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Premium Highlights of Japan
Operated by Intrepid Travel
Tripcode: CJPH
Overview
Destination:
Japan,
Duration:9 days
Type:Group tour (max )
Travel Period
September 2025 - December 2027
Intrepid World Sale: Save 20% off - Members save more^If you want to experience a few (of the many) highlights of Japan, all while staying in comfortable accommodation with like-minded travellers, this Premium adventure from Tokyo to Kyoto is a must! You’ll spend nine days exploring world-class shopping neighbourhoods, geisha districts, hole-in-the-wall eateries, ancient temples and markets with some of the freshest seafood you’ll find. Learn about the history of samurai from a family of contemporary ninjas, try to find snow monkeys bathing in hot springs on the mountain in Yamanouchi, wander through a designated Place of Scenic Beauty in Arashiyama and Japan’s most celebrated landscape garden in Kanazawa and follow the trail at a sacred shrine in Kyoto.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. When travelling by train, we include the transfer of one piece of luggage from destination to destination. Please review the Packing section of the Essential Trip Information for more details on luggage transfers and luggage size.
3. We are currently unable to offer airport transfers in Japan. Please refer to the Joining Point Instructions of the Essential Trip Information for our recommendations on arrival. Your leader will be able to advise the best way to reach the airport at the end of your trip.
4. For the departures starting in March, November and December, the Yudanaka area may experience up to 20 cm of snow. It is therefore recommended to bring suitable footwear – e.g. snow boots, hiking boots, etc. – for the short group hike here.
2. When travelling by train, we include the transfer of one piece of luggage from destination to destination. Please review the Packing section of the Essential Trip Information for more details on luggage transfers and luggage size.
3. We are currently unable to offer airport transfers in Japan. Please refer to the Joining Point Instructions of the Essential Trip Information for our recommendations on arrival. Your leader will be able to advise the best way to reach the airport at the end of your trip.
4. For the departures starting in March, November and December, the Yudanaka area may experience up to 20 cm of snow. It is therefore recommended to bring suitable footwear – e.g. snow boots, hiking boots, etc. – for the short group hike here.
Highlights:
- 1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information. 2. When travelling by train, we include the transfer of one piece of luggage from destination to destination. Please review the Packing section of the Essential Trip Information for more details on luggage transfers and luggage size. 3. We are currently unable to offer airport transfers in Japan. Please refer to the Joining Point Instructions of the Essential Trip Information for our recommendations on arrival. Your leader will be able to advise the best way to reach the airport at the end of your trip. 4. For the departures starting in March, November and December, the Yudanaka area may experience up to 20 cm of snow. It is therefore recommended to bring suitable footwear – e.g. snow boots, hiking boots, etc. – for the short group hike here.
Standard inclusions
- Meals: Meals: 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners.
- Transport: Train, Bus.
- Accommodation: Hotel (7 nights), Feature Stay (1 Night).
- Tokyo - Welcome dinner.
- Tokyo - Authentic Samurai Experience.
- Tokyo - Sensoji Temple.
- Tokyo - River Cruise.
- Tokyo - Kamakura Day Trip.
- Kamakura - Enoden Ride.
- Kamakura - Rickshaw Ride.
- Kamakura - Kotoku-In temple.
- Yudanaka - Snow Monkey Park.
- Yudanaka - Onsen Experience.
- Kanazawa - Kenrokuen Garden.
- Kanazawa - Samurai District Walking Tour.
- Kanazawa - Higashi Chaya District walking tour.
- Kanazawa - Market Visit and Sushi Making Experience.
- Kyoto - Arashiyama Walking Tour.
- Kyoto - Gion Night walk.
- Kyoto - Yuzon Dyeing Workshop.
- Kyoto - Fushimi Inari - Taisha.
- Kyoto -Tea Ceremony.
Itinerary
Expand all 
Collapse all
Collapse allDay 1: Tokyo
Konnichiwa! Welcome to Japan. Your adventure begins in Tokyo with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. Bursting with contemporary urban culture, Tokyo has many sides to explore, from fascinating museums and world-class shopping to neighbourhood backstreets lined with hole-in-the-wall eateries and bars. After your meeting tonight, you’ll head out for an included welcome dinner with your new trip leader and fellow travellers.
