Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Japan at a slower pace: Tokyo, Mount Fuji, the Alps and Kyoto
13 days from Tokyo to Kyoto at a slower pace: two nights in a ryokan under Mount Fuji, Matsumoto and Kamikochi, Takayama and Shirakawa-go, three nights in Kyoto.
13 days · Tokyo to Kyoto · up to 12 guests
Chureito Pagoda and Mount Fuji, Fujiyoshida Photo: Dang Son, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:12-Chureito-pagoda-and-Mount-Fuji-Japan_(29677439878).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 13 days, 12 nights
- Start and end
- Tokyo to Kyoto
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Under 5 km on foot every day, in short stretches with a bench, a tea house or the vehicle seat between them. Expect gravel shrine paths, gentle slopes and taking your shoes off indoors. Where a sight has stairs, they are optional: there is a ropeway, a ride up, a lower viewpoint or a seat while others climb, and you can sit out any part. The longest walk, at Kamikochi, is about 1.5 hours on the flat with benches, and you can shorten it. No drive is longer than about 2.5 hours.
- Meals included
- 12 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,435 (estimated price)
- Season
- Late April to early June, mid-September to early November
Highlights
Why this trip
- Two nights in a ryokan under Mount Fuji, with beds, an onsen and kaiseki dinners at the table
- Mount Fuji from the Kachi Kachi Ropeway deck, and Chureito Pagoda from the park below, with its 398 steps optional
- A river boat down the Sumida to the shogun's garden at Hama-rikyu
- Kamikochi's level riverside path to Kappa Bridge, with lunch in the valley
- Shirakawa-go's thatched farmhouses before the coaches, with a ride up to the viewpoint
- The Arashiyama bamboo grove early and quiet, then the Golden Pavilion
- A tea ceremony at tables and chairs, and Gion as the lanterns come on
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 1,435 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Tokyo
Haneda or Narita airport to your hotel, welcome dinner
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Tokyo
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT). We meet you in the arrivals hall, take your suitcase from you and drive you to a central hotel chosen for its lifts, your base for three nights; Haneda is about 30 to 45 minutes away, Narita closer to 90.
Afternoon
There is nothing to do this afternoon but rest, sleep off the flight or take a short walk near the hotel.
Evening
In the early evening your guide meets the group in the lobby and explains how the trip works: late-ish starts, short walks with somewhere to sit, a vehicle that waits for you and carries your bags, and a free afternoon every other day. Then a short drive to a welcome dinner at a neighbourhood restaurant, with table seating rather than the floor, where small plates of yakitori, sashimi and seasonal vegetables arrive to share.
Included
- Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) airport
- Welcome meeting with your guide
- Welcome dinner with table seating
Free time: Afternoon free to rest
Activity: Hardly any walking today.
Asakusa and a boat down the Sumida
Senso-ji, the river boat to Hama-rikyu, Shibuya Sky in the evening
- Breakfast
- Stay in Tokyo
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Breakfast at your own pace, then at about 8:30 the vehicle takes you to Asakusa. Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, is busy by mid-morning, so we go before the shops along Nakamise fully open and the tour groups arrive. Pass under the red Kaminarimon gate and its giant paper lantern and walk the short, level approach to the main hall. From the pier nearby, a river boat takes you seated down the Sumida River for about 35 minutes, under its bridges, to Hama-rikyu, a former shogun's garden whose landing stage is inside the grounds.
Afternoon
Walk its flat paths to the teahouse on the pond for a bowl of matcha and a sweet, then lunch near Ginza. The vehicle brings you back to the hotel by early afternoon to rest.
Evening
At dusk, only for those who want it after the rest, the lifts rise to the Shibuya Sky deck above Shibuya Crossing.
Included
- Senso-ji and Asakusa in the morning
- River boat from Asakusa to Hama-rikyu
- Hama-rikyu garden, with matcha at the pond teahouse
- Optional: Shibuya Sky deck at dusk, after an afternoon rest (entry included)
Easier option: Stay seated on the boat and in the teahouse; skip Shibuya Sky and rest.
Free time: Afternoon rest at the hotel
Activity: About 3 km on foot in short, level stretches, with the boat and the teahouse as seats.
