10 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners

16

1. Tattoos

Tattoos are not common or widely accepted in Japan. There is no cause for concern, but do your best to cover your tattoos when possible and note that you may not be permitted to enter public spas or onsens (hot springs).

2. Luggage size restriction

All G Adventures tours in Japan use the world-famous Shinkansen bullet trains, which have a restriction on maximum luggage size. Your luggage must be less than 160cm in total. This is roughly the size that most airline companies consider as “carry-on baggage” and allow in overhead storage compartments.

3. We strongly recommend bringing a day pack or backpack to use during the day, in addition to your carry-on sized luggage. Please see “What to take” under Tour details for more information.

4. ACCOMMODATION NOTE:

Please be aware that properties we stay in with only two stories may not have elevators installed and climbing the stairs with your luggage will be necessary.

5. OVERNIGHT BAG

While we ride the bullet train, your main luggage will be sent on Japan’s takkyubin service (luggage transfer) to the next destination. Please note, you will NOT have access to your main luggage for approximately 24 hours. You must pack an overnight bag with everything you’ll need until you’re reunited with your luggage the following day. Only one bag per passenger is permitted on the luggage transfer. If you have more, there will be an additional charge at the traveler’s expense.

CEO (Chief Experience Officer) and local guides throughout.

Eating is a big part of traveling. G Adventures knows that worldwide, local cuisines define the cultures. We think sampling regional delicacies are intrinsic to truly experiencing the country. We want you to be able to try foods according to your individual tastes, comforts, and budgets.

Generally meals are not included in the trip price when there is a choice of eating options, to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility. At times, meals will be taken together as a group. Other times, your CEO will point you in the direction of several delicious options, and you will have free time to pick and choose at will. Often in Japan it is fun to get some snacks and beverages with the salarymen in the evenings at small restaurants, and other times it is fun to sit with a few friends at a sushi train.

Your CEO will always strive to cater for all dietary requirements/preferences, but please keep in mind that Vegetarianism/Veganism and Gluten Free Options are very uncommon in Japan, especially in rural areas, so this may mean a more limited selection for you.

Please refer to the Meals Included and Budget Information for information regarding included meals on your trip. Japan’s kitchen is at your fingertips!

What you need to bring depends on the trip you have chosen and the countries or regions you are planning to visit. We suggest that you pack as lightly as possible as your are expected to carry your own luggage. As a rule we try not to have to walk more than 15-20 minutes with your bags which is why we recommend keeping the weight of your bags between 10-15kg/22-30lb. Suitcases are not recommended for G Adventures trips! Most travellers carry a backpack or rolling bag of small to medium size (no XXL ones please!) as they need to fit under the beds when travelling on sleeper trains. You will also need a day pack/bag to carry water, cameras and other electronics like ipods and mobile phones. If your trip involves overnights in homestays, villages or camping then you usually have the opportunity to rent sleeping bags if need be instead of bringing them with you.

Every traveller is different and therefore spending money requirements will vary. Some travellers may drink more than others while other travellers like to purchase more souvenirs than most. Please consider your own spending habits when it comes to allowing for drinks, shopping and tipping. Please also remember the following specific recommendations when planning your trip.

Visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to honor lives lost and futures protected. See the A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Dome), the Children’s Peace Monument, and paper cranes symbolizing hope. Your CEO facilitates space to pause for reflection.

Learn stories of resilience, from Sadako Sasaki’s folded cranes to Hiroshima’s commitment to peace education. The memorials and museum exhibits underscore a powerful message: remembrance can inspire a more humane world.

Visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), where upper floors gleam with gold-leaf brilliance above the Kyoko-chi mirror pond. Stroll landscaped paths and view the villa’s reflections framed by pines and seasonal blooms.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your CEO explains how Muromachi-era aesthetics and Zen aesthetics shaped the garden’s sightlines, pairing architecture and water for tranquil harmony.

Walk a gentle forest trail to the valley of Jigokudani and watch wild Japanese macaques warm themselves in a steam-filled hot spring pool. Photograph these charismatic animals as they groom, soak, and play against a snowy mountain backdrop in season.

Learn why the Jigokudani Monkey Park became a symbol of coexistence between wildlife and mountain communities. Guides share tips on respectful distance and behavior so you leave only footprints on this remarkable visit.

Visit the imposing Matsumoto Castle, among Japan’s finest original keeps. Step inside the black-walled donjon and climb steep wooden stairs where samurai once stood guard, then circle the moat and stone ramparts for reflections of the elegant keep.

Hear how this 16th-century samurai stronghold earned the nickname “Crow Castle.” From arrow slits to moon-viewing rooms, its design reveals both martial purpose and refined taste from Japan’s turbulent Sengoku era.

Enter the hush of Eiheiji Temple, a famed Soto Zen monastery nestled amid towering cedars. Follow cedar forest paths to sculpted halls, polished corridors, and stone steps softened by moss and mountain mist.

