10-Day Japan Cultural Immersion: Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto, Nara & Osaka

Tour Overview

Data source: InsideJapan Tours + Japanican — Japan’s definitive 10-day itinerary, immersing you in the country’s profound cultural heritage from Tokyo’s neon energy to Kyoto’s thousand temples.

Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo — The World’s Greatest City

• Arrive at Tokyo Narita (NRT) or Haneda (HND) Airport. Private transfer to your 4-star hotel in central Tokyo. Tokyo — the world’s largest metropolitan area with 37 million people — is a city of staggering contrasts: ancient temples beside towering skyscrapers, tranquil gardens steps from neon-saturated intersections, Michelin-starred restaurants next to humble ramen shops that have served the same recipe for 50 years. The city has been destroyed twice — by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the WWII firebombing of 1945 — and rebuilt both times into something more extraordinary
• Afternoon orientation in Shinjuku — Tokyo’s pulsating entertainment district. Walk through Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (144 acres, combining Japanese traditional, French formal, and English landscape gardens — one of Tokyo’s most beautiful green spaces, with over 1,500 cherry trees). Then experience the controlled chaos of Shinjuku Station (the world’s busiest, with 3.6 million passengers daily and over 200 exits) and the neon canyons of Kabukicho (Tokyo’s red-light entertainment district). Grab a drink at the Park Hyatt’s New York Bar (famous from Lost in Translation) for staggering 52nd-floor views over the endless Tokyo skyline
• Welcome Dinner: An izakaya (Japanese gastropub) in Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane, aka “Piss Alley” — a narrow alley of tiny eateries dating from the post-war black market). Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), edamame, karaage (Japanese fried chicken), sashimi, and cold sake or Japanese craft beer. This intimate, slightly grungy atmosphere is the real Tokyo — the Japan that exists behind the futuristic facade

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Tokyo (Shinjuku area).

Day 2: Tokyo — Ancient Meets Ultra-Modern

• Morning at Asakusa — Tokyo’s oldest temple district. Enter through the thunderous Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) with its massive red paper lantern (3.3m tall, 700kg), then walk the 250m Nakamise-dori shopping street — a tradition since the 17th century, lined with stalls selling ningyo-yaki (doll-shaped cakes filled with red bean paste), senbei (rice crackers), and traditional crafts. At the end: Senso-ji — Tokyo’s oldest temple (founded 628 AD), dedicated to Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The story goes that two fishermen found a golden statue of Kannon in their nets in the Sumida River, and the temple was built to house it. The main hall, the five-story pagoda, and the constant swirl of incense smoke (waft it over yourself for good health) create an atmosphere of timeless devotion
• Midday visit to the Tokyo Skytree (634m, the world’s tallest tower) for a panorama that, on a clear day, stretches to Mt. Fuji 100km away. The tower’s height — 634m — was chosen because the numbers can be read as “mu-sa-shi” in Japanese, the old name for the Tokyo region. Below, Akihabara Electric Town — the global epicenter of anime, manga, and electronics culture. Multi-story arcades (try a purikura photo booth), maid cafes, retro video game shops, and the endless sensory overload of J-pop and flashing screens
• Afternoon: Meiji Jingu (Meiji Shrine) — Tokyo’s most important Shinto shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Enter through a massive 12m-tall torii gate made from 1,500-year-old cypress wood from Taiwan, then walk the serene forest path through 120,000 trees donated from across Japan — an instant escape from the city’s intensity. The shrine itself is an exercise in Shinto minimalism: cypress wood, copper roof, clean lines. Write your wish on an ema (wooden votive tablet) and hang it at the shrine. Visit the adjacent Harajuku — Takeshita Street is the ground zero of Japanese youth culture: crepe stands, animal cafes (hedgehog, owl, cat), and fashion that ranges from gothic lolita to avant-garde streetwear. Omotesando, one block away, is Tokyo’s Champs-Élysées — a tree-lined avenue of high-end flagship stores designed by star architects
• Evening in Shibuya — the iconic Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the world’s busiest pedestrian intersection (up to 3,000 people cross per green light). Watch the organized chaos from the Starbucks above or from the new Shibuya Sky observation deck. Dinner at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant (kaiten-zushi) or a tiny ramen shop where ordering is done via vending machine and the counter seats eight people — the efficiency and quality of Japanese fast food at its best

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Tokyo.

