Highlights
- Experience the crazy Robot Restaurant show
- Take a sushi making masterclass
- Pirate ship cruise to see Mt Fuji on a clear day
- Sake tasting in the Old Town
- Sleep on tatami mats in a traditional temple stay
- Guided night walk in the Geisha district of old Kyoto
- Visit the Golden Pavilion
- View lesser-known Zen gardens
- Watch the sunrise from Kiyomizu-dera Temple
- Learn Kendo (sword fighting) with a samurai descendant
- Climb Monkey Mountain
- Walk through the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
- Experience a wild karaoke night in Osaka
Inclusions
- All accommodation in great locations
- Legendary group leader
- All transport from Tokyo to Osaka including the famous bullet trains!
- Big welcome dinner on your first night
- 7 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners
Day 1: Welcome to Japan
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, the desired destination where all those leave with a newfound sense of wonder. Arrive at your traditional Tokyo designed hostel to be greeted by your tour guide. Tonight we’ll take you out to feast on Japanese cuisines and meet the rest of your group.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Explore Tokyo
We’ll start the morning off with a language and culture class. 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. We’ll then grab traditional bento boxes and head into Yoyogi park for cosplay spotting. After that, we’ll head 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 the area. Once we’ve finished exploring, we’ll head to Asakusa to visit Senso-Ji, which is one of the most important temples in Tokyo. This illustrious red temple is a feast for the senses.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Sushi Making Class & Robot Restaurant
Today we’ll head to the world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market. Tokyo is famed for its seafood delights and this is the epicentre of where the best fish in the world is found. Once we have toured the facility, we will head over to our sushi making class where our guides here will teach you how to roll the perfect sushi, fry the best tempura and eat sashimi properly. After your sushi lunch, we’ll head back to the hostel for a quick freshen up before heading to the incredible Shinjuku area for a meal of Yakitori and beer. After dinner 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 of the world famous Robot Restaurant. Wrapping up the day viewing the world famous Shibuya Pedestrian Crossing.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: Travel to Hakone & Mt Fuji Viewing
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 of Mt Fuji are pretty spectacular also. After a day of exploring and taking photos of Japan’s most famous mountain, we’ll arrange a typical Japanese Nabe dinner on the roof deck and watch the sunset over the spectacular little town.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5: Takayama Temple Stay
Today we board the bullet train, a soaring feat of engineering that throws you across the countryside. We’ll then take the stunning mountains that pass by 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 evening 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.
Day 6: Arrive in Kyoto & Gion Walking Tour
In the morning your guide will walk you around the beautiful old town and village of Takayama, we’ll be sure to stop for lunch before boarding the train back to Nagoya and taking 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, famous for Geisha’s (Japan’s traditional art form of entertainment), if you are lucky enough, you might even spot one.
Day 7: Golden Pavilion, Zen Gardens & Kendo Class
This morning we’ll head to the effervescent 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 cacophony of buildings and 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 descendant of a Japanese Samurai, will teach you the way of this respectful martial art, before finishing with a 10 minute guided meditation reflection to finish off this incredible day.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Kyoto Temple & Shrine Tour + Bamboo Forest
We’ll rise early in the morning and take the subway to Kiyomizu-Dera temple, one of Japan’s most famous temples. A stunning bamboo and wooden complex that sits high on the mountainside. After we will head to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine. We arrive early to escape the bustling throng of tourists and work our way through the mountain exploring corridors of never-ending red gates. After feasting on lunch in Gion, we will take the train to the Arashiyama district. 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.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9: Arrive in Osaka, Food Tour & Karaoke
Today, you’ll have one final chance to finish buying all your final souvenirs from Kyoto before we jump on the train and head to Osaka. After checking in we will head out into the Dotonbori area to take you on a food tour. 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!
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10: Depart
After nursing your head from last nights antics, it’s time to say goodbye to your group and the new friends you have made on your tour. We hope we have shown you the best that Japan has to offer.
Meals: Breakfast
Pickup: Tokyo
The tour starts at Khaosan Origami hostel in Asakusa, Tokyo - 3 Chome-4-12 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan.
Return: Osaka
What to Bring:
Comfortable walking shoes (we will walk a lot!).
Mosquito Repellant (for summer months).
Raincoat/Umbrella
Proof of onwards travel.
Luggage Limit:
We use public transport for the duration of this tour so recommend bringing 15-20kg only.
Dietary Requirements:
It is difficult to cater for strict dietary requirements including vegetarian/vegan.
Extra Costs:
Optional Return transfer to Tokyo ticket available at extra cost.
