Trip Overview
Worth noting…
On this trip you’ll be travelling like a local – including riding the Shinkansen (aka bullet train)! Because carriage space is limited on Japanese trains, we’ll transport your luggage on a few days. You’ll just need to bring a small overnight bag to cover you for these nights. Pssst: optional activities are subject to availability, but there’s *always* something fun to do in Japan – trust us.
Tales From Topdeckers
Trip itinerary
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Tokyo
2Down your cup of matcha – we’re off to check out the Meiji Shrine this morning. Tokyo’s grandest Shinto shrine – take in all the spiritual vibes, make an offering and wander the blooming (or not) gardens. Next, we’re heading to the quirky Harajuku district (aka cosplay heaven) with our in-the-know Trip Leader. Expect kawaii culture galore: neon tutus, rainbow-coloured wigs, bubble tea and fairy floss. We’ll also swing by the legendary Shibuya Crossing – it’s all the crazy. Then: the afternoon’s yours to wander the futuristic streets of Shibuya. Add some slappin’ skills to your CV with an optional taiyaki making experience. A fish-shaped waffle cake never tasted so good. And tonight? It starts with a ‘K’ and ends with an ‘E’. Nope, not kale. K-A-R-A-O-K-E time!
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Included Today
- Visit Meiji Shrine
- Walking tour of Harajuku and Shibuya with Trip Leader
- Group karaoke experience
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes) making experience: from 5,600 JPY
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Included Today
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Tokyo
3It’s your last day in Tokyo – so, you do you. Been waiting for an opportunity to shamelessly wear Mickey Mouse headwear and fan-girl/boy over Cinderella? An optional trip to Tokyo Disneyland is calling. Book your tix in advance to high five allll your fave characters. This evening: quiz your Trip Leader on where to find the best ramen – and be prepared to order on a ticket machine with pictures of the dishes. It might be a lucky dip, but that’s what adventuring is all about.
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Visit Tokyo Disneyland: from 13,200 JPY (booking in advance recommended)
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Meals
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Tokyo – Takayama
4Rise and shine – it’s an early start to get the iconic Shinkansen (bullet train FYI) to Takayama. Glue your face to the window as we zoom through the incredible Japanese Alps. Once we’ve pulled in, we'll check into our authentic AF accommodation: a traditional ryokan – complete with tatami-matted floors and sliding doors straight out of The Last Samurai. This afternoon, it’s time to visit a traditional Hida folk village for an insight into what mountain life was like back in the day. Tonight, an optional Hida beef dinner with the gang is on the menu – vegetarians look away now.
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Included Today
- Train ticket to Takayama
- Visit the Hida folk village
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Hida beef dinner: from 6,000 JPY
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Included Today
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Takayama – Hiroshima
5Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – so we’ll kick things off traditional-style in the ryokan before visiting the bustling morning riverside markets. Then, strap on your Nikes to explore Takayama Jin'ya – the last remaining government outpost from the time of the Samurai and Shoguns. Round it all up with a sampling of the good stuff at a local sake brewery before jumping on the train to Hiroshima. And tonight? An included group dinner's on the cards, so get ready to show off your expert chopstick skills (or drop even more stuff down your T-shirt).
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Included Today
- Visit the morning riverside markets
- Visit Takayama Jin'ya
- Sake tasting at a local brewery
- Train ticket to Hiroshima
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Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
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Included Today
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Hiroshima
6You’ve seen the photos. Read the book. Now it’s time to experience the history for yourself. Take a tour of Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and Musuem – home of the A Bomb Dome. Then, it’s all aboard the ferry to the island of Miyajima. With an afternoon free to explore you just gotta visit the Itsukushima Shrine before settling in for sunset. The floating torii gate is pretty spectacular. Hankering for even MORE local culture? Back in Hiroshima, we’ve got a visit to a traditional onsen (aka hot springs) on offer too. Disclaimer: while the onsen is 100% optional, nudity is not – and all tattoos are strictly a NO-GO here. Soz. Later: use your free time wisely and put those fat pants to the test with a steaming bowl of Onomichi ramen – chased with a glass of the local sake. When in Japan, right?
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Included Today
- Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum
- Visit the Itsukushima Shrine
- Ferry to Miyajima
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Traditional onsen experience (tattoos not allowed): prices available locally
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Included Today
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Hiroshima – Osaka
7And just when you thought your jeans couldn’t get any tighter – today we’re headed for Osaka: the foodie capital of Japan. Here, they even have a word for “scoff till you drop” – kuidaore. Dump your bags at tonight’s traditional Buddhist lodge. This arvo, we’ve got a walking tour with our Trip Leader. The main character? Umeda. Glittering skyscrapers. Endless shopping opportunities. And entertainment that’s wayyyyy better than scrolling for hours (and hours). We see you TikTok addicts. Tonight we’ll tuck into an included dinner, then get out there and explore Osaka-style!
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Included Today
- Train ticket to Osaka
- Half-day tour of Osaka with Trip Leader
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Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
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Included Today
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Osaka
8Tuck into a traditional Buddhist breakfast before heading out to do your own thing. It’s your chance to uncover the real Osaka – so make every second count. Thrill-seeker? Jump aboard an optional day trip to Universal Studios (just make sure you book in advance). And tonight? The local experts are primed to show us the ins and outs of Osaka’s nightlife on an optional tour.
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Optional extras
- Full day tour of Universal Studios: from 13,200 JPY (booking in advance recommended)
- Osaka nightlife tour: from 10,267 JPY
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Meals
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Osaka – Kyoto
9Ever wondered what life as a Buddhist monk was really like? Rise early and find out with a morning Buddhist ritual – complete with Goma Kito Fire Ceremony and a walk around the temple with a local monk. Then we’re hitting the tracks to Japan’s traditional capital, Kyoto. Home to over 2,000 temples and shrines, this place ticks all the spiritual boxes. We’ll visit the incredible Fushimi Inari Shrine – with plenty of time to hike to the top and explore the torii gates. Then, dinner is up to you. Go get it!