Day 3: Tokyo — Tsukiji, TeamLab & Imperial East Gardens

• Early morning at the Tsukiji Outer Market — while the inner wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018, the outer market remains a vibrant warren of 400+ stalls and tiny restaurants. The best way to experience it: a breakfast of the freshest sushi you’ve ever tasted (the fish was swimming in the ocean hours ago), tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette — watch it being made on rectangular pans), grilled scallops with butter and soy sauce, and matcha soft serve. The market’s energy — the calls of vendors, the aroma of grilling seafood, the crush of locals and tourists — is intoxicating
• Morning art immersion at teamLab Borderless (Azabudai Hills) — a digital art museum where the artworks are not framed but flood through rooms, react to your presence, and merge with each other. Walk through rooms of infinite light, climb through a three-dimensional “Forest of Resonating Lamps,” watch flowers bloom and scatter as you move, and enter spaces that feel like stepping inside a living painting. It’s the most Instagram-worthy experience in Japan and genuinely transcendent
• Afternoon at the Imperial Palace East Gardens — the only part of the Imperial Palace grounds open to the public (the Emperor’s residence is only open twice a year — January 2 and February 23, the Emperor’s birthday). The gardens occupy the site of the former Edo Castle’s innermost defenses: carefully manicured Japanese and Western-style gardens, the stone foundations of the castle’s keep (burned in the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki), and moats patrolled by swans. It’s a green oasis in the heart of Tokyo
• Late afternoon in Ginza — Tokyo’s most famous upscale shopping district, where land prices are the highest in Japan. The flagship stores — the 12-story Uniqlo, the watchmaker Seiko’s museum with its clock tower, the Kabukiza Theatre (kabuki performances — even a single act ticket is a fascinating glimpse of traditional Japanese theater), and the hidden alleyways of tiny bars that seat four people
• Dinner in Omoide Yokocho or Golden Gai — the latter is six narrow alleys packed with over 200 tiny bars, each seating 5-10 people, each with a unique theme (jazz, punk, French cinema, vintage Playboy). These were originally established in the 1950s as black market drinking spots. Order a highball (whisky and soda), and you’ll likely end up in conversation with the bartender and whichever strangers are squeezed in beside you

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Tokyo.

Day 4: Nikko — The Splendors of the Shogun

• Morning journey to Nikko (approximately 2 hours by private coach through the northern Tokyo suburbs and into the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture). Nikko is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Japan’s most spectacular shrine complexes, set among towering cedar forests at 640m elevation. A popular Japanese saying goes: “Nikko wo mizushite kekko to iu nakare” (Don’t say “magnificent” until you’ve seen Nikko)
• Toshogu Shrine — the lavishly decorated mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan in 1603 and founded the dynasty that ruled for 260 years. This is the polar opposite of Shinto minimalism: over 5 million sheets of gold leaf, 5,000 carvings, and a riot of color that took 15,000 craftsmen two years to complete. The famous carvings include the Three Wise Monkeys (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil — their original Japanese context is actually a Tendai Buddhist teaching: “If we do not hear, see, or speak evil, we ourselves shall be spared all evil”), the Sleeping Cat (Nemuri-neko), and the Imagined Elephant (carved by an artist who had never seen an elephant, based on descriptions). The Yomeimon Gate is so intricately decorated that it’s said you can look at it all day and never tire of it — one pillar was deliberately carved upside down to avoid angering the gods with perfection
• Walk the atmospheric path lined with 13,000 stone lanterns to Taiyuinbyo — the mausoleum of Ieyasu’s grandson, Iemitsu, who so revered his grandfather that he designed his own tomb to be more modest (by Toshogu’s standards — it’s still stunning)
• Kegon Falls — one of Japan’s three great waterfalls, plunging 97m from Lake Chuzenji. In autumn, the waterfall is framed by brilliant red and gold maple leaves. An elevator descends to a viewing platform at the base — the power of the water and the cool mist on your face is a sensory reset. Their eponymous meal: yuba (tofu skin) — Nikko’s local specialty, made from the skin that forms on heated soy milk, served in delicate layers — at a traditional restaurant
• Return to Tokyo in the evening. The contrast between Nikko’s mountain serenity and Tokyo’s neon intensity is the essence of Japan — the country where both extremes coexist in harmony

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Tokyo.