Day 2: Tokyo
This morning after breakfast at your hotel, you’ll head out for a leader-led walking tour of Asakusa – an area of Tokyo that retains the vibe of older Tokyo, lined with craft shops and street-food stalls. Asakusa’s main attraction is Sensoji Temple. You’ll explore this ancient Buddhist temple – the oldest and one of the most significant in the city – and learn how it became independent from the Tendai sect of Buddhism after World War II. Then, head to a non-profit family-owned dojo with over 400 years of operation for an authentic samurai experience run by contemporary ninjas. Learn about the history and culture of Samurai, from a descendant of an original Samurai clan, see and touch real weaponry and try on some traditional costumes. Tonight, cruise down the Sumida River to enjoy some of Tokyo’s best sites from a different perspective. After the cruise, join your group for a dinner at a traditional local restaurant.
Day 3: Tokyo
Head out on a day trip to Kamakura – a small coastal town known for its historical treasures, sometimes called ‘the Kyoto of Eastern Japan’. See the sites with a unique mode of transport – a traditional rickshaw. Your knowledgeable driver (there are no wheels on this rickshaw, only your guide’s feet) will tell you all about the local history, the best spots to pick up some local favourites for lunch and maybe even take you to some secret spots along the way. See the Jufukuji Temple, the Eishoji Temple and Kawakita Film Museum, as well as the giant Buddha at Kotoku-in. After, you’ll switch your guide’s feet for train tracks on a traditional Enoden ride – the electric railway that the Enoden travels on is the sixth oldest railway in all of Japan! This train will take you through some winding, narrow alleyways that no other train could ride through.
Day 4: Yudanaka
Make the train journey to Yamanouchi – home of the famed snow monkeys who live at the Jigokudani Monkey Park. When you arrive, head to your Feature Stay to settle in – a traditional-style onsen (hot springs and the bathing facilities and inns that surround the springs). Head out on a group hike to the park. This is the only place in the world where monkeys bathe in hot springs! If the season’s right, you can watch the Japanese macaques (snow monkeys) bathing, pruning each other and relaxing in the steaming waters by the mountain. Back at the accommodation, maybe take a quick dip in the onsite hot springs, some overlooking the rolling greens of the mountain surroundings. Tonight, you’ll enjoy a group dinner at your accommodation of seasonal wild plants, fresh local vegetables and natural river fish from the Chikuma River nearby.
Day 5: Kanazawa
Take the train to Kanazawa, known for its well-preserved Edo-era districts, art museums, handicrafts, garden and castle. When you arrive, pick up some lunch, then you’ll visit Kenrokuen Garden – Japan’s most celebrated landscape garden, which began in the 17th century. This park is celebrated for its classic landscape designs that feature ponds and streams, promoting well-being, a clear mind and a connection to nature. After wandering through the garden, you’ll walk by the foot of the former Kanazawa Castle – this historic area was once a residential district for the city’s samurai. After exploring Nagamachi Samurai District and learning about the area’s past, continue exploring in the Higashi Chaya District – a small neighbourhood with teahouses, alleys and lots of shops and restaurants. Maybe ask your leader for recommendations on how to spend the late afternoon.
Day 6: Kanazawa
After breakfast, you’ll continue exploring Kanazawa with a tour of Omicho Market – the hub of the local food culture, famous for its seafood and locally grown produce. With a local guide with all the insight into the region, the food and the market, you’ll wind your way through the stalls and learn how to spot the freshest ingredients. Then head back to your guide’s kitchen and learn some tips and tricks on how to cook a traditional Kanazawa meal. Sit down as a group and enjoy the fruits of your labour, before enjoying an afternoon at your leisure.
Day 7: Kyoto
Today, you’ll leave Kanazawa and head to Kyoto by Shinkansen and the Thunderbird train. Once the capital of Japan, this city in Honshu is famous for its classic Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, gardens, imperial palaces and traditional architecture. When you arrive, you’ll head to Arashiyama – in the west, this area is a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. Explore the Togetsu-kyo Bridge, the Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji Temple and Kameyama-koen Park on the hilltop. After some time for lunch, try your hand at Kyoto Yuzen dyeing in its most typical form. Learn from traditional craftsmen as you immerse yourself in Kyoto’s tradition of dyeing and take home anything you create as a souvenir. In the evening, head to Gion, the geisha district, filled with shops, restaurants and teahouses. This area is a geisha district, meaning hostesses in colourful kimonos are often sighted on the Tatsumi Bridge and in the boutiques of Hanamikoji Street.
