Discover Japan - Snow Monkeys & Nakasendo

Discover Japan Tours by AJT are in-depth tours to Japan’s top destinations lasting 11 days, featuring hand-picked sights and experiences that aim to give our guests an authentic taste of the beautiful scenery, time-honored history, and cultural traditions of Japan. Our itinerary includes sightseeing in Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka, plus Yudanaka (home of the adorable snow monkeys), the Kiso Valley (enchanting heartland of the Old Nakasendo), and Katsuragi (the birthplace of sumo). Our standard Discover Japan itineraries take place in Summer and Autumn, but the special itineraries the rest of the year feature an important Japanese seasonal or cultural festival, offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Japanese cultural immersion at Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka. Join the excitement of the Tokyo Sanja Festival at Asakusa Sensoji Temple, see the riverside fireworks of Osaka’s Tenjin Festival, or watch the procession of Japanese historical figures during the Kyoto Jidai Festival. We have Cherry Blossoms and Autumn Leaves itineraries, with handpicked locations that highlight the beauty of these seasons. If you have some extra time to discover more of Japan, we recommend adding a couple of days for our Hiroshima extension! And if your travel dates are flexible, please compare the different itineraries to see which festival or seasonal event you think you would enjoy the most!

Our standard Discover Japan Tours start in Tokyo with a special selection of top sites including Sensoji Temple, Tsukiji Outer Market, Tokyo Skytree, and Shibuya Crossing, with a sushi-making experience and a half- day of free exploration time. Our special Sanja Festival itinerary features the Tokyo Sanja Festival, which celebrates the founding of Asakusa Shrine, centered around the thrilling movement of portable shrines throughout the district. We go from there to the Fuji Five Lakes area, to take in the views of Mount Fuji at Arakurayama Sengen Park and Lake Kawaguchi. The view from Arakurayama Sengen Park features Chureito Pagoda, which is especially lovely during our Cherry Blossoms itinerary, and the scene created at Lake Kawaguchi’s “Maple Corridor” is unforgettable during our Autumn Leaves itinerary. We proceed from there to Matsumoto, which serves as our gateway to explore Yudanaka, Obuse, and the Kiso Valley. At Yudanaka, we allow some time to photograph the adorable Japanese macaques (also known as Snow Monkeys), which can be seen there all year. In Obuse, we visit a museum that celebrates the creative genius of the artist Hokusai. And in the Kiso Valley, we walk along the Old Nakasendo Road from Magome to Tsumago, exploring the traditional character of those old towns, the enchanting landscape between, plus “Narai of a Thousand Houses”. The tour goes from there to Kyoto to see a selection of the best of this ancient city of temples and shrines, including Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine, the Golden Pavilion, the Sagano Bamboo Grove, the Arashiyama district (especially beautiful in autumn), and the Gion Geisha District (with Geisha dinner experience). Tours also include such local experiences as a Green Tea Ceremony, Kimono Experience, and a half-day of free exploration. And our Discover Japan Jidai Festival tours feature the Jidai Festival, or “Festival of Ages” while in Kyoto. This festival celebrates the history of Kyoto as the ancient capital of Japan with a long procession of historical representatives starting from the Meiji Restoration and continuing back over a thousand years to the Heian period, when Emperor Kammu established the nation’s capital there, back when it was called Heian-kyo. Most of our itineraries continue from there to Nara to behold Todaiji Temple and meet the wild deer, followed by a sumo experience at Kehaya-za in Katsuragi, but the Cherry Blossom itinerary includes a stop at beautiful Mount Yoshino, which is covered in the seasonal flowers. Our 11-day tour finishes in Osaka, where we visit Osaka Castle, stroll through teamLab Botanical Garden Osaka, enjoy a Street Food Tour of Dotonbori, and take some free time to explore the city. Guests on our Osaka Tenjin Festival Tours enjoy a day at the Tenjin Festival, which celebrates the Shinto god of learning with a riverboat procession on the Okawa River, a fireworks display, and other events. We also have a 2- day extension to each of our tour itineraries exploring Hiroshima and Miyajima, with sights and experiences including the Peace Park and Museum, the A-Bomb Dome, an Okonomiyaki Cooking Class at an Okonomiyaki Factory, Itsukushima Shrine, Daisho-in Temple, and the view from Mount Misen.

Our Discover Japan Tours offer transportation via private coach, with some days experiencing public transportation, with included ride on a