Meiji Jingu, Tsukiji and a free afternoon
Shrine walk and market tasting lunch, then Tokyo on your own
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Tokyo
- Drive about 1 h
At about 9 the vehicle drops you at the nearest gate of Meiji Jingu, and you walk its wide, level gravel paths, about 10 minutes to the main shrine, through the forest planted when the shrine was built for Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken in 1920. You pass under a great wooden torii, see the wall of sake barrels given by brewers and, with luck, a wedding procession crossing the courtyard. Benches line the way. Then cross the city to the Tsukiji Outer Market, which stayed when the wholesale fish market moved to Toyosu in 2018.
Afternoon
Your guide leads a tasting walk through its stalls, tamagoyaki omelette, tuna, grilled scallops, with a stop at a counter where you can sit, enough for lunch. The afternoon is yours: the museums of Ueno, the department stores of Ginza, or a nap.
Included
- Meiji Jingu shrine
- Guided tasting walk in the Tsukiji Outer Market, as lunch
Easier option: Wait on a bench near the shrine gate while the group walks the inner courtyard.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 2.5 km on foot, mostly on level gravel and pavement.
To Mount Fuji and a ryokan
Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchiko by private vehicle, about 2 hours
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Lake Kawaguchiko
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
Leave Tokyo after breakfast, at about 9:30, with your suitcases in the back of the vehicle. The drive west to Lake Kawaguchiko, one of the Fuji Five Lakes at the foot of Mount Fuji, takes about 2 hours, with a rest stop on the expressway.
Afternoon
After lunch by the lake, walk the level flower beds of Oishi Park on the north shore, where the 3,776 m volcano, a World Heritage site since 2013, rises across the water when the cloud allows; there are benches facing the view. Then check in to a ryokan for two nights, chosen for a lift and for rooms with beds as well as tatami.
Evening
Change into a yukata, soak in the hot spring onsen, and sit down to a kaiseki dinner of many small seasonal courses, at a table with chairs.
Included
- Private vehicle and driver from Tokyo
- Oishi Park on Lake Kawaguchiko
- The first of two nights in a ryokan with onsen
- Kaiseki dinner at the ryokan
Free time: Late afternoon at the ryokan
Activity: Under 1.5 km on foot, all level.
A Fuji morning and an afternoon in the onsen
Arakurayama Sengen Park and Chureito Pagoda, the Kachi Kachi Ropeway, the ryokan
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Lake Kawaguchiko
- Drive about 1 h
Mount Fuji is clearest early in the day, so this is one of the few mornings that starts a little before 8. Drive about 15 minutes to Arakurayama Sengen Park, where the shrine and the lower park are reached on the level. Chureito Pagoda, the five-storey peace memorial of 1963, stands on the hillside above at the top of 398 steps, and the classic view of the pagoda with Fuji beyond its roof is from the deck up there. The steps are optional: those who want them climb with the guide, and everyone else sees the pagoda from the park below, with a bench. Then the Kachi Kachi Ropeway rises in about three minutes from the lakeshore to a viewing deck on Mount Tenjo, with the lake below and Fuji opposite, a view of the mountain with no climb at all.
Afternoon
Before lunch, a short drive to Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nenba, a village of rebuilt thatched farmhouses where craftspeople work in the old rooms. After lunch you are back at the ryokan for a free afternoon in the onsen or the garden.
Evening
The second kaiseki dinner is tonight.
Included
- Arakurayama Sengen Park, with Chureito Pagoda above (the 398 steps are optional)
- Kachi Kachi Ropeway to the Mount Tenjo viewing deck
- Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nenba thatched village
- Second kaiseki dinner at the ryokan
Optional experiences
- A walk to the pagoda at first light with your guide, for those who want the dawn view.
Easier option: Stay in the lower park by the shrine, on a bench with the pagoda above, while others climb; the Fuji view comes from the ropeway deck.
More active option: Climb the 398 steps to the pagoda deck with your guide, for the classic view of the pagoda and Fuji.
Free time: Afternoon free at the ryokan
Activity: About 2 km on foot, level in the park and on the ropeway deck; the 398 steps to the pagoda are optional.
