Japan Group Tours

A first-time visitor will enjoy any of our tours, but five of our best group tours come the most highly recommended. First is the 7-day Golden Route Tours - one of our most popular tours. It covers all the major must-sees in Tokyo and Kyoto, and is perfect for first-time guests looking for a brief introduction to Japanese culture. Next is the 8-day Golden Triangle Tours, also highly rated - which stops in the Japanese Alps at the UNESCO Heritage Village of Shirakawa-go. The 10-day Best of Japan Tours feature the most well-known regions of Japan, with the addition of prominent locations in Hiroshima. Then we have our 14-day Japan In-Depth Tours, which include all of Japan's most famed attractions, with a route extending down into Kyushu and Shikoku. Finally, AJT invites you to experience the 22-day Grand Tour of Japan - a magnificent vacation including all four of Japan's main islands - the ideal way to see the entire country. Please ask our travel specialists for more details.

A second trip to Japan is the perfect opportunity to travel outside the central region of Honshu and experience the charms of the northern or southern islands. Our Charms of Northern Japan Tours will take you from Sapporo to Nikko and show you the flower fields of Hokkaido, the pine islets of Matsushima Bay, and the Buddhist Pure Land Temples in Hiraizumi. Charms of Southern Japan Tour includes Kyushu and Shikoku, taking you to Nagasaki Peace Park, Takachiho Shrine, the Beppu Hells, and more experiences, including a wagyu beef dinner in Kobe. Charms of Hokkaido Tours immerse you in the breathtaking beauty of Japan's northernmost island, with summer tours to see the colorful flower fields of Furano and Biei, and winter tours to the Snow Festival in Sapporo and the drift ice at Abashiri. Hokkaido tours also stop at Lake Toya, Shiretoko, Noboribetsu "Hell Valley", and more. Please ask our travel specialists for more information.

Yes, we offer small group tours to destinations all across Japan, available in various group sizes. Our Deluxe-Plus Small Group Tours have 24 passengers, which allows you to spend more time at each location and truly soak in the local tradition and culture of Japan. Our Signature Small Group Tours have a maximum of 16 guests, offering the opportunity for a more intimate cultural experience while traveling Japan. And our Active Small Group Tours allow our guests to explore Japan off the beaten path via public train, bus, walking, hiking, cycling, and more, with a maximum of 13 guests, allowing more time for local interaction, and more personal attention from your guide.

We would be happy to assist you with providing vegetarian meals or finding vegetarian options throughout your tour. Japan also has a native cuisine that uses a lot of vegetables and is very healthy. We can also arrange meals to accommodate vegan, gluten-free, no soy or shellfish, or any other dietary consideration. We can help prepare meals that suit your needs. Make sure to speak to one of our travel specialists about your dietary needs when planning your trip.

Most of our accommodations are in modern hotels rated 3-star or more, and include Western-style beds. Some traditional ryokan on our tours use comfortable futons, but if you let our travel specialists know in advance, we can arrange a Western-style bed for you.

Unfortunately, we cannot change the places you travel to during the group tours. However, we will gladly arrange a pre-tour or post-tour extension for your tour, which can include other places in Japan that catch your interest. Please ask one of our travel specialists about planning a pre-tour or post-tour extension for your group tour with us.

Absolutely. If you want an itinerary that includes a little extra time in Japan before or after one of our group tours, ask our travel specialists about making a custom pre-tour or post-tour extension to fit your schedule and budget.

Through our sister company, All Asia Tours, we can connect you to destinations of your choice in China, South Korea, Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand), India, Bhutan, Nepal, and more. These pre-tour or post-tour extensions can be easily connected with one of our Japan group tours.

It depends on how much time you have, from when you land in Tokyo to when you have to be in Osaka. If you have a few days to stay in Tokyo before you have to leave, a transfer by Shinkansen bullet train is the best option. For a quick transfer to Osaka the same day, or for a quick trip to Fukuoka, Sapporo, or wherever else the tour starts, a quick domestic flight would be better. For quick, cheap domestic flights, we recommend using either Jetstar or Peach to reach your starting city quickly.

The 7-day Golden Route is one of our most recommended 1-week tour itineraries, with stops at popular must-sees in Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. The tour features a Tokyo sushi-making experience, a ride on the Hakone Ropeway, and a green tea ceremony with apprentice geisha. If you have an extra day, take our Golden Triangle Tour, which takes you to the Old Town at Takayama, Matsumoto "Black Crow" Castle, and UNESCO World Heritage Shirakawa-go, famed for it's "gassho-zukuri" farmhouses. We have seasonal varieties of these tours, including spring cherry blossoms and autumn leaves.

For 10 days, we recommend the Best of Japan Group Tour, which takes you on a route from Tokyo to Osaka. The tour stops at Mount Fuji, Hakone, Koka, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, Kurashiki, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, and Kobe. Featured attractions on this tour include a ride on the Shinkansen Bullet Train, the Miho Museum in Koka, temples in Kyoto and Nara, Himeji Castle, Miyajima Island's Itsukushima Shrine, Kotohira-gu Shrine, and a farewell dinner of Kobe Beef We have reverse versions that start in Osaka and seasonal varieties of this tour, featuring spring cherry blossoms and autumn leaves.

For a 2-week tour, we recommend our 14-day Japan In-Depth Group Tours. This itinerary starts in Tokyo and finishes in Fukuoka. We also have the reverse. Along the way, we stop in Hakone, Mount Fuji, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Kurashiki, Takamatsu, Shimanami Kaido, Hiroshima, Kitsuki, Beppu, and Takachiho. Featured attractions on this tour include Takachiho Shrine, Beppu Hells, Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu, Nishijin Kimono Fashion Show in Kyoto, and Shirakawa-go Village. Cherry Blossoms, Autumn Leaves, and Seasonal Festival Tours are available.

With 3 weeks, plan for our Grand Tour of Japan, which starts in Sapporo and ends in Fukuoka, taking you from one end of Japan to the other. It begins in Sapporo and ends in Fukuoka. Along the way, the tour has 28 stops, including Hakodate, Morioka, Hiraizumi, Nikko, Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, Takamatsu, Hiroshima, Beppu, and Takachiho. Top attractions of this tour include Lake Toya, UNESCO Heritage Chusonji Temple, a cruise of Matsushima Bay, a free day in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara Temples, and much more. Ask about our spring cherry blossom and autumn leaves itineraries!

Most of our tours will not need a JR Rail Pass. We use private transportation in using our company tour coaches that take you directly to each attraction with your tour guide, so you don't have to navigate Japanese train stations, making for a more hassle-free tour experience. For the select group tours that do need a Japan Rail pass, we include the rail pass as part of your travel package.