Temples, Tea & Tokyo
Eight days across Japan's most iconic landscapes
Japan is a country that rewards attention. This eight-day journey moves through its cultural heartland — the preserved streets of Kyoto, the ancient temples of Nara, the restless energy of Tokyo — with a pace that allows each place to actually land. Private guides, pre-opening access, and a ryokan night in the mountains round out a trip that feels nothing like a package tour.
This is a starting-point itinerary — we adapt every detail to your travel dates, interests, pace, and group. Speak to our concierge to begin.
Starting price
from £6,800 per couple
All-inclusive of guides, transfers, and accommodation
Request this itinerary
Marco Setti
East Asia Specialist
Your specialist
“Culture trips in Asia work best when the pace allows you to actually absorb a place. I design them with breathing room built in.”
Speak with MarcoIncluded
- All airport transfers and in-trip transportation
- 7 nights accommodation (ryokan, boutique and design hotels as specified)
- Daily breakfast + 4 included dinners (tea ceremony dinner, geisha dinner, teppanyaki, omakase sushi)
- All private guides (English-speaking, specialist-level)
- Pre-opening access and priority entry at key sites
- Dedicated Excurze concierge contact throughout
Kyoto
Arrive Kyoto
Private airport transfer from Osaka Itami or Kyoto station
Check-in at a boutique ryokan in the Gion district
Evening stroll through Gion's lantern-lit streets — early evening to catch the geisha hour
Sleep: Gion ryokan, Kyoto
Kyoto
Temples & Tea
Pre-opening access to Fushimi Inari Shrine — 6:30am, before the crowds
Private tea ceremony in a 200-year-old machiya with a certified tea master
Afternoon at leisure in Nishiki Market — the city's covered food alley
Optional: private sake tasting at a Fushimi brewery
Sleep: Gion ryokan, Kyoto
Kyoto — Arashiyama
Arashiyama & the Bamboo Grove
Rickshaw ride through Arashiyama at 7am before the day-trippers arrive
Tenryu-ji garden — private guided tour of the Zen landscape
Lunch at a tofu kaiseki restaurant above the Oi River
Afternoon: Monkey Park or optional pottery class in Kiyomizu-yaki style
Sleep: Suiran Kyoto, Arashiyama
Nara
Nara Day Trip
Bullet train to Nara (45 minutes)
Private guide through Todai-ji temple and the Great Buddha
Morning among the sika deer in Nara Park — they bow back
Kasuga Grand Shrine — 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns
Return to Kyoto for private geisha dining experience (advance arrangement)
Sleep: Suiran Kyoto, Arashiyama
Osaka
Osaka & Street Food
Dotonbori canal walk with a food historian guide — takoyaki, kushikatsu, ramen
Osaka Castle at midday — private guide to the keep
Kuromon Ichiba market — Japan's kitchen in one covered street
Evening: private teppanyaki counter (chef performance dining, 8 seats only)
Sleep: Boutique hotel, Osaka
Tokyo
Shinkansen to Tokyo
Hikari shinkansen Tokyo (2h 30min) — window seat, Mt Fuji visible weather permitting
Check-in and afternoon rest
Tokyo by night: Shibuya Crossing, then private ramen tasting in Shinjuku with a local guide
Optional: Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) — yakitori in tiny post-war alley bars
Sleep: Hoshinoya Tokyo or boutique equivalent
Tokyo
Tokyo at Depth
Tsukiji outer market at 6am — the city's best tuna breakfast
Yanaka neighbourhood walk — the Tokyo that survived the earthquake and the war
Teamlab Planets or Mori Art Museum (guide arranged)
Private omakase sushi dinner at a 10-seat counter in Ginza or Azabu
Sleep: Hoshinoya Tokyo or boutique equivalent
Tokyo
Departure
Final morning at leisure — Hamarikyu Gardens or Meiji Shrine
Private transfer to Narita or Haneda airport
Departure with the strongest possible case for a return trip
Want to make this trip yours?
This is a template — every itinerary we build is adjusted to your travel dates, interests, and pace. Tell us where to start.
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