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Japan in autumn: Kyoto, Takayama and Nikko
10 days from Tokyo to Kyoto in late November: Nikko's shrines and a ryokan night, Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, two nights in Takayama and three in Kyoto for the maples.
10 jours · Tokyo à Kyoto · jusqu'à 12 voyageurs
Shirakawa-go in late October Photo: Alexkom000, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2024-10-26_Shirakawa-go_11.jpg)
Les faits
En bref
- Durée
- 10 jours, 9 nuits
- Départ et arrivée
- Tokyo à Kyoto
- Taille du groupe
- 7 à 12 voyageurs
- Niveau d'activité
Modéré
Most days are 4 to 6 hours on your feet, about 10 to 15 km of walking on paths, stone steps and gravel, with 207 steps up to Ieyasu's tomb in Nikko and an optional 45-minute climb through the Fushimi Inari gates. Three mornings start at 7 to 8 am. Every long walk has a shorter option, and you can sit any part out.
- Repas compris
- 9 petits-déjeuners, 5 repas du midi, 3 repas du soir
- Chambre individuelle
- + CAD 1,180 (prix estimé)
- Saison
- Autumn colour
Points forts
Pourquoi ce voyage
- Tofuku-ji at opening, looking down from Tsutenkyo bridge into a valley of maples
- The Arashiyama bamboo grove at 7 am, then Tenryu-ji's garden as the gates open
- Kodai-ji's autumn light-up after dark, then a walk down through Higashiyama
- Eikan-do at opening on the last morning, before the Philosopher's Path to Nanzen-ji
- Nikko's carved Toshogu shrine, a yuba lunch and a night in a ryokan with an onsen
- Kenroku-en at 8 am with the pines roped for winter, and Shirakawa-go in the late afternoon
- Takayama's riverside morning market, a sake tasting and a Hida beef dinner
Ce qui distingue ce voyage
Le temps libre fait partie du programme
Le temps libre et les choix sont indiqués les jours où ils ont lieu.
En solo, sans pénalité
Une chambre individuelle coûte + CAD 1,180 (prix estimé).
Jour par jour
Itinéraire
Touchez une étape de la carte pour ouvrir ce jourCliquez sur une étape de la carte pour ouvrir ce jour
Arrive in Tokyo
Haneda or Narita airport to your hotel in Tokyo, welcome dinner
- Welcome dinner
- Nuit : Tokyo
- Environ 1 h de route

Fly into Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT); a driver meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you to the hotel, about 40 minutes from Haneda or an hour and a half from Narita.
Soir
Plan to land by mid-afternoon to make the evening briefing. The hotel is on the east side of the city, close to Ueno and Asakusa, because that is where the train to Nikko leaves from on day 3. If you arrive early, the streets around Asakusa and the shops of Ameya-Yokocho are an easy first walk. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group, hands out IC cards for the metro and explains how the week works: early starts at the busiest gardens, free afternoons, and why your suitcase goes ahead to Kanazawa. Then we walk to a local izakaya for a welcome dinner of small shared plates.
Compris
- Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) airport
- Welcome briefing with your guide and a metro IC card
- Welcome dinner at a local izakaya
Temps libre : Free until the evening briefing
Activité : Drive figures are from Haneda; Narita is about 70 km and 1.5 hours.
Tokyo gardens and ginkgo
Rikugien, Meiji Jingu and the Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue, then a free afternoon
- Petit-déjeuner
- Nuit : Tokyo
- En train
Tokyo's autumn colour comes late and in gold. We are at Rikugien when it opens at 9 am: a stroll garden laid out around 1700 for a shogun's adviser, with a pond, small hills and maples that usually turn in late November. By metro we cross to Meiji Jingu, the shrine to the Meiji emperor, reached along a wide gravel path through a planted forest, and on to Jingu Gaien, where an avenue of about 140 ginkgo trees turns yellow at the end of the month. Your guide picks the order on the day so we meet each place in its quieter hour.
Après-midi
Lunch is your choice around Omotesando or Aoyama, and the afternoon is free.
Soir
Your guide suggests ideas: the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, the shops of Ginza, or an evening view from one of the city's observation decks. Tonight, pack an overnight bag; your suitcase is collected for Kanazawa.
Compris
- Rikugien garden at opening with your guide
- Meiji Jingu shrine
- The Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue
- Suitcases forwarded from Tokyo to your Kanazawa hotel
Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free
Activité : About 3 hours on foot on paths and gravel in the morning. Ginkgo colour is usually at its peak in late November or early December.
