12-Day Japan Family Adventure: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima & Hakone

Your Japan family tour begins! Today, you will arrive in Tokyo and make your own way to your accommodation. Enjoy your free time to get settled, and take in your first impressions of Tokyo.

This itinerary is based on public transport and there will be a lot of walking required. We strongly recommend that our customers have internet access while travelling in Japan. For the guided days, your Adventure Leader will guide you to the activities. For the unguided days, you will be provided with information for the recommended itinerary.

Here are some useful tools you can use for transportation across Japan:

• Google Maps – to check your route

• Hyperdia – to search the route from station to station.

First things first, it’s time to meet your Adventure Leader, who’ll be waiting for you in the lobby of your accommodation. You will have a trip briefing, which will give you all the information you need to have a safe and smooth adventure through Japan. Then it’s off to your first unmissable experience! You’ll enjoy a sushi-making class led by a master sushi chef, and then sample your produce for lunch.

Next, it’s time to head off to enjoy the spacious lawns, meandering paths, and tranquil scenery of Shinjuku Gyoen, one of Tokyo’s largest parks. During springtime, it becomes one of the most popular places in the city because of the famous cherry blossoms.

In the afternoon, you will take in Tokyo’s skyline, thanks to an incredible view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Admire Tokyo from 202 metres above ground and learn a bit more about this building, which is where the headquarters of the Metropolitan Government are located, governing the wards of Tokyo.

Later in the afternoon, you’ll get the option to try your hand at Japan’s national obsession – baseball! Head to a local batting cage, before enjoying a free evening to explore at your leisure.

In the morning, you’ll visit teamLab Planets Tokyo, an immersive gallery and museum that uses digital innovation to create incredible installations. Make your way through water installations, thousands of real flowers, or through kaleidoscopic light installations to see exactly why teamLab has become one of the must visit places in the city.

Enjoy an afternoon of traditional-modern contrast in the Harajuku area of Tokyo. First, wander through the forest until you reach the Meiji Shrine. It’s dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken, who, in the early 20th century, began Japan’s transformation from a feudal to a modern society.

Your second stop today will be Harajuku, which is Tokyo’s fashion district. Here, you’ll encounter punks, goths, technicolour hair – anything goes in Harajuku. Take in the industrial vibes – and if you want, grab some hair dye and join in on the fun!

Then, you’ll head to the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world and the Japanese iconic landmark, Shibuya Crossing. When the lights turn red at this busy intersection, pedestrians surge into the junction from all sides, like a floodgate opening. You can observe the organised chaos from the second-floor window of the Tsutaya building on the crossing’s north side.

In the morning, you will have the option to experience the hustle and bustle of the world-famous Fish Market. Learn how the Japanese demand for fresh seafood drives a huge fishing industry, and try fresh fish from this morning’s catch! You’ll also be amazed by the variety of fish on offer, and you’ll catch a glimpse of the famous blue-fin tuna.

Afterwards, you will visit Akihabara, Japan’s ‘Electric Town’, hub of anime and manga and home to Japan’s most famous J-pop group, AKB48. You will find venues specialising in manga, anime and games such as the Tokyo Anime Center and Radio Kaikan. Nearby, staff dressed as maids or butlers serve tea at the nearby Akihabara maid cafés.

Following this, you’ll head to Asakusa to visit the Sensō-Ji temple – an ancient Buddhist temple, which became independent from Tendai-shu school after WWII. You’ll explore the charming streets of Asakusa, an area that possesses the atmosphere of an old Tokyo, with traditional craft shops and street-food stands lining Nakamise Street.

This morning, you’ll transfer by train to the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. This is where you will enjoy spectacular views of Mount Fuji, an iconic volcano which has come to symbolise Japan. Its perfectly symmetrical peak rises to 12,388 feet!

Take a series of cable cars and mountain railways through the park, before descending for a cruise on the scenic Lake Ashi. You’ll cross Lake Ashi’s clear blue waters and, on a cloudless day, get an unforgettable view of the famous Fuji.

Today, you’ll also have the chance to sample black eggs – a local delicacy coloured by the sulphuric spring waters they’re cooked in.

In the evening, you’ll stay in a ryokan, which is a traditional Japanese inn, where you sleep on futon beds laid over tatami mat floors and enjoy Japanese traditional hot springs, or “onsen”. (Please note: those with tattoos may not be able to enter the “onsen” in Japan as tattoos are associated with gang culture – you can read more about it here.)

In the morning, enjoy some free time in Hakone before making your way to Hiroshima. You’ll board a speedy bullet train from the Odawara station in Hakone to Hiroshima and then transfer by tram to your accommodation.

