14 nights – Tokyo | Kanazawa | Kyoto | Kinosaki Onsen | Hiroshima | Hakone | Tokyo
From: £7,535pp | $9,782pp | AU$14,297pp (Exclusive of flights)
What to expect?
You'll begin and end the trip in Tokyo, icon of high modernity and a city of bewildering size and scope. Your first dinner at a local restaurant will provide you with a relaxed yet invaluable introduction to Japanese food and etiquette and is the perfect way to get to know your Insider and group.
Kanazawa offers beautifully preserved samurai residential districts, one of the very best Japanese gardens and a plethora of traditional craft workshops.
Kyoto is, for many, Japan's greatest city - imperial capital for over a thousand years and packed with architectural and cultural treasures. One highlight of your stay here is definitely your private audience with a maiko (trainee geisha).
Such opportunities are rarely available to outsiders, giving you an exclusive window into this mysterious and captivating profession.
Kinosaki Onsen is a classic Japanese hotspring resort. Nestled between mountains and sea, Kinosaki has escaped the concrete and glaring pachinko parlours of other Japanese towns. Traditional wooden houses sit along the willow-lined river which weaves through the town centre.
Here you'll stay in a ryokan to experience a Japanese-style inn with a kaiseki banquet dinner, and comfortable 'futon' bedding. In Hiroshima, you'll visit the moving Peace Memorial Park and Museum, and take a trip out to Miyajima island with its 'floating' torii gate and friendly shika deer.
Complementing the city stays, you'll also get a tantalising taste of rural Japan. In the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park you'll cruise across Lake Ashi under the watchful gaze of Mount Fuji, and explore the outstanding Hakone Open-Air Museum, where you can soak and relax your feet in volcanic hot spring baths after a day exploring majestic art sculptures.

Have afternoon tea with a maiko in Kyoto
Experience being part of a tea ceremony and watch a traditional geisha dance

Soak up ancient samurai history
Explore Kanazawa's highlights - the scenic samurai district and Nomura samurai house

Spend two nights in a traditional onsen town
Put on your yukata and wooden geta clogs and go bath hopping between the 7 scenic bathhouses
INSIDER TOP TIP

Nobody knows our trips as well as our Insiders, the expert guides that run them, do. If you're thinking about joining us on Majestic Japan, here are our highlights.
"We've called this tour Majestic Japan for a reason! For anyone looking to really experience the absolute best of the country, there are so many highlights to pick from.
The two night stay in Kinosaki Onsen is really special. The town itself is very scenic and traditional, and there are some fantastic dinners included at the local ryokan we stay at.
While we're in the area, we also visit a traditional swordsmith and a kimono maker, which gives an interesting insight into ancient elements of the culture and how they're preserved today.
Finally, I think visiting the famous Amanohashidate sandbar - one of the three most scenic views in Japan - is truly breathtaking."
"Brett was an absolutely superb tour leader. He was relentlessly energetic in ensuring that everything went well. In addition, he handled any requests by individual clients with great kindness and consideration. He could not do enough for us. Brett is a real livewire, filled with ideas and always on hand. His knowledge of Japan is vast. He is hugely friendly, warm and accommodating, as well as entertaining, organised and reliable. An all round great tour guide."
Martin - UK, Feb 2023
Ready to find out more or book a Small Group Tour?
Call:
0117 244 3380 (Bristol, UK)
07 3186 8800 (Brisbane, Australia)
303 952 0379 (Broomfield, Colorado)
Email:
info@insidejapantours.com