Nikko's shrines and a ryokan night
Tokyo (Asakusa) to Nikko by Tobu limited express, about 1 hour 50 minutes
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Nikko
- En train
With only an overnight bag, we take the Tobu limited express from Asakusa at about 8 am and reach Nikko before 10. The shrines and temples of Nikko, listed by UNESCO in 1999, sit in a forest of tall cedars above the town.
Matin
We cross the vermilion Shinkyo bridge, then spend the morning at Toshogu, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose gates are covered in carved and painted animals, flowers and sages; the three wise monkeys and the sleeping cat are here. Climb the 207 stone steps to Ieyasu's tomb if you like.
Après-midi
Lunch is yuba, the soy-milk skin Nikko is known for. In the afternoon we visit Taiyuin, the quieter, darker mausoleum of his grandson Iemitsu, then walk the riverside path at Kanmangafuchi past its rows of stone Jizo statues.
Soir
Our ryokan has an onsen, and dinner is a kaiseki meal of many small courses.
Compris
- Reserved seats on the Tobu limited express from Asakusa to Nikko
- Shinkyo bridge
- Toshogu with your guide, including the steps to Ieyasu's tomb
- Yuba lunch
- Taiyuin
- The Kanmangafuchi Abyss walk and its Jizo statues
- Ryokan night with onsen and kaiseki dinner
Option plus facile : Skip the 207 steps to Ieyasu's tomb and Kanmangafuchi; rest at the ryokan from mid-afternoon.
Temps libre : Evening free at the ryokan after dinner
Activité : About 3 to 4 hours on foot, with stone steps and uneven paths. Nikko's leaves usually peak from late October to early November; on our dates they may be past their best, while the cedars stay green.
By shinkansen to Kanazawa
Nikko to Utsunomiya, then the Tohoku and Hokuriku Shinkansen via Omiya to Kanazawa
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Kanazawa
- En train

Matin
A slow ryokan breakfast, a last soak if you want one, then we leave Nikko at about 10 am. The local JR line runs down to Utsunomiya in about 45 minutes; from there the shinkansen takes us to Omiya and on along the Hokuriku line across the mountains to the Sea of Japan coast.
Après-midi
It is about four hours door to door, in reserved seats, and lunch is a bento chosen at the station, eaten on the train the way Japanese travellers do. Your suitcase is waiting at the hotel in Kanazawa when we arrive in the middle of the afternoon.
Soir
As the light goes, we walk to Higashi Chaya, the old teahouse district, where wooden lattice fronts line the lanes and the lanterns come on at dusk. The evening is yours: Kanazawa is a seafood city, and your guide will point you to good counters for dinner.
Compris
- Reserved seats from Nikko to Kanazawa via Utsunomiya and Omiya
- A station bento lunch on the shinkansen
- Dusk walk in the Higashi Chaya teahouse district with your guide
Temps libre : Evening free
Activité : About four hours of train travel, then an easy hour on foot.
Kenroku-en, then Shirakawa-go
Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go, about 1 hour 15 minutes, then Takayama, about 50 minutes
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Takayama
- Environ 2 h de route

We are at Kenroku-en when it opens at 8 am, before the tour groups. It is counted among Japan's three great gardens, and in November the gardeners rope the old pines with yukitsuri, cone-shaped lines that hold the branches up under winter snow, while the maples around the ponds are usually turning.
Après-midi
From the garden we walk to Omicho Market, where lunch is a bowl of fresh seafood or whatever you choose from the stalls. In the early afternoon our own vehicle and driver take us into the mountains to Shirakawa-go, listed by UNESCO in 1995 for its gassho-zukuri farmhouses with steep thatched roofs. We arrive as the day coaches start to leave, walk the village and climb to the viewpoint above it in the late light. Then it is about 50 minutes on to Takayama, where we stay two nights in the old town.
Compris
- Kenroku-en at opening with your guide
- Lunch at Omicho Market
- Shirakawa-go in the late afternoon, with the village viewpoint
- Private vehicle and driver from Kanazawa to Takayama, with your suitcases aboard
Option plus facile : Ride the shuttle bus up to the Shirakawa-go viewpoint instead of walking.
Activité : About 4 hours on foot on gravel paths. The mountains around Shirakawa-go usually turn in late October and early November, so the hillsides may be bare by our dates; early snow is possible.
Takayama's market and old town
Takayama on foot: the Miyagawa morning market, Takayama Jinya and Sanmachi Suji
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
- Nuit : Takayama

Takayama is a mountain market town of dark wooden merchant houses, and the best of it comes early.