Matsumoto and its black castle
Lake Kawaguchiko to Matsumoto, about 2 to 2.5 hours
- Breakfast
- Stay in Matsumoto
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
A late breakfast and a 10 am departure north on the Chuo Expressway, about 2 to 2.5 hours with a break halfway, to Matsumoto, a castle town on a plain ringed by the Northern Alps.
Afternoon
Lunch in town first, then Matsumoto Castle. Its black-walled keep, completed in the 1590s, is one of only twelve original castle keeps left in Japan and a National Treasure. The grounds, the moat and the red Uzumi bridge are level and give the classic view, with the mountains behind on a clear day. Inside, the keep has steep wooden stairs, close to ladders, with no lift; climb them only if you are happy to, while others stay in the garden with the guide. Then a gentle stroll along Nakamachi street, with its white storehouses, to the hotel, your base for two nights.
Included
- Private vehicle over the Chuo Expressway
- Matsumoto Castle grounds, with entry to the keep
- Walk along Nakamachi street
Easier option: Stay in the castle grounds and the garden rather than climbing the keep.
More active option: Climb all six floors of the keep.
Free time: Evening free in Matsumoto
Activity: About 2 km on foot, level, plus the keep's stairs if you choose them.
Kamikochi, the valley of the Northern Alps
Matsumoto to Sawando, shuttle bus into Kamikochi and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Matsumoto
- Drive about 2 h
Kamikochi is a high valley at about 1,500 m in Chubu Sangaku National Park, closed to private cars. Leave at about 9, drive about an hour into the mountains to Sawando, and ride the shuttle bus for about 30 minutes through tunnels and forest. Get off at Taisho Pond, formed in 1915 when an eruption of Mount Yakedake dammed the Azusa River; dead trees still stand in the still water. A level path and boardwalks follow the river through larch woods, past Tashiro Pond, to Kappa Bridge, with the Hotaka peaks above. The walk takes about an hour and a half at an easy pace, and there are benches and rest houses along it.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a lodge restaurant near the bridge, then time to sit by the clear water before the bus back down. You are back in Matsumoto by about 4.
Included
- Return shuttle bus between Sawando and Kamikochi
- Guided walk from Taisho Pond to Kappa Bridge
- Lunch at a lodge restaurant in Kamikochi
Easier option: Stay on the bus to the Kamikochi terminal and walk only the riverside near Kappa Bridge, under 1 km.
More active option: Walk on from Kappa Bridge to Myojin Pond and back, about 6 to 7 km more on the flat.
Free time: Late afternoon free
Activity: About 3.5 km on level paths over about 1.5 hours at an easy pace, with benches and rest houses; the easy option is under 1 km. The valley is cool even in summer.
Over the Alps to Takayama
Matsumoto to Takayama on Route 158, about 2 hours
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Takayama
- Drive about 2 h
Leave Matsumoto at about 9:30 on Route 158, which climbs through the mountains and the Abo Tunnel into the Hida region, about 2 hours with a stop for coffee and the views.
Afternoon
Arrive in Takayama for lunch and check in to the hotel, your base for two nights. In the afternoon walk the three parallel lanes of Sanmachi Suji, the old merchant quarter, past dark wooden houses with low eaves and lattice windows; the lanes are flat and short. A ball of cedar leaves over a door marks a sake brewery, and you sit down in one for a tasting. Then Takayama Jinya, the only surviving Edo-period government office of its kind, where the shogun's governors ran Hida; you walk its tatami rooms in your socks.
Evening
In the evening the group meets for a Hida beef dinner, the marbled beef the region is known for.
Included
- Private vehicle over the Alps on Route 158
- Guided walk in Sanmachi Suji
- Sake tasting at a Takayama brewery
- Takayama Jinya
- Hida beef dinner
Free time: Early evening free before dinner
Activity: About 2.5 km on foot, all level.
Shirakawa-go, then a free afternoon
Takayama to Shirakawa-go and back, about 50 minutes each way
- Breakfast
- Stay in Takayama
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
Shirakawa-go fills with day coaches from about 10, so this morning we leave Takayama at 8:15, the one early hour the village asks for, and arrive at about 9:05. Ogimachi, a World Heritage village since 1995, is known for its gassho-zukuri farmhouses, named for steep thatched roofs that look like hands joined in prayer, built to shed heavy snow. We ride up to the Shiroyama viewpoint for the view over the roofs and rice fields, by the small shuttle bus where it is running or otherwise by taxi, rather than climbing the steep path; if neither can go up, your guide takes you to a level spot in the village with a view of the roofs. Back in the village, the level lanes lead to Wada House, the largest of the farmhouses, where the ground floor shows family life and steep stairs lead to the attic floors once used for silkworms.
