Top 9 trips to Japan

From futuristic cities to ancient shrines, temple gardens, and volcanic landscapes, there’s a lot to explore on a trip to Japan. Whether you want to discover the country’s modern pop culture, glimpse into its past, or explore its natural beauty, we can design a Japan tour entirely around your passions.

You might like a private guide to show you around centuries-old landmarks such as Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion) in Kyoto and Tokyo’s Senso-ji temple. You could follow hiking trails once used by feudal lords and samurai through cedar forests and well-preserved Edo-era villages. Or taste local cuisine on a Tokyo street-food tour, experience an authentic tea ceremony in Kyoto, or try your hand at crafts like calligraphy, flower arranging, udon noodle making, and kendo (wooden) sword fighting.

Along the way, we can arrange for you to stay in a traditional Japanese ryokan (inn) or a meditative Buddhist temple in the mountains. You can also include a beach stay as part of your Japan trip by visiting the subtropical islands of Okinawa.

Below, you’ll find a selection of Japan tour ideas selected by our specialists to help inspire you. Of course, these are just suggestions, and we’ll plan a trip to Japan that’s unique to you.

Pick your trip

1. Tokyo & Kyoto

A route combining the neon-lit streets of Tokyo and the shrine-dotted districts of Kyoto lets you experience both Japan’s futuristic and traditional sides in one trip. Each city offers its own cultural, gastronomic, and historical highlights, whether you want to shop in the glittering Ginza district or stroll through the seemingly endless vermilion torii gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine.

Where the trip could take you:

You’ll fly into Tokyo, with the bullet train connecting you to Kyoto. During your time in Tokyo, you have the option to visit the seaside town of Kamakura. And, from Kyoto, you can explore Nara, with its deer park, or journey further afield to Hiroshima.

Experiences you can have:

We can arrange private tours of headliners like Tokyo’s Shinjuku Gyoen garden and Meiji Jingu shrine, or Kyoto’s Nijo Castle and gilded Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion). Alternatively, you could explore the capital’s subculture through the youthful street fashion and pop culture shops of Harajuku.

Throughout, we can introduce you to the aspects of Japanese culture you’re eager to experience. That might mean a personal lesson in the art of samurai swordsmanship, visiting the Ghibli anime museum or Tokyo Disneyland, attending a traditional tea ceremony, sampling local delicacies, or taking a private class in ikebana (flower arranging).

2. Tokyo, Kyoto & the hills of Hakone

Hakone has built its reputation on its volcanic landscape, rejuvenating hot springs, superb art museums, and views of the snow-capped cone of Mount Fuji. And, the town’s position between Tokyo and Kyoto makes it easy to add onto an itinerary featuring the two cities.

Where the trip could take you:

After flying into Tokyo, you can spend a couple of days in the capital before catching the bullet train to Kyoto. Hakone lies on a small branch off the main train line between the two cities, and you can spend time here (we suggest allowing a couple of days) before returning to Tokyo for your flight home.

Experiences you can have:

We can arrange for a private guide to accompany you as you discover the city sights, and tell you more about Japanese culture, history, and cuisine. They’ll tailor the route around what you want to experience, whether that’s exploring the labyrinthine narrow lanes and tiny bars of Tokyo’s Golden Gai district, or strolling through Kyoto’s carefully curated temple gardens.

In Hakone, you could ride the ropeway up to Owakudani for a closer look at its bubbling pools and sulphurous vents, or cruise Lake Ashi on a replica pirate ship. Alternatively, follow in the footsteps of samurai with a privately guided hike along the Old Tokaido Road — including a stop at a historic teahouse for refreshment — and afterwards, soothe your muscles with a soak in a traditional onsen (hot spring baths).

3. Discovering the Japanese Alps

With their snow-tipped peaks, meticulously preserved Edo-era towns, and an ancient highway leading you through cedar forests and past roadside shrines, a trip to the Japanese Alps blends outdoor adventure with tangible history. Just a couple of hours from Tokyo, the region can be a convenient way to include another side of the country on your Japan trip.

Where the trip could take you:

After two or three days in Tokyo, you’ll journey north to Matsumoto, in the heart of the Japanese Alps. From here, you can catch a train south to the traditional post town of Tsumago, before heading down to Kyoto. We suggest taking a few days to explore the ancient capital, before flying home from Tokyo.

Experiences you can have:

If you’re interested in Japanese history and architecture, we can arrange for a privately guided tour of Matsumoto and its striking castle. The building’s unusual black exterior earned it the nickname “Crow Castle”, and the steep wooden staircases inside lead you to an observation deck overlooking the mountains.

