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Japan: Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka

9 days from Tokyo to Osaka: three nights in Tokyo, a ryokan night in Hakone under Mount Fuji, three nights in Kyoto with a day in Nara, and a last night in Osaka.

9 days · Tokyo to Osaka · up to 12 guests

Mount Fuji with snow on its upper slopes Photo: Yiannis Theologos Michellis, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japan_Mt_Fuji_(14298594376).jpg)

The facts

At a glance

Length
9 days, 8 nights
Start and end
Tokyo to Osaka
Group size
7 to 12 guests
Activity level

Moderate

Most days are 4 to 6 hours on your feet on city pavements, station stairs and shrine steps, about 8 to 12 km; day 7 in Nara and Kyoto is the longest, about 9 to 10 km, with a two-hour rest in the afternoon. The climb at Fushimi Inari to the Yotsutsuji crossroads is about 45 minutes uphill on stone steps. Two mornings leave the hotel at about 6:40 am (days 2 and 6); every other day starts at 8 am or later. On each long day there is a way to sit part of it out.

Meals included
8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
Room of your own
+ CAD 975 (estimated price)
Season
Late March to May and October to early December

Highlights

Why this trip

  • Senso-ji at 7 am, before Asakusa fills, and Tokyo from the Shibuya Sky rooftop at sunset
  • A tasting walk through the Tsukiji Outer Market, then matcha in a shogun's garden on Tokyo Bay
  • The ropeway over Owakudani's steam vents, a cruise on Lake Ashi and a night in a Hakone ryokan with onsen and kaiseki dinner
  • Fushimi Inari's torii gates at 7 am, then cooking lunch with a Kyoto home cook
  • Todai-ji's Great Buddha and the deer of Nara Park, and Kiyomizu-dera after the coaches leave
  • Kinkaku-ji at opening and a tea ceremony with a wagashi class
  • A farewell street-food dinner under the Dotonbori neon in Osaka
  • Your suitcase forwarded from Tokyo to Kyoto, so you ride the bullet train with an overnight bag

What makes this trip different

  • 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 975 (estimated price).

Day by day

Itinerary

HONSHUMOUNT FUJIPacific OceanSea of Japan1234TokyoDays 1 to 4HakoneDays 4 to 5KyotoDays 5 to 8NaraDay 7OsakaDays 8 to 9Kansai AirportDay 9

Tap any stop on the map to open that day

Arrive in Tokyo

Tokyo Haneda or Narita airport to your hotel in central Tokyo

  • Welcome dinner
  • Stay in Tokyo
  • Drive about 1 h

Fly into Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT). A driver meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you to the hotel: about 30 to 45 minutes from Haneda, about 90 minutes from Narita. Our Tokyo hotel is central and within about 5 minutes' walk of a metro or JR station, so the city starts at the front door.

Evening

Plan to land by about 3 pm to make the evening meeting; the exact time comes with your final itinerary. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the lobby for a short briefing: how the trains work, how your suitcase is forwarded to Kyoto on day 3, what to pack in an overnight bag for the ryokan, and how the week is paced. Each guest gets a loaded IC card for the metro. Then we walk to a neighbourhood izakaya for a welcome dinner of small plates to share, the easiest introduction to Japanese food there is.

Included

  • Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT)
  • Welcome briefing with your guide
  • IC transit card for the Tokyo metro
  • Welcome dinner at an izakaya

Free time: Free until the evening briefing

Activity: From Narita the transfer is about 70 km and 90 minutes.

  1. Tokyo3 nights
  2. Hakone1 night
  3. Kyoto3 nights
  4. Osaka1 night
  • Overnight stop
  • Day trip
  • By boat or train
Print itinerary

Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn are mild and mostly dry. Cherry blossom (late March to early April) and Kyoto's autumn colour (mid-November to early December) bring crowds and higher hotel prices. The rainy season runs from about early June to mid-July, summer is hot and humid, and typhoons can disrupt trains from August to October. Mount Fuji is often hidden in cloud, most of all from late spring through summer.

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Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.

Before you book

Right for you?

Good for you if you want

  • First-time visitors who want Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka in nine days
  • Travellers who want the logistics handled: trains booked, suitcases forwarded, entries bought
  • Food lovers: a market tasting walk, a cooking class, a kaiseki dinner and a street-food night
  • Early risers happy to leave at about 6:40 am twice for quiet shrines

Not for you if you want

  • Travellers who have done the Golden Route before: our 13-day trip through the Japanese Alps goes further
  • Step-free access: Japanese stations, temples and shrines have many stairs
  • Hiroshima and Miyajima: this trip does not go there
  • A private car door to door every day: Tokyo and Nara are done on foot and by train

Book flights after we confirm your seat.

8 nights

Where you'll stay

Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.