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Included Today
- Experience Buddhist morning rituals
- Train ticket to Kyoto
- Visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Included Today
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Kyoto
10Time to explore this place properly with our expert Trip Leader. We’ll tick off the Zen Kinkakuji Golden Pavilion and Tenryu-ji Temple before moving on to the sprawling Arashiyama bamboo grove, where there’s free time to delve deeper into this fairytale forest. All the walking making you hangry? Grab some lunch before we stop by the Nishiki food market. Then get ready to say g’day to the geishas as we head to the Gion district. Afterwards: the evening’s yours for exploring.
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Included Today
- Visit Kinkaku-ji Temple
- Visit the Arashiyama bamboo forest
- Visit the Nishiki food market
- Walking tour of the Gion district with Trip Leader
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Included Today
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Kyoto
11PSA: this is your last day in Kyoto. Get moving! There's even the chance to dress up as a geisha or samurai (we told you it would get weird). Later, we’ll regroup and head to a local eatery for a send-off to remember. This has been one hell of a trip.
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Meals
- Breakfast
- Dinner
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Optional extras
- Dress as a geisha or samurai: from 10,533 JPY
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Meals
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Kyoto
12After breakfast it’s sayonara to the Land of the Rising Sun and our newfound family. Swap Snapchats and start planning that next adventure.
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Meals
- Breakfast
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Meals
What's included
Included experiences
- - Visit the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo
- - Walking tour of Tokyo’s Harajuku and Shibuya districts with Trip Leader
- - Group karaoke experience in Tokyo
- - Visit the Hida folk village
- - Visit the morning riverside markets in Takayama
- - Half-day tour of Takayama
- - Visit a sake brewery in Takayama
- - Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum
- - Visit the Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Miyajima
- - Half-day tour of Osaka with Trip Leader
- - Experience Buddhist morning rituals in Osaka
- - Visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto
- - Visit Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto
- - Visit the Arashiyama bamboo forest
- - Visit the Nishiki food market in Kyoto
- - Walking tour of Kyoto’s Gion district with Trip Leader
Accommodation
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-8 nights in hotel-style accommodation (twin or double), 1 night in traditional ryokan, 2 nights in a temple lodge
Transport
Optional activities
- FYI: these are optional activities available locally. Things might change – prices are here to give you a rough idea.
- Taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes) making experience: from 5,600 JPY
- Visit Tokyo Disneyland: from 13,200 JPY (booking in advance recommended)
- Hida beef dinner: from 6,000 JPY
- Traditional onsen experience (tattoos not allowed): prices available locally
- Full day tour of Universal Studios: from 13,200 JPY (booking in advance recommended)
- Osaka nightlife tour: from 10,267 JPY
- Dress as a geisha or samurai: from 10,533 JPY
OTHER INFORMATION
Luggage transport
On this trip you’ll be travelling like a local – including riding the Shinkansen (aka bullet train)! Because carriage space is limited on Japanese trains, we’ll transport your luggage on a few days. You’ll just need to bring a small overnight bag to cover you for these nights.
Optional activities
Pssst: optional activities are subject to availability, but there’s *always* something fun to do in Japan – trust us.
Views & Reviews
Latest Reviews
Average rating based on 11 reviews
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Scott November 2023
It was a great experience to see and feel Japan at it's core. We absolutely delved deep in to Japanese culture both modern and ancient.
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Anonymous October 2023
This was a great introduction to Japan. The trip was the perfect length of time to visit each location and see the best each location had to offer.
Tokyo - wonderful! What can I say? I recommend you add on a day or two (or more!) if you want more time to explore Tokyo in more depth. I added 3 days on. Recommend: Shinjuku, Golden Gai, Shibuya, Asakusa and Harajuku.
Takayama - a much quieter mountainous town where we stayed in a ryokan. You will be sleeping on a futon on the floor. We did so many things in Takayama it felt like a blur. Make sure you have lots of energy for the day you wake up in Takayama to travel to Hiroshima as it is a huge day of both activities and then travel.
Hiroshima - the absolute highlight of the trip for me. Beautiful weather and a totally different feel to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Miyagima was perfection and is a must-see.
Osaka - more gritty and nightlife-focused place. Unfortunately, I was unwell and so couldn't take advantage of all that Osaka has to offer but I made the best of it. Osaka Castle is magical. I didn't go to Universal Studios Japan but those of the group who did go loved it.
Kyoto - absolutely loved Kyoto. We had many great things to see and do here. The only gripe is there's so much to see, and so little time! I'd recommend if you are into more traditional Japan culture to add on days at the end of your trip.
My group was friendly and everyone got along really well with each other.
The accommodation was good quality - with a mix of modern hotels and traditional ryokan (1 night).
Travel was mainly by public transport, taxis where needed, and walking. Shinkansen was a great experience. Be mindful that your larger luggage will be sent on ahead of you, so that you can easily catch trains to your next destination. This is a great solution to having to carry around a big suitcase. Just make sure you bring a decent sized backpack on your trip as you will need it to store 3 days or so worth of clothes etc.
Bring good, comfy walking shoes that you can easily take off and put back on again as there's some places you are required to take your shoes off. Bring your professional camera (if you are a more advanced photographer) or your best smartphone to take amazing photos!
Make sure you bring as much cash (yen) as you plan to spend. Cash is king in Japan. You can pay for only some things (e.g. convenience stores) with credit card. It's just easier to bring cash - especially for meals and souvenirs. -
Anonymous July 2023
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