Afternoon
Return to Takayama for lunch, and the afternoon is free: a coffee by the Miyagawa River, the Hida Folk Village, or a rest.
Included
- Shirakawa-go, with a ride up to the Shiroyama viewpoint (shuttle bus where running, otherwise taxi)
- Wada House
Easier option: See Wada House's ground floor only and wait in the village tea house.
More active option: Walk down from the viewpoint to the village by the footpath, about 20 minutes.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Takayama
Activity: About 2 km on foot, level in the village; Wada House's upper floors are reached by steep stairs and are optional.
Takayama market and the train to Kyoto
Morning market, then the Hida limited express and Shinkansen to Kyoto, about 3 hours
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Kyoto
- By train
Morning
The Miyagawa morning market runs along the river from about 7 to noon, and after breakfast we walk the short, level stretch from the hotel while farmers sell pickles, miso, mountain vegetables and flowers.
Afternoon
In the late morning board the Hida limited express, in reserved seats with a bento lunch from the station, for about 2 hours 20 minutes down the Hida River gorge to Nagoya. Your guide takes you through Nagoya station by its lifts to the Tokaido Shinkansen, which reaches Kyoto in about 35 minutes. You carry only a day bag: your suitcase goes ahead by road in the vehicle and is waiting at the Kyoto hotel, your base for the last three nights. Arrive in the middle of the afternoon with time to settle in.
Evening
The evening is free; your guide will suggest a quiet dinner nearby.
Included
- Miyagawa morning market
- Reserved seats on the Hida limited express and the Tokaido Shinkansen
- Bento lunch on the train
- Your bags taken by road to the Kyoto hotel
Free time: Evening free in Kyoto
Activity: About 1.5 km on foot, including the station change in Nagoya, with lifts.
Arashiyama and the Golden Pavilion
The bamboo grove early, Tenryu-ji, Kinkaku-ji, a free afternoon
- Breakfast
- Stay in Kyoto
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
The Arashiyama bamboo grove is packed by 10, so this is the trip's earliest start: an early breakfast, then the vehicle drops you at the grove at about 7:30, when the tall green stems creak in the breeze and the path is quiet. It is a short, gently sloping walk. Next door, the garden of Tenryu-ji, a World Heritage Zen temple, opens at 8:30; sit on the veranda of the hall above its 14th-century pond garden, then walk its level paths. Coffee follows by the Togetsukyo bridge over the Katsura River. In the late morning drive across to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, its upper floors covered in gold leaf above a mirror pond; the loop around it is about 1 km on gravel.
Afternoon
Lunch is yours nearby, with your guide's suggestions, then the vehicle takes you back to the hotel for a free afternoon.
Included
- Arashiyama bamboo grove in the early morning
- Tenryu-ji garden
- Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion
Easier option: Sit out the Kinkaku-ji loop at the tea garden near the exit.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3.5 km on foot over the morning, on gentle slopes and gravel, with seats at each stop.
Fushimi Inari, a tea ceremony and Gion
Fushimi Inari to the Senbon Torii, tea at a table, Gion at dusk, farewell dinner
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Kyoto
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After yesterday's early start, this morning begins after a normal breakfast, and the vehicle drops you at the gate of Fushimi Inari Taisha at about 9:30.
Evening
The shrine is open all night and busier by now, but the stretch we walk is short. Pass through the main shrine to the Senbon Torii, the double tunnels of vermilion gates, about 10 minutes from the main hall with some steps on the way; that is where the group stops. Beyond it the path to the Okusha inner shrine is a continuous stone staircase of about 20 to 30 minutes, an extra for anyone who wants to climb with the guide while others wait at a tea house near the main shrine. In the late morning a tea ceremony with a host who explains each step, from the whisking of the matcha to the turning of the bowl, held at tables and chairs rather than kneeling on tatami. Lunch is yours, followed by a rest at the hotel. In the late afternoon, as the lanterns come on, your guide walks you along Shirakawa canal and the old streets of Gion. The farewell dinner is tonight.