Day 5: Hakone — Mt. Fuji Views, Hot Springs & Art

• Morning drive to Hakone (approximately 1.5 hours) — a mountainous town in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, famous for hot springs (onsen), views of Mt. Fuji, and the Hakone Open-Air Museum. Hakone was once a crucial checkpoint on the historic Tokaido road connecting Tokyo (Edo) and Kyoto, and feudal lords were required to stop here for security checks — including inspecting for smuggled weapons and women leaving Edo (the shogun’s wives were essentially hostages in Edo)
• Hakone Ropeway — a gondola ride over the Owakudani Valley (“Great Boiling Valley”), a volcanic crater with active sulfur vents and steaming hot springs. The ropeway offers spectacular views of Mt. Fuji on clear days — the perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone, usually snow-capped, floating above the landscape. At Owakudani station, try the famous kuro-tamago (black eggs) — chicken eggs boiled in the volcanic hot springs, the shells turned black by the sulfur. Legend says eating one adds seven years to your life
• Hakone Open-Air Museum — Japan’s first open-air museum (opened 1969), a stunning integration of sculpture, nature, and mountain views. The 120-piece collection includes works by Rodin, Henry Moore, and the Picasso Pavilion — a remarkable collection of over 300 works by Pablo Picasso, including ceramics, paintings, and sculptures. The Symphonic Sculpture tower — a spiraling stained-glass tower you can climb — is a sensory highlight. Soaking your feet in the natural hot spring footbath while contemplating sculpture under Mt. Fuji is one of life’s refined pleasures
• Optional: Hakone Checkpoint Museum — a reconstruction of the Edo-period barrier station, complete with mannequins of inspectors searching travelers. The Cedar Avenue of the Old Tokaido — a 400-year-old tree-lined path planted to protect travelers from summer heat — is a peaceful walk through history
• Evening: traditional kaiseki dinner at a ryokan (Japanese inn) or restaurant — the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine. Multiple small courses (8-12 dishes) showcasing seasonal ingredients, artfully arranged on exquisite ceramic and lacquer ware. Sashimi, grilled fish, simmered vegetables, tempura, rice, miso soup, and a delicate dessert. Each dish is a meditation on the season, the region, and the ingredients. Optional: onsen (hot spring bath) — a quintessential Japanese experience of soaking in geothermally heated mineral water, ideally outdoors with mountain views

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Hakone or continue to Kyoto (Shinkansen to Kyoto — approximately 2 hours from Odawara station).

