Tokyo – Mt. Fuji – Hakone – Kanazawa – Takayama – Shirakawa-go – Kyoto – Nara – Osaka – Hiroshima – Nagasaki – Fukuoka – Kochi – Tokyo
The 19-day “Highlights of Japan” tour is an extraordinary, small-group journey that seamlessly blends the country’s hyper-modern cities with its deeply historic regions across Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. From the neon-lit streets of Tokyo and the ancient temples of Kyoto to the poignant histories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, guests travel in comfort via bullet train while enjoying first-class accommodations and expert-guided cultural experiences. This curated itinerary offers a comprehensive and hassle-free exploration of Japan’s most iconic landmarks and hidden treasures, making it the perfect choice for an unforgettable, authentic encounter with the Land of the Rising Sun.
Important Features
- Expert guides handpicked by company owners
- Small group size – maximum 20
- First class accommodations
- High-quality Japanese & international cuisines
- Inter-city travel by bullet train wherever available
- Private dinner show featuring a geisha apprentice
- Sushi making lesson
- All gratuities to local guides and drivers included
Meal Code: B = breakfast / L = lunch / D = dinner
Day 1/Mon: Departing Home City
The journey begins with your transpacific flight departing from a city of your choice. You’ll lose a day upon crossing the International Date Line.
Day 2/Tue: Arrival in Tokyo
Welcome to Tokyo!
Please make your way to the hotel on your own. Detailed up-to-date information on how to get to the hotel will be provided in the final update two weeks before departure. Private transfer can be arranged on request.
Day 3/Wed: Tokyo (B/L/D)
Tokyo, literally meaning “eastern capital” and officially named Tokyo Metropolis, is one of the most populous mega-cities in the world with a population of 14 million. Formerly known as Edo, the city has been the de facto seat of the Japanese government since 1603 when shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu chose the city for his headquarters. The shogun (general) was a hereditary commander ceremoniously appointed by the emperor but held real power over the country during the shogunate period between 1192 and 1867. Edo was renamed Tokyo after Emperor Meiji moved his seat from Kyoto in 1868 when the last shogun was forced to return power to the imperial court. The city covers an area of 2,187 square kilometres following the merger in 1943 of the city of Tokyo and Tokyo Prefecture.
Our full-day sightseeing begins at the plaza in front of the Imperial Palace. A stroll across the plaza accompanied by commentaries on the imperial family and the history of Tokyo gets the tour off to a good start.
We then proceed to Senso-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo dating back to 628.
After lunch, we drive through the ritzy Ginza shopping district on the way to Meiji Jingu, a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji (1852 -1912) and his wife.
We end the day with a visit to the observation deck atop the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku. On a clear day, the visitor could see the peak of Mount Fuji which is located about 84 km to the west. The building complex completed in 1990 at a cost of US$1 billion consists of three main structures each taking up a city block. The architect of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is Kenzo Tange (1913 – 2005), who in 1987 became the first Japanese to win the Pritzker Prize for Architecture.
Welcome dinner features premium Japanese beef.
Day 4/Thu: Tokyo – Mt. Fuji – Hakone – Tokyo (B/L)
We depart at 7:30 AM for a full-day excursion to Mt Fuji and Hakone.
Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain (3,776 metres) in Japan, is a two-hour drive from Tokyo. We stop by the Fujisan World Heritage Center to view the summit and learn about the history, formation and ecology of Mt. Fuji through exhibits and a short film. However, it is purely a matter of luck whether the summit is visible as Mt. Fuji is often shrouded in clouds. Our schedule does not include hiking the mountain – the trails are open between July and early September and it would take the average person at least six hours to hike to the summit even if one starts from the highest station at 2,305 metres above sea level.
We then proceed to Lake Ashi in Hakone for a half-hour cruise across the pristine alpine lake. This is followed by a 10-minute cable car ride that transports us to the station overlooking the sulphur-spewing Owakudani Geothermal Valley. On a clear day, the cable car ride provides stunning views of Mt. Fuji and its surrounding mountain slopes.
We expect to arrive back at the hotel around 6:00 PM.
Day 5/Fri: Tokyo – Kanazawa (B)
Enjoy some downtime before boarding the high-speed train (Hakutaka #561, 11:24/14:17) to Kanazawa. Be sure to grab some snacks for lunch before getting on the train.
On the shores of the Sea of Japan, Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. The city has a population of 466,000 and is considered a jewel of Japanese tourism that is often overlooked by foreign tourists due to its relatively remote location. Travellers coming here are richly rewarded with the well-preserved Edo-period city, where the samurai, merchants, geisha, and daimyo (lords) all left their mark.
