Tour Details
Eight days from the temples of Kyoto to the neon of Tokyo: a tea ceremony with a master, a night in a traditional ryokan, Mount Fuji from the shores of Lake Kawaguchi and the bullet train between them.
Your guide Hannah has lived in Japan for a decade and opens doors that stay closed to most visitors, from a sake brewery in Fushimi to a sumo stable at morning practice. Hotels are central and comfortable, and the pace leaves time for your own discoveries.
Meet your guide at Kansai Airport and take the train to Kyoto. Evening walk through the lantern-lit lanes of Gion.
Climb the torii gate tunnels of Fushimi Inari before the crowds, visit Kiyomizu-dera and the Golden Pavilion, then take part in a tea ceremony.
Walk the bamboo grove and the moss gardens of Arashiyama, then taste sake at a 300-year-old brewery in Fushimi.
Meet the bowing deer of Nara and the great bronze Buddha, then check in to a ryokan for a kaiseki dinner and a soak in the hot spring.
Ride the Shinkansen east and continue to Lake Kawaguchi, where Mount Fuji rises above the water on clear days.
Morning by the lake, then on to Tokyo. Explore Asakusa's Senso-ji temple and the backstreets of Yanaka.
Watch sumo wrestlers at morning practice, cross the Shibuya crossing and end the day with a guided street food tour in Shinjuku.
A free morning for last purchases in Ginza before your transfer to Haneda or Narita.
Start: Osaka · End: Tokyo
Exceptional Based on 7 reviews
Hannah got us into Fushimi Inari before the crowds and found a tea house in Gion where we were the only guests. The ryokan night in Nara, with kaiseki dinner and an onsen, was the highlight.
I was nervous about the language and the trains, but the guide made everything effortless. The bullet train to Mount Fuji, the sake tasting in Arashiyama, and Tokyo at night: every day had a wow moment.
We went in November and the maples in Kyoto were on fire. Small group, wonderful food (the sushi breakfast at Tsukiji!) and a guide whose love for Japan is contagious.
An amazing introduction to Japan. Some days were packed, and we would have liked one more free afternoon in Tokyo. Fuji showed itself for exactly ten minutes, which made it even more special.
A great mix for a family: deer in Nara and arcades in Akihabara for the kids, temples and tea ceremonies for us. Everyone went home happy.
Hotels were central and comfortable, the ryokan was unforgettable and the guide shared so much history. I came home with a suitcase of matcha and a list of places to see next time.
Every detail was thought through, down to the luggage forwarding between cities. We could simply enjoy the gardens, the food and the people.
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