Day 8: Kyoto
This morning, visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine – known for the distinctly red tunnels of more than 10,000 vermilion torii gates that wind over the hills of Mount Inari. After taking in this iconic spiritual site, take part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Also called ‘Chado’, ‘the way of the tea’ is the traditional and ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha. Learn how to prepare the tea then gain hands-on experience by preparing it yourself. After, maybe head to Nishiki Market, where you might like to grab a bite to eat from one of the hundred shops and restaurants that line this narrow shopping street. Tonight, you’ll sit down for an included group dinner to say goodbye, share stories (and great photos) and celebrate a trip well-travelled.
Day 9: Kyoto
With no activities planned today, your trip will come to an end. If you’d like to spend longer in Kyoto, just speak to your booking agent.
Dates
Select a date or submit general enquiry
Operator
Intrepid Travel
Intrepid is a small group tour travel company with humble beginnings that now sends over 100,000 travellers a year on grassroots and responsible travel tours.
Important Information
*Terms and conditions
Please note: We are proud to be an independent agent to travel providers of hotels, flights and other related services. We are not a tour operator. Details and information on the offer are provided by 3rd party businesses and although we do our best to verify the information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy on all occasions. These offers are not available in conjunction with any other offer unless otherwise stated. Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.
For more information, please see Terms of Use
^Intrepid World Sale Save 20% off: Terms & Conditions
For a limited time only save 20% off this Intrepid trip - Members save more. Book by 22 August 2025.
Terms & Conditions
- World Sale offers apply to new bookings made and deposited between 12:01am AEST 5 August 2025 to 11:59pm AEST 22 August 2025, for select trips departing between 1 September 2025 – 18 December 2025.
- 20% off the following trip codes: PEXA, PEXB, PEXD, PEXE, PEXF, PHKO, PHKZC, PHRO, PHRXC, PHXC, PHXF, PHXQ, PJXF, PJXG, PJXI, PJXM, PJXU, PJXV, PZFR, PZKAC, PZKK, PZKM, PZKNC, PZKR, PZKS, PZRK, PZYB, PZYS, PZYSC, QUKA, QUPC, QBKPC, QBKR, QBPM, QBPMC, QBPN, QBPR, QBSI, QBSY, QVKC, QVKD, QVRC, QVRJ, QVRM, QVRPC, QVRQC, QVRRC, QVRZC, QVSB, QVSO, QVSR, QVZA, UBOAC, YGKA, YGOCC, YGOK, YGOMC, YGOT, YGPK, YGPKC, YGPU, YKXM, YXOBC, YXOCC, YXODC, YXOFC, YXOG, YXOGC, YXOHC, YXOIC, YXOP, YXOQ, YXOQC, YXOR, YXORC, YXOS, YXOSC, YXOVC, YXOWC, CBPY, CBSJ, CJFP, CJPH, CJSA, CJSD, CJXC, CJZF, AMRA, AMRBC, AMSB, AMSCC, AMSNC, WMSM, ZMRVC, ZMXP, TESV, EERCC, XERA, XLSE, XMSB, XMSF, XMSQC, XMXC, XMXOW, XMZF, SIXY, SSED, SSFP, SSKX, SSKYC, SSRG, SSRH, SSRVC, SSSG, SSSOC, SSXZ, AMSD, BMSE, BMSF, BMSI, BMSW, GGPA, GGPU, GGRR, GGRX, GGSA, GGSAC, GGSC, GGSW, GPKB, GPXW, GMDA, GMDB, GMDC, GMDD, GMDE, GMDP, GMQA, GMQB, GMQC, GMQD, GMQE, GMQF, GMQG, GMQH, GMQI, GMQJ, GMQK, TIFA, TISM, TKFB, TKKCC, TKKS, TKRNC, TKRR, TKSD, TKSE, TKSKC, TTSVC, TVAN, TVFB, TVRN, TVSKC, TVSLC, TVSR, TVST, TVXA, UBKF, UBOBC, UBODC, UBOH, UBOO, UBOQC, UBOSC, UBPC, UBSCC, UXOAC, UXOBC, UXODC, UXOF, UXOGC, YBOP, YBSB, YXOAC, YXOEC, YXOF, HHKR, HHKS, HHKZC, HHPG, HHPHC, HHPR, HHPS, HHPWC, HHRG, HHRR, HHSC, HHSEC, HHSF, HHSGC, HHSK, HHSL, HHSS, HHSW, HHSZC, HHXC, HHZM, HNPEC, HNPN, HNXAC, HNXL, HNXR, HNXS, HPPGC, HPZM, HQSP, HQXP, WMSK, ZGXA, ZGXT, ZLSA, ZLSW, ZMKF, ZMKS, ZMPAC, ZMPB, ZMPCC, ZMPD, ZMPEC, ZMPFC, ZMPI, ZMPL, ZMPLC, ZMPP, ZMPS, ZMPSC, ZMRC, ZMRDC, ZMRI, ZMRR, ZMRRC, ZMSG, ZMSI, ZMSK, ZMSS, ZMSV, ZMSX, ZMSZ, ZMXH, ZMXV, ZMZC, ZMZG, ZMZLC, ZMZP, ZMZSC, ZMZZ, ZSDS, ZSSD, ZSRM, ZSRA, ZSRS, ZSRP, ZSRR, ZSRV, ZSRZ, ERPCC, ERPMC, ERPT, ERSF, AMRRC, AMSW, AMXL, ZMRE, ZMRFC, ZMRG, ZMRGC, ZMRXC, SKXU, SKXI
- 15% off the following trip codes: PHKN, PHKR, PHKRC, PHKS, PHKYC, PHRN, PHRS, PHRWC, PJXE, PJXO, PJXP, PJXW, PKBB, PZRC, PZSA, PZSD, PZSG, QBXC, QBXCC, QBXE, QUKP, QUSH, QBSGC, QVRXC, QVRYC, QVSE, KFSR, UBKHC, YBSN, YCSO, YGFA, YGPEC, YGPSC, YKXCC, CBRF, CBST, CJFK, CJPK, CJSHC, CJSK, CJSO, CJST, CJSTC, CJXK, CJZK, WMSB, WMSEC, WMSH, ZMPBC, ZMPDC, ZMXDC, TESF, XEPDC, XEPJC, XESB, XESPC, XMFE, XMKN, XMRW, XMXM, XMXO, ZMSQC, BMSG, SEKW, SSEPC, SSKU, SSSGC, SSSO, SSXA, AMKG, BIPI, BIPK, BMRI, BMSUC, BWXF, TESSC, GGBL, GGBNC, GGBS, GGBTC, GGBZC, GGKPC, GGPBC, GGPRC, GGSEC, GGSFC, GGSGC, GGSH, GGSJC, GGSQ, GGSSC, GGSUC, GGSV, GGTA, GGTBC, GGXI, GGXM, GGXS, TEST, TIPI, TISBC, TKKHC, TKPC, TKPJC, TLSV, TLSXC, TMPB, TMSC, TMSPC, TMSXC, TTPEC, TTPT, TTPVC, TTSN, TTXB, TTZBC, TTZEC, TTZT, TVFK, TVKB, TVPHC, TVPV, TVSF, TVSQ, TVXB, TVXCC, TVXS, UBKEC, UBOE, UBSA, UWFS, HHFI, HHKH, HHKWC, HHRCC, HHSN, HNPB, HNXE, HPPC, HPPS, HPRS, HPSM, AAFP, AAXS, BMSRC, ERPIC, WMKK, WMSJC, WMSLC, ZKZM, ZLSI, ZMFI, ZMPJC, ZMPM, ZMPUC, ZMPVC, ZMPXC, ZMSC, ZMSE, ZMSEC, ZMSF, ZMSFC, ZMSJC, ZMSKC, ZMSM, ZMSUC, ZMXJ, ZMZEC, ZMZMC, ZVPI, ZSRU, ZSRT, DISS, EEPJ, EERJ, EESJ, EEXC, ERPI, ERSI, ERXL, KMPC, AMRC, AMXC, SKTC, GPXO
- 10% off the following trip codes: