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Family Fun in Japan

Designed to appeal to adults and children alike, this awesome Japan tour takes in the neon-lit metropolis of Tokyo, with its distinctive cultural traditions of kawaii (cute), anime and cosplay. Then go cycling in the Japanese Alps, stay in a traditional ryokan inn and learn how to cook like a local in Kyoto.

Tokyo, Takayama, Kanazawa & Kyoto
11 nights private tour from GBP £6,700 per person
Family Fun in Japan
Tours
Journey highlights

  • Capture Tokyo’s outlandish street life on a photography tour of Harajuku, the city’s capital of youth culture and all things kawaii.

  • Experience Japan’s traditional culture with a stay at a ryokan in the Japanese Alps, where you can enjoy hot spring bathing and delicious kaiseki cuisine. 

  • Discover the fascinating history and culture of Japan’s geisha tradition and fearsome samurai warriors. 

  • Kick back in the cultural capital, Kyoto with a fun market visit and cookery lesson, along with the chance to explore the atmospheric geisha district, Gion. 
Our tailor made journeys include:
  • Your dedicated Travel Consultant who will take care of arrangements
  • Private international airport transfers in destination
  • Your own private, English-speaking local guides
  • Unique experiences, hand-picked by our Journeys team
  • Entrance to must-see local sites
  • Dedicated 24/7 team providing in-country support and guidance
  • Complimentary access to My Scott Dunn – industry-leading travel app providing pre-departure information and in-journey support

When to visit

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Best time to visit
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Average time to visit

The best and most popular times to visit Japan are the climatically stable seasons of spring (March to May) and autumn (late September to November). The highlight of spring is the cherry-blossom season, which usually arrives in Kyoto in early April. Bear in mind, though, that the blossoms are notoriously fickle, blooming any time from late March to mid-April. Autumn is an equally good time to travel, with pleasant temperatures and soothing autumn colours, which usually peak between late October and mid-November. Be warned that Kyoto is crowded with domestic and international tourists during the cherry-blossom and autumn-foliage seasons.

Of course, you can visit Japan at any time of year and you will need to travel during winter if you want to see the Snow Monkeys bathing in the hot springs surrounded by snow.

Itinerary

Day 1-4

Tokyo, Japan

One of the most vibrant capital cities on the planet, your Japanese adventure starts with three nights in Tokyo. Safe and easy to navigate, Tokyo is a family favourite. Comprised of distinct smaller districts, each with its own character, it’s worth planning the areas of the city you’re most interested in visiting. This will help you to prepare for your first full day, which is spent with a personal guide, who will tailor the day to your specific requests and interests, accompanying you throughout the city on Tokyo’s excellent public transport system. 
Highlights include the Ginza district, renowned for designer shopping and upscale restaurants and home to Hakuhinkan Toy Park, one of the city’s best and largest toy shops. Or head to Akihabara, the anime capital of Japan. Here you’ll find the latest in cosplay fashion, anime-themed cafés, manga comics, cheap electrical shops, and video games. Families will also enjoy visiting the city’s Harajuku district, the focus of Japan’s youth culture. This is the place to experience kawaii (cute) culture, with teenagers parading in outlandish fashions, exotic sweet shops, cat cafés, interesting independent shops, and pancake restaurants.  
For high-rise skyscrapers and neon lights immerse yourselves in the buzzy atmosphere of Shinjuku, while the five-way Shibuya Crossing is a Tokyo icon and possibly the busiest intersection in the world. We’d also recommend a visit to the top of the Tokyo Skytree, for sweeping panoramic views of the city, which can include Mount Fuji when the skies are clear.  
The following day, enjoy a Streets of Tokyo Photography Tour, with a professional photographer, capturing an array of street life, from the quirky teenage fashions of Harajuku to some of the city’s lesser-known areas. With technical advice and composition tips, your shots will make a great souvenir of this amazing city.  
 Accommodation: The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho ( 3 nights )
Levita
Deluxe View
Day 4-6

Takayama, Kanazawa & Around, Japan

Your adventure continues the following morning with a ride on a bullet train to Takayama, via Nagoya, taking you to the snow-capped peaks of the Japanese Alps. For two nights, your home is an authentic ryokan inn, a charming property with a warm welcome. During your visit, you’ll stay in a Japanese-style room with tatami mat flooring, washi paper sliding doors and low wooden furniture. Highlights include natural hot spring bathing and exquisite kaiseki dining, making your stay here a truly immersive Japanese cultural experience. 
Takayama is one of the country’s most atmospheric old towns, with Edo period architecture, traditional wooden buildings and narrow streets lined with galleries, museums, craft, and sake shops. After a good night’s sleep, you will have the chance to explore the landscape and culture of the area, on a Food, Culture & Cycling Tour, with a walking tour of Takayama sampling local delicacies and a cycling tour through the scenic rice fields and little farming villages of Hida, 15km to the north.  
 Accommodation: Hanaougi Bettei Iiyama ( 2 nights )
Day 6-8