Included
- Fushimi Inari Taisha, the main shrine and the Senbon Torii
- Tea ceremony with table seating
- Evening walk in Gion
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Walk the main shrine and the first torii only, about 15 minutes, and wait at the tea house.
More active option: Climb on to the Okusha inner shrine, about 20 to 30 minutes up stone steps, or on to the Yotsutsuji viewpoint, about 45 minutes up.
Free time: Lunch and early afternoon free
Activity: About 3 km on foot over the day. The walk to the Senbon Torii has some steps; everything beyond it is a stone staircase and optional.
A last Kyoto morning
Free morning, then Kansai International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
Your last morning is free, with no alarm. Kyoto rewards one more unhurried walk: the Kamo River path, where locals stroll and walk their dogs, Nishiki Market as its stalls open, or a coffee near the hotel.
Evening
Your guide can suggest a short route the evening before. Then the vehicle takes you, with your bags, to Kansai International Airport (KIX), about 1.5 hours away, for your flight home; book a flight leaving after about 1 pm so there is no rush. If you would rather stay on in Kyoto or travel on to Osaka, Hiroshima or Tokyo, tell us when you book and we can add nights or arrange a different transfer. Itami airport, for domestic flights, is also possible on request. Leave space in your bag for what you found along the way.
Included
- Drop-off at Kansai International Airport (KIX)
Free time: Morning free
Activity: Book a flight home leaving after about 1 pm.
- Tokyo3 nights
- Lake Kawaguchiko2 nights
- Matsumoto2 nights
- Takayama2 nights
- Kyoto3 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Mountain weather in the Alps changes quickly and can close roads or the Kamikochi buses for a day; if that happens your guide moves the day around. Kyoto and Tokyo can still be warm and humid in September, so free afternoons fall in the warmest hours.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers over 60 who want Tokyo, Mount Fuji, the Alps and Kyoto without long days or early starts
- Anyone who walks comfortably for about 20 minutes at a time, with a seat between stretches; the longest walk, at Kamikochi, is about 1.5 hours on the flat with benches, and you can shorten it
- Couples and solo travellers who want two or three nights in each base and a free afternoon every other day
- First-time visitors to Japan who would like a ryokan without sleeping on the floor
Not for you if you want
- Wheelchair users who need a fully step-free trip: shrines have gravel and slopes and old buildings have steps
- Travellers who want to see as much as possible; the parent trip adds Kanazawa and Nara at a faster pace
- Hikers who want long mountain walks every day
- Travellers who pack more than one medium suitcase and a small bag each
Most guests are 60 and over
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
12 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Tokyo3 nights
- Lake Kawaguchiko2 nights
- Matsumoto2 nights
- Takayama2 nights
- Kyoto3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 12 nights: 3 in Tokyo, 2 in a ryokan with onsen at Lake Kawaguchiko, 2 in Matsumoto, 2 in Takayama and 3 in Kyoto, in central hotels chosen for their lifts and location, and a ryokan chosen for a lift and rooms with beds
Transport
- Pick-up at Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) airport
- Our own vehicle and driver for the whole trip, with your suitcases aboard
- River boat from Asakusa to Hama-rikyu
- Kachi Kachi Ropeway at Lake Kawaguchiko
- Return shuttle bus between Sawando and Kamikochi
- A ride up to the Shiroyama viewpoint at Shirakawa-go, by shuttle bus where running, otherwise taxi
- Reserved seats on the Hida limited express and the Tokaido Shinkansen from Takayama to Kyoto
- Drop-off at Kansai International Airport (KIX)
Your guide
- A trained See Sight Tours guide with the group from Tokyo to Kyoto, and local guides where a site requires one
Activities
- Tokyo: Senso-ji, Hama-rikyu garden with matcha, Shibuya Sky, Meiji Jingu and the Tsukiji tasting walk
- Lake Kawaguchiko: Oishi Park, Arakurayama Sengen Park below Chureito Pagoda, the Kachi Kachi Ropeway and Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nenba
- Matsumoto: Matsumoto Castle and Kamikochi
- Takayama: Sanmachi Suji, a sake tasting, Takayama Jinya, the morning market, Shirakawa-go and Wada House
- Kyoto: the Arashiyama bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji garden, Kinkaku-ji, Fushimi Inari to the Senbon Torii, a tea ceremony and a Gion walk
Meals
- All 12 breakfasts
- 3 lunches: the Tsukiji tasting walk, a lodge lunch in Kamikochi and a bento on the train
- 5 dinners: welcome dinner, two kaiseki dinners at the ryokan, Hida beef in Takayama and a farewell dinner in Kyoto
Not included
- International flights to Tokyo and home from Osaka (Kansai)
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance, with medical cover suited to your age and health
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks other than those with included meals
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the dawn walk to Chureito Pagoda
- Personal spending in your free time
- More than one medium suitcase and a small bag each
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,435 (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
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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
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October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 6,770 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 7,330. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 7,965.
