Tours and Trips in Japan

Go on a culinary adventure in Kyoto with a guide to show you where to find the best wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets), and other traditional treats. Take the stress out of language barrier obstacles by exploring Nishiki Market with a guide to translate. Your guide will teach you about staple ingredients in Japanese cuisine, and you'll enjoy tastings too. A highlight is visiting a tea house for matcha tea and sweets. It's a great way to discover top foodie spots in the city, and get local tips too.

Discover the scenic environs of Lake Shikotsu by mountain bike during this small-group, 9-hour trip, limited to just 10 participants. Take in breathtaking views of the nearby peaks as you pedal your bike on a moderate 5-hour ride covering 28 miles (45km) along the Chitose River and the beautiful caldera lake, where you can purchase lunch at your own expense at a lakeside restaurant. Your mountain biking adventure also includes a local guide, mountain bike, helmet and gloves, and round-trip transport from select locations in Sapporo or New Chitose Airport.Please note: This tour is seasonal and runs yearly between April and October. The date is subject to change.

Join the HATAGO team in Akihabara! Also known as the cultural center for Otaku, Akihabara is a famous shopping district with an abundance of manga, anime, video games, maid caf es and computer goods. Characters from popular manga and anime are plastered almost everywhere in this "animated" district of Tokyo. Here, travelers can get a first hand experience of modern Japanese pop culture. Enjoy a live musical performance of anime songs performed by the lovely Akiba-ya Girls at a new cafe in Akihabara.

Visit ancient shrines and temples of Kyoto-- Nanzen-ji Temple, Kiyomizudera Temple, and Yasaka Shrine. Your guide shows you how to respectfully cleanse yourself and offer prayers before entering the sacred places. This small group tour includes information about each stop and history of the area going back 2,677 years. Lunch is included, and the tour ends with shopping and sake tasting in the Gion district, where you may see Geisha and Maiko (apprentice Geisha).

When visiting the beautiful island of Miyajima, you'll see women walking around in authentic kimono. If you want to try wearing kimono yourself, this tour is for you. Choose your favorite print from a wide selection of silk and designer kimono. Experienced staff help you dress in traditional style. You'll then be able to wear your kimono to appreciate Miyajima's historical sights and take photographs.

Take a look at the LGBT scene in Tokyo with a local guide on this small-group evening walking tour. In a group of no more than six people, you'll dig beneath the surface of the city to find Tokyo's LGBT-friendly neighborhoods, bars, restaurants, and even bookshops. Learn about past cultural and social issues for the community, and the developments that account for the thriving social scene you can find in Tokyo today. Dinner and two drinks are included through the tour.

Stroll the back alleys of Kyoto, missed by many visitors, as dusk falls and they are at their most atmospheric on this private guided tour. In the company of just a guide and your party, see how ancient tradition blends with contemporary culture as you explore the enchanting wooden alleyways lit with traditional paper lanterns in the historic Gion district and the picturesque streets of old Pontocho, where, with luck, you might spot a geisha or two.

Marvel at the some of the top UNESCO World Heritage-listed temples and palaces of ancient Kyoto on this 4.5-hour tour. This quick introduction to the sights of Kyoto, covering the Nijo Castle, golden Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavillion) and the Japanese Emperor's former Imperial Palace, is the perfect way to see the city if you're short on time. Your morning Kyoto excursion also includes pickup from select hotels, transport between sites by coach, entrance fees and an English-speaking guide.

Get a taste for the diverse world of Japanese sake, spanning both ancient traditions and modern innovations, during this 45-minute, small-group tour and tasting. Learn about more modern methods at the Matsui Shuzo sake brewery, and then sample a few brews of your own as your guide explains the flavor notes, ingredients, and nuances of your selection. This small-group experience, limited to just 10 participants, also includes a taxi to the brewery and all entrance fees.

Become a sushi chef for the day, and then enjoy your creations for dinner, during this small-group, 90 minute sushi-making lesson with instructor in Kyoto. Join your professional instructor inside a traditional Japanese townhouse as you immerse yourself in the techniques for 'makizushi,' a rolled form of sushi made with dried seaweed. After a short demo, try your hand at making this uniquely Japanese cuisine, using your choice of ingredients. This small group class, limited to no more than 7 guests, also includes an English-speaking guide to help with translation.

