Japan Tours in January 2027

Great trip - the important places are covered at every major city and you also have enough of free time to do your own. All the hotels were great (the one in Takayama was a stand-out though). However, I would suggest you skip the optionals offered and opt for the ones offered in Klook as they are way cheaper. As my trip took place in late December, the weather was pretty cold with occasional rain so it's best that you avoid the winter period for maximum enjoyment. This trip also takes you to try the various local cuisine so that is a real plus.

My husband and I joined a group of 14 for the Simply Japan tour in November and enjoyed a really fabulous memorable trip. We were very lucky with mostly sunny dry weather for the entire trip allowing us to enjoy the autumn colours. Our group got on well. We were guided by an outstanding multilingual guide, Raya, who was passionate and knowledgeable about Japan, particularly Japanese history and customs. The itinerary was a great introduction to the country, a full on whistlestop tour, so expect lots of daily walking through stations, markets and shrines and temples. Nice contrast between modern and traditional Japan. All accommodation was of a good standard. Recommend to top or tail the trip with a longer city stay to see more of Tokyo/Kyoto or Osaka (we had 3 extra nights in Tokyo at the beginning) as the real highlights of the tour are the bits in between - the magnificent Matsumoto Castle, stunning Zenkoji Temple in Nagano and the beautiful Miyaijma Island were my favourites, and the Shinkansen trains of course. The Hiroshima memorial museum was unpleasantly crammed full of people and school kids, too busy to appreciate the significance, although the peace park surrounding it was worth visiting and right next to our hotel. The Explore guide Raya helped to make the trip for us - so motivating and caring, and keen to navigate to help everyone enjoy this varied tour even on the free days.

I have just got back from the 13 day trip to Japan and had the best time. The tour was a great experience from start to finish. This was in no small part to our group leaders Dan and Michelle who were amazing and I am so glad I got to experience Japan with such great people. The tour was a good mix of planned activities and free time in really cool and interesting places, and the local guides we met to do activities with were authentic and really felt like experts. I would recommend this trip to anyone thinking of visiting this wonderful country and INTRO made everything so easy for a very lazy man like me.

I recently returned from an incredible 13-day tour of Japan, and I can confidently say it was one of the most memorable trips Ive ever experienced. From the bustling streets of Tokyo to the tranquil temples of Kyoto, every day was packed with adventure, culture, and amazing sights. The tour was extremely well-organized, and a huge part of its success was due to our outstanding group leaders, Dan and Michelle. They were nothing short of phenomenal”always professional, approachable, and full of energy. Their knowledge of Japanese history, culture, and local secrets added so much depth to the experience. Whether it was navigating the Shinkansen (bullet train) or recommending the best ramen spots, they made every part of the journey seamless and enjoyable.

Just returned from the 13 day intro trip to Japan. It was fantastic trip covering so much and with a great group of people. Lachie our group leader was brilliant - with so much knowledge of Japan, great recommendations and just always happy to help wherever he could to make sure everyone was having the best time. Everything ran super smoothly thanks to him and definitely made the trip even better. Would really recommend the trip and hopefully you get Lachie as your tour leader!

Recently just finished the Japan 13 day Intro Trip and had an amazing time and experience, visiting some of the sites Japan has to offer. Even before we arrived Lachie got in contact with us to make sure we arrived safe and made it to the starting point/hostel. Lachie also made a group chat so that we can all interact and communicate with others on the tour as well and post helpful guides, locations and things to do when in each new place of the tour. Lachie was very knowledgeable about the temples and Japan history and incredibly helpful and always suggested multiple options and got the groups consensus in regards to places to go during free time. Overall Lachie made the tour fun and relaxing by not having to worry about accommodation and transport as well as interacting and getting to know how we all were going and if we were going ok and also made sure we knew how to get back to the airport after the tour or wherever our plans were after. I am looking forward to my next trip with intro in the future and hopefully get Lachie again as my group leader