CLICK TO VIEW: TRIP INTRO • SCHEDULE/ITINERARY • WHAT’S INCLUDED?
Highlights
⛩️ Visit the best of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and everything in between - including Kyoto’s biggest festival, the Gion Festival!
🥢 Learn how to make soba, have one of Japan’s most legendary high teas, enjoy fancy hot spring banquets, and sample an endless variety of festival food
♨️ Unwind with two nights at a hot spring resort in Yaizu and scenic highlights throughout
🏙️ Shop popular neighborhoods like Gion, Akihabara, Shibuya, Hondori in Hiroshima, and so much more – all with ample free time to explore each location as you like
Stops include: Tokyo • Hiroshima • Osaka • Iwakuni • Kyoto • Kobe • Yaizu • Mochimune and points between
*Trip starts at 7PM on July 9 Japan time in Tokyo. If flying in from another country, be sure to be in Japan by that time.
Don’t settle for a quick trip to Tokyo – go farther.
Combining elements of all our summer trips from the past decade, Best of Japan transports guests from Tokyo to Hiroshima and back, weaving through seaside shrines, legendary temples, and shopping arcades on a trip that’s built for the first-timer and the seasoned traveler alike. You’ll ride a gondola to the views from Mt. Misen, make your own Soba, shop your way through Akihabara and Namba, cross the famous Kintaikyo Bridge in Iwakuni, and (of course) unwind at a fancy hot spring resort where you’ll also be able to try local teas and explore a historic castle.
Of course, it isn't summer without a little partying, and that’s exactly what we have planned! We’ll wander through Kyoto to admire (and go inside!) the floats of the famed Gion Festival, have high tea in Kobe, and maybe even check out some fireworks with the locals. Remember to save your coins for some festival food (or games of chance); we guarantee you’ll want some of it!
This year, we’ve added two nights in Yaizu, where views of Mt. Fuji marry with sea breezes, local desserts and microbrews, and you can spend your day visiting tea farms, swimming in the sea, or just kicking back at our resort.
Don’t settle for less; upgrade to the Best. We promise it’ll be an unforgettable summer!
Trip itinerary + MAP
DAY 1: TOKYO + THE TOWER
Fly from your home country to Tokyo, where we'll kick things off with the night views from Tokyo Tower.
Lodging: Mitsui Garden Hotel Shiodome Italia-gai or similar
DAY 2: HARAJUKU, SHIBUYA, YAKATABUNE DINNER CRUISE
Check out the hip neighborhoods of Harajuku and Shibuya before taking to the water for a dinner on a traditional Yakatabune longboat.
Lodging: Mitsui Garden Hotel Shiodome Italia-gai or similar
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3: SOBA MAKING & AKIHABARA
Try your hand at making Japan's legendary noodle, shop for Anime goods in Akihabara, and explore the kitchen supply paradise of Kappabashi.
Lodging: Mitsui Garden Hotel Shiodome Italia-gai or similar
Meals: Lunch
DAY 4: WELCOME TO HIROSHIMA
Transfer to Hiroshima, where we'll visit the A-Bomb Dome and Peace Park before making our way to Hondori to explore and find dinner.
Lodging: Rihga Royal Hotel or similar
DAY 5: MIYAJIMA MAGIC
Explore the island of Miyajima, home to the famous "floating" Itsukushima Shrine, maple cakes, and spectacular views of the Seto Inland Sea from Mt. Misen.
Lodging: Rihga Royal Hotel or similar
DAY 6: IWAKUNI
Visit the Iwakuni Castle and the iconic Kintaikyo Bridge west of Hiroshima.
Lodging: Rihga Royal Hotel or similar
DAY 7: OSAKA
We bid farewell to Hiroshima, boarding the Shinkansen and heading to Osaka! After arriving, we’ll hit the city center to shop and eat our way through the famous shopping arcades in Namba.
Lodging: Villa Fontaine Osaka Umeda or similar
DAY 8: THE GION FESTIVAL!
If you’re going to visit the old capital of Kyoto, there’s no better time to do it than now! We'll see Kiyomizu Temple, visit Yasaka Shrine, and join the party at the Gion Festival!
Lodging: Villa Fontaine Osaka Umeda or similar
DAY 9: KOBE + TEA BY THE SEA
Today we spend a full day exploring the multi-cultural neighborhoods in the seaside city of Kobe, starting with the view from the Herb Gardens (where you’ll ride a gondola over a waterfall), enjoy afternoon tea service at a fancy hotel, shop the Sannomiya arcades, and maybe even take in some fireworks!
Lodging: Villa Fontaine Osaka Umeda or similar
DAY 10: FREE DAY!
Today is your chance to check out more of Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, or a little bit of all three. Your guides will be on hand to help plan, of course!
Lodging: Villa Fontaine Osaka Umeda or similar
DAY 11: COASTAL COOL
It’s time to relax! We’ll head east to the seaside town of Yaizu, where we’ll begin our day with the choice of seeing the ruins of Sunpu Castle or the Bandai Hobby Center. We’ll kick back with seaside treats and microbrews in Mochimune before following the rocky coast back to our resort.
Lodging: Yaizu Grand Hotel or similar
Meals: Dinner
DAY 12: YAIZU ONSEN DAY!
Spend the day getting spa treatments, relax, take in views of Mt. Fuji from the surrounding parks and waterfront areas, or do a little of everything – it’s your vacation after all!
Lodging: Yaizu Grand Hotel or similar
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 13: TOKYO FREE DAY
Return to Tokyo, where you'll have free time to explore the city or revisit an area you want to return to.
Lodging: Mitsui Garden Hotel Shiodome Italia-gai or similar
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 14: TRIP CONCLUDES
Return home and make your friends jealous with your trip stories. :)
This trip includes…
| |
Trip Status |
Open for signups |
Deadline |
Apr. 9, 2027 |
Minimum guest #: |
8 guests |
Fly → JP On*: |
July 8, 2027 |
Starts in JP On: |
July 9, 2027 |
TRIP PACE |
Medium. Make sure to have comfy footwear since there's a lot of standing! Some walking, plus it'll be hot. |
Extras |
Single Room (Hotels, 11nts): +$1200 Single Room (Hotel & Onsen): +$2000 |
*This is the date you should leave your home country.
Click for more info about:
FLIGHTS • REFUND POLICY
🛌 13 nights three and four-star accommodations, including two nights in a hot spring resort
🥢 Includes 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners
🚅 All scheduled rail, sea, car, bus, and air transport within Japan.**
🧳 Baggage shipping: up to 4 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:
HEAT STROKE WARNING: Summer in Japan is VERY humid, and trying to “go too hard” can and will affect your health. Pace yourself and drink water; your guides will be assisting with this.
*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.