Day 6: Kyoto — The Heart of Japanese Tradition

• Morning arrival in Kyoto via Shinkansen bullet train (if continuing from Hakone) or start your Kyoto exploration. Kyoto served as Japan’s imperial capital for over 1,000 years (794-1868), and it was spared from WWII bombing by the personal intervention of US Secretary of War Henry Stimson, who had honeymooned here and recognized its cultural value. The result: 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, over 2,000 temples and shrines, and a city where tradition is not preserved — it’s lived
• Fushimi Inari Taisha — the most iconic sight in Kyoto: 10,000 vermilion torii gates winding up the sacred Mount Inari through a tunnel of brilliant orange-red. Each gate was donated by a business or individual (costs range from ¥400,000 for a small gate to over ¥1 million for a large one, with the donor’s name inscribed on the back). The shrine is dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice, sake, and prosperity — foxes (kitsune) are the messengers, and you’ll see fox statues holding keys to the rice granary in their mouths. The full hike to the summit (233m) takes 2-3 hours — go as far as you like, and the experience of walking through this endless tunnel of gates, with light filtering through the trees, is almost meditative
• Afternoon at Kiyomizu-dera (Pure Water Temple, 778 AD, UNESCO) — a wooden temple built without a single nail, its main hall jutting out over a hillside on a 13m-high platform supported by 139 wooden pillars, each 15m tall. The view over Kyoto from the terrace — with the city spread below and the Higashiyama mountains as backdrop — is legendary. Beneath the main hall, three streams of water fall from the Otowa Waterfall into a pond — visitors catch the water in long-handled cups and drink, each stream granting a different wish (longevity, success in studies, fortunate love life). Drink from only one or two — all three is considered greedy. Walk through the atmospheric Higashiyama District: Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka preserved slopes, lined with traditional wooden machiya townhouses, tea houses, and craft shops
• Evening in Gion — Kyoto’s famous geisha district. Walk along Shirakawa Canal — the most atmospheric street in Kyoto, with willow trees, stone bridges, and traditional wooden teahouses (ochaya) where geiko (Kyoto dialect for geisha) and maiko (apprentice geisha) entertain. If lucky, you may glimpse a maiko in full kimono and white makeup hurrying to an appointment (please be respectful — they are working, not tourist attractions). The architecture here is the blueprint for Japanese aesthetics: dark wood, sliding paper doors, the subtle beauty of wabi-sabi (imperfection and impermanence). Dinner: kaiseki ryori — Kyoto’s haute cuisine, the multi-course meal that is the pinnacle of Japanese gastronomy, emphasizing seasonal ingredients, visual presentation, and the philosophy of mottainai (waste nothing)

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Kyoto.

Day 7: Kyoto — Zen, Bamboo & Gold

• Early morning at Arashiyama Bamboo Grove — one of Kyoto’s most photographed locations. Arrive early (before 8am) to experience the towering green bamboo stalks swaying and creaking in the wind, sunlight filtering through the dense canopy, before the crowds arrive. The path is surreal — walking through corridors of impossibly tall bamboo, the sound of stalks knocking against each other (one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan, designated by the Ministry of the Environment) creates a naturally musical experience. Continue to Tenryu-ji Temple (1339, UNESCO), the head temple of the Rinzai Zen sect’s Tenryu-ji branch — its garden (Sogenchi) is a 14th-century masterpiece designed by the great Zen master Muso Soseki, using borrowed scenery (shakkei) to incorporate the Arashiyama mountains into the garden’s composition
• Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion, UNESCO) — one of Japan’s most iconic sights. A three-story pavilion covered in gold leaf, reflected perfectly in the mirror pond (Kyoko-chi) before it. The top two floors are entirely gilded — over 200,000 gold leaves were used in the most recent restoration (completed 1987). The building’s three stories each represent a different architectural style: Shinden (palace style) on the first floor, Bukke (samurai house style) on the second, and Zen temple style on the third, with a golden phoenix on the roof. The pavilion was burned down in 1950 by a disturbed young monk — an event that inspired Yukio Mishima’s novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. The current structure is a faithful 1955 reconstruction
• Ryoan-ji (UNESCO) — Japan’s most famous Zen rock garden. Fifteen stones arranged on a bed of raked white gravel, enclosed by an earthen wall. The arrangement is such that from any viewing angle, you can only see fourteen stones at once — it’s said that only when you reach enlightenment can you see all fifteen. What the garden “means” is deliberately ambiguous (islands in the sea? A tiger carrying cubs across water? Mountains emerging from clouds?), and that ambiguity is the point — Zen seeks understanding beyond words
• Afternoon: tea ceremony experience — a guided chado (Way of Tea) session in a traditional tea house. Learn the precise, meditative movements: how to receive the bowl, rotate it to avoid drinking from the front, admire the craftsmanship, and return it. The four principles — wa (harmony), kei (respect), sei (purity), jaku (tranquility) — are embodied in every gesture. Taste the bitter matcha balanced by a sweet wagashi (traditional confection)
• Evening at Nishiki Market — “Kyoto’s Kitchen,” a 400-year-old covered market stretching five blocks. A feast for the senses: skewers of grilled eel, freshly made mochi, tsukemono (pickled vegetables — Kyoto is famous for them), matcha everything (ice cream, cookies, salt), and tiny restaurants where you can graze your way through Kyoto’s culinary heritage

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Kyoto.