Soir
We walk to the Miyagawa morning market along the river, where farmers set out pickles, miso, apples and handmade crafts from 7 or 8 am depending on the month; your guide confirms the hour the evening before. At 8:45 am Takayama Jinya opens: the only surviving government house of its kind from the Edo period, where officials sent from the shogun's capital ran the province, with its tatami halls, rice store and garden. Then into Sanmachi Suji, the old merchant streets, before the day visitors fill them, for a tasting at one of the town's sake breweries, marked by the ball of cedar hanging over the door. After that the afternoon is free. Rest at the hotel, browse lacquer and woodwork shops, or take the bus to Hida no Sato. In the evening we meet again for a dinner of Hida beef, the local wagyu.
Compris
- Miyagawa morning market with your guide
- Takayama Jinya
- Sanmachi Suji old merchant streets
- Sake tasting at a Takayama brewery
- Hida beef dinner
Activités en option
- Hida no Sato, the open-air museum of farmhouses, about 10 minutes by bus
Option plus active : Walk the Higashiyama temple trail, about 3.5 km through a line of temples and shrines on the hill east of the old town.
Temps libre : Afternoon free
Activité : About 3 hours on foot on flat streets in the morning.
Down the Hida valley to Kyoto, a light-up at night
Takayama to Nagoya on the limited express Hida, then the Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Kyoto
- En train
Matin
We leave Takayama mid-morning on the limited express Hida, which follows the Hida River gorge south through the mountains to Nagoya in about two and a half hours; sit on the left for the river. From Nagoya the shinkansen reaches Kyoto in about 35 minutes. Your bags travel with us in reserved seats, and the guide helps at the changes.
Soir
We sit down to lunch near the hotel, then the afternoon is for settling in, because tonight is the first of Kyoto's autumn moments. After dark we go to Kodai-ji, the temple a widow of Toyotomi Hideyoshi founded in 1606, for its autumn light-up: the maples, the raked garden and the bamboo grove behind the temple are lit, and the night air is cold and still. From there we walk down through the stone lanes of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka into Gion, and the evening is yours.
Compris
- Reserved seats on the limited express Hida and the shinkansen from Takayama to Kyoto
- Sit-down lunch in Kyoto
- Kodai-ji autumn light-up with your guide
- Evening walk through Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka and Gion
Temps libre : Afternoon free to settle in; evening free after the walk
Activité : About 3.5 hours of train travel. Light-up dates change each year; if Kodai-ji is not running, we go to Eikan-do or Kiyomizu-dera's evening opening instead.
Tofuku-ji at opening and Fushimi Inari
Tofuku-ji, then one stop south to Fushimi Inari, then a free afternoon
- Petit-déjeuner
- Nuit : Kyoto
- En train
Tofuku-ji is the temple people queue for in late November, so we are at the gate when it opens, at about 8:30 am in the autumn season. From Tsutenkyo, a covered wooden bridge, you look down into a ravine filled with about 2,000 maples, and in a good year the valley is red and orange from rim to stream. Photography from the bridge is sometimes restricted at peak times, so we also take pictures from the paths below and the other bridges. We also see the Hojo gardens, raked gravel and moss laid in a chequerboard in the 1930s. From Tofuku-ji it is one stop on the JR Nara line to Fushimi Inari, where tunnels of vermilion torii gates climb the hill. Walk the first part with your guide or go on up to the Yotsutsuji viewpoint over the city.
Après-midi
Lunch is your choice, and the afternoon is free.
Compris
- Tofuku-ji at opening with your guide, with Tsutenkyo bridge and the Hojo gardens
- Fushimi Inari Taisha and its torii gates
Option plus facile : Walk only the first stretch of torii gates at Fushimi Inari, about 20 minutes, and take the train back to the hotel.
Option plus active : Climb on to the Yotsutsuji viewpoint, about 45 minutes uphill on steps from the main shrine.
Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free
Activité : About 3 to 4 hours on foot with many steps at Fushimi Inari if you climb.
Arashiyama at 7 am
Kyoto to Arashiyama: the bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji, Okochi Sanso and the Togetsukyo bridge
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Kyoto
- Environ 1 h de route
We drive to Arashiyama on the western edge of Kyoto and walk into the bamboo grove at about 7 am, when you can hear the stems knock together and there is no one in your photos. Tenryu-ji opens its garden at 8:30 am: a pond garden designed in the 14th century by the monk Muso Soseki, with the hills of Arashiyama behind it and maples around the water. Up the slope, Okochi Sanso, the villa and garden of a film actor, looks across the city, and the entry includes a bowl of matcha and a sweet. We walk down to the Togetsukyo bridge over the Katsura River, where the hillside is often at its brightest in late November.
Après-midi
Lunch is yudofu, simmered tofu, a Kyoto dish Arashiyama is known for. The afternoon is free.
