Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Japan's Tohoku: Matsushima, Hiraizumi, Nyuto Onsen and Aomori
9 days from Tokyo through northern Honshu: Sendai and the islands of Matsushima, Hiraizumi's golden hall, Kakunodate's samurai street, a night at Nyuto Onsen, Hirosaki Castle and two nights in Aomori for Oirase and Lake Towada.
9 days · Round trip from Tokyo · up to 12 guests
Matsushima Bay in cherry blossom season Photo: Makoto_Lab, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miyagi-Landscape_of_cherry_blossoms_and_Matsushima_Bay-xl.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Tokyo
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3.5 h on day 6No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
Most days are 3 to 5 hours on your feet, about 5 to 9 km, on temple paths, castle grounds and old-town streets, with stone steps at Chuson-ji (the cedar-lined approach climbs for about 15 minutes) and Zuigan-ji. The Oirase stream walk on day 8 goes upstream towards Nenokuchi on a mostly flat forest path: about 5 km for the group, about 2 km if you ride the rest, or about 9 km from Ishigedo. Onsen bathing at Nyuto is optional. No day starts before 7:30 am, and from day 2 to day 8 your suitcase stays in our vehicle.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,095 (estimated price)
- Season
- Late April to early November
Highlights
Why this trip
- The pine-covered islands of Matsushima Bay from the deck of a cruise boat, then Zuigan-ji and the little Godaido hall on its rocks
- The 2011 tsunami told at Ishinomaki by a local storyteller who lived through it
- Chuson-ji's golden Konjikido at opening time, and the Pure Land garden of Motsu-ji
- Kakunodate's samurai street at 7:30 am, before the coaches, and a ryokan dinner in the old Tamachi quarter
- A night in a rustic Nyuto Onsen inn, with milky hot-spring baths in the beech forest
- Hirosaki Castle, a lantern float at the Neputa village and the orchards of Japan's apple country
- The Oirase stream walk past waterfalls, then a cruise on Lake Towada
- Giant Nebuta festival floats up close at Wa Rasse in Aomori
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,095 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3.5 h, on day 6.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Tokyo to Sendai by bullet train
Tokyo Haneda or Narita airport to Tokyo Station, then the Tohoku Shinkansen to Sendai
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Sendai
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT).
Afternoon
A driver meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you to Tokyo Station, about 40 minutes from Haneda or 90 minutes from Narita, where your See Sight Tours guide meets the group at a set point in the early afternoon. From there the green Hayabusa bullet train runs north on the Tohoku Shinkansen and reaches Sendai in about 90 minutes, past rice fields and low mountains once the city thins out. Sendai is the largest city in the north, a leafy place rebuilt after the war with wide avenues of zelkova trees. We walk from the station to the hotel, settle in, and meet for a short briefing on the week: how the days are paced, what to bring to the onsen, and the tsunami memorial on day 3.
Evening
Then dinner together at a gyutan restaurant, where Sendai's beef tongue, sliced thick and grilled over charcoal, comes with barley rice and oxtail soup.
Included
- Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) and transfer to Tokyo Station
- Reserved seats on the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Sendai
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome gyutan dinner in Sendai
Free time: Free until dinner after check-in
Activity: Land at Haneda by about noon or Narita by about 11 am to meet the group at Tokyo Station. From Narita the transfer is about 70 km.
Zuihoden and the islands of Matsushima
Sendai to Zuihoden, then Matsushima: bay cruise, Zuigan-ji and Godaido
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Matsushima
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Our vehicle and driver join us this morning and stay with the group until Aomori. First Zuihoden, the mausoleum of Date Masamune, the one-eyed warlord who founded Sendai in 1600, rebuilt in black lacquer and gold up a cedar-shaded hill; we are there at 9 am opening, while it is quiet. Then about 40 minutes up the coast to Matsushima, where some 260 small islands of white rock and twisted pine fill a shallow bay.
Afternoon
Lunch is fish and shellfish from the bay, by the water. In the afternoon we board a cruise boat for about 50 minutes among the islands, then walk to Zuigan-ji, the Zen temple of the Date family, its approach lined with caves carved by monks, and out to Godaido, a tiny hall on a rock reached by a short bridge. The red footbridge to Fukuurajima island is the late-afternoon walk for anyone with energy left.
Evening
The evening is free in Matsushima.
Included
- Zuihoden, the Date Masamune mausoleum in Sendai
- Seafood lunch in Matsushima
- Matsushima Bay cruise, about 50 minutes
- Zuigan-ji temple and Godaido hall with your guide
Optional experiences
- Fukuurajima island and its footbridge (small fee, on your own)
Easier option: Skip Zuigan-ji's caves and garden walk and wait at a cafe on the waterfront.