Wandering through the narrow streets of Tsumago gives you a glimpse of Edo-era Japan, with painstakingly restored dark wooden houses, and all signs of modernity (like phone and power lines) hidden from view. From here, you can take a guided hike along the Nakasendo highway. This ancient trade route runs through dappled forests and towering bamboo groves, passing waterfalls and small stone Jizo statues intended to protect those walking the trail.

4. Exploring the rural beauty of Tohoku

Japan’s Tohoku region is made up of six prefectures in the north of the country’s main island, Honshu. Still relatively unexplored by visitors, its rustic landscape enables you to embrace a more traditional, slower pace of life on your trip to Japan. From soaring forested mountains and secluded lakes to authentic hot springs and exuberant local festivals, you’ll find lots to explore.

Where the trip could take you:

After landing in Tokyo, you can take a high-speed train north to the city of Sendai. From here, switch to local trains to reach spots like Matsushima Bay, said to be so beautiful that even the poet Bashō was unable to describe it. For the more remote areas, such as the Nyuto Onsen hot springs village and old samurai town of Kakunodate, we find it’s best to explore by car.

Experiences you can have:

Much of Tohoku’s appeal is down to its untouched scenery, and there are plenty of ways to experience it. We can arrange for you to take a guided tour and boat trip around Matsushima Bay’s pine-clad islands, or you could stay on land and stroll along the shores of Lake Towada. Each season brings its own highlights, from spring’s ethereal pink cherry blossom and the greenery of summer to the red-and-gold autumn leaves and deep winter snow.

If you want to challenge yourself, we can direct you to our preferred hiking routes up one or more of the three shrine-topped mountains known collectively as Dewa-sanzan. Meanwhile, Kakunodate is one of the best locations to see traditional samurai houses in Japan, some of which are open for public viewing.

However you spend your time, we highly recommend including a trip to an onsen (hot spring bath), where you can relax in the rejuvenating warm water.

5. Self-driving across Kyushu

From the smoking crater of Mount Aso to the historic streets of Nagasaki, a trip around Kyushu could take you to places most visitors aren’t aware of when planning a trip to Japan. And, having the freedom of your own vehicle means you can travel at a pace that suits you, pausing at the locations that interest you most.

Where the trip could take you:

Your trip to Kyushu begins with a two-hour flight from Tokyo into the spirited city of Fukuoka. From here, you could drive to a rustic hot spring village, like Kurokawa, or explore the volcanic landscape of Kirishima National Park further south. You might also like to visit Kagoshima, Nagasaki, and the castle town of Kumamoto.

Experiences you can have:

To get better acquainted with Kyushu’s volcanically carved terrain, you could take a trip to Sakurajima for a close-up look at one of the country’s most active volcanos. There’s a chance you’ll witness it sending a huge plume of ash into the sky as you stroll through the black lava fields around its slopes. We can also recommend hiking routes to suit your fitness level that take in the primeval forests, caldera lakes, and craggy mountains of Kirishima National Park.

For a more relaxing experience, you might like to hire a rowing boat and drift along the river between the sheer limestone cliffs of Takachiho Gorge. The geothermically heated hot springs of Kurokawa Onsen give you the opportunity to soak in mineral-rich waters, or you can try hot-sand bathing in Ibusuki for a more unusual way to unwind.

Back in the city, we could arrange a private tour of Fukuoka’s street-food stalls as an introduction to local Kyushu cuisine.

6. The wildlife and wilderness of Hokkaido

A trip to Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido places you amid lofty mountains, mirror-like caldera lakes, and abundant wildlife. We find its mild summers provide a welcome respite from the heat and humidity further south, while in winter, the ample snowfall creates ideal conditions for skiing, snowboarding, and the annual Sapporo Snow Festival.

Where the trip could take you:

From Tokyo, you’ll fly to Kushiro, in eastern Hokkaido. We’ll have a rental car waiting for you at the airport, ready to help you reach the island’s more remote spots, like the windswept, bear-inhabited Shiretoko Peninsula. You’ll also have the chance to visit several national parks, and the cosmopolitan city of Sapporo.

Experiences you can have:

We find that spotting wildlife is often easier and more rewarding when you’re with an expert guide, so can arrange a private tour of Kushiro’s wetlands — look out for the rare and elegant tanchōzuru (red-crowned crane), which has become a symbol of Japan.

For a different perspective, you might choose to join a boat trip around Shiretoko’s untamed coastline, known in the Indigenous Ainu language as “the end of the world”. Here you have the chance to spy brown bears, minke whales, eagles, and other endemic animals.