Soir
In the evening we gather for a farewell dinner.
Compris
- Arashiyama bamboo grove at about 7 am with your guide
- Tenryu-ji garden at opening
- Okochi Sanso garden with matcha and a sweet
- Togetsukyo bridge
- Yudofu lunch in Arashiyama
- Farewell dinner in Kyoto
Activités en option
- Sagano Romantic Train or a Hozu River boat back towards Kameoka, if running
Option plus active : Walk on north from the bamboo grove to Jojakko-ji and Gio-ji, two small moss and maple temples, about 2 km.
Temps libre : Afternoon free
Activité : About 4 hours on foot on paths and slopes in the morning.
Eikan-do, the Philosopher's Path and home
Eikan-do and Nanzen-ji, then Kansai International Airport
- Petit-déjeuner
- Environ 1.5 h de route
A last early start. Eikan-do has been known as the temple of maples for centuries, and we are at its gate when it opens at 9 am, before the queues. Paths climb through halls joined by covered corridors to a small pagoda above the trees, and below it the pond is ringed in red. From Eikan-do we walk a short stretch of the Philosopher's Path, the canal-side walk under cherry and maple trees, and down to Nanzen-ji, where a 19th-century brick aqueduct runs through the temple grounds.
Après-midi
We are back at the hotel by about midday. Check-out is in the morning before we leave; the hotel holds your bags, and you collect them on the way out. A private vehicle takes you to Kansai International Airport (KIX), about an hour and a half away; your guide sees you off. Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm to join the whole morning. If you are staying on in Kyoto, your guide will help you plan the extra days.
Compris
- Eikan-do at opening with your guide
- The Philosopher's Path to Nanzen-ji and its aqueduct
- Drop-off at Kansai International Airport (KIX)
Option plus facile : If your flight leaves before about 4 pm, see Eikan-do only and go to the airport from there, or leave straight from the hotel.
Activité : About 2 hours on foot, with steps at Eikan-do. Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm.
- Tokyo2 nuits
- Nikko1 nuit
- Kanazawa1 nuit
- Takayama2 nuits
- Kyoto3 nuits
- Étape avec nuitée
- Excursion d'une journée
- En bateau ou en train
Faune et météo : Late November is cool and mostly dry: Kyoto and Tokyo days are about 10 to 16°C with cold mornings, while Nikko and Takayama can be near freezing at night and may see early snow. The maples in Kyoto usually peak in the second half of the month, but a warm autumn can delay them into December.
Vous voulez recevoir ce programme par courriel?
Recevez l'itinéraire jour par jour par courriel, ou posez-nous vos questions sur ce voyage. Un conseiller en voyages vous répond le jour même ou le jour ouvrable suivant.
Avant de réserver
Ce voyage est-il pour vous?
Ce voyage vous convient si vous recherchez
- Travellers who want Kyoto in its autumn colour without fighting the crowds alone
- A first or second trip to Japan with Nikko and the mountains as well as Kyoto
- People happy with early starts in return for free afternoons
- Travellers who want one ryokan night and good shared meals
Ce voyage ne vous convient pas si vous recherchez
- Anyone who needs the leaves at peak everywhere: the mountains turn earlier than Kyoto
- Step-free access: shrines and temples mean stone steps and gravel
- Travellers who want Mount Fuji, Hiroshima or Osaka on the same trip
- Those who dislike cold mornings
Réservez vos vols une fois votre place confirmée.
9 nuits
Où vous logerez
Vos hôtels sont nommés dans la confirmation de votre voyage.