PEXC, PHPN, PHPS, PHPZC, PHSQ, PHSQC, PHSW, PZKQ, PZKT, PZKU, PZKVC, PZSJC, PZST, PZSUC, PZSVC, PZXR, QBYA, QBYC, QBYJ, QBYM, QBYXC, QBYYC, QBYZC, QVRA, QVSBC, QVSS, QVXC, KFSA, KFSAC, KFSKC, KFSRC, KFSWC, YBSCC, YGFAC, YGSA, YGSGC, YGSU, YGSZC, YGYE, YGYZC, YKXA, CBSE, CBSF, CJKJ, CJSH, CJXS, CJYK, CJYO, AMKB, AMYC, WMPE, WMSC, WMSI, WMSIC, XEFJC, XEKBC, XEKE, XEKJC, XEPE, XEPN, XMFB, XMFK, XMHA, XMKC, XMPE, XMPHC, XMPM, XMPSC, XMSC, XMSS, XMYB, XMYCC, XMYD, XMYDC, XMYM, SSEP, SSYG, BIKW, BIYS, BMFI, BMSB, BMSBC, BMYF, BWPS, BWSL, TESS, GGBDC, GGBJ, GGBLC, GGFB, GGKP, GGPC, GGPEC, GGSD, GGSDC, GGSIC, GGSYC, GGTWC, GGXSC, GGYF, GGYPC, GGYRC, GMQSC, TISA, TISE, TISJC, TISK, TISSC, TISSC, TIXB, TKSM, TKXC, TKYR, TKZP, TLYS, TMFG, TMFK, TMKB, TMSA, TMSM, TMSW, TOSH, TOSN, TOSNC, TTFA, TTFAC, TTFS, TTKK, TTSIC, TTSK, TTSLC, TTXC, TTYAC, TTYB, TTYC, TTYDC, TTYN, TTYSC, TTZF, TVFA, TVKT, TVPS, TVYE, TVYSC, TVZKC, TVZY, UBPDC, UBPN, UBYB, UBYSC, YBYV, HHFL, HHRS, HHSI, HHYJ, HHYK, HHYKC, HJKB, HNKA, HNKBC, HNSC, HNXV, HNYU, HPSS, HPXC, HPXM, AMSU, AMYCC, ZMFDC, ZMSAC, ZMSSC, ZMSY, ZMXI, ZMYG, ZMYP, ZMYR, ZMZB, ZVPCC, ZSRK, EEXA, ELKD, ELSO, ERFJ, ERKT, ERSZC, ERYC, ERYOC, ERYT, EYKS, KFSG, KFSGC, ZFXB, SKXS
- 5% off the following trip codes: PJXB, PJXR, PKOB, PKOD, PKODC, PKOP, PKOPC, PKOR, PKOW, PKRB, PTXC, PZSB, PZSC, PZSI, PZSK, PZSPC, PZSR, QBSG, QBSK, QBSKC, KFPK, KFPU, KFPUK, KFSK, KFSM, KFSS, YBSO, YGFK, YGPT, CBFA, CBKS, CBSD, CBSDC, CBSM, CBYC, CJFS, CJPJ, CJRB, CJXH, WMPB, ZMXD, TESD, XEFG, XEKI, XEYE, XEYJC, SASY, SESH, SESMC, SESP, SFXR, SLKZ, SSEM, SSKK, SSOR, SSYA, BIKH, BMPB, BMSA, BMSH, BMSL, BMXF, BMXH, BWSO, BWSS, GGBR, GGKIC, GGKY, GGPI, GGPIC, GGPP, GGPPC, GGSS, GGTF, GGTG, GGYA, GGYB, GGYBC, GGYP, GGYPA, GPXU, TIST, TISW, TIYB, TMYM, TTST, TSSX, TSSY, TSSZC, UBKK, UBKN, UBPB, UBPK, UBPKC, UBSZ, UWFB, HHRI, HJXB, HNSW, HPKS, HPKW, HPSH, HPYL, BMSMC, WBSE, WBSL, ZLSM, ZMFD, ZMPY, ZMSH, ZMSL, ZMSN, ZMSQ, ZMSW, ZMXB, ZMXBC, ZMXG, ZMXL, ZMXS, ZMXT, ZMXY, ZMYA, ZMZJ, ZVPG, ZSRUC, DISG, EEYJ, ERSK, ETFT, KFSB, KFSBC, KFSE, KFZG, AMSS, BMSP, BMSR, ZFXM
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The following exclusions apply:
- Polar trips in Antarctica and the Arctic
- Short-Break Adventures (excluding XMHA and TVAN);
- Tailor-Made Experiences;
- Urban Adventures.
- Offer prices have been discounted from the lowest price available for each individual departure online in the 18 days prior to 5 August 2025.
- All offers apply to land element of trip only and cannot be redeemed against flights, additional accommodation, transfers, travel insurance or local payments/kittys.
- These offers are only available to bookings made in AUD or NZD. All other currencies are not eligible.
- Trips are subject to availability and confirmation at time of booking.
- If you wish to cancel and rebook your trip or change dates outside the promotional period, you will be required to pay the full cost towards the new trip.
- Travel documents & vaccination requirements are the responsibility of the individual traveller.
- Further terms and conditions may apply, for full details, please enquire with your RACV Travel Expert.
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