to the stunning mountain town of Hakone. After checking into our guest house situated in the mountains, we will spend the day exploring the surrounding areas on a variety of different transports. Why is Hakone so special? Well, not only is the food incredible but you can get a spectacular view of Mt Fuji (weather dependent.) After a day of exploring and taking photos of Japan’s most famous mountain we’ll arrange a traditional Japanese Family Nabe dinner in our guesthouse and finish the day playing some games.
*If you have asthma/respiratory condition, the brief visit to Owakudani is not advisable, please speak to your guide for an alternate arrangement.
Today is the day we ride the world-famous shinkansen for the first time. Watch them fly by on the platform before boarding one of the world’s fastest train.
Keep an eye out for Mt Fuji on the way. First stop is the UNESCO World Heritage town of Takayama. Here we will be staying at a stunning temple for the night. In the afternoon, We’ll sample sake in a local brewery and you can even treat yourself to some famous Hida beef!
Start the morning with a walk around the beautiful old town and village of Takayama as well as a visit to the morning market on the banks of the Miyagawa River. We will then head to Kyoto by bullet train. In the evening a local tour guide will guide us 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.
We’ll rise before dawn and take the subway to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine. We arrive early to escape the throng of tourists and work our way through the mountain exploring corridors of never ending red gates. After, we will head to Kiyomizu-dera temple, one of Japan’s most famous temples. A stunning bamboo and wooden complex that sits high in the mountain side. We finish up with a traditional Tea Ceremony, where you can even rent kimonos!
You will have the rest of the day free to explore.
We head to the stunning Golden Pavilion, a beautiful gold laden building surrounded by a lake. After we’ll head to Daitoku-ji, a quiet, leafy complex of old temples. In the afternoon we head to a traditional Kendo class housed in the dojo where it all began. Your authentic Bushido instructor, a descendant of a Japanese Samurai, will teach you the way of this respectful martial art.
The day starts with a train ride to Arashiyama, a town surrounded by mountains and a river running through it. The itinerary includes a visit to the bamboo forest, climbing Monkey Mountain, a traditional Japanese boat ride through the valleys. We then head on to Osaka where in the evening, we explore the famous Dotonbori area. The food, people, lights, and colors of the “kitchen of Japan” will be experienced before ending the tour with karaoke in the evening.
After nursing your head’s from last nights 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!
Important info before travel
- Main bag – smaller than 160cm when height, width and depth are added together
- Comfortable shoes
- Travel adaptor
- Camera
- If travelling between September-April warm clothes
- You can fly into Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda International Airport (HND). We don’t offer airport pick-ups on this tour but we include detailed information on how to get to the hostel from both airports in your welcome pack.
- For those wishing to return to Tokyo after the tour finishes in Osaka/Hiroshima there is the option to include the train cost in the ticket price. Those guests who wish to book their return train journey whilst on the tour will need to arrange this as soon as possible, so we would recommend arranging this before you arrive.
- Leaving from Kansai Airport (Osaka) – We recommend booking your flight after 9am since the earliest you can get to the airport via public transport is 6am and taxis are very expensive (~14,000Y+).
- Leaving from Itami Airport (Osaka) – We recommend booking your flight after 9am since the earliest you can get to the airport via public transport is 6:15am and taxis are very expensive.
- Flying out of Tokyo – We would not recommend flying internationally any earlier than 5pm. It takes 4 hours to reach Tokyo on the train, a further 1 hour to reach the airport and you’ll need to be there at least 3 hours earlier than your flight.