Due to the proximity of the attractions, our sightseeing in Kanazawa is done exclusively on foot with occasional use of taxi to cover the short distances between some of the locations. Please expect to walk 5 to 8 km per day.
After hotel check-in, we walk, or go by taxi (2 km, 6 minutes) if the weather is rainy, to Higashi Chaya district. This is one of the three preserved historical geisha districts in Kanazawa (along with Nishichayagai and Kazuemachi) where geisha still entertain today.
Day 6/Sat: Kanazawa (B/L)
Today’s sightseeing on foot begins at Omicho Market, Kanazawa’s largest fresh food market particularly well known for seafood.
From the market, Kanazawa Castle is just a few minutes away on foot. The restored castle was originally built in 1580 for Maeda Toshiie, the fourth son of a minor samurai who entered the service of a powerful daimyo at the age of 15 and quickly rose through the ranks. The castle was reconstructed multiple times due to fire damages throughout its history. The last time a fire destroyed the castle was in 1881.
The Hishi Yagura turret, Gojikken Nagaya warehouse and the Hashizume-mon Tsuzuki Yagura turret were faithfully restored in 2001 to their 1809 form using traditional construction methods. Today’s pillars are constructed from the Japanese Hinoki cypress along with the use of the massive American cypress as ceiling beams. The reconstructed buildings feature roof tiles made of lead mixed with a little copper for the sake of durability and aesthetics.
From the castle, we walk across a bridge to enter Kenroku-en, which used to be part of the castle. One of the “Three Great Gardens of Japan” (Koraku-en in Okayama and Kairaku-en in Mito being the other two), Kenroku-en was developed from the 1620s to the 1840s by the Maeda clan, the daimyo that ruled the former Kaga Domain.
The restaurant for lunch is a 12-minute walk (700 metres) from the garden.
After lunch, we walk across the street to enter Nagamachi, a historical preservation zone where the residents still go about their daily lives among the remnants of a bygone age. A highlight of the neighbourhood is the restored Nomura Samurai House, whose small but supremely exquisite traditional garden delights visitors from around the world.
Guests who are tired of walking can go back to the hotel from the samurai house by taxi (1.4 km) for about 1,000 yen (equivalent to 7 US dollars).
Day 7/Sun: Kanazawa – Takayama – Shirakawa-go – Kanazawa (B/L)
We set out at 7:40 for a full-day excursion to Takayama and Shirakawa.
Famous for its inns, sake breweries, food festivals and local folk art, Takayama (118 km southeast of Kanazawa) is a delightful town nestled amongst the Japanese Alps. Our sightseeing here takes in an open-air market, Sanmachi Historic District, and Takayama Jin’ya – government house of the region during the Tokugawa shogunate period.
After lunch, we travel northbound in the direction of Kanazawa to visit Shirakawa. Situated in a picturesque river valley, Shirakawa-go is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. The village’s gassho-style large houses with steeply pitched thatched roofs are said to be the only surviving examples of their kind in Japan.
Day 8/Mon: Kanazawa – Kyoto (B/L/D)
This morning we ride the express train (Tsurugi 15, 09:54/10:36; Thunderbird #16, 10:40/11:39) to Kyoto.
Nicknamed “City of Ten Thousand Shrines”, Kyoto (literal translation: capital city) served as Japan’s capital for more than one thousand years before the imperial court moved to Tokyo in 1868 with the onset of the Meiji Restoration (1868 to 1912, a historical period associated with the emergence of Japan as a modernized nation). Kyoto is a scaled replica of the Chinese Tang Dynasty’s capital Chang’an, present-day Xi’an. The Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) was a golden era in Chinese history and a time when Japanese adoption of Chinese culture reached its peak. Kyoto today, with a population of 1.46 million (2020), forms a major part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area.
Our first stop after lunch is Kinkaku-ji (Temple of Golden Pavilion). This is a Zen Buddhist temple and one of 17 locations comprising the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site.
We then proceed to the Arashiyama (Storm Mountain) area where our sightseeing takes in Tenryu-ji Temple and the Bamboo Forest. Located on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Arashiyama is famous for its immense natural beauty as well as its historical and cultural prominence due to the large number of well-preserved ancient Buddhist temples.
Afterwards, we return to the hotel to freshen up before heading out for a traditional kaiseki dinner accompanied by the private performance of a dancing geisha known as maiko in Japanese.
