Japan Tours in September 2026

Absolutely amazing trip. Sam our guide was phenomenal, his knowledge and insight in to Japanese culture was second to none. His infectious enthusiasm for showing us not only the sights on the tour, but other little nuggets made the trip exceptional. We had a fabulous group of fellow travellers. This was our first ever group tour holiday, and we will be doing this again for sure with Explore. Organisation was spot on, accommodation perfect and the transport arrangements, forwarding of luggage, all went without a hitch. Sam made the trip for us, it wouldn’t have been the same without him!

Had a fantastic trip to Japan with Explore!. The itinerary was excellent. Covered a lot of ground in an efficient way managing to visit a wide range of different locations/ sights without being exhausting as there was a balance of travelling and stays of more than one night in some locations. Our guide (Henrick) was great. He was extremely professional and knowledgeable. Henrick went out of his way to communicate and ensured that everyone felt included. He provided optional tours in the free-time days and lots of suggestions for restaurants, etc. Really liked traveling by public transport and the balance of free time and group tours. All the accommodation was excellent. Very impressed by the organisation of the whole trip.

Thhis was an exceedingly enjoyable trip from start to finish. There was good variety in the places visited and the types of accommodation. The stays in the monastery and ryokan were fascinating, not least the onsen experiences. Our tour leader, Henrik Roslef, gave us exactly the right amount of information about the history and culture of Japan and was always willing to answer questions. He provided additional tours on free days which was much apreciated - despite the early starts. It was a great trip.

The Highlights of Japan tour was fantastic. In a short time, the itinerary gave us an opportunity to see the fascinating modern city of Tokyo, the gardens and samurai district of Kanazawa, the shrines and temples of Miyajima and Kyoto, the forests of the Japanese alps and the food district of Osaka. The organisation was superb and our guide, Zilola Kozimova, was amazing - knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. The hotels were very well-chosen, comfortable, convenient and in great locations.

A tremendous trip that combined urban and rural Japan so that one had an overall feel of the Japanese way! Toyko, Kyoto and Osaka were as buzzy as I expected. The time on the trails in the countryside was a very meditative experience. Overall a great experience.

This is a fantastic trip that packs a lot in and exposes you to more than the big cities including the Temple Fire Ceremony, bullet trains, Nagano, Hiroshima and Miyajima, traditional inns, onsens, temples and shrines. My personal highlight was seeing the snow monkeys in Jigodkudani (not guaranteed as these are wild animals). The ability to watch them play, interact and groom each other was amazing. I loved that we travelled via public transport: it exposes you to local culture and people and is much more efficient and Eco-friendly than sitting on a private bus. Our guide Henrik Roslef was exceptional, being very friendly, approachable and funny. He was well-organised and gave us detailed notes on the itinerary and plans each day, so we all knew what was happening. He was also very knowledgeable on the culture and history of Japan and explained a lot as we went. He also organised additional optional tours on the free days which was a nice touch. A few things to note: there are a few early (before 7:30am) mornings on this trip - all worth it for what we did, but bear in mind if you like a lie-in on holiday. The tour notes are clear, but worth iterating there is a lot of walking on this trip. All the hotels have a wide variety of toiletries and pyjamas so no need to pack them.