CLICK TO VIEW: TRIP INTRO • SCHEDULE/ITINERARY • WHAT’S INCLUDED?
Highlights
🎨 A visit to an anime studio exclusive to this trip, plus the chance to meet and travel with anime industry insiders and explore Japan with them!
🌆 Visit scenic cities, towns, and many more of the real-life places that inspire anime, and talk to the animators about how they inspired them
🏮 Join the locals for a massive party at the Chichibu Festival
♨️ Explore castles and secluded islands on a two-day trip to a hot spring resort at the end of the journey
🎉 Shop Akihabara, Nakano Broadway, Osaka’s Ota Road, and many other anime-centric areas all over Japan
Stops include: Tokyo • Chichibu • Kyoto • Osaka • Kobe • Nagahama and points between
*Trip starts at on November 30 Japan time in Tokyo. If flying in from another country, be sure to be in Japan by that time.
AN ANIME EXPERIENCE YOU WON’T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE.
PacSet is proud to announce our third team up with our friends at Anime News Network to bring you an exclusive journey inside Anime production, from inspiration to creation. From exclusive one on one meetups with Anime industry staff to a visit to an Anime production studio just for our group, this is the kind of fan-centric experience you simply can’t get by just asking ChatGPT.
We’ll be traveling with a writer and columnist from Anime News Network as we weave through the greater Tokyo/Kanto area, visiting many of the same spots Anime producers and Manga editors have visited to create the setting for their projects. Of course, no visit to Tokyo is complete without shopping through Akihabara, the Nintendo and Pokemon outlets of Shibuya, Nakano Broadway, and more. The only difference? We’ll be following our shopping with exclusive meet-and-greets with Anime industry professionals, so you have a chance to meet (and ask questions of) people who help bring Anime to your screens. The best part? You’ll also go on an exclusive visit to an anime studio to talk with the producers and animators behind your favorite shows! PLUS: for 2027, we’ll also be heading to the legendary Chichibu Festival to party with the locals and check out sites from anime like Anohana and Botan Kamiina.
Not enough? Join the extension! You’ll walk the Philosopher’s Path and take in the views from the Sanmon Gate in Kyoto, explore secluded temple islands and castles, and make your own chicken ramen at the Cup Noodle Museum. If you aren’t done with your shopping list (or just want to do more urban spelunking), we’ll be making stops in Kobe and Osaka to shop, eat, explore, and take in the off-kilter humor and fun that makes Kansai special. We’ll also stop by the Tezuka Museum to pay tribute to the godfather of Manga himself, Osamu Tezuka. Last but not least, we’ll take a few days on the shores of Lake Biwa in Nagahama to visit an Anime Figurine museum, Hikone Castle, and more!
Anime News Network and PacSet have worked hard to make this a one-of-a-kind journey unlike anything we’ve done before; the only thing missing is you. Space is limited, so sign up today and get ready for an experience you won’t soon forget!
Trip itinerary + MAP
DAY 1: Arrival in Tokyo
Fly to Tokyo for the beginning of the adventure! Your guides will be on hand to help you find dinner and get situated.
Lodging: Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo or similar
DAY 2: Akihabara and Asakusa
Visit the Kanda Myojin Shrine (seen in Love Live!) to kick off the trip, before heading to Akihabara to shop the most legendary Anime neighborhood in the world. In the afternoon, you can keep hanging in Akihabara, or visit Sensoji Temple and the iconic “lightning gate” in Asakusa with your guides.
Lodging: Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo or similar
DAY 3: Famous Figures and Festival Lights
Let’s get historical! We kick off the day with a visit to the Tokiwaso Manga Museum, a former apartment building that many famous manga artists once called home. After some time to explore the fangirl-centric Otome Road and shops in Ikebukuro, we’ll head into the mountains to experience the breathtaking Chichibu Festival!
Lodging: Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo or similar
DAY 4: Studio Visit Day!
Welcome to the main event: an exclusive visit to an anime studio! Before visiting the studio and meeting the staff, we’ll pop into Shibuya for the Nintendo Store, Pokemon Center, and optional walking trips towards Harajuku.
