Stroll the Imperial Palace Plaza to view the graceful Nijubashi bridges spanning broad moats, then continue into the tranquil East Gardens, a landscaped refuge layered over the foundations of Edo Castle.

Stone ramparts, watchtower remains and manicured beds evoke the power of the Tokugawa shogunate amid seasonal blooms. It’s a contemplative counterpoint to the city’s pace, where history and horticulture share the same quiet paths.

Stroll Kyoto’s Gion district, where wooden machiya townhouses, lantern-lit teahouses and willow-lined lanes evoke classical elegance. With luck, you may glimpse geisha and maiko culture moving discreetly between engagements.

Discover how artistry, etiquette and performance intertwine in this storied quarter, where craftsmanship endures from silk and ceramics to the refined rituals of hospitality.

Share a Be My Guest kaiseki lunch near Kyoto and meet the Nakamura family in a traditional setting. Course by course, savor seasonal dishes that showcase precision, harmony and the art of plating while you learn local customs.

Stories of everyday Kyoto life, culinary seasonality and table etiquette add warmth and context to the cuisine, turning a delicious meal into cultural exchange.

• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 3 Lunch (L)
• 4 Dinner (D)

• Tokyo: Explore Tokyo’s oldest temple, Sensoji, in the historic Asakusa district. Wander through Nakamise Arcade, lined with traditional treats and crafts, before arriving at the main hall, a symbol of faith, resilience and local spirit.
• Tokyo: Rise above the skyline at Tokyo Skytree, the tallest structure in Japan. From its observation deck, you’ll take in panoramic views of the city, from Mount Fuji to Tokyo Bay. It’s a modern marvel and an unforgettable moment that will leave you awestruck.
• Ginza: With the guidance of your professional sushi chef, make your own selection of sushi specialities. Afterwards enjoy the fruits of your labour with a delicious lunch.
• Tokyo: Visit the Tokyo National Museum to browse collections of Japanese art and archaeological objects.
• Mt Fuji: Admire the stunning countryside at Mt. Fuji 5th Station.
• Takayama: Join the locals at the Takayama Festival.
• Gokayama: Take some time to admire the peaceful mountain village of Gokayama. Discover their unique homes that have been built without the use of nails and their sloped thatched roofs. 
• Kanazawa: Learn about the delicacy of the 16th-century craft gold leaf painting with your Local Specialist.
• Kanazawa: Step back in time at the Nomura Samurai House, once home to a respected warrior family. Explore its gardens, traditional architecture and treasured artefacts. You’ll learn about samurai life and honour in feudal Japan with a rare glimpse into the elegance of Edo-period craftsmanship.
• Kyoto: Admire the beautiful golden pavilion of Kinkakuji Temple.  
• Kyoto: Explore Gion District, Kyoto’s renowned geisha quarter. Stroll past beautifully preserved wooden machiya townhouses and soak up the atmosphere of this storied neighbourhood.

• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star stays
• Deluxe coach and train travel

Walk the shaded paths of Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s finest landscape gardens, famed for its six attributes of a perfect garden. Reflecting ponds, tea houses and the iconic Kotoji-toro lantern compose scenes of calm balance.

Created by the Maeda lords of Kaga, Kenrokuen shifts with the seasons: plum blossom, fresh maple, snow-draped pines. Each view is meticulously framed to invite pause and contemplation.

Visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), its gold leaf exterior mirrored in the mirror-like Kyoko-chi Pond. Pine-framed views and Zen architecture create scenes that feel meticulously composed yet natural.

Once a shogun’s villa, the pavilion embodies Muromachi elegance and the interplay of power and contemplation. Rebuilt in the mid-20th century, it continues to dazzle with luminous serenity.

Meet your fellow travellers and meet your Tour Director over drinks and local appetisers at your centrally located hotel in Tokyo. Share first impressions, set expectations for the journey, and enjoy the warm ease of conversation that quickly turns strangers into travel companions.

Experience the spirit of Japanese omotenashi hospitality as you toast the start of your adventure. This relaxed, hosted gathering offers practical guidance, cultural tips, and a gentle introduction to the rhythms and etiquette of daily life in Japan.

Explore Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple, entering through the iconic Kaminarimon Gate into an incense-swirled courtyard alive with prayer and tradition. Admire vivid guardian deities and the vermilion main hall that has anchored community life for centuries.

Wander the lively Nakamise-dori, where stalls brim with chiyogami papers, wooden crafts and ningyo-yaki cakes. This historic merchant street links sacred precincts with everyday bustle, revealing the enduring spirit of old-town Asakusa.

Ascend Tokyo Skytree for panoramic views that sweep across the metropolis to Mount Fuji on clear days. From glass-walled decks, trace the Sumida River’s curve and the silvery arc of Tokyo Bay while the city hums far below.

This soaring landmark celebrates Japan’s affinity for precision engineering and skyward ambition, a striking counterpoint to the shrines and traditional neighborhoods threaded through the capital.