If you’re more about the wilderness than the wildlife, we can recommend some hiking trails around Mount Asahidake to suit you. And, to experience the livelier side of Hokkaido, we could arrange a private guided tour of Sapporo. This might include wandering the city’s parks and markets, trying your hand at glass blowing in Otaru, or visiting the renowned Sapporo Beer Factory.

7. Japan city and beach trip

Japan isn’t often thought of as a beach destination, but the country’s southernmost prefecture, Okinawa, might just convince you otherwise. The azure waters and bone-white sands of its laid-back, subtropical islands invite you to unwind on the shore or dive beneath the waves. And, as it’s just a short flight from the mainland, it’s easy to combine cities and beaches in one trip to Japan.

Where the trip could take you:

Your trip begins in Tokyo, giving you a chance to soak up the capital’s electric atmosphere and many attractions. You could then take a high-speed bullet train southwest to Kyoto, spending a few days touring the temples and shrines — with the option of a day trip to Hiroshima. For beach time, fly south to relax on the sandy shores of Okinawa’s Miyako Island.

Experiences you can have:

For your time in Tokyo, we can plan activities entirely around your passions, whether that’s visiting a sumo training “stable”, taking a private night photography tour, or sampling traditional Japanese cuisine on a cruise along the Sumida River. Meanwhile, in Kyoto, we could arrange for you to take a calligraphy course, or experience a tea ceremony with a maiko (apprentice geisha).

When you arrive on Miyako Island, it’s all about the beaches. You could unwind on the white sands of Maehama, snorkel the coral reef at Yoshino Kaigan, or head out on a scuba-diving trip to discover Okinawa’s abundant marine life. For a change of pace, you might like to fly to nearby Iriomote Island and explore its mangrove swamps for a chance to spot the very rare and elusive Iriomote wildcat.

8. Unlocking the secrets of Shikoku

As the smallest of the country’s four main islands, Shikoku is often left off Japan itineraries. Yet, we find that this is one of the best places to experience the traditional side of Japan. It offers you the chance to explore historic castles, watch traditional Bunraku puppet shows, or walk part of the country’s best-known pilgrimage route.

Where the trip could take you:

You can reach Shikoku by train from Okayama, via boat from Hiroshima, or by crossing one of the world’s longest suspension bridges from Kobe. Once on the island, it’s easiest to travel between cities like Tokushima, Matsuyama, and Takamatsu by train. We can also arrange a hire car for you to visit more remote spots, like the mountainous Iya Valley.

Experiences you can have:

To help you get the most out of your journey in Shikoku, our specialists will connect you with local experts. You could take a private tour of Takamatsu, including a visit to the exquisitely landscaped garden of Ritsurin Koen, or join a cooking class where you’ll learn how to make udon noodles. We can also arrange for you to stay in a traditional ryokan (inn) at Dogo Onsen, a hot-spring resort whose roots date back over 3,000 years.

For a more contemporary experience, you might like to take a private tour of Naoshima island with its world-renowned open-air art galleries. Alternatively, if you want to get out into nature, we can recommend the most tranquil places to hike among the peaks of Iya Valley — or arrange for you to explore the handcrafted vine bridges which span its gorges.

9. Grand tour of Honshu

Honshu, Japan’s main island, is a land of contrasts, where you can experience every quintessential aspect of Japanese culture. Neon-lit skyscrapers. Narrow backstreets lined with tiny bars and ramen restaurants. Ancient shrines marked by vivid red torii gates. Refined landscaped gardens surrounding tiered castles. Serene mountaintop temples. Soothing hot spring baths with views of Mount Fuji on clear days. You could include all this and more on an all-encompassing tour of Honshu.

Where the trip could take you:

You’ll fly to Tokyo, then catch a train to the peaceful Japanese Alps. Among other stops, you could visit the artistic hub of Kanazawa, travel by high-speed train to Hiroshima, and continue on to Kyoto. For an alternative perspective, spend time at the Buddhist temple town on Mount Koya. You could also journey to Lake Kawaguchiko to take in views of Mount Fuji. We can arrange for you to have as many days as you like in each location.

Experiences you can have:

Throughout your Japan trip, we’ll connect you with the aspects of Japanese culture that align with your passions. That might mean we arrange for you to enter the studios of some of Kanazawa’s most celebrated artisans, where you’ll watch them work and learn about their craft. Or, for a more hands-on experience, in Kyoto you could take a private class in calligraphy, origami, or flower arranging.

In Hiroshima, you can enjoy a private tour of the evocative Peace Park and Memorial Museum, attend a lively baseball game to cheer on the Hiroshima Carps, or catch the ferry to Miyajima island to see its distinctive “floating” torii gate. Meanwhile, at the incense-shrouded Mount Koya, you could stay in temple lodgings for a glimpse into Buddhist monastic life.