- Tokyo2 nuits
- Nikko1 nuit
- Kanazawa1 nuit
- Takayama2 nuits
- Kyoto3 nuits
Un seul prix
Ce que le prix comprend
Compris
Hébergement
- 9 nights: 2 in Tokyo, 1 in a ryokan with onsen in Nikko, 1 in Kanazawa, 2 in Takayama, 3 in Kyoto
- Central hotels near stations and old towns; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) airport
- Metro fares in Tokyo on an IC card
- Reserved seats on the Tobu limited express to Nikko, the shinkansen from Nikko to Kanazawa via Utsunomiya and Omiya, and the limited express Hida and shinkansen from Takayama to Kyoto
- Private vehicle and driver from Kanazawa via Shirakawa-go to Takayama
- Local trains, buses and a private vehicle in Kyoto
- Suitcases forwarded from Tokyo to Kanazawa
- Drop-off at Kansai International Airport (KIX)
Votre guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from Tokyo to Kyoto
Activités
- Tokyo: Rikugien, Meiji Jingu and the Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue
- Nikko: Shinkyo bridge, Toshogu, Taiyuin and Kanmangafuchi
- Kanazawa: Higashi Chaya, Kenroku-en and Omicho Market
- Shirakawa-go village and viewpoint
- Takayama: the morning market, Sanmachi Suji, a sake tasting and Takayama Jinya
- Kyoto: the Kodai-ji autumn light-up, Tofuku-ji, Fushimi Inari, the Arashiyama bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji garden, Okochi Sanso with matcha, Eikan-do, the Philosopher's Path and Nanzen-ji
- Every entry fee in the day plan
Repas
- 9 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: yuba in Nikko, a bento on the shinkansen, Omicho Market, a sit-down lunch in Kyoto and yudofu in Arashiyama
- 4 dinners: welcome izakaya dinner in Tokyo, kaiseki at the Nikko ryokan, Hida beef in Takayama and a farewell dinner in Kyoto
Non compris
- International flights to Tokyo and from Osaka (Kansai)
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed
- Drinks, except the sake tasting and matcha
- Tips
- Optional activities such as Hida no Sato or the Sagano train
- Personal expenses
- Japan's departure tax, charged in your airline ticket
Suppléments
- Chambre individuelle
- CAD 1,180 (prix estimé)
Quand partir
Dates et prix
Choisissez votre date de départ au moment de votre demande de réservation. Nous vérifions cette date et la confirmons dans votre devis.
Vous préférez voyager sans groupe ni guide? Demandez-nous d'organiser vos hôtels, vos transports et vos visites de ville pour voyager en autonomie.
Avant de réserver
Conditions de réservation
Rien n'est facturé maintenant. Les conditions complètes et le barème d'annulation accompagnent votre devis, avant que vous acceptiez.
Adresses de l'entreprise
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Avis des voyageurs
Ce que disent nos voyageurs
Avis de voyageurs ayant participé à nos visites d'une journée.
5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5
Bon à savoir
Questions
Les prix indiqués dans ces réponses s'appliquent à compter du 1er janv. 2027. Offre du Vendredi fou : 15 % de rabais sur le prix en petit groupe pour les demandes reçues au plus tard le 1er déc. 2026. À partir de CAD 5,080 par personne. Du 2 déc. au 31 déc. : à partir de CAD 5,495. À compter du 1er janv. 2027 : à partir de CAD 5,975.
What does the price include?
Nine nights in central hotels and a Nikko ryokan, 9 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners, airport transfers both ways, reserved train seats, a private vehicle from Kanazawa to Takayama, luggage forwarding from Tokyo, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every entry in the plan, including the Kodai-ji light-up, a sake tasting and matcha at Okochi Sanso.
Will the autumn leaves be at their peak?
In Kyoto, usually yes: its maples tend to peak in the second half of November, which is when our three Kyoto nights fall. The mountains turn earlier, so Nikko, Takayama and Shirakawa-go are often past their best by then. Peak dates move by a week or two each year, and no one can promise them.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests and is never combined with another departure. That keeps us quick through temple gates at opening time and lets everyone fit around one table at dinner.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the Tokyo welcome dinner to the Kansai airport drop-off, handles every ticket and train change, and knows when each garden is quietest. We introduce your guide by name before you travel.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately fit. Most days mean 4 to 6 hours on your feet, about 10 to 15 km, with stone steps at Nikko and Fushimi Inari and gravel paths in gardens. Every long walk has a shorter option, and you can rest at the hotel on any free afternoon.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 1,180 more, shown before you book with no surprise later. Japanese single rooms are small, so we book a twin or double for single use where the hotel allows. Solo guests join every meal and activity on the same terms as everyone else.
Why so many early starts?
Late November is Kyoto's busiest season, and the famous gardens are calmest in their first hour. We are at Tofuku-ji, Eikan-do, Kenroku-en and Rikugien when they open and in the Arashiyama bamboo grove at 7 am, then leave the afternoons free so the days are not long.
What happens to my suitcase?
It is forwarded from Tokyo to your Kanazawa hotel, so you take only an overnight bag to Nikko. From Kanazawa it rides in our vehicle to Takayama, and on the train to Kyoto it travels with us in reserved seats, with your guide helping at the change in Nagoya.
Do I need a visa for Japan?
Canadian and US passport holders do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days. Other passports may; check before you book. Your passport must be valid for your whole stay, and Japan's departure tax is charged in your airline ticket.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose. If you would rather travel independently, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, trains and local guides for your own dates.
How does booking work?
Choose a departure and send a request to book. We confirm availability and your trip within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. The small group starts from CAD 5,975 per person sharing, taxes included; hotel names follow when we confirm your dates.