How slow is the pace, and what if I walk more slowly than the others?
Slow enough to enjoy it. Every base is two or three nights, no drive is longer than about 2.5 hours, walks are under 5 km a day in short stretches, and there is a free afternoon every other day. The group walks at the pace of its slowest member, the vehicle is never far away, and you can sit out any part with a seat nearby.
Are there many stairs, and do the hotels have lifts?
No stairs you have to climb. Where a sight has steps, such as the 398 to Chureito Pagoda, Matsumoto Castle's keep or the torii paths of Fushimi Inari, they are optional and there is a lower viewpoint, a ride up or a seat. We choose hotels for their lifts and a ryokan with a lift and beds as well as tatami.
Can I come if I use a walking stick?
Yes, if you can walk for about 20 minutes at a time on gravel and gentle slopes, with a seat between stretches. The longest walk is at Kamikochi, about 1.5 hours on the flat with benches, and you can shorten it to under 1 km. The trip is not suitable for wheelchair users. Tell us your needs when you book.
How much luggage can I bring, and who carries it?
One medium suitcase and a small bag each. The driver and your guide load and unload the suitcases at every hotel, and on the train day to Kyoto your suitcase goes ahead by road, so you carry only the small bag. Hotel staff usually take it to your room. Larger or extra cases do not fit the vehicle.
What if I need a doctor, and what insurance do I need?
Your guide can take you to a pharmacy or clinic in every base, and hotels can help call a doctor; Japanese pharmacies and hospitals are good but medical care is expensive for visitors. Travel insurance with medical and evacuation cover suited to your age and health is strongly recommended. Bring prescriptions in their original packaging, as Japan restricts some common medicines.
What does the price include?
Twelve nights including two in a ryokan, all breakfasts, three lunches and five dinners, airport transfers, a private vehicle and driver for the whole trip, the Kamikochi bus, the Sumida river boat, the Kachi Kachi Ropeway, reserved trains to Kyoto, a trained guide throughout, every entry fee in the day plan, the sake tasting and the tea ceremony.
How big is the group and who leads it?
Between 7 and 12 guests, never combined with another departure. A trained See Sight Tours guide travels with you from the airport in Tokyo to the airport in Osaka, with a professional driver and our own vehicle, and local guides where a site requires one.
I am travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 1,435 on top of the small-group price, and you get the same room type as everyone else, not a smaller one. If you would like to share, tell us and we will try to pair you with another solo guest of the same gender, though we cannot promise a match.
When is the best time to go?
Late April to early June and mid-September to early November. Kamikochi's buses run only from about mid-April to mid-November, the rainy season falls in June and July, and August is hot and humid, which is tiring at any age. Cherry blossom and Kyoto's peak autumn colour are lovely but the most crowded weeks.
How does booking work?
You choose a date and send a request to book; no payment is taken at that stage. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 7,965 per person sharing, with taxes.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private version is your party only, with your own guide, vehicle and driver, on a date you choose, from CAD 14,335 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section for a quote: we can book the same hotels, ryokan, trains and guided visits.
Do I need a visa for Japan?
Canadians and citizens of many other countries can visit Japan as tourists for up to 90 days without a visa. Check the current rules for your passport before you book, and bring any prescription medicines in their original packaging, as Japan restricts some common medicines.
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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