“Worth it if you value authentic cultural depth, small groups, and excellent guides. Think twice if you can't handle long train journeys or prefer heavily structured itineraries.”
- About £375/day across 11 days
- ~£4,651 all-in with a typical £521 flight from London (£423/day)
- We only rate a price against this trip's own history once we've tracked it for 21 days — no guessing before that.
- Pricier per day than most similar trips (median ~£332/day)
- 4.4★ from 14 traveller reviews
Price movement, fill and the all-in cost come from our own daily tracking— not the operator’s feed. You book on TourRadar; the live price always applies there.
About this trip
Eleven days across Japan with a small group and a local leader, moving between Kyoto and Tokyo with stops that mix history, food and everyday city life. You cover a lot of ground by train and on foot, staying in a mix of places including a monastery stay in Koya-san.
Expect temples and quiet highland walks alongside city sights and markets, with plenty of chances to eat well along the way. It's a trip built around contrast — old pilgrim routes one day, Tokyo's river and neon the next.
What you'll do
- Stay overnight in a monastery in Koya-san
- Walk a stretch of the old Nakasendo Highway
- Learn about the history of Hiroshima
- Cruise the Sumida River in Tokyo
- Eat your way through tempura, sushi and shochu
- Active trip — you're on your feet most of the day and handling your own luggage through busy train stations
- Some nights are spent in a ryokan, sleeping on a futon on tatami flooring rather than a Western-style bed, which may not suit bad backs or knees
- Double rooms in Japan can be small, and during busy periods you may get a twin room instead
Day by day
Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.
What's included
- Guide: All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip. , Due to Japan's popularity it has been necessary to go outside our traditional sources for employing tour leaders. As a result, our passionate, professional and trained tour leaders may either be Japanese or long term foreign residents in Japan.
- Meals: 10 breakfasts, 3 dinners
- Activities: Kyoto - Ryoanji Zen Garden Kyoto - Nijo Castle Kyoto - Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Kyoto - Gion District walk Koya-san - Okunoin Cemetery Himeji - Himeji Castle Hiroshima - Peace Park & A - Bomb Dome Hiroshima - Peace Museum Hiroshima - Miyajima Island Tsumago - Nakasendo Walk Matsumoto - walking tour Tokyo - Sensoji Temple Tokyo - Sumida River Cruise Tokyo - Hama Rikyu Garden
- Transport: Public Bus, Subway, Bullet Train, Train, Boat
- Accommodation: RYOKANS : & MINSHUKUS: Japanese-style accommodation - ryokans or minshukus (traditional inn/guesthouse) involve sleeping on futons or matresses on tatami mat floors, with bedding often packed away during the day. Attached bathrooms/toilets will usually be very small and many will only have shared bathing facilities with certain hours, or times available for booking at reception. Your leader will explain etiquette involved in using the shared facilities. As this style of accommodation will often not have furniture (ie. chairs or beds) in the rooms, please consider choosing a different trip style in Japan if you have difficulty getting up from the floor or have knee, hip or back issues. Some establishments may have a curfew when travellers need to be back in the accommodation - this is usually around midnight. Please also be aware that you would normally be required to change to slippers when entering into your room in such properties. Extra fees will be charged if dirty marks are left on their beddings or towels that require professional cleaning. Some of such properties will only give 1 key for each room so you can leave the key at the reception so that you and your roommate won't have to conform to the same schedule when you are out exploring. , AVAILABILITY: The recent huge increase in tourism to Japan has put a lot of pressure on accommodation. On occasion, we may need to change accommodation from what is listed in the itinerary in order to operate your departure with minimal changes. , ONSENS: We like to encourage travellers to visit traditional Japanese 'onsens' while in the country as it is a quintessential local experience. In public onsens this means bathing naked with others of the same gender. While the experience can feel strange at first for some, most of our groups end up enjoying this activity. There is very specific etiquette for visiting onsens - your leader can give you some tips and instructions. Please be aware that travellers with tattoos may not be permitted to enter public onsens. Private onsens may also be available - talk to your leader for more information. See our guide to onsens here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/japan-onsen-guide/ Hotel (8 nights), Temple Stay (1 night), Ryokan (1 night)
- Activities: Other activities and services not included.
- Flights: International flights not included.
- Optional: Kyoto - Cooking Class from - JPY8800 Kyoto - Bike hire (per day) from - JPY1000 Kyoto - Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) - JPY500 Kyoto - Nanzenji Temple - Free Kyoto - Kiyomizu-dera - JPY400 Koya-san - Kongobu-ji Temple - JPY1000 Matsumoto - Matsumoto Castle - JPY700 Tokyo - Shinjuku-gyoen - JPY500 Tokyo - Meiji Jingu Shrine - Free Tokyo - Tokyo National Museum - JPY1000 Tokyo - Imperial Palace - Free Tokyo - Samurai Museum - JPY1900 Tokyo - Studio Ghibli Museum (advance bookings required - from) - JPY2500
- Insurance: Insurance is not included. Travel insurance is required for this tour. Please make sure you are adequately covered. If you require travel insurance, TourRadar has partnered up with Cover Genius to provide a hassle-free experience. More information can be found here (https://www.tourradar.com/travel-insurance).
How travellers rate it
Cheapest live departure per day, in £, recorded by our tracker since 18 Jul. Never a brochure “was” price.
Your free day in Kyoto
Landing early, staying on, or filling free time? The best-rated day experiences in Kyoto — you book on Viator (we may earn a commission).
Worth it if you value authentic cultural depth, small groups, and excellent guides. Think twice if you can't handle long train journeys or prefer heavily structured itineraries.
- Guides have genuine cultural expertise—one was a former Buddhist priest who explained Shintoism and Buddhism nuances authentically.
- Small groups (9 people maximum) with substantial free time let you explore independently rather than follow a rigid schedule.
- Expect multiple hours on trains at a time as the main mode of transport between destinations.
- Tokyo can feel overwhelming after quieter regions; ending there suits travellers who can absorb intensity.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
The same-vibe trips, side by side — price, value per day, and how each is moving. Only we can lay two operators' trips out honestly.
Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and availability come from our own daily tracking.
Departing in Feb is cheapest — from £4,130, about 15% below the priciest month (Apr).
Getting there
One-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown on Trip.com.
Hotels in Kyoto
View more accommodationLive prices via Booking.com & partners, booked on their site — separate from your tour. We may earn a commission; it never changes your price.
On a budget?
Hostels in Kyoto for the night before your tour · 13 Feb – 14 Feb
Booked on Hostelworld, separate from your tour. We may earn a commission — it never changes your price.
Common questions
How long is Classic Japan?
It's a 11-day trip. It starts in Kyoto and finishes in Tokyo.
How much does Classic Japan cost?
The land price starts from £4,130 per person for the 11-day trip. You book on TourRadar, where the live price always applies.
What will Classic Japan really cost me all-in?
On top of the £4,130 land price, budget roughly £521 for a return flight from the UK — about £4,651 all-in before spending money. Most day-to-day meals out and optional activities are extra.
What's included in the price?
The price covers all your accommodation, 13 meals (10 breakfasts, 3 dinners), transport during the trip, a group leader/guide. Anything the operator lists as optional or not included — see the full breakdown on this page.
What's not included?
international flights and travel insurance (required) are not included, so factor them into your budget. We show typical flight costs and can point you to insurance on this page.
How big is the group?
Groups are capped at around 12 travellers — a small-group trip, mostly solo 18–35s travelling to meet people, not a coach tour.
When does Classic Japan run?
It runs across roughly 23 months of the year, so there's usually a departure to fit your dates. Check live availability and prices in the dates section above.
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