Top Japan Culture Tours & Packages In 2025/2026

Highlights

• Soar high above Lake Ashi and (on a clear day) get a glimpse of glorious Mt Fuji on a ride on the Hakone ropeway.
• Be impressed by the efficiency and ultra modernity of Japan’s bullet trains as you zip from place to place.
• Explore traditional Japanese culture in Edo-period Takayama and visit a folk village, tour a 600-year-old market and a enjoy a sake brewery tasting.
• Visit the Peace Park for moving insight into the devastation of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, then cruise to peaceful Miyajima Island where wild deer roam the streets.
• Finish your trip with three nights in Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital and home to literally thousands of temples, the Gion District where Geisha entertain the wealthy elite and renowned Kyoto sushi.

Highlights

• Discover Japan's most iconic city sights, from walking the Geisha district and seeing the cultural landmarks of Kyoto to touring the temple district and cruising past all the contemporary highlights of Tokyo.
• Learn more about the sobering past of Hiroshima at the memorial park, the museums and the monuments dedicated to the memory of the victims – they now also advocate for world peace and serve as a reminder of the devastation of war.
• Feast on okonomiyaki – Japan’s signature savoury pancake of egg, cabbage, soba noodles and meat or seafood – at an included dinner in Hiroshima at a special local restaurant.
• Meet the locals over a home-cooked dinner during your stay in a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) in the mountain town of Tsumago – the historic medieval village preserved from the Edo period.
• Spend a night in Koya-san’s Shukubo Temple and learn about the customs of traditional Japanese accommodation as you share vegetarian meals with the monks who run the lodgings.

Highlights

• Soar high above Lake Ashi and (on a clear day) get a glimpse of the iconic Mt Fuji on a ride on the Hakone ropeway.
• Stay in a countryside homestay, taking you off the beaten track to experience classic Japanese hospitality. Feast on home-cooked meals over conversations with your welcoming hosts and learn about rural life in Japan. 
• Spend three nights in Kyoto, and craft your own experience in this ancient capital with loads of free time and the help of your expert local leader.
• Watch the steam coming out of the ‘hells’ (hot spring pools in Jigoku) of Beppu and enjoy a unique experience for lunch – you’ll cook and steam your food right in the hot spring steam, said to be rich with healthy minerals, then take a relaxing a soak in a traditional onsen,
• Explore the little town of Takayama that sits within the Japanese Northern Alps and take in the stunning view of the five peaks of Mount Aso from the Daikanbo Observatory.

Highlights

• Explore Japan’s amazingly diverse destinations with loads of free time to see them your way. With all the nitty gritty details and transport worked out for you, you can focus on indulging in endless sushi, katsudon and okonomoyaki.
• Immerse yourself in the varied neighbourhoods of Tokyo – from the technological subculture of Akihabara to the wild side of fashion in Harajuku and the nightlife of Roppongi – each suburb is almost like a city of its own!
• Uncover the sobering history of Hiroshima’s Peace Park and Museum – a vital destination for all Japan travellers to gain an insight into the tragic events of the nation’s past.
• Wander Kyoto with a leader-led walking tour around the Gion district – the heart of the city’s Geisha culture – then walk through the iconic Fushimi Inari-Taisha (the perfect spot for some iconic Japan photos).
• Live your Samurai fantasies in feudal-era Kanazawa – known as the birthplace of the Samurai. Then, wander through gorgeous historic gardens and hit the bars to debrief with your group.