Day 9/Tue: Kyoto (B)
This morning’s walking tour begins at the magnificent Nijo Castle (3 subway stops from our hotel). Construction of the castle began in 1601 under the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, but was not completed until 1626 during the reign of Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun and grandson of Ieyasu. The Tokugawa shogunate was headquartered in Edo, present-day Tokyo, and Nijo Castle was the shogun’s residence in Kyoto where the imperial court was located. Nijo Castle is also the site that witnessed the ending of the Tokugawa shogunate. In late 1867, the last shogun, Yoshinobu, announced in the castle his decision to return his power back to the emperor. This was a watershed moment that helped usher in the Meiji Restoration, which, in turn, led to Japan’s industrialization and fundamentally transformed the Japanese society.
Afterwards, we travel to Yasaka Shrine, one of Kyoto’s most iconic Shinto shrines, with a history of over 1,300 years. Its vibrant vermilion buildings, lantern-lit grounds, and lively atmosphere make it a beloved landmark in every season.
We then continue to the Gion district, strolling through the historic streets and catching a glimpse of the birthplace of Kyoto’s geisha culture.
Free afternoon to explore on your own.
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Optional Matcha experience Visit Entoku-in, a serene temple celebrated for its graceful gardens and timeless beauty throughout the seasons. Engage in traditional practices such as sutra copying (shakyo), Buddhist image tracing (shabutsu), and quiet contemplation of the dry landscape garden (karesansui). Conclude your visit with a bowl of matcha, prepared by a tea master or whisked by your own hand, and savor the tranquil atmosphere of the garden. This optional experience is available at US$35/CAD$50 per person subject to a minimum of 4 participants. |
Day 10/Wed: Kyoto – Nara – Osaka – Kyoto (B/L)
We depart for Nara at 07:45. The 45 km drive to the magnificent Todai-ji temple takes about an hour. This ancient Buddhist temple is well-known not only for its splendid architecture and the huge bronze statue of the Buddha in the main hall but also for the 1,200 wild deer roaming freely on the grounds of the temple.
Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture and a former capital of Japan (710 – 794). With a population of roughly 370,000 and an area of 280 square kilometres, the city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture. Eight temples, shrines and ruins together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest collectively form “The Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara” – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Afterwards, we continue on to Osaka, where we visit the historic Osaka Castle and Osaka’s legendary shopping and entertainment district known as Dotonbori. Situated at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, Osaka is Japan’s third most populous city (after Tokyo and Yokohama) and plays a significant role in the Japanese economy. Osaka was once known as the “nation’s kitchen” because of its function as Japan’s rice trading centre during the Edo period.
Day 11/Thu: Kyoto – Hiroshima (B)
Today is set aside for you to explore on your own.
Our recommendations include Kiyomizu-dera (Buddhist temple), Kyoto Imperial Palace, Fushimi Inari Shrine (good for hiking), Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion Temple), and Kyoto National Museum.
We transfer to the train station for late afternoon rail journey to Hiroshima (Nozomi 39, 16:25/18:02).
Day 12/Fri: Hiroshima – Miyajima – Hiroshima (B/D)
Hiroshima, literally meaning ‘broad island’, is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture and the largest city in the Chugoku region with a population of 1.2 million. Hiroshima is best known as the first city in history to be targeted by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on the city (and later on Nagasaki) at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II. The highlight in Hiroshima, understandably but sadly, is the Peace Memorial Park which includes the Peace Memorial Museum, and the Atomic Bomb Dome that once served as the industrial promotion hall of the local prefect.
After a tour of the Peace Memorial Park complex including two hours in the museum onsite, we proceed to Miyajima Island by a combination of taxi, commuter train and ferry.
Officially known as Itsukushima, Miyajima is a small island (30 square kilometres, population 1,760) in Hiroshima Bay known for its forests and ancient temples. The seaside Itsukushima Shinto Shrine on the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the “floating” torii gate in front of the shrine is the main reason for most visitors to come here.
Day 13/Sat: Hiroshima – Nagasaki (B)
The rail journey to Hakata Station this morning takes about an hour (Nozomi 277, 09:18/10:24). Enjoy a short tour of Fukuoka before heading to Nagasaki, which is approximately a 2-hour journey.