For dinner, why not try all-you-can-eat okonomiyaki? This savory pancake is a delicious reguional cuisine, which both the people of Hiroshima and Osaka claim is best in their home city!

Hiroshima, a modern city on Japan’s Honshu Island, was largely destroyed by an atomic bomb during World War II.

Today, you will visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park that commemorates the 1945 event. Here, you will find out how this city came to suffer the consequences of the world’s first atomic bomb, but you will also learn that Hiroshima is now the standard-bearer for a peaceful and nuclear-free world.

In the afternoon, take a train ride and a short ferry trip to Miyajima Island, where you’ll reach the Itsukushima shrine. To avoid angering the gods on the island, the main temple buildings were built on stilts on the shores of the island. Just offshore, you will see an enormous Torii gate standing in the sea, and at low tide, you can walk across the sand to take a closer look.

This evening, make your way back to the hostel to enjoy a free evening.

On to your next destination: Kyoto!

This morning, you’ll make your way to the Hiroshima train station for your next bullet train. Your next Adventure Leader will be waiting for you at Kyoto Station!

You’ll start the afternoon off with some traditional meditation. Discover your inner peace with a Zen Buddhist monk, who will take you on a journey of tranquillity in a meditation class at the Daisen-In Temple. Afterwards, explore the temple, and enjoy an informal tea ceremony with volunteers from the temple.

Later, you will head to Kyoto’s most iconic site: the Golden Pavilion at the Kinkaku-ji Zen Buddhist Temple. Walk around the lake and be mesmerised by the shimmering golden reflection of the Pavilion on the water.

In the evening, you will have the option to visit the theatre at Gion Corner, where you’ll see a show of traditional Japanese performances. The programme includes real geisha performing their traditional arts, as well as other Japanese performances of comedy, spoken word and dance. The various performances have English translations in the accompanying program. (We recommend arriving in advance to queue for entry to the show.)

In the morning, wander down quaint, hillside streets until you reach the stunning 1,200-year-old Kiyomizu Dera temple – from here, you’ll enjoy postcard-worthy views over Kyoto. After this, stroll through the Higashiyama District, one of the city’s best-preserved historic districts, where you can get some souvenirs from traditional merchant shops.

In the afternoon, you will visit the district of Arashiyama, on the Western outskirts of Kyoto. You will also navigate through Arashiyama’s lush bamboo forests.

Later, you will move on to the Tenryu-Ji Temple, one of the most important Zen temples in Japan. Here, you’ll walk around the temple’s showstopping gardens. Designed in the 14th century, they have survived fires and wars, remaining in pristine condition for centuries. Whilst there, make sure to look into the Dharma Hall to see the dragon’s eyes on the mural – they’ll follow you as you walk past!

You’ll also have the option to climb up to the Arashiyama Monkey Park, where you can feed mischievous monkeys or just enjoy the panoramic views of Kyoto below.

In the evening, you can choose to explore Nishiki Market, nicknamed ‘Kyoto’s Kitchen’, where you can find all kinds of local food. A great spot for some local dinner!

This morning, experience Japanese culture with a calligraphy lesson led by a Japanese master of calligraphy in her personal workshop.

Following this, you’ll have the option to dress up in a traditional kimono or yukata and stroll around in the city – a perfect opportunity to capture some memories for your family and friends! In the afternoon, you will have the option to visit the International Manga Museum, which houses over 300,000 publications. So, grab one, settle into a quiet corner, and get lost in a whole new world…

After, you will visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine, a major Shinto shrine complex in wooded hills. To get onto the beautiful walking trails at the back of the complex, you’ll pass through corridors of thousands of bright red gates.

For your final evening in Kyoto, and for something quintessentially Japanese, wander through Pontocho Alley, which is full of lanterns and intimate wood-panelled restaurants for dinner. Have a sip of sake and look out for geishas wandering past!

Today, you have the option to choose between two day tours: Nara or Osaka!

You can enjoy a day trip to Nara. This is where you will visit the Todaiji Temple, encounter deer as you explore the temples and halls in the surrounding grounds of Nara Park, and feed them with their favourite snacks – Japanese Senbei.

Alternatively, you can visit Osaka Castle. Walk through the enormous double moat and then check out the nine-level castle keep or ‘donjon’. You can also visit a hugely popular, six-level gaming arcade, and explore Shinsaibashi shopping district and the Dotonbori Riverfront.

Sadly, today marks the end of your Japan family tour adventure. You can either transfer to Osaka’s Kansai airport to fly home, or hop on the bullet train back to Tokyo and fly home from there. We can arrange transfers at an extra cost.