Discover Japan

Day to Day Itinerary

Day 1/2: Friday 15/Saturday 16 May, Tokyo arrival

Depart UK on your preferred flight option. Arrive in Tokyo the next day.

Meet with your guide in the arrival hall and transfer to your hotel by private coach. The remainder of your day is at leisure.

Dinner at hotel or local restaurant within walking distance 

Overnight in Tokyo.

Day 3: Sunday 17 May, Tokyo

Breakfast at hotel.

After breakfast, meet with your guide in the hotel lobby for a departure to Meiji shrine by private coach. From Harajuku station we will head towards Meiji Shrine, a shrine dedicated to the deified spirit of Emperor Meiji and a popular place for traditional Japanese weddings. 

After visiting the shrine walk with your guide down the adjacent Omotesando shopping street, a broad tree lined avenue home to the flagship stores of the world’s top fashion brands. The street that runs parallel is the Takeshita Dori, located in the Harajuku district which is considered the centre of Japan’s colourful youth culture and teenage fashion with its many unique boutiques and café’s. 

Lunch at local restaurant.

Next, your guide will take you to the Roppongi ward by private coach where we will visit the Roppongi Hills Observation Deck. The 238 meters tall Mori Tower is the centrepiece of the Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo’s Roppongi district. The tower houses the entrance to the excellent Mori Art Museum and the Tokyo City View observation deck. On a clear day you can see Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree and even as far as Mt. Fuji!

After visiting Roppongi head across town to Asakusa, Tokyo’s old town where you can soak up the atmosphere of what Tokyo must have been like hundreds of years ago. Visit Sensoji, also known as Asakusa Kannon and Tokyo’s oldest temple. The Broadway leading up to the Temple is called Nakamise and this shopping street has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and souvenirs for centuries.

A private coach will take you back to your hotel

Dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance 

Overnight in Tokyo

Day 4 : Monday 18 May, Tokyo – Nikko – Tokyo 

Breakfast at hotel 

After breakfast meet with your guide in the hotel lobby for a departure to the town of Nikko by private coach. Nikko has been the centre of Shinto and Buddhist worship for many centuries and the general mountain area is now a protected national park.

Begin your exploration of Nikko with a visit to the Toshugu Shrine complex. Built as a mausoleum for Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan for over 250 years, this lavishly decorated shrine complex consists of more than a dozen Shinto as well as Buddhist buildings in a beautiful forest setting and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Lunch at local restaurant.

Next, we will visit the Old Imperial Villa, a National Cultural Treasure, featuring architecture that spans three different periods; Edo, Meiji, and Taisho and is surrounded by a beautiful garden.

After visiting the imperial villa, a private coach will take you to Kirifuri Falls, one of Nikko's most famous waterfalls. This waterfall is over 75 meter tall and the name Kirifuri translates as falling mist, derived from the way the waterfall splits as it hits the rocks on the way down.

A private coach will take you back to your hotel.

Dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance 

Day 5: Tuesday 19 May, Tokyo – Nagano  

Breakfast and check-out at hotel.

Meet with your guide at the hotel for a departure to Tokyo station by private coach. Transfer to Tokyo station and board a bullet train bound for Nagano. (1.5 hours). Upon arriving at Nagano station, a private coach will be waiting to take you to local restaurant.

Lunch at local restaurant.

After lunch, private coach will take you to Zenkoji Temple.

Nagano's Zenkoji Temple is one of the most important and popular temples in Japan. It was founded in the 7th century and stores the first Buddhist statue ever to be brought into Japan when Buddhism was first introduced in the 6th century. The original statue is hidden while a copy of it is shown to the public every six years for a few weeks. The next opportunity will be in 2021. 

After visiting Zenkoji Temple, a private coach will take you to your hotel.

Tonight, you will be staying in a traditional Japanese ryokan, sleeping in a Japanese style room with futons laid out on tatami mats, delicious meals and access to onsen; baths that use mineral water from the naturally heated springs.

NB - Luggage will be transferred to the hotel in Kyoto separately. You will need to Please prepare an overnight bag for 2 nights in Nagano*

Day 6: Wednesday 20 May, Nagano 

Breakfast at hotel.

