Luxury Japan Tours

Introduction to Japan
(6 Days)
Tokyo, Kyoto

A Week in Japan
(7 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto

Family Tour of Japan
(10 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone & Mount Fuji, Kyoto & Hiroshima

Highlights of Japan
(11 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Kanazawa

Essence of Japan
(12 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone & Kamakura, Kyoto

Culinary Tour of Japan
(15 Days)
Tokyo, Kanazawa, Yamanaka Onsen, Kyoto & Osaka

Contemporary Art & Architecture of Japan
(14 Days)
Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto & Miho Museum, Naoshima, Tokyo

Traditions of Japan
(16 Days)
Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama

Best of Japan
(17 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone & Kamakura, Kyoto, Yamanaka Onsen, Kanazawa

Cherry Blossoms: Sakura Season in Japan
(9 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto

Japan: Culture, Cuisine & Hot Springs
(14 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Yamanaka Onsen, Kanazawa

Romantic Japan
(14 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto & Osaka, Okinawa, Tokyo

Hiking Tour of Japan: Nakasendo Road & the Japan Alps
(12 Days)
Kyoto, Nakasendo Road, Takayama & Kamikochi, Matsumoto, Tokyo

Historic Hikes of Japan: Kumano Kodo & Nakasendo Road
(12 Days)
Kyoto, Kumano Kodo, Ise-Shima region, Nakasendo Road, Tokyo

Exclusive Japan: Amans, Art & Onsen
(15 Days)
Tokyo, Naoshima, Kyoto, Ise-Shima region

Highlights of Kyushu
(8 Days)
Fukuoka & Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Yufuin & Beppu

Luxuries of Kyushu: Seven Stars Train
(7 Days)
Fukuoka, Seven Stars in Kyushu train

Garden Tour of Japan
(13 Days)
Tokyo, Kurashiki & Okayama, Kyoto, Kanazawa

Traditional Crafts of Japan
(15 Days)
Tokyo, Kurashiki, Kyoto, Yamanaka Onsen, Kanazawa

Best of Hokkaido & Tohoku
(12 Days)
Tokyo, Sapporo & Otaru, Hakodate, Sendai with Matsushima & Yamadera, Nikko, Tokyo

Hokkaido in Winter
(6 Days)
Sapporo & Otaru, Niseko

Discover Hokkaido
(6 Days)
Sapporo & Otaru, Furano & Biei, Noboribetsu, Hakodate

Treasures of Japan: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
(17 Days)
Tokyo, Nikko, Osaka with Hiroshima, Miyajima and Himeji Castle, Koyasan (Mount Koya), Kyoto & Nara, Kanazawa & Shirakawago, Hakone & Kamakura

Classic Japan & the Guntu Cruise
(11 Days)
Tokyo, Seto Inland Sea (Guntu luxury cruise), Kyoto, Hakone

Ryokan (Traditional Inns) of Japan
(12 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone & Kamakura, Kyoto, Yamanaka Onsen & Kanazawa

Winter Tour of Japan: Snow Monkeys, Hot Springs & More
(11 Days)
Tokyo, Yamanouchi, Kanazawa & Shirakawago, Yamanaka Onsen, Kyoto

Japan Old & New
(16 Days)
Tokyo, Takayama & Shirakawago, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Naoshima, Hakone

Sacred Japan: Pilgrimage Sites, Ancient Forests & Cultural Treasures
(15 Days)
Tokyo, Koyasan (Mount Koya), Kyoto & Nara, Ise-Shima region, Osaka, Yakushima, Hakone & Kamakura

Kyoto in Depth
(7 Days)
Kyoto with Nara, Uji, Himeji Castle and/or Hiroshima & Miyajima

Autumn in Japan
(9 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Tokyo, Kanazawa, Yamanaka Onsen, Kyoto & Nara

Multi-Country Tours

Luxuries of Japan & Thailand
(14 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Bangkok, Chiang Mai

Best of Japan & China
(15 Days)
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Beijing & Great Wall, Xian, Guilin & Yangshuo, Shanghai

Three Capitals: Beijing, Seoul & Tokyo
(11 days)
Beijing & Great Wall, Seoul, Tokyo

Highlights of South Korea & Japan
(15 Days)
Seoul, Busan & Gyeongju, Kyoto & environs, Hakone, Tokyo

Winter Tour of Japan: Snow Monkeys, Hot Springs & More

(11 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Tokyo, Yamanouchi, Kanazawa & Shirakawago, Yamanaka Onsen, Kyoto

Ideal for winter, this private Japan tour features destinations that look particularly beautiful in the snow, including the rural villages of Gokayama and Shirakawago and the hot springs of Jigokudani, where snow monkeys soak. It also includes private touring of the cultural highlights in Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanazawa and Yamanaka Onsen.

