Premium
Explorer
Premium Highlights of Japan
9 days • 4.7
4.5
Excellent
30 reviews
9 days
Start
Tokyo, Japan
Finish
Kyoto, Japan
Trip Code
CJPH
Min Age
15
Trip Size
1 - 12
Physical Rating
Meals
8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners
Transport
Train, Bus
Accommodation
Hotel (7 nights), Feature Stay (1 Night)
From £3,476(9 days)
Trip Informations
Why you’ll love this trip
Experience a traditional Japanese Onsen (an area of natural hot springs surrounded by traditional inns and bathing facilities) at your Feature Stay and soak away a day of hiking to the Jigokudani Monkey Park.
See and touch some traditional samurai weaponry, try on some authentic attire and learn about the rich history of these warriors with an authentic samurai experience at a 400-year-old dojo run by contemporary ninjas in Tokyo.
Take a day trip to Kamakura, a coastal treasure known for its history, and see the sights on a traditional, person-led rickshaw, followed by a train ride on one of the oldest electric railways in the country.
Feast your way through Japan with an all-inclusive dinner cruise on a yakatabune in Tokyo, a market visit in Kanazawa where you can pick your ingredients for a lunchtime cooking class at a local’s home and a sweet-making class in Kyoto.
Explore Arashiyama – a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty in Kyoto. Walk through the bamboo grove and participate in ritual at the many temples and shrines in the area.
Is this trip right for you?
Japan is best explored on foot and by public transport. You’ll need to be fit enough to spend most of each day on your feet and able to handle your luggage as you navigate busy train stations. We recommend comfortable shoes and packing light.
Double rooms in Japanese hotels can be smaller than you may be used to (e.g. 20 sqm). Every effort will be made to accommodate double room requests. However, during busy periods, there may be occasions when we are unable to offer a double room, so a twin room will be provided.
Itinerary
Learn samurai traditions, wander ancient temples and soak in a mountainside onsen
If you want to experience a few (of the many) highlights of Japan, all while staying in comfortable accommodation with like-minded travellers, this Premium adventure from Tokyo to Kyoto is a must! You’ll spend nine days exploring world-class shopping neighbourhoods, geisha districts, hole-in-the-wall eateries, ancient temples and markets with some of the freshest seafood you’ll find. Learn about the history of samurai from a family of contemporary ninjas, feast on monjayaki and teppanyaki on a dinner cruise in Tokyo, try to find snow monkeys bathing in hot springs on the mountain in Yamanouchi, wander through a designated Place of Scenic Beauty in Arashiyama and Japan’s most celebrated landscape garden in Kanazawa and follow the trail at a sacred shrine in Kyoto.
Inclusions
Meals
8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners
Transport
Train, Bus
Accommodation
Hotel (7 nights), Feature Stay (1 Night)
Included activities
Tokyo - Welcome dinner
Tokyo - Authentic Samurai Experience
Tokyo - Sensoji Temple
Tokyo - Monja Boat Dinner Cruise
Tokyo - Kamakura Day Trip
Kamakura - Enoden Ride
Kamakura - Rickshaw Ride
Kamakura - Kotoku-In temple
Yudanaka - Snow Monkey Park
Yudanaka - Onsen Experience
Kanazawa - Kenrokuen Garden
Kanazawa - Samurai District Walking Tour
Kanazawa - Higashi Chaya District walking tour
Kanazawa - Market Visit and Sushi Making Experience
Kyoto - Traditional Sweet Making Experience
Kyoto - Arashiyama Walking Tour
Kyoto - Gion Night walk
Kyoto - Fushimi Inari - Taisha
Kyoto - Nishiki market visit
Dates and availability
Starting
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Important notes
1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. When travelling by train, we include the transfer of one piece of luggage from destination to destination. Please review the Packing section of the Essential Trip Information for more details on luggage transfers and luggage size.
3. We are currently unable to offer airport transfers in Japan. Please refer to the Joining Point Instructions of the Essential Trip Information for our recommendations on arrival. Your leader will be able to advise the best way to reach the airport at the end of your trip.
4. For the departures starting in March, November and December, the Yudanaka area may experience up to 20 cm of snow. It is therefore recommended to bring suitable footwear – e.g. snow boots, hiking boots, etc. – for the short group hike here.
Reviews (30)
5 stars
23
4 stars
6
3 stars
1
Gary
May 02, 2025
Excellent tour, delivered as advertised with a great compatible small group of 12 (6 Aussie, 2 Kiwi's, 2 Spaniards). Good country guide and excellent hotel accommodations.
Nicola
Apr 28, 2025
My partner and I really enjoyed this trip. We had a great group and a great guide. The locations we visited were great and we enjoyed the walking and exploring the cities. We left with an appreciation for Japan and its culture and the Japanese way of life. The tour was just the right length and well organised.
Robin
Apr 26, 2025
We are traveling around the world and have 3 tours booked with Intrepid. Egypt, Japan and Brazil, been great so far. Thanks
Andrijana
Apr 19, 2025
I enjoyed this trip. It was as described with few minor disapointments (the quality of our room, especially bathroom, in the featured stay - ryokan). They were also many highlights like sushi making experience in Kanazawa. I feel itinerary was apropriate for a relatively short trip with the word “highlights” in the title. So much happened in the last 8 days, it will take long time to process it all :) The group and the trip lead Toyoko were excellent!
Bradley
Apr 06, 2025
Fantastic trip to Japan with intrepid. Great bunch of people, excellent food, beautiful spring flowers. Eiko our guide was amazing. Japan, we will be back!
Victoria
Apr 06, 2025
I feel like I said goodbye to my family today and our leader Eiko was our mum. Cannot fault this incredible trip!
Janet
Mar 24, 2025
An absolute cracker of a trip to experience the culture and food of Japan. The smaller towns were a nice contrast to the big cities
Melissa
Mar 23, 2025
An excellent trip with a wonderful guide, Shiji. Japan is an amazing country and we loved it all.
Andrew
Mar 18, 2025
This trip fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine, and it exceeded my expectations. Our tour guide Yuji was a big part of the trip's success. He made me fall in love with Japan. I recommend this trip and Intrepid to anyone. It was so special and unforgettable. What an experience!!
Adam
Jan 03, 2025
If you've never been to Japan this is the trip for you! I can't believe how much I saw in just 9 days! A special shoutout to our guide Asako who made every effort possible to make this the most memorable trip for our entire group! I can't wait to visit Japan again.
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