Kanazawa, Kanazawa & Around, Japan

This morning you will travel to the charming city of Kanazawa. Known as ‘Little Kyoto,’ the city was the seat of the Maeda clan during the Edo period and is steeped in history, with well-preserved samurai and geisha districts, an ancient castle, one of Japan’s most beautiful gardens, Kenroku-en Garden, and a busy fish market. In fact, Kanazawa has some of the country’s foremost sushi and sashimi restaurants owing to the incredible quality of this coastal city’s fish and seafood. 
During your time in the city, we would recommend a fun trip to the Ninja Temple, Myouryuji, complete with hidden rooms, secret tunnels, and escape routes, where you can learn about the ninja art of espionage. Other highlights include a trip to see the reconstructed 16th century Kanazawa Castle, a wander through the Kenroku-en Garden, attending a traditional tea ceremony in the geisha district of Higashi Chaya and exploring the samurai museums of the Nagamachi district.  
The city has a historic arts and crafts scene, particularly for gold-leaf application and a stroll around the small artisan shops is a good place to see local handicrafts. For more formal artwork, the small but engaging 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is worth visiting both for its extraordinary architecture and Japanese art. 
 
Accommodation: Hyatt Centric Kanazawa ( 2 nights )
Exterior-Daytime
Deluxe-King-Daytim
Day 8-12

Kyoto, Japan

Japan’s cultural capital is the final stop of your trip. Arriving in this beautiful city by bullet train from Kanazawa, you will enjoy a four-night stay to explore all Kyoto has to offer. Once the country’s imperial capital, Kyoto has an impressive 17 UNESCO-listed attractions, including some of Japan’s best examples of traditional architecture, landscaped gardens and the red torii gates of the hillside shrine of Fushimi Inari-Taisha. 
Spend your first full day with a private guide, who will tailor the itinerary to your specific interests. We would recommend exploring the beautiful geisha district of Gion, with its cobbled alleyways and historic tea houses, while Nijo Castle is another family favourite. Protected by two moats, the nightingale floors were built to squeak, alerting the occupants to invaders. Attempting to walk across the boards quietly to enter the castle is a definite art. 
The following day, enjoy a Nishiki Market Food Shopping & Cookery Experience. This iconic market sells fresh fish, seafood, local produce, sweets, sake and more and a visit accompanied by your guide is a full-on sensory adventure. Your guide will also take you to some of Kyoto’s back streets, full of traditional shops selling local ingredients and produce and you’ll visit a former sake (rice wine) brewery to enjoy a tasting session. After the market tour, your guide will take you to a traditional wooden townhouse, machiya, where you will participate in a fun cookery lesson, learning how to make several basic Japanese dishes using ingredients bought at the market. 
On your last full day, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a private guided bicycle tour exploring Kyoto. The ride starts at the famous golden temple, Kinkaku-ji, before taking a comfortable downhill route that includes a visit to the serene Ryoan-ji Zen Garden and the incredible bamboo groves of Arashiyama.  
 Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Kyoto ( 4 nights )
Lobby - Hyatt Regency Kyoto
Twin Room - Hyatt Regency Kyoto
We design each itinerary around you, so this suggested itinerary is a starting point that we can tweak or transform into something completely bespoke to you.
Call us on 020 3918 3595 to start planning your holiday.

Price Guide: (per person based on double occupancy and includes international flights)

Departing Price from*
  • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
  • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
  • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
 		Deposit from * Enquire
December 2024 GBP £7,200 GBP £1,100 plan your trip
January 2025 GBP £6,700 GBP £1,000 plan your trip
February 2025 GBP £6,700 GBP £1,000 plan your trip
March 2025 GBP £7,400 GBP £1,100 plan your trip
April 2025 GBP £7,700 GBP £1,200 plan your trip
May 2025 GBP £7,200 GBP £1,100 plan your trip
June 2025 GBP £6,700 GBP £1,000 plan your trip
July 2025 GBP £7,200 GBP £1,100 plan your trip
August 2025 GBP £7,200 GBP £1,100 plan your trip
September 2025 GBP £6,700 GBP £1,000 plan your trip
October 2025 GBP £7,700 GBP £1,200 plan your trip
November 2025 GBP £7,700 GBP £1,200 plan your trip
December 2024 GBP £7,200 GBP £1,100 plan your trip
  • December 2024
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,200
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,100
  • January 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £6,700
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,000
  • February 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £6,700
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,000
  • March 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,400
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,100
  • April 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,700
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,200
  • May 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,200
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,100
  • June 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £6,700
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,000
  • July 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,200
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,100
  • August 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,200
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,100
  • September 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £6,700
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,000
  • October 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,700
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,200
  • November 2025
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,700
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,200
  • December 2024
    Price from *
    • Pricing is a guideline only, is based on two people sharing and excludes special offers.
    • Travel over peak periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, festivals and other public holidays) can affect prices considerably, as can exchange rates, flight class and room type.
    • Solo traveller pricing is available upon request.
    GBP £7,200
    Deposit from*
    GBP £1,100
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