Founded in the 13th century, Eiheiji is a living center of Zen training. As you wander quiet wooden corridors, your CEO shares how daily rituals, meditation, and work practice shape monastic life far from the modern world.

Witness master blacksmiths at Takefu Knife Village, birthplace of Echizen blade-making. Stand close as glowing steel and hammer blows spark and sing, then see quenching, sharpening, and finishing techniques honed by a 700-year tradition.

Learn why Japanese knives are prized for thinness, hardness, and edge retention. From samurai swords to chef’s blades, this cooperative of artisans preserves methods passed across generations, fusing precision with enduring craft culture.

Unwind in a traditional ryokan, slipping into a yukata robe and padding across tatami-matted rooms. Follow simple bathing etiquette and soak in an onsen, where mineral-rich waters ease travel-weary muscles.

Your CEO introduces ryokan customs that shape Japanese hospitality: seasonal design, quiet manners, and restorative routines. This immersive stay reveals a slower rhythm of life defined by warmth, simplicity, and ritual comfort.

Stroll Kyoto’s Gion district, past lattice-front machiya and lantern-lit streets leading to Yasaka Shrine. Your CEO points out teahouses where maiko and geiko still perform, and shares cues for respectful encounters.

Absorb centuries of tradition from shrine pavilions to quiet alleyways. The district’s lingering elegance, shaped by patronage and performance, offers a window into Kyoto’s refined arts and living heritage.

Cross by ferry across the Seto Inland Sea to Miyajima and walk the boardwalks of Itsukushima Shrine, famed for its floating torii gate that shimmers at high tide. Watch deer roam and explore market lanes framed by sea and hills.

Hear how the shrine’s tide-washed boardwalks and vermilion architecture express Shinto reverence for nature. Your CEO shares the island’s rhythms, where shrine rituals and coastal life flow together.

Hike through thousands of vermilion torii as you hike to Fushimi Inari Shrine, following fox-guarded paths up the forested slopes of Mount Inari. Pause at smaller sub-shrines and lookouts with city views over Kyoto.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour with your CEO. Learn about Inari worship, merchants’ donations, and the symbolism of fox messengers that shape this much-loved pilgrimage route.

Wander the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove beneath whispering bamboo, visit the Tenryu-ji Zen garden, and continue to the iconic Togetsukyo Bridge spanning the Katsura River’s scenic banks.

This CEO-hosted outing is optional, at additional cost, and bookable on tour. Hear how temple landscapes, river trade, and seasonal color shaped Arashiyama’s timeless allure at Kyoto’s western edge.

Gather one evening to taste Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, layered on a sizzling teppan griddle with layered noodles, cabbage, and sauce. Watch the chef’s deft spatula work and raise a toast with new friends.

This optional farewell dinner is at additional cost and bookable on tour with your CEO. Learn how postwar ingenuity shaped the city’s signature comfort food, now a proud local tradition served at lively counters.

Explore Tokyo’s contrasting neighborhoods on a guided city walk. See Shinjuku’s neon canyons, browse Harajuku’s Takeshita Street fashions, and witness the flow of humanity at Shibuya Crossing before stepping into the calm forest of Meiji Jingu Shrine.

Learn shrine etiquette, from the temizu purification to drawing and reading an omikuji fortune. Your CEO shares stories that connect modern pop culture with centuries-old Shinto tradition, revealing how Tokyo balances spectacle with serenity.

Cook and share a feast at a local studio during a hands-on cooking class in Tokyo. Guided by your host, prepare staples like Japanese egg omelet (tamagoyaki), onigiri, and teriyaki before sitting down together to taste your creations and raise a cheerful itadakimasu.

Begin your journey by getting to know your fellow travellers and meet your CEO and group. Hear insights into Japan’s culinary etiquette and home-style dining culture, where balance, seasonality, and presentation turn simple ingredients into quietly elegant meals.

Discover old Tokyo in Asakusa with your CEO, entering through the thunder gate of Kaminari-mon and strolling the Nakamise shopping street toward Senso-ji Temple. Breathe the incense by the incense-swirled main hall and admire the five-storied pagoda.

Hear how this 7th-century Buddhist temple became a guardian of Edo-period faith and commerce. Browse traditional snack stalls and craft shops, where crisp senbei rice crackers and washi paper souvenirs echo the neighborhood’s enduring spirit.

Experience monastery life at Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano with an overnight in shukubo lodging. Wake before dawn to hear kansho bell tones and join the dawn chanting that echoes through the main hall’s timber pillars.

Absorb the contemplative rhythm of one of Japan’s most venerable Buddhist temples, whose faithful have gathered for centuries. This rare window into spiritual practice offers quiet reflection amid tatami rooms, cedar scents, and candlelit altars.