More active option: Walk the footbridge to Fukuurajima and its island trail before dinner, about an hour.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 45 minutes at Zuihoden, 50 minutes on the boat, an hour at Zuigan-ji and 20 minutes at Godaido. Zuihoden has a stepped approach.
Ishinomaki's tsunami story, then Hiraizumi
Matsushima to Ishinomaki, then inland to Hiraizumi and Motsu-ji
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hiraizumi
- Drive about 2.5 h
Matsushima's islands broke the force of the 2011 tsunami, but the coast a few kilometres north did not have that shelter.
Morning
After breakfast we drive about 40 minutes to Ishinomaki, where a local storyteller who lived through the disaster walks us through the Minamihama memorial park, built on ground where a neighbourhood once stood, and the preserved ruins of Kadonowaki Elementary School, where the pupils escaped up the hill behind it. It is told plainly and without spectacle, and there is time for questions.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Ishinomaki, at a restaurant that reopened after the waters went down. In the afternoon we drive inland, about an hour and a half, to Hiraizumi, which for a century around 1100 was the capital of the northern Fujiwara clan and a rival to Kyoto. Before it closes we walk the gardens of Motsu-ji, a Pure Land garden laid out around a large pond, with the temple's original foundation stones still in the grass.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Ishinomaki Minamihama memorial park and Kadonowaki Elementary School ruins with a local storyteller
- Lunch in Ishinomaki
- Motsu-ji and its Pure Land garden with your guide
Easier option: Stay with the storyteller at the memorial park and skip the school ruins.
Free time: Evening free in Hiraizumi
Activity: About 2 hours in Ishinomaki with the storyteller, about an hour at Motsu-ji. Mostly level ground.
Chuson-ji's golden hall, then Kakunodate
Chuson-ji in Hiraizumi, then by road to Kakunodate's samurai quarter
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Kakunodate
- Drive about 2 h
We are at Chuson-ji when the gates open at 8:30 am. The temple climbs a wooded hill on Tsukimizaka, an old approach lined with tall cedars, passing small halls on the way up, about 15 minutes of steady walking. At the top is the Konjikido, the Golden Hall, finished in 1124 and covered inside and out in gold leaf and mother-of-pearl, now kept behind glass inside a protective building. The Sankozo museum beside it holds the temple's treasures. Chuson-ji and Motsu-ji are part of Hiraizumi's UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Afternoon
Late in the morning we drive west across the mountains, about two hours, to Kakunodate, and sit down to lunch: inaniwa udon or Akita's hinai chicken. The afternoon is the samurai street, Bukeyashiki-dori, with its black wooden fences and weeping cherry trees, and two of its houses, plus a demonstration of kaba-zaiku, the local craft of polished cherry bark.
Evening
Tonight we stay at a ryokan in the old Tamachi quarter, with dinner served at the inn.
Included
- Chuson-ji at opening: the Konjikido and the Sankozo museum with your guide
- Lunch in Kakunodate
- Bukeyashiki-dori samurai street and two samurai houses
- Cherry-bark craft (kaba-zaiku) demonstration
- Ryokan night in the Tamachi quarter with dinner
Easier option: Ride to the top of Chuson-ji in the vehicle by the back road and meet the group at the Konjikido, where your guide arranges it.
Free time: Late afternoon free before dinner
Activity: About 2 hours at Chuson-ji, with a 15-minute climb on a gravel and stone path. About 2 hours in the samurai quarter.
Kakunodate early, Lake Tazawa and Nyuto Onsen
Kakunodate to Lake Tazawa, then up into the beech forest to Nyuto Onsen
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Nyuto Onsen
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
Kakunodate fills with day-trippers from mid-morning, so we walk the samurai street again at about 7:30 am, when only the gardeners are out and the light comes low through the trees. After breakfast we visit Ando Jozo, a miso and soy sauce brewery in a brick storehouse in Tamachi, and taste its pickles. Then about 30 minutes north to Lake Tazawa, Japan's deepest lake at about 423 metres, a nearly round caldera of deep blue water. We stop by the golden statue of Tatsuko, the girl of local legend who became the lake's dragon, and at Gozanoishi shrine on the shore.
Afternoon
Lunch is on your own at the lakeside. Early in the afternoon we climb about 30 minutes into the beech forest to Nyuto Onsen, a cluster of old hot-spring inns at the end of the road.
Evening
With the onsen-hopping pass you can bathe in the milky white and clear springs of the neighbouring inns before dinner at ours.
