• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 3 Lunch (L)
• 3 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.
• 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

Visit the broad Imperial Palace Plaza and pause for photos of the elegant Nijubashi bridges leading toward the Emperor’s residence. The open gravel expanses and pine groves offer a calm counterpoint to the surrounding skyscrapers.

Continue into the East Gardens, a landscaped refuge where remnants of mighty Edo Castle—stone ramparts, moats and gates—hint at shogunal power. Seasonal camellias, irises and maples frame quiet paths steeped in history.

Learn from a Local Specialist how artisans beat gold into whisper-thin leaves just microns thick. Watch delicate gilding techniques that demand steady hands and years of practice.

Kanazawa’s gold leaf heritage dates to the 16th century, adorning temples, lacquerware and even confectionery. Discover how this luminous craft became a city emblem of refinement and restraint.

Walk the earthen-walled lanes of Nagamachi, once home to Kanazawa’s warrior class. Step inside the Nomura Samurai House to see tokonoma alcoves, lacquered interiors and heirlooms that speak to refined martial life.

From stone-edged canals to a jewel-box inner garden, the district reveals Edo-period aesthetics and the codes of honour that governed samurai households.

Enter Sanjusangen-do to face an awe-inspiring assembly of 1,001 statues of the thousand-armed Kannon. The vast timber hall stretches for 120 metres in hushed, incense-tinged stillness.

Carved between the 12th and 13th centuries, each figure is subtly unique. The alignment of deities, guardians and gilded wood glows with devotion and artisanal mastery.

Explore Gion, Kyoto’s storied geisha quarter, where machiya townhouses and teahouses line stone-paved lanes. Lanterns flicker at dusk, and wooden facades conceal salons dedicated to classical arts.

Hear how apprentices become maiko and geiko, and learn respectful etiquette for photography and encounters. The neighborhood’s atmosphere evokes centuries of performance, poetry and refinement.

Walk the polished boulevards of Ginza, where avant-garde boutiques and architectural showpieces glow along neon-lit boulevards. Window-shop flagship stores and explore quiet side streets lined with intimate galleries and cafés.

Dip into sleek food halls known as depachika to see exquisite bento, confectionery and seasonal produce arranged with artistry—an everyday expression of Japanese aesthetics and service that feels like a museum of taste.

Discover the breadth of Japanese artistry at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. Curated galleries present lacquerware, ceramics and ukiyo-e woodblock prints alongside swords and samurai armour.

As Japan’s oldest and largest museum, it traces a timeline from Jomon-era pottery to Meiji modernity, revealing how religion, courtly life and warrior culture shaped the nation’s aesthetics.

Learn the craft of Edo-style sushi as you learn from a sushi chef to season rice, select toppings and shape nigiri and maki with confident hands. Gain insight into knife work, freshness and finesse.

After the lesson, sample your creations over a relaxed lunch while hearing how seasonality and etiquette guide this culinary art. It’s a delicious, hands-on window into Tokyo’s food culture.

Visit Oshino Hakkai, a pastoral village famed for eight spring-fed ponds of crystalline clarity. Boardwalks and thatched farmhouses frame reflections of Fuji’s peak in waters filtered through ancient lava beds.

Part of the Mount Fuji UNESCO cultural landscape, the site reveals how snowmelt from Mount Fuji sustains rural life, with waterwheels, gardens and small shrines woven into daily rhythms.

Journey to the Mt. Fuji 5th Station at 2,300 metres and take in sweeping views across the Fuji Five Lakes and surrounding alpine foothills. Feel the crisp air and sense the mountain’s quiet power above the cloud line.

This is where pilgrims and hikers gather for ascents; shrines, lookout terraces and souvenir chalets form a small outpost on Japan’s most revered peak.

Wander the preserved lanes of Sanmachi Suji, where dark-timbered merchant houses and sake breweries display cedar balls (sugidama) above their doors. Lattice windows, creaking floors and craft shops evoke Edo-period life.

In this Hida mountain town, carpenters and lacquer artisans once supplied the shogunate; today, their legacy survives in workshops, morning markets and quietly elegant storefronts.

Taste celebrated Hida-gyu beef, prized for its fine marbled texture and delicate sweetness. Whether seared on a hotplate or grilled, each bite highlights careful breeding and the region’s pure mountain water.