Lodging: Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo or similar
DAY 5: Tokyo Bay By Night and Day
Sail down the Sumida River on the Hotaluna, a futuristic boat designed by the late great Leiji Matsumoto. Then we’ll take a detour into the attic of anime fandom known as Nakano Broadway before a special dinner cruise on the water with bottomless drinks and fresh tempura.
Lodging: Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo or similar
Meals: Dinner
DAY 6: Free Day!
Today is a free day! Explore more of the city, revisit a place you’ve been to before, or consult with your guide to make other plans.
Lodging: Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo or similar
DAY 7: To Kansai!
After we say goodbye to our friends that are just with us for Tokyo, the adventure continues in Osaka, where we’ll begin on the streets of Namba and their otaku-centric Ota Road. From there, visit the countercultural neighborhood of Shinsaibashi and Amerika-mura for hip shopping, sightseeing, and street food.
Lodging: Kobe Meriken Park Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 8: The Path of the Philosopher
Welcome to Kyoto! We’ll visit the famous Ginkakuji zen gardens before walking the “Philosopher’s Path” through the mountains to Nanzenji Temple. Here, hang out inside a massive temple gate, sip tea, and walk a Meiji-era aqueduct as we head into the city center for shopping and fun.
Lodging: Kobe Meriken Park Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 9: The Kobe Experience
Since we’re staying in Kobe, today we spend the day checking out some of the best the city has to offer. After sailing over waterfalls to the views of the bay from the Herb Garden, we’ll wander to Sannomiya to see shops, cafes, and shop for anime goods at the city’s own fan-centric area. In the evening, we’ve got an Omakase fried skewer dinner waiting for us.
Lodging: Kobe Meriken Park Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 10: Tezuka and Take-Home Noodles
The final full day of our journey takes us to Takarazuka and the Tezuka Museum! Then it’s off to the Nisshin Cup Noodle Museum to make noodles before we take a break and head out for one last night on the town.
Lodging: Kobe Meriken Park Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 11: Go Figure
It’s time to head to a smaller area to chill by Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwa. The journey begins in Nagahama City, where we’ll see thousands of anime legends on display at the massive Kaiyodo Figure Museum. We’ll also try our hand at making lunch with the locals before exploring the old temples and shops of the city around their famous Kurokabe Square park area.
Lodging: Grand Mercure Hotel Biwako or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 12: Castle and/or Chill
You can opt to kick back and relax today, or join your guides for a trip to the massive Hikone Castle overlooking the lake. From the castle, we’ll take a boat to Chikubu Island in the center of Biwa to visit the island shrine and see remarkable views before a journey to a local distillery for dinner.
Lodging: Grand Mercure Hotel Biwako or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 13: Time to go… ._.
Return home and tell your friends what an amazing time you had!
Meals: Breakfast
This trip includes…
| |
Trip Status |
Open for signups |
Deadline |
Sept. 27, 2027 |
Minimum guest #: |
8 guests |
Fly → JP On*: |
November 29, 2027 |
Starts in JP On: |
November 30, 2027 |
TRIP PACE |
Medium. There will be more standing than walking in most spots, so make sure to have comfy footwear! |
Extras |
Single Room: +$800 (Tokyo Only) +$1600 (Entire Trip) |
*This is the date you should leave your home country.
Click for more info about:
FLIGHTS • REFUND POLICY
🛌 12 nights three and four-star accommodations, including two nights in a hot spring resort (TOKYO ONLY: 6 nights hotel)
🥢 Includes 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 4 dinners
🚅 All scheduled rail, sea, car, bus, and air transport within Japan.**
🧳 Baggage shipping: up to 3 complimentary luggage transfers for one suitcase per trip (What’s this?)
😀 Professional, bilingual guides there to help with anything you might need
🎟️ Admission to all scheduled activities
📗 Customized Trip Guidebook and Pre-Trip Orientation Materials, including an online health class, provided to you before the trip so you can prepare for the journey before leaving home!
🍫 Nightly turndown service with local sweets
❤️ Complimentary concierge service: we can help plan extra stops, pre-and-post-trip extensions, and more.
🗾 Much, much more!
NOT INCLUDED:
❌ Flights to Japan from your home country
❌ Travel insurance
❌ Meals not listed above
NOTES:
*All initial payments are a $300 deposit. The balance for the trip is due at the deadline for the trip.
**If a guest decides to go long distances on rail during free times, extra charges may apply.