“Worth it if you want knowledgeable local guides and a balance of guided tours with free exploration time. Think twice if you want diverse activities beyond temples and shrines.”
- About £188/day across 9 days
- ~£2,054 all-in with a typical £359 flight from London (£228/day)
- At its lowest in the 90 days we've tracked it (£1,695)
- We only rate a price against this trip's own history once we've tracked it for 21 days — no guessing before that.
- About average per day vs 4 similar trips (~£198/day)
- 4.5★ from 40 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
Nine days moving through four of Japan's best-known cities, with a local leader guiding the way and plenty of free time to explore on your own terms. You'll go from Tokyo's neon streets to the quiet of Hiroshima, the temples of Kyoto and the food-mad energy of Osaka.
This suits travellers who want company and local know-how but don't want every hour mapped out for them. Expect a good amount of independence, with your leader suggesting optional activities along the way.
Food is a running theme throughout, from sushi counters to ramen shops and street-side donburi, so come hungry.
What you'll do
- Explore Tokyo's neon-lit streets and nightlife
- Visit Hiroshima to reflect on its history
- Wander centuries-old temples and streets in Kyoto
- Finish in Osaka, known for its food and eclectic character
- Sample Japan's food scene, from sushi to ramen to donburi
- Plenty of free time is built in, with optional activities suggested by your leader — budget extra for these and getting to and from them
- Fast-paced on your feet — you'll cover a lot of ground walking and using public transport, so pack light and wear comfortable shoes
- One night in Tokyo is spent in a pod hostel with shared facilities, split by single-gender floors, so travellers on the same booking may not share a room
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.
- Activities: Tokyo - Shibuya walking tour Hiroshima - Peace Park & A - Bomb Dome Hiroshima - Leader-led orientation walk Hiroshima - Miyajima Island Kyoto - Gion District walk Kyoto - Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Osaka - Dotombori District walking tour
- Transport: Public Bus, Metro, Train, Bullet Train
- 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. Multishare Pod Hostel (2 nights), Basic Hotel (6 nights)
- Meals: Meals are not included in this tour
- Activities: Other activities and services not included
- Flights: International flights not included.
- Optional: Other activities and services not included
- 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 Tokyo
Landing early, staying on, or filling free time? The best-rated day experiences in Tokyo — you book on Viator (we may earn a commission).
Worth it if you want knowledgeable local guides and a balance of guided tours with free exploration time. Think twice if you want diverse activities beyond temples and shrines.
- Tour guides (Zac, Yuki, Mami, Toshimi) consistently praised for local knowledge, friendliness, and personal recommendations that enriched the experience.
- Good balance of structured guided tours and free time to explore cities independently, rather than being shepherded constantly.
- Heavy repetition of shrine and temple visits; several reviewers wanted more variety like Mount Fuji, Nara deer, bamboo forests, or nature-focused days.
- Few organized group activities and dinners beyond guided sightseeing; one reviewer felt itinerary became repetitive by trip's end and wanted more structured experiences.
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.
Getting there
One-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown on Trip.com.
Hotels in Tokyo
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 Tokyo for the night before your tour · 19 Feb – 20 Feb
Booked on Hostelworld, separate from your tour. We may earn a commission — it never changes your price.
Common questions
How long is Japan Express?
It's a 9-day trip. It starts in Tokyo and finishes in Osaka.
How much does Japan Express cost?
The land price starts from £1,695 per person for the 9-day trip. You book on TourRadar, where the live price always applies.
What will Japan Express really cost me all-in?
On top of the £1,695 land price, budget roughly £359 for a return flight from the UK — about £2,054 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, 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 16 travellers — a small-group trip, mostly solo 18–35s travelling to meet people, not a coach tour.
When does Japan Express run?
It runs across roughly 11 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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