• Three ladies in a kimono walking under Torii gates at the Fushimi Inari Shrine

Delve Deep: Japan

Up to 5% off selected departures on this trip

Trip Overview

TRIP VIBE = iconic sights and in-depth adventures with a local Trip Leader. Don’t just want to see Japan, but EXPERIENCE it? In all its ancient, futuristic, kooky, incredible glory? You’re in luck. In under two weeks, this Delve Deep trip gives you the highlights and the hidden gems. The culture and the crazy. The ultra-modern and the historic. The scenery and the cities. And all the ramen, okonomiyaki, udon, katsu, yakitori and sake your fat pants can handle (you packed those, right?). This is your insider guide. Japan is waiting.

Tales From Topdeckers

Trip itinerary

  1. Tokyo (Japan)

    1

    You ready for 12 UNbelievable days of delving deep into Japanese culture? Discovering the ultra-modern, the ancient traditions and alllll the local eats – plus the weird, whacky and totally wonderful in between? We thought so. First: say konnichiwa to your fellow explorers. Then: we’ll kick things off with a group dinner at a local restaurant. Nihon e yokoso – welcome to Japan!

    • Meals
      • Dinner
  2. Tokyo

    2
  3. Tokyo

    3
  4. Tokyo – Takayama

    4
  5. Takayama

    5
  6. Takayama – Hiroshima

    6
  7. Hiroshima – Miyajima – Hiroshima

    7
  8. Hiroshima – Kyoto

    8
  9. Kyoto

    9
  10. Kyoto – Osaka

    10
  11. Osaka

    11
  12. Osaka

    12

What's included

Included experiences

  • - Experience the Goma Ritual of consecrated fire at Fukagawa Fudo-do Temple
  • - Visit the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo
  • - Walking tour of Tokyo’s Harajuku and Shibuya districts with Trip Leader
  • - Visit a sake brewery in Takayama
  • - Visit the morning riverside markets in Takayama
  • - Visit Takayama Jinya
  • - Visit the Hida folk village
  • - Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum
  • - Visit the Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Miyajima
  • - Visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto
  • - Visit the Nishiki food market in Kyoto
  • - Walking tour of Kyoto’s Gion district with Trip Leader
  • - Visit Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto
  • - Visit the Arashiyama bamboo forest
  • - Orientation walk of Dotonbori Market with Trip Leader
  • - Group karaoke experience in Osaka

Accommodation

- 9 nights in hotel-style accommodation (twin or double), 2 nights in traditional ryokan

Transport

- High-speed trains and public transport

Optional activities

- FYI: these are optional activities available locally. Things might change – prices are here to give you a rough idea.

- Guided tour of Izakaya nightlife: prices available locally

- Visit Tokyo Disneyland: prices available locally (booking in advance recommended)

- Full day tour of Mount Fuji and Hakone: prices available locally

- Hida beef dinner: prices available locally

- Ramen and gyoza cooking class: prices available locally

- Ramen cooking class: prices available locally

- Full day tour of Universal Studios: prices available locally

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 14 reviews
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  • Brennan Ma February 2024

    Overall a very positive experience, I had a lot of fun with all of the different experiences and got along well with the tour group. Our tour guide definitely played a major roll in the overall enjoyment of the trip, being very friendly and knowledgeable. One big issue with the trip was with the takayama experience. Whilst I believe the traditional type stay is necessary, the place was very run down with no water as the pipes froze and in some rooms no heating.

  • samuel bu February 2024

    Overall the experience was great. All hotels bar one was good. I felt like I got to visit many of the bucket list locations

  • Anonymous December 2023

    Could have chosen better hotels and timed the traveling between cities more efficiently.

Read all 14 reviews

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