Begin in Tokyo, the capital of contemporary culture and style in Japan. Stay at one of the city’s best luxury hotels, and enjoy comprehensive city touring with your private guide and driver. Visit Tokyo’s most interesting neighborhoods, such as Ginza, Asakusa, Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Roppongi and Aoyama. See striking contemporary architecture, and tour important historical sites such as Meiji Jingu Shrine and Sensoji Temple. Experience the best of Japanese pop culture during visits to trendy districts, specialty shops, quirky cafes and popular sites such as Yoyogi Park. Visit Tokyo’s best museums, such as the Mori Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum and Tokyo National Museum, according to your interests. Experience Tokyo’s exciting culinary scene at the Tsukiji Outer Market or Toyosu Market, the Kappabashi kitchenware district, and our favorite specialty food shops and department store food halls. We also make reservations for our travelers at our favorite restaurants in Tokyo, which range from local noodle shops, sushi bars and izakaya (pubs) to some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world.

Upon request, Artisans of Leisure can arrange additional experiences in Tokyo, such as watching sumo wrestlers practice at a sumo stable, a private sushi-making lesson, visiting a teamLab Borderless immersive video installation, shopping for the latest Japanese gadgets, meetings with culinary and sake experts, private martial arts lessons, seeing a Japanese baseball game, attending a kabuki performance and visiting the Ghibli Museum.

Continue into the mountains of Nagano to the Yamanouchi region and Yudanaka Onsen. During private touring, visit the renowned Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park, where wild macaques popularly known as snow monkeys like to soak in hot springs during cold weather. Also explore the highlights of Obuse—a nearby town known for chestnuts and associated with influential artist Hokusai—including interesting museums, temples, specialty food shops and sake breweries.

Continue by first-class shinkansen (bullet train) to Kanazawa, one of Japan’s wealthiest cities during the feudal era and now a wonderful cultural and culinary destination on the Sea of Japan. With your expert guide, explore the highlights of the town, including traditional Japanese architecture in former samurai and geisha districts and beautiful Kenrokuen Garden, one of the most famous gardens in Japan. Learn about Kanazawa’s celebrated traditional crafts, including silk, lacquer and gold leaf products. Also tour fascinating Myoryuji (Ninja Temple), and visit museums such as the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art and Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts. Explore the city’s Omicho food market, and experience Kanazawa’s refined cuisine at our favorite restaurants. One day, take a private excursion deep into the Japan Alps to visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed villages of Shirakawago and Gokayama, where distinctive farmhouses with steep, thatched roofs sit among rice fields and forested hills.

Continue to Yamanaka Onsen, a resort town known for hot springs, refined culinary and craft traditions, and a scenic gorge. Stay at one of Japan’s finest luxury ryokan (traditional inns), enjoy exquisite kaiseki ryori meals and relax in your private open-air onsen bath. During private touring, meet renowned artisans in their workshops, explore the historic town and perhaps walk through scenic Kakusenkei Gorge. If desired, visit the nearby traditional town of Yamashiro Onsen and its ceramics boutiques. Also visit Natadera Temple, an ancient Buddhist complex of buildings perched on cliffs and tucked into caves.

Next, travel by first-class express train to enchanting Kyoto, the heart of Japanese culture and tradition. Stay at one of Kyoto’s best luxury hotels or ryokan, and enjoy flexible private touring of the best of this elegant city with your private guide and driver. Visit the city’s most important historic attractions and temples and shrines such as Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion), Ryoanji and its famous Zen rock garden, Kiyomizudera Temple, Nijo Castle, Ginkakuji, Saihoji (Moss Temple) and Fushimi Inari, famous for its tunnel of red torii gates. Take a private excursion to Arashiyama, a beautiful mountainside district, to see its enormous bamboo forest, historic gardens and sites, and to have a vegetarian lunch at a Zen temple. Enjoy a private tour of Gion, Kyoto’s traditional geisha district, walk on the Philosopher’s Path, and see traditional architecture in our favorite neighborhoods. Also browse Nishiki Market, antiques districts, small specialty museums, and historic shops that have been selling traditional goods for centuries. Upon request, we can arrange access to imperial villas and private gardens such as Katsura Rikyu and other less-visited attractions. Artisans of Leisure will also arrange an exclusive private Japanese tea ceremony in a tea villa and reservations at Kyoto’s best restaurants.