Included
- Early walk on Kakunodate's samurai street with your guide
- Ando Jozo miso and soy sauce brewery
- Lake Tazawa, the Tatsuko statue and Gozanoishi shrine
- Night at a rustic Nyuto Onsen inn with dinner
- Nyuto onsen-hopping pass
Easier option: Stay at your inn's own baths and rest instead of visiting the others.
More active option: Walk a beech forest trail between the inns with your guide, about an hour.
Free time: Lunch on your own at Lake Tazawa; afternoon free at Nyuto
Activity: About an hour on foot in Kakunodate, 45 minutes at the lake. Bathing is optional; the inn has a private bath option.
Stone circles and Hirosaki Castle
Nyuto Onsen to the Oyu Stone Circles, then Hirosaki: the castle, the Fujita garden and the Neputa village
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hirosaki
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
A last soak before breakfast, then the longest drive of the trip, about three and a half hours in all, broken in the middle. We go north through Hachimantai and Kazuno to the Oyu Stone Circles, two rings of river stones laid out by Jomon people about 4,000 years ago and part of the UNESCO-listed Jomon sites of northern Japan with a small museum.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Kazuno. By about 2:30 pm we are in Hirosaki, the castle town of the Tsugaru lords. Hirosaki Castle's 1810 keep is one of the few original keeps left in Japan, but it is under restoration: moved in 2015 for stone-wall repairs, it is being returned to its spot and cannot be entered for some years. We see it from outside and spend our time in the park, with its moats, gates and about 2,500 cherry trees, which in late April draw all of northern Japan. Next door, the Fujita Memorial Garden is a terraced garden with Mount Iwaki on the skyline, and the Neputa village shows the fan-shaped lantern floats of Hirosaki's August festival, with a drumming demonstration.
Evening
The evening is free; Hirosaki is known for apple cider.
Included
- Oyu Stone Circles and museum
- Lunch in Kazuno
- Hirosaki Park with your guide: the moats, gates and cherry trees, and the castle keep from outside (under restoration, not open)
- Fujita Memorial Garden
- Tsugaru-han Neputa village and its drumming demonstration
Easier option: Rest at the hotel after the castle and skip the Neputa village.
Free time: Evening free in Hirosaki
Activity: About 3.5 hours of driving with an hour at Oyu and an hour for lunch between. About 90 minutes in Hirosaki Park, 30 minutes at the garden and 45 minutes at the Neputa village.
Apple country, Nebuta and the Jomon village
Hirosaki's orchards, then to Aomori: Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse and Sannai Maruyama
- Breakfast
- Stay in Aomori
- Drive about 1 h
Aomori grows more apples than any other part of Japan, and Hirosaki is the heart of it. We start at an apple park on the edge of town, walking between orchards of many varieties with Mount Iwaki behind; from late August to November you can pick your own, and in spring the trees are in blossom. Then about an hour to Aomori on the bay.
Afternoon
Lunch is on your own: your guide shows you Furukawa fish market, where you buy a bowl of rice and top it with seafood from the stalls. In the afternoon we go to Wa Rasse, the Nebuta museum by the waterfront, where the giant illuminated floats of the August festival stand close enough to see the paper and wire, and a performer teaches the festival's drum rhythm and dance. Then Sannai Maruyama, the largest Jomon settlement found in Japan, with reconstructed pit houses and a tall six-pillar tower.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Apple orchard walk in Hirosaki
- Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse with your guide
- Sannai Maruyama Jomon site and museum
Optional experiences
- Apple picking in season (late August to November, on site)
Easier option: Stay at Wa Rasse and the waterfront and skip Sannai Maruyama, returning to the hotel early.
Free time: Lunch on your own at Furukawa market; evening free
Activity: About an hour in the orchard, an hour at Wa Rasse and 90 minutes at Sannai Maruyama.
The Oirase stream and Lake Towada
Aomori over the Hakkoda mountains to the Oirase Gorge, Lake Towada by boat, and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Aomori
- Drive about 3.5 h
No packing today. We leave at about 8:30 am and drive over the Hakkoda mountains, about an hour and a half, past the old hot-spring inn at Sukayu and through beech forest, to the Oirase Gorge. Here a clear stream runs out of Lake Towada over mossy rocks and a string of waterfalls, with a walking path beside it the whole way. We walk upstream on the flat path towards Nenokuchi, about 5 km and two hours, with our vehicle waiting at the end, past the wide curtain of Choshi Otaki near the lake's edge. You can walk just the last 2 km, or start lower at Ishigedo and walk about 9 km.