Day 8: Nara — Sacred Deer & the Great Buddha

• Morning drive to Nara (approximately 1 hour) — Japan’s first permanent capital (710-784) and a UNESCO World Heritage city. Nara is where Japanese civilization crystallized — Buddhism took root, Chinese culture was absorbed and transformed, and Japan’s first great temples were built
• Nara Park — home to over 1,200 sacred sika deer, considered messengers of the gods in Shinto belief and designated as National Treasures until WWII (when that status was removed, they became National Natural Monuments). The deer freely roam the park and are remarkably tame — buy shika senbei (deer crackers, ¥200) and witness their famous bowing behavior (they lower their heads to request food, and many have learned to bow back when bowed to — a uniquely Japanese symbiosis). They can be assertive when they smell crackers, so distribute quickly
• Todai-ji (Great Eastern Temple, 752 AD, UNESCO) — home to the Daibutsu (Great Buddha), the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world at 15m tall, weighing 500 tons, housed in the Daibutsuden — the largest wooden building in the world (the current 1709 reconstruction is actually 30% smaller than the original 8th-century hall, which was an astonishing 88m wide). The Buddha’s palm alone is 2.5m across, each nostril large enough for a person to crawl through (there’s a hole carved in one of the pillars behind the statue — it’s the size of the Buddha’s nostril, and crawling through it is said to grant enlightenment). The statue has been damaged by earthquakes, fires, and wars, and the head has been recast multiple times — you can see subtle color differences. The flanking bodhisattvas, the fierce Nio guardian statues at the gate, and the scale of the entire complex are overwhelming
• Kasuga Taisha — Nara’s most important Shinto shrine, famous for its 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns lining the paths. Every February and August, the lanterns are lit in the Mantoro (Lantern Festival), creating an ethereal procession of flickering light through the forest. The shrine’s distinctive vermilion and white paint scheme and its wisteria garden (the Fujiwara clan’s emblem) represent Shinto aesthetics at their most refined
• Isui-en Garden — a hidden gem, a Meiji-era strolling garden that uses borrowed scenery to frame Todai-ji’s roof and the mountains beyond. The garden’s two parts — one from the 17th century, one from the 19th — flow into each other seamlessly. Tea and a Japanese sweet in the teahouse overlooking the garden pond is a moment of perfect tranquility
• Return to Kyoto. Farewell dinner: yudofu (boiled tofu) at a restaurant near Nanzen-ji Temple — a specialty of Kyoto’s Buddhist vegetarian cuisine (shojin ryori). Silky tofu simmered in kombu broth, dipped in ponzu or sesame sauce, served in a serene riverside garden setting. Simple, pure, transcendent — like Kyoto itself

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Kyoto.