One day, continue Kyoto touring or enjoy a private excursion in the region. Options include the I.M. Pei-designed Miho Museum; ancient Nara, the eighth-century capital of Japan; Hiroshima for an educational and moving visit to the Peace Park and Museum and nearby Miyajima Island with its iconic torii (Shinto gate) that seems to float on the water; Osaka for food and pop culture touring; Uji to visit tea plantations and Byodoin Temple; and Himeji Castle, the most impressive medieval castle in Japan.

Upon request, other activities that can be arranged around Kyoto include an exclusive private dinner with geisha entertainment, private Zen meditation in a local Buddhist temple, meetings with local craftspeople, private ikebana (flower arranging) lessons, visiting a master swordsmith, meetings with ceramics experts, tea tastings, visits to sake breweries and tofu factories, manga drawing lessons, a visit to a private machiya (traditional merchant house), hiking to temples in the hills, attending local festivals, private Japanese cooking classes, and visiting the best places around Kyoto to view cherry blossoms and fall foliage.

Itinerary Overview
Day 1

Arrive Tokyo

Private arrival transfer to hotel for 2 nights

Day 2

Tokyo

Full-day private city tour

Day 3

Tokyo – Yamanouchi (Yudanaka Onsen)

Private transfer to station for Gran Class shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagano. Private touring on arrival to see snow monkeys and transfer to ryokan (traditional inn) for 1 night, including kaiseki ryori dinner

Day 4

Yamanouchi  (Yudanaka Onsen) – Kanazawa

Private transfer to station for shinkansen to Kanazawa. Half-day private city tour on arrival and private transfer to hotel for 2 nights

Day 5

Kanazawa, Gokayama & Shirakawago

Full-day private excursion

Day 6

Kanazawa – Yamanaka Onsen

Private transfer to luxury ryokan inn for 2 nights, with touring en route. Kaiseki ryori dinner

Day 7

Yamanaka Onsen

Half-day private tour, including meetings with local artisans. Kaiseki ryori dinner

Day 8

Yamanaka Onsen – Kyoto

Private transfer to station for first-class express train to Kyoto. Private arrival transfer to hotel for 3 nights. Afternoon private tour

Day 9

Kyoto

Full-day private city tour, including private tea ceremony and vegetarian lunch at a temple

Day 10

Kyoto & environs

Full-day private city tour with option for cultural activity, or private excursion

Day 11

Kyoto – Depart Osaka

Private airport transfer


Hotels
Tokyo:

Aman Tokyo, Peninsula Tokyo and/or Park Hyatt Tokyo

Yamanouchi: Aburaya Tousen
Kanazawa: Hyatt Centric Kanazawa or The Hotel Sanraku
Yamanaka Onsen: Kayotei Ryokan
Kyoto:

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto or Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

*Aman Kyoto, Tawaraya Ryokan or Hiiragiya Ryokan can be booked for a supplement


Cost
Upon request  

Testimonials

Our Japan trip was amazing. Each of our guides were excellent and made the trip most enjoyable while also informative and generally good company to have with us. As always, Artisans of Leisure plans and creates a first-class trip that left us to do nothing but enjoy our time and not have to worry about anything. We can hardly wait to plan our next adventure.
~ N.R., Greenwich, CT

We’re back from Japan and had a wonderful time. We are absolutely spoiled by traveling with Artisans of Leisure!
~ M.M., Santa Barbara, CA

Our Japan trip was a wonderful, memorable, lifetime experience. Our guide was a jewel and the absolute highlight of our trip. We appreciated the first-class handling of everything from the hotels, meals, tours and travel. Artisans has been the best, hands down!           
~ W.M., Brownwood, TX

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