Explore the Tokyo National Museum, home to masterpieces spanning millennia—lacquerware, tea-ceremony ceramics, samurai armor and delicate ukiyo-e prints. Curated galleries reveal artistry shaped by courtly rituals, warrior culture and Zen contemplation.

Japan’s oldest museum offers a lucid window into aesthetic evolution and belief, connecting the objects of earlier eras with the living traditions you’ll encounter across the archipelago.

Join a hands-on sushi-making class led by a professional itamae. Learn to season rice, shape nigiri and maki, and appreciate knife-work and balance before you enjoy your lunch of freshly crafted pieces.

Rooted in Edo-period food culture, sushi’s simplicity hides a discipline of temperature, texture and timing. This workshop demystifies the craft while celebrating impeccably fresh ingredients.

Journey to the Mt. Fuji 5th Station, where crisp alpine air and sweeping views open over the Fuji Five Lakes. Pause near the Komitake Shrine and feel the mountain’s serene presence high above the forested slopes.

Revered as a sacred mountain, Fuji has inspired poets, pilgrims and painters for centuries. Weather permitting, this vantage point offers dramatic perspectives on Japan’s most celebrated peak.

Walk the lanes of Oshino Hakkai, a hamlet famed for eight crystalline spring-fed ponds born of Fuji’s snowmelt. Peer into glass-clear water over pebbled beds, with rustic farmhouses and views to Mount Fuji completing the scene.

Designated as part of the Mount Fuji UNESCO World Heritage site, the village shows how pure mountain water has shaped rural life, craft and agriculture in this highland landscape.

Explore the Edo-style streets of Sanmachi Suji, where merchant houses, sake breweries and lacquerware shops line narrow lanes. During the Takayama Festival (Matsuri), admire elaborately carved yatai festival floats and marvel at lifelike karakuri ningyo marionettes.

Bells and taiko drums animate this alpine town’s traditions, a celebration dating to the 17th century that showcases community pride against a mountain backdrop.

Visit a family atelier for a washi paper workshop and watch fibers transform into luminous sheets. Under guidance, try your hand at pulling a sheet, supporting a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience that sustains local livelihoods.

Traditional handmade washi is recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Learn how mountain water, regional plants and careful craftsmanship create paper prized for calligraphy, lamps and ceremonial arts.

Admire Gassho-zukuri houses with steep thatched roofs shaped like praying hands, ingeniously designed for heavy winter snows and built without nails. Wander lanes where smoke-blackened rafters tell of hearthside living.

Set in remote valleys, these homes anchor a self-reliant culture shaped by mountain seasons. The architecture’s scale and simplicity reveal a harmony between human need and rugged nature.

Explore Omicho Market, Kanazawa’s bustling pantry since the Edo period. Stroll past gleaming seafood stalls, heaped with crab, sweet shrimp and local delicacies, while vendors banter and knives flash in steady rhythm.

Beyond the briny aromas lies a portrait of local life, where chefs, shopkeepers and neighbors mingle daily. It’s an engaging window into the coastal city’s tastes and traditions.

Learn the secrets of gold leaf artistry in Kanazawa with a Local Specialist. Observe wafer-thin sheets being handled with breath-light precision and see how artisans create delicate gilt designs on lacquer, paper and ceramics.

Once prized by feudal lords, gold leaf remains a hallmark of Kanazawa craftsmanship. Discover how the city’s climate and tradition foster a shimmering, uniquely local art form.

Step inside the Nomura Samurai House in Kanazawa’s Nagamachi district. Tatami rooms, a tokonoma alcove and finely worked timbers open onto a jewel-like strolling garden with koi pond, stone lanterns and a tiny waterfall.

Learn of samurai heritage under the Kaga Domain—codes of conduct, refined tastes and martial duty—expressed through architecture, heirlooms and the quiet order of the garden.

Walk beneath vermilion torii tunnels at Fushimi Inari Shrine, following lantern-lit paths into cedar forests dotted with stone fox guardians. The rhythmic rise of gates creates a meditative flow up the mountain.

Dedicated to Inari, deity of rice and prosperity, the shrine’s pathways are lined with gates donated by merchants—a living ledger of faith and fortune that stretches back over a millennium.

Join your Travel Director to explore Shinjuku by night, threading through neon canyons, lively izakaya culture and the tiny bars of Golden Gai. Soak in the electric pulse of Tokyo after dark and learn how locals navigate its endless options.

This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. It’s a vivid introduction to Tokyo’s nocturnal personality, from glowing signs to the buzz of convivial alleyways.

Trafalgar

Enter Sanjusangendo Hall to behold 1,001 statues of the thousand-armed Kannon, arranged in luminous ranks along Japan’s longest wooden hall. The echoing nave and scent of old timber heighten the sense of awe.

Founded in the 12th century, this temple blends devotional art and architectural restraint, illuminating Buddhist compassion through a monumental chorus of carved figures.