Afternoon
At Nenokuchi we board the cruise boat across Lake Towada, a caldera lake ringed by forest, about 50 minutes to Yasumiya, and sit down to lunch there, with Towada's local trout on the menu. A short walk leads to the bronze Maidens statue on the shore.
Evening
Then we drive back to Aomori, about an hour and three quarters, for a farewell seafood dinner together.
Included
- Oirase Gorge stream walk with your guide
- Lake Towada cruise from Nenokuchi to Yasumiya
- Lunch at Yasumiya
- The Maidens statue on the lakeshore
- Farewell seafood dinner in Aomori
Optional experiences
- Hakkoda Ropeway when the weather is clear (on the way back, timing allowing)
Easier option: Walk only the last stretch to Nenokuchi past Choshi Otaki, about 2 km, and ride the rest in the vehicle.
More active option: Start about an hour ahead of the group at Ishigedo and walk upstream the whole way to Nenokuchi, about 9 km, to meet the group at the boat.
Free time: Free hour at the hotel before the farewell dinner
Activity: About 2 hours of walking (5 km upstream; 2 km or 9 km options), 50 minutes on the boat and an hour for lunch, split across about 3.5 hours of driving in two halves.
Back to Tokyo, or on to Hokkaido
Shin-Aomori to Tokyo by Tohoku Shinkansen, then Haneda or Narita airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A relaxed last breakfast, then our vehicle takes the group to Shin-Aomori station for a late-morning Hayabusa bullet train south.
Afternoon
The ride to Tokyo takes about 3 hours 10 minutes, back down the line through Morioka and Sendai, with an ekiben lunch box from the station on board. Your guide travels with you to Tokyo Station, where a private vehicle takes you to Haneda (about 40 minutes) or Narita (about 90 minutes). For an international flight, book one leaving Haneda after about 6 pm or Narita after about 7 pm. If you are staying on in Tokyo, we drop you at your hotel instead. Going on to Hokkaido? Tell us when you book: from Shin-Aomori the shinkansen reaches Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto in about an hour through the Seikan Tunnel, or the ferry crosses the Tsugaru Strait from Aomori to Hakodate in about four hours, and we book your seat and say goodbye in Aomori.
Included
- Reserved seats on the Tohoku Shinkansen from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo
- Drop-off at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT), or your Tokyo hotel
Optional experiences
- Shinkansen or ferry to Hakodate in Hokkaido instead of Tokyo (arranged on request)
Activity: Book an international flight leaving Haneda after about 6 pm or Narita after about 7 pm.
- Tokyostart
- Sendai1 night
- Matsushima1 night
- Hiraizumi1 night
- Kakunodate1 night
- Nyuto Onsen1 night
- Hirosaki1 night
- Aomori2 nights
- Tokyoend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Late April to early May brings cherry blossom to Kakunodate and Hirosaki, with cool mornings and some snow still on the Hakkoda mountains. Summer is warm and green; the rainy season runs about mid-June to late July, and early August is festival time, with Aomori Nebuta from 2 to 7 August and hotels booked a year ahead. Mid to late October is the autumn colour at Oirase and Lake Towada, with frosty nights at Nyuto. From November the lake cruise stops and the mountain roads fill with snow.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who have done Tokyo and Kyoto and want a quieter, rural Japan
- Anyone who wants an onsen night and a ryokan night without planning rural buses
- History lovers: Hiraizumi's golden hall, samurai houses, a castle and Jomon sites
- Cherry blossom in late April, the Nebuta floats or October colour
Not for you if you want
- First-time visitors who want Tokyo, Kyoto and Mount Fuji: our 9-day Golden Route trip covers those
- Travellers who want several nights in one hotel: most stops here are one night
- Step-free access: temples, inns and stations have stairs, and Nyuto inns are rustic
- Anyone who wants to avoid the 2011 tsunami story: it is part of day 3
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Sendai1 night
- Matsushima1 night
- Hiraizumi1 night
- Kakunodate1 night
- Nyuto Onsen1 night
- Hirosaki1 night
- Aomori2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 1 in Sendai, 1 in Matsushima, 1 in Hiraizumi, 1 in a ryokan in Kakunodate's Tamachi quarter, 1 in a rustic Nyuto Onsen inn, 1 in Hirosaki, 2 in Aomori
- Hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard in central locations, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement (Nyuto inn rooms are traditional and simpler)
Transport
- Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) and transfer to Tokyo Station
- Reserved seats on the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Sendai and from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo
- Our own vehicle and driver from Sendai on day 2 to Aomori on day 8, with your suitcase on board
- Matsushima Bay cruise and Lake Towada cruise
- Drop-off at Haneda, Narita or your Tokyo hotel on day 9
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from Tokyo Station on day 1 to Tokyo Station on day 9, with local guides and a tsunami storyteller where a site requires one
Activities
- Sendai: Zuihoden mausoleum
