18 Day Inspiring Japan Small Group Tour

Welcome to Japan. On arrival in Osaka you will make your way to your hotel, where the rest of the day is yours to settle in and rest after your flight. Once you have found your feet, the evening is yours to wander the streets for a first taste of the city before your tour begins. Special Information Airport transfers are not included. Our transfer portal may offer the option to book your airport transfers for an easier arrival experience (additional charges apply). Access to this portal will be available through your Traveller Hub once your booking is confirmed. Hotel check-in time is at 3pm. If arriving prior to this, you will be able to leave your luggage with hotel reception and explore your surroundings until check-in becomes available. The hotel may grant early check-in, however this is strictly subject to availability and at the hotel's discretion.

After breakfast you will leave Osaka behind and travel by private coach onto the island of Shikoku. The route crosses the great Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, and skirts the Naruto Strait, where powerful tidal whirlpools turn between the islands.Arriving in Takamatsu, you will visit Shikokumura, an open-air museum where historic farmhouses, an old kabuki theatre and a swaying vine bridge have been gathered from across the region. From there you will walk in Ritsurin Garden, a beautifully composed landscape of ponds, stone bridges and sculpted pines that took generations of feudal lords to complete.Later, settle into your hotel in Takamatsu. Inspiring Highlights Shikokumura Open-Air Museum Ritsurin Garden Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.

After breakfast, travel by private coach to Matsuyama, pausing for photographs at Ishite-ji, an atmospheric temple on the ancient Shikoku pilgrimage trail. You will then visit Matsuyama Castle, set high on a hilltop with wide views across the city to the sea. Nearby stands Dogo Onsen, one of the oldest hot spring bathhouses in Japan and said to have inspired a much-loved animated film. Continuing to the coast at Yawatahama, you will board a ferry for the crossing to Beppu on the island of Kyushu. On arrival, transfer to your hotel. Inspiring Highlights Ishite-ji Temple Matsuyama Castle Dogo Onsen Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 8 hours. Note that ferry schedules vary and travel time is approximate, covering the coach leg plus the Yawatahama–Beppu ferry.

After breakfast, give yourself over to Beppu, a town that sits on so much geothermal activity it sends columns of steam drifting over the rooftops. You will visit several of the Jigoku, the vivid hot springs known as the hells, among them the cobalt pool of Umi Jigoku and the bubbling grey mud of Oniishibozu. Later, ride the Beppu Ropeway to the summit of Mount Tsurumi, where the view reaches out over Beppu Bay and, on a clear day, far along the Kyushu coast. Inspiring Highlights Jigoku Hells of Beppu Beppu Ropeway and Mount Tsurumi

After breakfast, travel by private coach to Nagasaki, a port city with a long and unusual history of contact with the wider world. On arrival you will visit Glover Garden, a hillside of preserved merchant houses with sweeping views over the harbour, and the nearby Oura Church, the oldest standing Christian church in the country. The remainder of the day is yours. You might stroll through the lantern-lined streets of Shinchi Chinatown or wander along the waterfront. Tonight is at your leisure. Inspiring Highlights Glover Garden Oura Church Special InformationYour travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.

After breakfast you will visit the Nagasaki Peace Memorial, a moving tribute to the events of 1945, followed by the waterfront at Dejima Wharf. The afternoon is at leisure. With your free time you might walk to the Megane Bridge, the graceful double-arched stone bridge whose reflection forms the shape of a pair of spectacles, visit the colourful Confucius Shrine, or simply relax beside the harbour. Tonight is at your leisure. Inspiring Highlights Nagasaki Peace Memorial Museum Dejima Wharf

After breakfast, travel by private coach towards Fukuoka, stopping along the way at Dazaifu. Here you will visit Dazaifu Tenmangu, a shrine set among ancient trees and dedicated to the deity of learning, alongside the striking Kyushu National Museum. Continuing into Fukuoka, you will see Ohori Park, laid out around a wide central lake with gardens and walking paths. This evening you may wish to head to the Nakasu or Tenjin districts, famous for their yatai, the open-air food stalls where locals gather over ramen and grilled skewers (dishes here are at your own expense). Inspiring Highlights Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine Kyushu National Museum Ohori Park Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.

After breakfast, travel by private coach to Hiroshima.On arrival you will visit the Peace Memorial Park, the Peace Memorial Museum and the Atomic Bomb Dome, which together stand in quiet remembrance of August 1945 and the city's enduring message of peace. Tonight will be at your leisure. Inspiring Highlights Peace Memorial Park Peace Memorial Museum Atomic Bomb Dome Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.

