Experience Japan’s highlights by rail, from Kyoto’s temples and Koya-san’s temple stay to Hiroshima’s memorials, a Tsumago ryokan and Tokyo’s vibrant districts, with guided visits and time to explore at your own pace.
  • Discover Japan's most iconic city sites, from the geiko (geisha) district and Edo-period Nijo Castle in Kyoto to the temple district and contemporary highlights of Tokyo.
  • Learn more about the sobering past of Hiroshima at the memorial park, museums and monuments dedicated to the victims – these sites now advocate for world peace, serving as a reminder of the devastation of war.
  • Feast on okonomiyaki – Japan’s signature savoury pancake of egg, cabbage, soba noodles and meat or seafood – at an included dinner in Hiroshima.
  • Meet the locals over a home-cooked dinner during your stay in a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) in the mountain town of Tsumago – a village preserved from the Edo period.
  • Spend a night in Koya-san’s Shukubo Temple and learn about the customs of traditional Japanese accommodation as you share vegetarian meals with the monks who run the lodgings.
Experience Japanese-style stays in ryokans and minshukus, with futon bedding on tatami floors and minimal in-room furniture. Expect small attached bathrooms or shared bathing facilities with set hours, curfews at some properties, slippers in rooms, and occasional single room keys. Onsen visits are encouraged, with specific etiquette and tattoo restrictions.