Tour departure dates running from the 15 Feb 2027 to 18 Nov 2027

Our Insiders describe Japan Unmasked as a bit like an introductory sampling platter of all Japanese culture – experiencing the best that Japan has to offer, including those places you may not have heard of. So you can explore those in-between places where so much of Japanese life happens.

On this tour of Japan, you'll visit the big cities you'd expect at the core of any first-time itinerary: Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto but also, the more rural, and often, lesser-known spots. Like the canal-lined, beautifully preserved merchant town of Kurashiki, so often skipped over by first-time visitors. And Nagano, at the foot of the Japan Alps, where you'll spend the night at a Buddhist temple lodging.

Japan Unmasked lets you in to modern, everyday Japan - but the country's culture is inseparable from its history, and on this tour, you'll get to understand why. Learn about Japan's samurai history at the 16th century "Black Crow" in Matsumoto, one of the last 12 remaining Edo-period castles, and discover Kyoto's Gion geisha district with a local expert, avoiding the more overcrowded areas for a glimpse into life there, as it's really lived. And there's Japan's more recent, brutal history, too, at the Hiroshima Peace Museum and Park, dedicated to spreading a prevailing message of peace.

Much of what makes Japan special lies in its living, natural world. You'll visit Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, one of Japan's top three landscape gardens and cycle through the Kibi Plain just outside of Kurashiki, through neighbouring villages and rice paddies, learning about the legend of the little boy, born in a peach, who fought ogres.

With such an incredible amount to see and do, the pace of the tour is fast. You'll stay in Nagano, Kanazawa and Kurashiki for just one night each and use Japan's excellent public transport - the famous Shinkansen bullet train - to speed you from capital Tokyo to the mountain Buddhist temple town of Nagano. Local trains and buses give you access to that smaller, slower pace of life outside of the bigger cities, too - all with the help of your Insider guide to navigate tickets and platforms.

Travelling this way, you'll get to see life as it is for people in Japan. You'll share local trains with commuters and children on school trips, grab vending machine snacks on platforms, and people-watch, with a window view that will shift from inner city high rises and billboards to sky-scraping mountains and forest.

It's not just how you travel, it's where you stay. You'll check into some truly unique accommodation that unlocks down-to-earth, local experiences. Stay at a traditional Takayama ryokan guest house that's like joining a family home for a few nights - they prepare an amazing home cooked kaiseki dinner, the ingredients carefully considered in line with the seasons. And also, at one of Japan's most important Buddhist temples, where you can join the hypnotic morning service at Zenko-ji temple.

This is one of our favourite trips to see the most famous sights Japan has to offer, but also reveals its quieter, more rural local rhythms, which are harder to arrange. With your expert Insider guide at your side, you'll unlock incredible experiences at every stop. And, there's no single supplement, great for solo travellers.

Tour Highlights

• Explore the beating, neon heart of Japan: Tokyo
• Admire the stunning collection of original woodblock prints at the Hokusai Museum in the quaint town of Obuse
• Cycle through rice fields and past temple pagodas across the Kibi Plain – home of the Momotaro folk tale – a little boy who was born in a peach and fought ogres
• Explore the earthen-walled samurai district of Kanazawa – one of the best preserved in Japan
• Visit Kurashiki – a historic canal lined town that dates back to the Edo Period, when it served as a rice distribution centre (its name, Kurahshiki, can be translated to “town of storehouses”)
• Search for the key to paradise in the pitch-dark tunnels underneath Zenko-ji - one of Japan's most important temples
• Visit the 16th century "Black Crow", Matsumoto's original samurai castle
• Take a walking tour through the Gion geisha district in Kyoto, with a local expert to show what life is really like
• Wander through one of Japan's most impressive gardens – Kenrokuen (ranked one of Japan's top three)
• See the “floating” torii gate at Miyajima island, and visit the friendly deer that roam there

What's included

• Airport transfers: arrival by shared shuttle bus, departure by airport limousine bus.
• Full-time services of your InsideJapan tour leader
• 13 nights' accommodation
• Breakfast every day and two evening meals
• All transport between destinations in Japan
• IC transport card with 5,000 yen credit for city transport
• Highway Bus from Matsumoto to Takayama
• Transfer from Takayama to Kanazawa by private coach
• Entrance to Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano
• Entrance to Obuse Hokusai Museum
• Geisha district walking tour
• Luggage Forwarding from Tokyo to Takayama and from Hiroshima to Tokyo
• Shared portable Wi-Fi access throughout trip
• Your InsideJapan Info-Pack

What's not included

International flights

Entrance fees (including those for temples, shrines and museums) unless otherwise specified

Any local transportation unless covered by the included pass

Baggage handling and luggage forwarding unless otherwise specified