Learn how provenance, grading and cut influence flavour and tenderness. This indulgent regional specialty pairs beautifully with local vegetables and simple seasonings that let the beef shine.

Step into Gokayama, a tranquil UNESCO-listed valley of steep-roofed Gassho-zukuri houses built “like hands in prayer” to shed heavy snow. Meet a local family and hear how traditions endure in these timbered homes.

Try a hands-on washi paper workshop, skimming mulberry pulp across a frame to form sheets you can take home. Your visit supports sustainable communities, helping preserve skills and livelihoods in this remote region.

Stroll the classical landscapes of Kenroku-en, celebrated for the “six attributes” of a perfect garden. Lantern-lit ponds, winding streams and teahouse vistas compose seasonal landscapes that shift with plum blossom, irises and maple.

Once the private retreat of the Maeda lords, its artful borrowings of castle views and stone compositions reveal samurai-era taste for harmony between nature and design.

Explore Omicho Market, Kanazawa’s bustling pantry, where seafood stalls showcase snow crab, sweet shrimp and gleaming fish hauled from the Sea of Japan. Produce stands brim with mountain vegetables and local pickles.

Hear how currents, seasons and craft shape the region’s cuisine, and observe the meticulous packaging and presentation that define everyday food culture.

Visit Kinkaku-ji, the famed Golden Pavilion shimmering with gold leaf above a mirror-like pond. Framed by pines and stones, the temple’s reflections create a scene of studied Zen composition.

Once the villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, it later became a Zen temple. The gilded upper floors symbolize purity and transcendence, while landscaped paths reveal Kyoto’s taste for elegant restraint.

Share a warm Be My Guest encounter over a refined kaiseki lunch with a local family at a traditional restaurant near Kyoto. Course-by-course dishes celebrate seasonality, colour and balance.

Hear stories of daily life, customs and festival traditions as you experience Kyoto hospitality. Guidance on table manners and cultural nuances enriches this intimate culinary exchange.

Walk beneath thousands of vermilion torii at Fushimi Inari Shrine, following lantern-lit tunnels that climb the forested slopes of sacred Mount Inari. The rhythmic gates and fox statues create a meditative flow.

Dedicated to the kami of rice and prosperity, each gate bears the names of patrons whose donations sustain the shrine’s living tradition of prayer and gratitude.

Join your Travel Director to experience Shinjuku by night, wandering through neon canyons, lively plazas and atmospheric alleyways. From soaring towers to pocket-sized bars, the district reveals Tokyo’s after-dark energy.

Learn local nightlife etiquette, discover photogenic corners and enjoy time to soak up the buzz. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Slip into a traditional kimono experience with assistance in selecting patterns and tying the obi sash. Pose for a portrait in Kenroku-en, where bridges, lanterns and teahouse backdrops frame elegant shots.

Gain insight into seasonal motifs and symbolism woven into the fabrics. This cultural add-on is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Meet fellow travellers and meet your Tour Director over a hosted welcome drink and local appetisers in central Tokyo. Receive a friendly introduction to the journey ahead, with practical tips on customs, dining etiquette and getting the most from Japan’s rail and cityscapes.

Set the tone for your adventure as you hear insider suggestions for neighbourhoods to explore and dishes to try. The relaxed gathering eases you into the city’s rhythm and offers a first taste of Japanese omotenashi hospitality.

Explore the historic quarter of Asakusa and pass beneath the vermilion Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) to reach Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist site. Breathe in the incense-swirled air and admire the five-storied pagoda and colourful prayer plaques in the temple precincts.

Stroll the lively Nakamise shopping street, where stalls sell chiyogami paper, wooden toys and traditional sweets that capture the Shitamachi spirit of old Tokyo. This guided walk blends sacred ritual with everyday neighbourhood life.

Ascend the soaring Tokyo Skytree for panoramic views across the capital’s vast skyline. From the glass-walled decks, trace the curve of the Sumida River and the geometry of neighbourhoods unfolding to the horizon.

At 634 metres, this modern icon showcases Japan’s engineering prowess. On clear days, scan from Mount Fuji to Tokyo Bay and feel the city’s scale from a serene, sky-high vantage point.

Trafalgar