Osaka Tours in November 2026

I don't know where to begin writing this review, as I don't know how to fully express how much we loved this trip. From the get go, communication and assistance from Explore was prompt and super helpful. We had a change to our party size shortly before departure and this was quickly and easily sorted. The trip is great value for money, and we liked how Explore use local hotels instead of large chain hotel companies. All hotels were of great location and quality. The itinerary was fantastic and all the different places we managed to fit into 2 weeks without feeling at all rushed was brilliant. We saw all the major cities and a few lesser known spots too. I was initially worried about the "free time" days, however this actually works really well. You're able to sprinkle in things you've found yourself with your own research during this free time, or make plans with the group. The group size was ideal, we had 13 in ours. We also loved using public transport during the trip, especially the bullet train which is an experience in itself. Using public transport does mean we relied on luggage forwarding services a lot and therefore needed to live out of smaller backpacks for a couple of nights occasionally but personally I didn't mind this at all and I understand its completely necessary as trying to navigate public transport with a huge case would have been impossible at times. Highlights for me were the stay in a traditional ryokan and monastery, and also our time in Hiroshima. What an incredible city! Autumn was also an amazing time of year to go. The weather was perfect and the fall foliage was just stunning. The best part of our trip was definitely our guide Sam. He made an already incredible trip unforgettable. His expertise on Japanese history and culture, his love and passion for the country and his laid back nature is second to none. He made sure we saw all the iconic spots, but also took us to less crowded, less "touristy" spots to avoid the crowds. We ate at the most incredible local restaurants where he had relationships with the owners which made for a really good night. His enthusiasm for Sumo also made us all new fans and followers of the sport! on our free time days, he also offered to take us on walks around the area and show us more sights, which he did in his own down time. This was so appreciated. These became known as " Sam's tours". Overall the group dynamic was brilliant. We had such a great time and I was honestly gutted for the trip to end. I cant wait to come back to Japan, and if we could have Sam as our guide again even better! I would and currently am recommending this trip and Explore to everyone that will listen! 10/10 trip!

Our wonderful guide Raya Gancheva is the reason I would not only recommend Explore to someone else, but look at booking our next tour with them. We all became close as a group and are still corresponding. The only reason I didn't give the accomodation 5 stars was there was a mix of places including a monestary although it was perfectly fine. The places were alll clean, close to transport systems so can navigate easily back on our own and had laundry faci.ities in the places when needed. The breakfasts were varied but all good. Before we left we had arranged an extra week on our own at the end, so I rebooked the same hotel in Tokyo as I had faith it would be good, and I was not disappointed. The forwarding on of luggage also worked very well.

My wife and I had an incredible time on our Backroads of Japan tour. This was our first ever international trip, and even with booking a tour, we weren't sure what to expect. Fortunately, our tour guide was simply phenomenal. He was perfectly fluent in Japanese and English, knowledgeable in every facet of the country (down to the geology!), attentive to the needs of our very diverse group, and knew every nook and rest stop along every trail we hiked. Overall, I made friends and many more memories through this unforgettable itinerary, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to experience Japan for the first time.

A lot of walking but mostly flat surfaces and some steps into temples. Bring small cloth in your purse as most restrooms don't have anything to dry your hands on. Fun experiences like sushi making but for us non raw fish eaters they have vegables. Try the hot baths - clean and a nice experience. Try new things. If our guide said something taste good i tried it. Went in fall so not as busy as cherry blossom time but just as memorable as the leaves changed. Clean country as they take their garbage home to recycle. Loved everything.

The Simply Japan tour is excellent for introducing visitors to the geography, history, and culture of Japan. I highly recommend it. I rated the itinerary good, rather than excellent, as this trip felt like a "full on" trip to me rather than moderate, as advertised. There are many, many stairs involved in public transportation and in visiting shrines and temples. Also, luggage forwarding is an additional complexity. And there are crowds of people to maneuver through. We were fortunate to have a terrific tour leader, Henrik Roslef. I cannot imagine a better tour leader for this type of trip which relies heavily on public transportation. Henrik is well-organized, has great command of both English and Japanese, gives clear instructions, and goes above and beyond to ensure all visitors have a memorable holiday. If you've never been to Japan before and are still on the fence about going, just go! You'll love it, especially if Henrik is your tour leader.

We had a wonderful time on this tour. The hotels, including the Monsteray and Roykan, were excellent. Some of the breakfast dining rooms felt a little crowded, but it was still manageable. We also enjoyed travelling on around five bullet trains—such a great experience. The IC card provided, pre-loaded with 5,000 yen for train travel, was very useful. Our trip highlights included the snow monkeys, Kyoto, the Hida No Sato thatched-roof village, Hiroshima, and Miyajima—where the floating Torii gate was absolutely stunning. In Kyoto, we especially loved the bamboo forest and the beautiful zen garden that followed it and a river boat trip We also enjoyed as the impressive 10,000 Torii gates at Fushimi Inari. The itinerary was excellent. Yes, there were a few free days, but with a little planning they were fantastic. For example, during our free days in Tokyo we booked Shibuya Sky, Tokyo Skytree, and TeamLab, which made those days memorable. However, we did encounter some issues with the guide. Our first guide, Marika, was new and often seemed irritable. She dressed entirely in black and did not use a flag or marker, which made it difficult to keep track of her in busy stations. She was soft-spoken, and when asked to repeat information she sometimes appeared annoyed. She rarely waited for the whole group to gather before speaking, and when those who arrived moments later asked her to repeat instructions, she looked frustrated. On several occasions, she even raised her voice. This was particularly upsetting when directed toward an older couple in the group (aged 80 and 70). She seemed to lack patience if they couldn’t hear her, walked more slowly, or needed clearer explanations. At our introduction meeting she advised us that we shouldn't tip staff in restaurants etc but she continued to say that would be happy to accept a tip from us at end of our trip..... When Marika fell ill, she was replaced by Parisa, who was also new and not Japanese. Unfortunately, she too treated the older couple poorly and showed a lack of professionalism. Both guides seemed to forget that many of us are well-travelled and experienced. Instead of trusting us and engaging confidently, they tended to speak down to the group or act with unnecessary caution. We do feel grieved by our guides - initially we were meant to have someone called Antony/Antio. Given that we paid £5,500 each (including flights), we were very disappointed to end up with two inexperienced guides. After reading previous reviews praising “exceptional” guides, my husband and I felt let down and didn’t feel we received the value for money we expected. The tour is operated by 80 days Japan