Kyoto is packed with standout sights, making it tough to know where to start. Tick off the top attractions on this full-day private outing, which includes stops at the Gold Pavillion, Nijo Castle, and Geisha district of Gion. Tours include free time for lunch at a local restaurant, plus the services of your very own photographer guide.

Visit the enchanting district of Arashiyama, renowned for its thick bamboo groves, resident monkeys, and well-preserved sacred shrines. On this personalized excursion, you'll join a local guide to explore the stunning region, which lies at the foothills of the Arashiyama Mountains. Tours include admission tickets to four local temples as well as Okochi Sanso Villa, a traditional Japanese home and garden inscribed as national cultural properties.

Learn the intricate arts of Japan during a small-group origami class or calligraphy lesson, taught by an instructor inside an authentic Kyoto home during a 1- or 1.5-hour lesson. Choose between a calligraphy session, involving the methodical practice of applying brush to paper, or try your hand at origami, the delicate skill of paper folding. You can also upgrade your origami session with an optional dress-up in a traditional kimono. No matter your choice, you'll receive personal attention during this small-group lesson, limited to just 7 participants.

For those new to the Japanese rice wine, sake can be something of a mystery. Unravel those mysteries on this tour to Kyoto's Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum, which has been making sake since 1637. See how producers have made sake throughout the past few hundred years, and understand the techniques they use. Enjoy sampling some of the sake and then have lunch (included) in the restaurant.

Leave Kyoto and travel by private vehicle to the Miho Museum in a tranquil area of the Shiga Prefecture. The museum has two claims to fame: first, its striking I.M. Pei-designed architecture and second, its hoard of Japanese artwork. The portfolio of art was amassed by Koyama Mihoko, the head of the Shinki Shumeikai faith, and includes Japanese porcelain, textiles and relics alongside ancient Egyptian antiquities and more. Learn all about the art and its owner as you explore independently.

Cycle the picturesque shores of Lake Biwa, enjoying jaw-dropping views and mouth-watering homemade food, during this this 6.5-hour bike trip. Pedal past sights like Shirahige Shrine and the nearby 'Torii' gate. Once you've worked up an appetite, take a scenic taxi ride to a mountain village in the nearby Hata district, enjoying a country-style lunch prepared by an 'Obaachan' (elderly woman), lively conversation and a chance to stroll the village's charming streets. A guide, bike and helmet, lunch and train from Kyoto are covered.

Enjoy an action-packed evening in Kyoto learning about Japanese food and drink. You won't have to worry about navigating or getting lost as a guide will lead the way. By traveling in a small group, you'll have better access to your guide for questions. Explore Nishiki Market together, visit a secret bar, restaurants, and learn about Kyoto's Geisha culture in Pontocho. You'll enjoy food and drink tastings along the way, making it a fun and interactive experience.

Hop aboard a traditional rickshaw with guide for a journey through the atmospheric streets of beautiful Kyoto on this easily-customizable ride with 30-minute, 45-minute, 1-hour, 2-hour, and 3-hour tour options. Depending on the ride length you select, you'll be peddled through the serene shrines of west Kyoto's Arashiyama neighborhood, discovering its picturesque Bamboo Grove, or admiring the wooden structures and ancient alleys of the Higashiyama district.

Pedal through the historic streets of Kyoto as you visit its magnificent temples and shrines by bike during this 3- to 4-hour small-group tour limited to 9 participants. Take a spin down the Path of Philosophy on this Kyoto tour that gives you an overview of the city while using a mode of transport preferred by locals: the humble bicycle. See shrines, temples and mountains - this is an enlightening escape from the city.

The Nishiki Food Market, known to locals as the "Kitchen of Kyoto," is a huge 400-year-old market sprawling with food vendors. Navigate what can be an overwhelming space with the help of your guide, whose insight into the local food scene will give you a taste of Japanese culture - and plenty of food. All food tastings are included as per itinerary.