After breakfast, take the short ferry across to the island of Miyajima to visit Itsukushima Shrine, with its great vermilion torii gate that appears to float on the water when the tide is high. Returning to Hiroshima, the afternoon is at leisure. With your free time you might visit Shukkeien, a classical garden of miniature landscapes, walk in the grounds of Hiroshima Castle, or browse the covered Hondori shopping arcade. Tonight is at your leisure. Inspiring Highlights Miyajima Itsukushima Shrine and floating torii gate Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.

After breakfast, your main luggage will be sent ahead to Kyoto, leaving you free to travel light. By private coach you will make your way to Himeji to visit its famous castle, a brilliant white hilltop fortress and one of the grandest to survive anywhere in Japan. From Himeji you will board the shinkansen, the bullet train, for the swift journey on to Kyoto, where you will transfer to your hotel. Inspiring Highlights Himeji Castle Shinkansen Bullet Train Special Information Your main luggage will be transported separately to Kyoto. Please keep anything you need for the day, including medication and valuables, in your hand luggage. Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.

After breakfast, spend a full day among the temples and shrines of Kyoto, for centuries the imperial capital.You will visit Tofuku-ji, known for its wooden halls and garden bridges, the vermilion gateways of Heian Jingu, and Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion that seems to float above its mirror-still pond. Later, walk among the towering stems of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove on the western edge of the city. Inspiring Highlights Tofuku-ji Temple Heian Jingu Shrine Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Today is a free day in Kyoto to explore at whatever pace suits you. You might wander the covered aisles of Nishiki Market, lined with stalls selling pickles, sweets and kitchenware, or stroll the old wooden lanes of the Gion district. The Philosopher's Path makes for a gentle walk along a willow-lined canal, and the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial Palace are open to visitors. As evening falls, the riverside lanes of Pontocho come softly to life. Tonight is at your leisure.

After breakfast, travel by private coach up into the mountains of central Japan to the old castle town of Takayama. On arrival you will visit the Takayama Yatai Kaikan, where the tall, gilded floats of the town's celebrated festivals are kept on display, and the Kusakabe Folk Museum, a finely preserved merchant's house. The rest of the day is yours to relax. Tonight is at your leisure. Inspiring Highlights Takayama Yatai Kaikan (festival floats) Kusakabe Folk Museum Special InformationYour travel time today will be approximately 6 hours.

After breakfast, travel by private coach to Shirakawa-go, a village tucked into a mountain valley and listed by UNESCO for its steep thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of them more than two centuries old. Returning to Takayama, you will have time to wander the preserved streets of the old town at Kamisanomachi, where dark timber merchant houses now hold sake breweries, craft shops and tea houses. Inspiring Highlights Shirakawa-go Historic Village Takayama Old Town (Kamisanomachi) Special InformationYour travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.

After breakfast, travel by private coach to Matsumoto, pausing for photographs at its castle, one of the oldest in the country and instantly recognisable by its black timber keep. There is also time along Nakamachi, an old merchant street of white-walled storehouses. Continuing towards Mount Fuji, you will ride up to the 5th Station on its northern slopes (weather and road conditions permitting) for a closer look at Japan's most famous peak. This evening you will arrive at your hotel beside Lake Kawaguchiko, where a traditional dinner is served and a soak in the natural hot springs is a fine way to end the day. Inspiring Highlights Matsumoto Castle Mount Fuji 5th Station Special Information Access to the Mount Fuji 5th Station depends on weather and road conditions. If the road is closed, an alternative such as the Fujisan World Heritage Centre will be offered. Your travel time today will be approximately 7 hours.

After breakfast, enjoy a sightseeing cruise on Lake Kawaguchi, with Mount Fuji rising beyond the far shore on a clear morning, followed by a visit to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum and its collection of intricate dyed kimono. Later, travel by private coach to Tokyo, passing the Metropolitan Government Building for wide city views (traffic permitting), before checking in to your hotel. Tonight is at your leisure. Inspiring Highlights Lake Kawaguchi Sightseeing Cruise Itchiku Kubota Art Museum Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.

After breakfast, spend the day exploring Tokyo. You will visit Senso-ji, the city's oldest temple, approached along Nakamise, a shopping street that has served visitors and pilgrims for centuries. From there, continue to the Tsukiji Outer Market, a maze of food stalls and knife shops, and on to the famous scramble crossing at Shibuya. Inspiring Highlights Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Street Tsukiji Outer Market Shibuya

After breakfast, your tour comes to an end and at the appropriate time you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable journey through Japan, from the quiet islands of the south to the temples of Kyoto and the bright streets of Tokyo. Special Information Airport transfers are not included. Our transfer portal offers the option to book your airport transfers for an easier arrival experience (additional charges apply). Access to this portal will be available through your Traveller Hub once your booking is confirmed.