  • Tokyo3 nights
  • Hakone1 night
  • Kyoto3 nights
  • Osaka1 night

One price

What's in the price

Included

Accommodation

  • 8 nights: 3 in a central Tokyo hotel, 1 in a traditional ryokan with onsen in Hakone, 3 in a central Kyoto hotel, 1 in an Osaka hotel near Namba
  • Hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard within about a 10-minute walk of a station, named when we confirm your dates
  • Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement

Transport

  • Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT)
  • Metro fares in Tokyo on an IC card
  • Reserved seats on the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara and from Odawara to Kyoto (a Hikari that stops at Odawara where the timetable allows, otherwise a Kodama or a change at Nagoya; two to three hours)
  • Hakone Free Pass from Odawara: the Hakone Tozan Railway, cable car, Hakone Ropeway and Lake Ashi cruise
  • Suitcase forwarding from your Tokyo hotel to your Kyoto hotel
  • Kintetsu train from Kyoto to Nara and back
  • A private vehicle and driver in Hakone on day 5, in Kyoto on day 6 and from Kyoto to Osaka with your suitcases on day 8
  • Drop-off at Kansai International Airport (KIX)

Your guide

  • A See Sight Tours guide with the group from the first evening in Tokyo to the last evening in Osaka, with local guides where a site requires one

Activities

  • Tokyo: Senso-ji and Asakusa, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku and the Shibuya crossing, Shibuya Sky at sunset
  • Tokyo: Tsukiji Outer Market tasting walk and matcha at Hama-rikyu garden
  • Hakone: Owakudani, the Lake Ashi cruise, Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park
  • Kyoto: Gion, Shirakawa, Yasaka Shrine and Pontocho at dusk
  • Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Taisha at 7 am, Nishiki Market and a cooking class
  • Nara: Todai-ji and the Great Buddha Hall, Nara Park and Kasuga Taisha
  • Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera late in the day and Kinkaku-ji at opening
  • Kyoto: tea ceremony and wagashi class
  • Osaka: Dotonbori and Hozenji Yokocho street-food walk

Meals

  • All 8 breakfasts
  • 5 lunches: the Tsukiji tasting walk, Owakudani in Hakone, a bento on the Shinkansen, the cooking class in Kyoto and Naramachi in Nara
  • 3 dinners: a welcome izakaya dinner in Tokyo, a kaiseki dinner at the ryokan and a farewell street-food dinner in Osaka

Not included

  • International flights to Tokyo and home from Osaka
  • Visas or travel authorisations, if your passport needs one
  • Travel insurance
  • Lunches and dinners not listed
  • Drinks
  • Tips (not expected in Japan)
  • Optional activities in your free time, such as teamLab Planets or Osaka Castle
  • Personal spending
  • Japan's departure tax, which is added to your airline ticket

Extras

Room of your own
CAD 975 (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+1-888-961-6584

Guest reviews

What guests say

Reviews from guests on our day tours.

Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
google

5/5

Parminder did a great job guiding us around, giving us tips & teaching us the history of the falls. A great experience!

Jane
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

Good views of the surrounding area of Halifax in a comfortable minivan

Susan
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

June was brilliant- made good contact beforehand and really attentive and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I was special- something only experience can do. Thank you June.

Tom L
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and even provided some humor.

MandL83
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Peter was a very good guide, giving us insight into the various parts of the Park, including parking lot congestion details, trail and viewing location suggestions.

Darren O
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Excellent morning spent with my guide Nancy. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip

4.7/5 from 38,601 guest reviews

Good to know

Questions

Prices in these answers apply from Dec 2, 2026. Black Friday offer: 5% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 4,590 per person. From Dec 2, 2026: from CAD 4,830.

What does the price include?

Eight nights in central hotels and a Hakone ryokan, all breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers at both ends, reserved bullet train seats, the Hakone Free Pass, suitcase forwarding from Tokyo to Kyoto, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including Shibuya Sky, the cooking class and the tea ceremony.

How big is the group?

The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough to sit together at one sushi counter or izakaya table, move quickly through stations, and hear the guide in a busy shrine.

Who leads the trip?

A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the first evening in Tokyo to the farewell dinner in Osaka, handling trains, tickets and timings. Where a site requires its own local guide or host, as at the tea ceremony and the cooking class, they join for that part. We introduce your guide before you travel.

How fit do I need to be for this Japan tour?

Moderately fit. Expect 4 to 6 hours on your feet most days, about 8 to 12 km, with stairs in stations and at shrines. The steepest part is about 45 minutes uphill at Fushimi Inari, and you can stop at the first gates instead. Your suitcase is forwarded, so you never haul it up station stairs.

I am travelling solo. Is there a single supplement?

Yes, a room of your own is from CAD 975 more, about 20 percent of the trip price, shown before you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure. If you would rather share a room, ask us when you book and we will tell you whether a roommate match is possible on your date.

When is the best time to visit Japan on this trip?

Late March to May and October to early December, when days are mild and mostly dry. Cherry blossom in early April and Kyoto's autumn colour from mid-November are beautiful but crowded and pricier. We avoid the early summer rainy season, the August heat and Golden Week at the start of May.

Will we see Mount Fuji?

Possibly, but no one can promise it. Fuji is often hidden in cloud, most of all from late spring through summer, and clearest on cold mornings from late autumn to early spring. We look for it from the Hakone Ropeway, the Lake Ashi cruise and Onshi-Hakone Park, and from Shibuya Sky on clear days.

Do I have to carry my suitcase on the bullet train?

No. On the evening of day 3 your suitcase goes by courier from the Tokyo hotel to the Kyoto hotel, and it is waiting when you arrive on day 5. You take a small overnight bag to the Hakone ryokan. From Kyoto to Osaka your suitcase rides in our vehicle.

How does booking work?

Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes included: the small group starts from CAD 4,830 and the private trip from CAD 8,695. Choose your start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we have confirmed.

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 the same hotels 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 the hotels, trains and forwarding 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 on arrival.

How is this different from your 13-day Japan trip?

This is the short first-timer route: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto with Nara, and Osaka in 9 days, travelling by bullet train. Our 13-day Japan trip goes from Tokyo through the Japanese Alps, with Kamikochi, Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa, before four nights in Kyoto.

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