Day 9: Kyoto → Osaka — Japan’s Kitchen

• Morning free in Kyoto: option to visit Sanjusangen-do (1164, the longest wooden building in Japan at 120m, containing 1,001 life-size statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy — an army of gilded figures, each with 11 faces and 1,000 arms, standing in serried ranks, with 28 guardian deities in front. The sheer scale of identical yet individually carved figures is hypnotic). Or the Nishijin Textile Center for a kimono fashion show and insight into Kyoto’s 1,200-year-old textile tradition
• Midday transfer to Osaka (30 minutes by local train or 15 minutes by Shinkansen). Osaka — Japan’s third-largest city — is the nation’s culinary capital, known as “Japan’s Kitchen” (Tenka no Daidokoro) for its food culture and the famous local motto “Kuidaore” (eat until you drop). Osaka is brasher, louder, and more irreverent than Tokyo — people walk faster, talk more directly, and are obsessed with food and comedy (Osaka is the birthplace of manzai stand-up)
• Osaka Castle — one of Japan’s most famous landmarks, a 1931 concrete reconstruction of the 1583 original, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (the peasant who rose to become Japan’s supreme ruler). The museum inside traces Hideyoshi’s life and the castle’s turbulent history — it was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, most dramatically during the 1615 Summer Siege, when Tokugawa forces finally defeated Hideyoshi’s heir. The view from the top floor (8th) over Osaka’s skyline is impressive. The massive stone walls — some individual stones weigh over 100 tons — demonstrate the military engineering of the era
• Afternoon in Dotonbori — Osaka’s sensory-overload entertainment district along the Dotonbori Canal. The neon signs are legendary: the Glico Running Man (illuminated since 1935, Osaka’s favorite photo spot), the giant mechanical crab at Kani Doraku, the blowfish lantern, and the pulsing, chaotic energy that is pure Osaka. Street food crawl: takoyaki (octopus balls, crispy outside, gooey inside, topped with bonito flakes that dance in the heat — the quintessential Osaka street food), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes filled with cabbage, meat, seafood, and topped with a sweet-savory sauce, mayonnaise, and dancing bonito flakes), kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers — meat, vegetables, cheese, everything — dipped in a communal sauce pot with the iron rule: “NO DOUBLE DIPPING”), and fugu (blowfish, for the brave — prepared by licensed chefs who train for years to learn how to remove the deadly toxic organs)
• Evening: explore Shinsekai (“New World”) — a retro district designed in 1912 with Paris and Coney Island as inspiration. The Tsutenkaku Tower (Osaka’s Eiffel Tower), old-school pachinko parlors, and kushikatsu restaurants where working-class Osaka comes to eat, drink, and be merry. The district has a faded, nostalgic charm that’s uniquely Osaka

Overnight at 4-star hotel in Osaka.

Day 10: Departure from Osaka

• Breakfast at the hotel. If time permits, visit the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan — one of the world’s largest aquariums, centered on a 9m-deep, 5,400-ton tank housing whale sharks, manta rays, and the diverse marine life of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The aquarium is organized by habitat — from Antarctica to the Great Barrier Reef — with the central Pacific Ocean tank as the grand finale
• Or explore Kuromon Ichiba Market — “Osaka’s Kitchen,” a 580m covered market with 150 shops. Fresh seafood (uni/sea urchin, grilled scallops, enormous oysters shucked to order), wagyu beef skewers, fresh mochi, and the friendliest vendors who will let you sample everything. It’s the perfect place for a final Japanese food experience
• Transfer to Kansai International Airport (KIX) for departure. Your immersion in Japan concludes: the serenity of Kyoto’s temples, the energy of Tokyo’s streets, the majesty of the Great Buddha, the artistry of kaiseki cuisine, and the profound hospitality (omotenashi) that defines Japan. “Sayonara” — this is actually a final farewell rarely used. “Mata ne” — see you again — is more fitting, because Japan leaves no traveler unchanged

Depart from Osaka. End of tour.

What’s Included

• 9 nights at carefully selected 4-star hotels (3 nights Tokyo, 1 night Hakone, 4 nights Kyoto, 1 night Osaka) with daily breakfast
• Private airport transfers (arrival Tokyo, departure Osaka)
• Professional English-speaking guide throughout the tour
• Shinkansen bullet train (Odawara → Kyoto, reserved seats)
• Private air-conditioned coach for all intercity transfers and excursions
• All temple, shrine, and museum entrances: Senso-ji, Meiji Jingu, Tokyo Skytree, Toshogu Shrine, Kegon Falls, Hakone Ropeway, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Osaka Castle
• Tea ceremony and cultural experiences
• Welcome and farewell dinners
• Pre-departure information package including Japan etiquette guide

What’s Excluded

• International flights to/from Japan
• Lunches and most dinners (allow US$15-30 for casual meals, US$50-150 for fine dining)
• Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
• Onsen bathing fees where applicable (¥500-1,500)
• Personal expenses, shopping, gratuities (tipping is not practiced in Japan — it can cause confusion or offense)
• Japan Rail Pass (if additional independent rail travel desired beyond the included Shinkansen segment)

All prices in US Dollars. Cherry blossom season (late March–early April) and autumn foliage (mid-November–early December) are peak periods — book well in advance. Single supplement available upon request.