Day 14/Sun: Nagasaki (B/L)
Located on the northwest coast of the island of Kyushu, Nagasaki is the capital of and the largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture with a population of 424,066 as of 2017. During the Tokugawa era (1603-1868) Nagasaki was the largest of the four Japanese ports allowed for international trade. The exposure to European influence, primarily Portuguese and Dutch, in those days certainly has left its mark on the city as evidenced by Nagasaki’s large number of Japanese Catholics and numerous European-style buildings throughout the city. Nagasaki also had the misfortune of being hit by an atomic bomb near the end of World War II, making it the second and last target of nuclear bombing in history.
Our day tour begins at Dejima, the site of the Dutch trading post. Built on reclaimed land originally intended for the Portuguese, the 2-acre island was later offered to the Dutch, who used it from 1641 to 1854.
We then proceed to the Basilica of the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan (also known as Oura Church), and adjacent Glover Garden built in 1863 for Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish merchant who moved to Nagasaki as a young man, started a family with a Japanese woman and passed away in Tokyo at the age of 73.
Afternoon sightseeing includes Nagasaki Peace Park and Chinatown.
Established in 1955 near the hypocenter of the atomic bombing on August 9, 1945, the Peace Park sits next to the Atomic Bombing Museum and the Peace Memorial Hall.
Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in Japan. The area in downtown Nagasaki was originally the location of the warehouses of Chinese traders. The Chinese merchants came to Nagasaki because it was the only open port in Japan during the Tokugawa period. Today, Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown is a thriving district filled with a variety of shops and restaurants where visitors can find the best Champon and Sara Udon, two Chinese-influenced noodle dishes.
Day 15/Mon: Nagasaki – Kochi (B/D)
This morning, we travel back to Fukuoka by express train (2 hours 11 minutes) and board a flight(50 minutes) to Kochi.
Facing the Pacific Ocean, Kochi is the historic capital of Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island. Famous for its original feudal castle and rich samurai heritage, this vibrant coastal city offers a relaxed, social atmosphere. Visitors can explore pristine rivers and enjoy the legendary local food culture, highlighted by straw-seared bonito. Whether you are chasing the crystal-clear “Niyodo Blue” waters, walking in the footsteps of legendary samurai Sakamoto Ryoma, or sharing a drink with welcoming locals at Hirome Market, Kochi delivers an authentic slice of Japan that remains wonderfully untouched by mass tourism. Use this optimized 3-day itinerary to plan your ultimate southern Shikoku escape.
Day 16/Tue: Kochi (B/L/D)
Are you familiar with the Japanese word Omakase? This is a traditional Japanese dining format where you leave the entire menu up to the chef . That’s how we’ll execute your itinerary today with the local expert guide being the “chef”. In addition to historical sites, the schedule will include some immersive activities that ordinary tourists won’t get to experience.
Day 17/Wed: Kochi – Tokyo (B)
Enjoy some downtown time on your own. The late afternoon flight back to Tokyo takes about 90 minutes. Transfer to a 4-star hotel near the airport on arrival. Depending on the group size, you may need to get to the hotel on your own by taxi but the cab fare is included in the tour price.
Day 18/Thu: Return Home (B)
Your memorable Japan trip concludes this morning. Transfer to Narita or Haneda airport by airport express train or airport limousine shuttle. The shuttle bus costs 3,200 yen for Narita airport and 1,150 yen for Haneda airport. Detailed instructions on airport transfer will be provided by the guide.
Hotel List
| City | Nights | Hotel | Category |
| Tokyo – first stay | 2 | Tokyo Dome Hotel | first class |
| Hakone | 1 | Hakone Hotel | first class |
| Kanazawa | 2 | ANA Crowne Plaza Kanazawa | first class |
| Kyoto | 3 | Royal Park Hotel Sanjo | first class |
| Hiroshima | 2 | Daiwa Roynet Hotel | first class |
| Nagasaki | 2 | Nisshokan Bettei Koyotei (ryokan) | first class |
| Kochi | 2 | JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom | first class |
| Tokyo – second stay | 1 | Airport hotel TBA | first class |
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Dates and Prices
| Depart (Mon) |
Return (Thu) |
Land Only* CA$/US$ |
Single Supplement** CA$/US$ |
| 2026 & 2027 |
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| Please contact us | departure dates | $13,510/$9,860 | $4,250/$3,100 |
* Land Only price does not include international air. Contact us for a fare quote.
** The single supplement can be substantially reduced if you accept a single room truly intended for singles (18 square meters or smaller with a single or double bed).
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Tour price includes:
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Tour price does NOT include:
Visa is not required of visitors from Western countries. Budget a few hundred dollars for incidentals, tips for tour leader and meals not included. See Terms & Conditions for more information. |