After breakfast, meet with your guide in the hotel lobby for a departure to Jigokudani Monkey Park by private coach. Jigokudani literally means ‘hell’s valley’ due to the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, and it is in the baths of this boiling water that the resident Japanese Macaques like to soak in on. The monkeys live in large social groups, and it can be quite entertaining to watch their interactions. Accustomed to humans, they can be observed from very close and almost completely ignore their human guests. Whilst the monkeys are most numerous during the colder months, they can be observed all year round.

Lunch at local restaurant.

In the afternoon we recommend a visit to the nearby charming town of Obuse, with traditional houses, stores and streets. Obuse is known for its delicious chestnuts and as the home of Hokusai, the famous painter and printmaker from Japan’s Edo period, and a visit to his museum here is a must. No visit to Obuse is complete without stopping in at a sake brewery for a taste of their delicious sake made from the high-quality local rice. 

After visiting Obuse, a private coach will take you to your hotel.

Tonight, you will be staying in a traditional Japanese ryokan, sleeping in a Japanese style room with futons laid out on tatami mats, delicious meals and access to onsen; baths that use mineral water from the naturally heated springs.

Day 7: Thursday 21 May, Nagano – Kyoto 

Breakfast and check-out at hotel.

Meet with your guide at the hotel for a departure to Nagano station by private coach. Transfer to Tokyo station and board another bullet train bound for Kyoto.  

Lunch box at bullet train.

Upon arriving at Kyoto station, a private coach will be waiting to hotel.

Dinner at hotel or local restaurant within walking distance

Day 8: Friday 22 May, Kyoto 

Breakfast at hotel

After breakfast, meet with you guide at the hotel for a departure to Arashiyama by private coach. 

First stop in Arashiyama is Tenryuji temple. Ranked among Kyoto's five great Zen temples Tenryuji is the largest and most impressive temple in Arashiyama. Founded in 1339 at the start of the Muromachi Period, the temple is now considered important cultural property and ranked by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In addition to its temple buildings, there are beautiful gardens with walking paths. 

On the way to Nonomiya shrine your path will lead you through Arashiyama’s famous bamboo groves, which are unlike any other place in Japan. The bamboo has been used to manufacture various products, such as baskets, cups, boxes and mats at local workshops for centuries. Nonomiya shrine is a Shinto shrine where in ancient times, unmarried imperial princesses stayed for a year or more to purify themselves. The shrine is referenced in numerous works of literature, most notably in the world’s first novel - The Tale of Genji.

After visiting Arashiyama, a private coach with take you to Kinkakuji. 

Kinkakuji, also known as the Golden Pavilion, was originally built as a retirement villa for the Shogun. After the death of Shogun Yoshimitsu it became a Buddhist Temple at his request, and is now one of Kyoto’s most famous temples, with its top two floors completely covered in gold-leaf. 

Lunch at a local restaurant.

After lunch, you will visit Nijo Castle which was built by the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate as the Kyoto residence of the Shogun and is surrounded by stunning gardens. The ornamental building was completed in 1603 and is well-known for its Momoyama architecture, decorated sliding doors, and ‘chirping’ nightingale floors.

A private coach will take you back to your hotel.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 9: Saturday 23 May, Kyoto – Nara – Kyoto 

Breakfast at hotel.

After breakfast meet with your guide in the hotel lobby for a departure to the town of Nara by private coach. 

During the eighth century Nara was Japan’s capital for 74 years and many of the temples and shrines built at that time still stand today.

Visit Todaiji temple, the world’s largest wooden structure and home to Japan’s largest Buddha. The park surrounding the temple is called Nara Park, but is referred to by many as “Deer Park” due to the large population of more than one thousand tame deer who freely roam the streets and will bow their heads in exchange for a treat.

Next stop is Nara’s most celebrated shrine, Kasuga Taisha. Established in 768 AD the shrine is dedicated to the deity tasked with the protection of the city and is famous for its hundreds of bronze and stone lanterns which have been donated by worshipers over the years.

Lunch at a local restaurant. 

