10-Day Japan Tour from Tokyo to Osaka: Hakone, Takayama and Kyoto

Touch down in Tokyo! Arrive into your Tokyo hostel and relax until the evening. Tonight we’ll take you out to feast on Japanese cuisine and meet the rest of your group. After dinner when the crowds have all dispersed, we explore the iconic Tokyo Senso-ji Temple by night!

Activities: Welcome Dinner, Senso-Ji Temple

Free Time Suggestions: Tokyo Skytree

Physical Rating: Low

We’ll start the morning off with a a Japan Orientation Briefing. You’ll learn simple Japanese customs and phrases to help you dictate your way across the country. We’ll then head out to the birth place of Japanese teen pop culture, Harajuku. We’ll then head into Yoyogi Park, host of the beautiful Meiji Shrine.

Afterwards, we’ll head to Akihabara – Tokyo’s electric town - and be blinded by the all the neon lights and crazy shops in store. You can challenge each other in the arcades, check out the famous Maid Cafes or just wander around the area.

Activities: Japan Orientation, Tokyo Districts

Free Time Suggestions: Maid Cafe

Physical Rating: Medium/High

In the morning after breakfast we will head over to our own private sushi making class! You will learn how to make Miso soup, three types of sushi and the secrets behind Teriyaki! Vegetarian option is available but you must notify your guide/One Life a week before the tour starts. This evening we head to Shinjuku, we’ll see an unparalleled skyline of Tokyo, check out the famous Omoide Yokocho alley & grab some dinner. before viewing the famous Shibuya Pedestrian Crossing.

Activities: Sushi Making Class, Shibuya Crossing

Free Time Suggestions: Toyosu Fish Market, Songokuji Temple

Physical Rating: Medium

Today we take the aptly named “Romance Car” to the stunning mountain town of Hakone. After checking into our guest house situated in the mountains, we will spend the day exploring the surrounding areas on a variety of different transports. Why is Hakone so special? Well, not only is the food incredible but you can get a spectacular view of Mt Fuji (weather dependent.) After a day of exploring and taking photos of Japan’s most famous mountain we’ll arrange a traditional Japanese Family Nabe dinner in our guesthouse and finish the day playing some games.

* If you have asthma/respiratory condition, the brief visit to Owakudani is not advisable, please speak to your guide for an alternate arrangement.

Activities: Mt Fuji Viewing, Romance Car

Physical Rating: Medium

Today is the day we ride the world-famous shinkansen for the first time. Watch them fly by on the platform before boarding one of the world’s fastest train.

Keep an eye out for Mt Fuji on the way. First stop is the UNESCO World Heritage town of Takayama. Here we will be staying at a stunning temple for the night. In the afternoon, We’ll sample sake in a local brewery and you can even treat yourself to some famous Hida beef!

Activities: Sake Tasting, Temple Stay, Takayama Old Town Tour

Free Time Suggestions: Onsen/Public Bath House

Physical Rating: Low

Start the morning with a walk around the beautiful old town and village of Takayama as well as a visit to the morning market on the banks of the Miyagawa River. We will then head to Kyoto by bullet train. In the evening a local tour guide will guide us around Kyoto’s Gion district, known for Geisha’s (Japan’s traditional art form of entertainment), if you are lucky enough, you might even spot one.

Activities: Morning Market Walk, Gion District Walking Tour

Free Time Suggestions: Geisha Performance

Physical Rating: Medium

We’ll rise before dawn and take the subway to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine. We arrive early to escape the throng of tourists and work our way through the mountain exploring corridors of never ending red gates. After, we will head to Kiyomizu-dera temple, one of Japan’s most famous temples. A stunning bamboo and wooden complex that sits high in the mountain side. We finish up with a traditional Tea Ceremony, where you can even rent kimonos!

You will have the rest of the day free to explore.

Activities: Kiyomizu-Dera, Fushimi-Inari, Tea Ceremony

Optional Extras: Kimono Hire

Free Time Suggestions: Nishiki Market

Physical Rating: Medium/High

We head to the stunning Golden Pavilion, a beautiful gold laden building surrounded by a lake. After we’ll head to Daitoku-ji, a quiet, leafy complex of old temples. In the afternoon we head to a traditional Kendo class housed in the dojo where it all began. Your authentic Bushido instructor, a descendant of a Japanese Samurai, will teach you the way of this respectful martial art.

Activities: Golden Pavilion, Zen Garden, Kendo Class

Free Time Suggestions: Heian Shrine

Physical Rating: Medium

The day starts with a train ride to Arashiyama, a town surrounded by mountains and a river running through it. The itinerary includes a visit to the bamboo forest, climbing Monkey Mountain, a traditional Japanese boat ride through the valleys. We then head on to Osaka where in the evening, we explore the famous Dotonbori area. The food, people, lights, and colors of the "kitchen of Japan" will be experienced before ending the tour with karaoke in the evening.

Activities: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Monkey Mountain, Boat Tour, Dotonbori, Food Tour, Karaoke

Optional Extras: Extended Karaoke

Free Time Suggestions: Osaka Canal Boat Tour

Physical Rating: Medium/High

After nursing your head’s from last nights antics, it’s time to say goodbye to your group and the new friends  you have made from your tour. We hope we have shown you the best that Japan has to offer!