- Matsushima: bay cruise, Zuigan-ji and Godaido
- Ishinomaki: Minamihama memorial park and Kadonowaki Elementary School ruins with a local storyteller
- Hiraizumi: Motsu-ji, Chuson-ji with the Konjikido and Sankozo museum
- Kakunodate: the samurai street, two samurai houses, a cherry-bark craft demonstration and Ando Jozo brewery
- Lake Tazawa and the Tatsuko statue
- Nyuto Onsen: onsen-hopping pass
- Kazuno: Oyu Stone Circles
- Hirosaki: the castle and park, Fujita Memorial Garden, the Neputa village and an apple orchard
- Aomori: Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse and Sannai Maruyama
- Oirase Gorge stream walk and Lake Towada
Meals
- All 8 breakfasts
- 5 lunches: Matsushima, Ishinomaki, Kakunodate, Kazuno and Yasumiya at Lake Towada
- 4 dinners: a welcome gyutan dinner in Sendai, the ryokan dinner in Kakunodate, the inn dinner at Nyuto Onsen and a farewell seafood dinner in Aomori
Not included
- International flights to and from Tokyo
- Visas or travel authorisations, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks
- Tips (not expected in Japan)
- Optional activities, such as Fukuurajima, the Hakkoda Ropeway or apple picking
- The onward shinkansen or ferry to Hokkaido, if you choose it
- Personal spending
- Japan's departure tax, which is added to your airline ticket
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,095 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
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+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Eight nights, including a ryokan in Kakunodate and an onsen inn at Nyuto, all breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners, both bullet train journeys, airport transfers at both ends, our own vehicle and driver from Sendai to Aomori, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, both cruises and every visit in the day plan.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That fits one vehicle, one table at a rural inn and one group around a tsunami storyteller, and it is small enough to stay at Nyuto Onsen, where the inns are too small for coach groups.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from Tokyo Station on day 1 to Tokyo Station on day 9, handling trains, the vehicle, inns and timings. A local storyteller leads the Ishinomaki memorial visit, and local guides join where a site requires one. We introduce your guide before you travel.
How fit do I need to be for this Tohoku tour?
Moderately fit. Expect 3 to 5 hours on your feet most days, about 5 to 9 km, with stone steps at Chuson-ji and Zuigan-ji. The Oirase walk is about 5 km upstream on a mostly flat path; you can walk 2 km instead, or about 9 km. Your suitcase stays in our vehicle from day 2 to day 8.
I am travelling solo. Is there a single supplement?
Yes, a room of your own is from CAD 1,095 more, about 17 percent of the trip price, shown before you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure. If you would rather share, ask when you book and we will tell you whether a roommate match is possible on your date.
When is the best time to visit Tohoku?
Late April to early May for cherry blossom in Kakunodate and Hirosaki, early August for the Nebuta festival, and mid to late October for autumn colour at Oirase and Lake Towada. We avoid winter, when the lake cruise stops and mountain roads are snowbound, and the rainy season from mid-June.
Can we see the Nebuta festival?
Yes, on a special August departure timed to Aomori Nebuta, held from 2 to 7 August each year, and Hirosaki Neputa from 1 to 7 August. Hotels sell out a year ahead, so those dates are priced separately. On every other departure you see the real floats up close at the Wa Rasse museum.
What is staying at Nyuto Onsen like?
Simple, old and in the forest. The inns are old wooden buildings in a beech forest, with milky white sulphur baths, futons on tatami and a set dinner of mountain food. Some rooms share toilets and some baths are mixed. If you have tattoos or want privacy, we arrange a private bath.
How does booking work?
Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes included: the small group starts from CAD 6,425 and the private trip from CAD 11,565. Choose your start date and send a request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private version is for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle and the same inns and experiences. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, without a guide, send us an inquiry from the dates section and we will quote hotels and trains separately.
Do I need a visa for Japan?
Citizens of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and most European countries can visit Japan visa-free for short tourist stays. Rules differ by passport and can change, so check before you book. Fill in Visit Japan Web before you fly to speed up immigration and customs.
Can I combine this trip with Hokkaido or Kyoto?
Yes. From Aomori you can cross to Hakodate in Hokkaido by shinkansen in about an hour or by ferry, and join our Hokkaido trip from Sapporo. Or start with our 9-day Golden Route trip through Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka, then take this one north.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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