From Nara a private coach will take you to the Fushimi ward in Kyoto, where we will visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Featured in the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha”, this shrine is known for its thousands of red torii gates leading up and through the sacred forest of Mount Inari and has been voted number one must see spot in Kyoto by visitors. 

Departure Fushimi ward to hotel by private coach

Dinner at a local restaurant 

Day 10: Sunday 24 May, Kyoto – Hiroshima – Kyoto 

Breakfast at hotel

Transfer to Kyoto station and board a bullet train bound for Hiroshima (1.5 hours)

Upon arriving at Hiroshima station, a private coach will be waiting to take you to the Peace Memorial Park.

Located in the centre of the city, Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park takes up over 120,000 square meters and is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in history to suffer a nuclear attack. Before the atomic bomb, the area where the Peace Park now stands used to be the political and commercial heart of the city, and for this reason it was chosen as the pilot's target during World War II. It was decided that the area was not to be redeveloped, but instead devoted to peace memorial facilities. 

The park's main attraction is the Peace Memorial Museum. The museum covers the history of Hiroshima and the advent of the nuclear bomb. It provides visitors an opportunity to hear eyewitness testimonies and learn about the devastating effects the A-bomb had on the city of Hiroshima and its people. 

Lunch at local restaurant.

After lunch, departure to Miyajima guchi port by private coach where we will board a ferry to Miyajima Island. 

Miyajima is small sacred island located in the Inland Sea. It has been a holy place of Shintoism since the earliest times. Here you will find perhaps the most photographed site in Japan; The Floating Torii Gate which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered one of Japan's '3 Most Beautiful Views'. 

After visiting Miyajima, we will board a ferry to Miyajima Guchi.

A private coach will take you Hiroshima Station where you will board a bullet train bound for Kyoto (1.5 hours).

Upon arriving at Kyoto station, a private coach will take you to your hotel.

Dinner at hotel or a local restaurant 

Day 11: Monday 25 May, Kyoto 

Breakfast at your hotel.

Free time at leisure all day. 

Day 12/13: Tuesday 26 May, Kyoto - Osaka departure to UK

Breakfast at hotel and check-out.Free until your departure time. 

Meet with your guide in the hotel lobby for a transfer to Kansai International Airport by private coach. Depart Kansai Airport for your return flight

Accommodation

Tokyo - Keio Plaza Tokyo https://www.keioplaza.com/

Nagano - Issa no Komichi Biyu no Yado https://yudanakaview.co.jp/en/

Kyoto - Hotel Okura Kyoto https://www.okura-nikko.com/japan/kyoto/hotel-okura-kyoto/

Provisional Flight Information

15/05/2026 London Gatwick to Tokyo Dep: 1145 Arr: 1220(+1)

26/05/2026 Osaka to London Gatwick Dep: 1645 Arr: 0650(+1)

15/05/2026 London Heathrow to Tokyo Dep: 0955 Arr: 1045(+1)

26/05/2026 Osaka to London Heathrow Dep: 1200 Arr: 2255(+1)

15/05/2026 Manchester to Tokyo Dep: 1110 Arr: 1045(+1)

26/05/2026 Osaka to Manchester Dep: 1200 Arr: 2235(+1)

15/05/2026 Birmingham to Tokyo Dep: 0915 Arr: 1045(+1)

26/05/2026 Osaka to Birmingham Dep: 1200 Arr: 2120(+1)

15/05/2026 Edinburgh to Tokyo Dep: 0910 Arr: 1045(+1)

26/05/2026 Osaka to Edinburgh Dep: 1200 Arr: 2130(+1)

NB - All flights are indirect and are based on current flights in 2025. London Gatwick involves a long stopover of approx 7 hrs on the return.

Luggage allowance is 23kg hold luggage

*Please note that flight inclusive price isn't confirmed and will be checked in July 2025 when flights are released. At that time we will also look for alternative flights from other airports that may be more suitable for you.

Passport validity

For UK passport holders your passport must be:

• Issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’)
• valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)

You must check your passport meets these requirements before you travel. If your passport was issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date.

Travel Insurance

Please ensure that you have adequate personal travel insurance to suit your requirements in place before you travel.

The latest FCO travel guidance for Japan

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/japan