In partnership with Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, we are offering a 4.5 star tour to Japan. This thoughtfully designed tour will take travelers through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka—three of Japan’s most iconic and culturally rich cities. Guests will explore celebrated sites such as the Meiji Shrine, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Nijo Castle, and Osaka Castle, many of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The itinerary features immersive experiences including a traditional rickshaw ride through a bamboo forest, a hands-on sushi-making class, and a visit to an amazing digital art museum. Free time is woven throughout the journey for relaxation, shopping, or personal exploration.
Please contact Masahiko at masahiko@johnshorstravel.com. We'd love to have you join this fabulous tour!
Fly into Tokyo; flights usually arrive in the late afternoon.
Each individual traveler or family of travelers will have a reservation for a complimentary, private car that will drive them from Narita Airport or Haneda Airport to our 5-star hotel in downtown Tokyo.
(Note: Since Narita Airport is far outside of Tokyo, this drive will take about 70 minutes. Haneda Airport is about a 30 minute from the hotel.)
Note: If guests wish to arrive one day earlier, so that they may relax for a full day before the tour starts, they may do so. Anyone arriving one day early will still have complimentary airport pickup, but will be on their own for September 22nd in terms of activities, and will be charged for an extra night at the hotel.
Check into our 5-star hotel. Our hotel will either be the Dai-Ichi Hotel, The Prince Park Tower Tokyo, or similar.
Enjoy dinner at a nearby restaurant
Meet at the hotel lobby and depart via taxis for Rikugien Gardens. Enjoy a morning guided walk through one of Tokyo's most beautiful gardens.
After taking a walking tour of this garden, we will take taxis to the Mori Building in Azabudai Hills. We will enjoy lunch within the Mori Building.
We will have tickets to the spectacular Tokyo Digital Art Museum, also known as teamLab Borderless. This amazing museum features stunning, digital gardens:
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant, Sotoroku, for dinner. This restaurant is located in the high-rise Blossom Hibiya hotel, and will provide us with a great view of the city.
Today, the group will be enjoy the day at the International Horticultural Expo in Yokohama City. There is a direct local train to and from Yokohama, and guests can enjoy the day at their leisure.
Meet at the hotel lobby and depart to Shimbashi Station. From there, take the local Tokaido Line train to Yokohama Station. This train runs every 10 minutes.
Guests can enjoy the expo and surrounding sites at their own pace!
Enjoy lunch around the expo grounds. Please keep your receipts or note the amount spent. John Shors Travel will reimburse this lunch.
Once you are content and ready to return to the hotel, together with your local guide, make your way to Yokohama Station and take the local train back to Shinbashi Station. If time permits, guests will have an optional activity of visiting Sankeien Garden, which is also in Yokohama.
Relax for the rest of the afternoon.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
Meet in the hotel lobby, with bags, and take taxis to Tokyo Station.
If we have a clear day, we’ll get a great view of Mt. Fuji.
Eat a simple box lunch on the Bullet Train.
Arrive in Kyoto, a city of more than 2,000 temples and shrines; and countless gardens.
Meet up with our local guide, and take taxis to our hotel, the 4-star Cross Hotel Kyoto. It is located in the city’s center near many attractions, restaurants, and stores. The Cross Hotel Kyoto is perfectly situated for exploring the city by foot.
Check into rooms, if possible. If not, leave our bags at the front desk.
Meet at the hotel's lobby and depart via local train, with our local guide, and enjoy a guided tour of the legendary Fushimi Inari Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Comprising thousands of “tori” gates, this shrine goes deep into a lush forest.
Return to our hotel in the city’s center, and enjoy free time.
Meet in the hotel lobby, and walk to a local restaurant positioned in one of Kyoto’s famous alleyways.
Meet in the hotel lobby and depart via taxis to see some of Kyoto’s most famous gardens.
Arrive at Nanzenji Temple, which was built in the early 13th Century, and is one of the most famous Zen temples in Japan. Nanzenji has numerous gardens, including some very special rock gardens.
Accompanied by a Japanese garden expert, we will tour the grounds of Nanzenji, exploring a variety of gardens.
While still on the temple grounds, we will visit the famous Tenjuan Garden. This ancient, lush garden is full of many features. Our local garden expert will give us a tour of this quiet garden.
We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
We will take taxis, a short distance, to Heian Jingu Shrine, one of Kyoto’s most famous landmarks. The entrance to Heian Jingu Shrine:
Heian Jingu Shrine is also home to one of the city’s most famous gardens, Shin-en, which translates into “Garden of the Gods”. This eight-acre garden features countless trees, plants, flowers, and water features.
We’ll enjoy a guided tour of this massive, beautiful, and quiet garden.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant, Ganko Sushi, which is a high-end sushi restaurant.
Meet in the lobby and depart via taxis for Arashiyama, a picturesque part of Kyoto. Arashiyama:
Enjoy a 30-minute ride through a famous bamboo forest in a traditional Japanese rickshaw.
Afterwards, spend time walking around the area or rowing on the nearby lake in small boats.
Enjoy lunch at Shigetsu restaurant, which is famous for its Zen Buddhism food (vegetarian) and is located inside the famous Tenryuji Temple grounds.
After lunch, enjoy the grounds and wonderful garden at Tenryuji Temple, which features one of the city’s most famous rock gardens.
Guests may continue to explore the area (which has great shopping), return to the hotel via taxis for free time, or walk up nearby “Monkey Mountain”. This is about a 20-minute hike, each way, and at the top of the mountain are many wild monkeys. The summit offers not only views of the monkeys, but a great view of the city.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Dinner tonight will be arranged differently, and will be an independent dinner. As there are hundreds of small restaurants within a few blocks from our hotel, guests will be responsible for, and can enjoy, a meal of their choice.
Meet in the hotel lobby, and depart via taxis with our guide, for Nijo Castle and enjoy a guided tour. Nijo has a wonderful traditional Japanese garden. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its stunning architecture and historical significance as the residence of Tokugawa shoguns.
On the Nijo Castle grounds, see a famous Eucalyptus Melliodora tree, which was planted from one of the seeds from one of the few trees that survived the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.
Enjoy a multi-course meal at a great Chinese restaurant, near Nijo Castle.
Take taxis to Saiho-ji Temple, which features one of the most famous gardens in the world. This temple, because of its moss-dominated garden, is often called the Moss Temple,
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to the nearby Fortune Garden Kyoto, which is one of the city’s best restaurants and is located next to a Zen garden. This restaurant serves French food in addition to Japanese dishes. Guests may enjoy time in the Zen garden prior to eating.
Options include:
Shopping at nearby stores
Talking a walk along the picturesque Kamogawa River
Exploring nearby neighborhoods on foot
Leave bags in the lobby.
Walk to a local restaurant of your choosing for lunch (you’ll be supplied with the local currency).
We will have a private van and driver take us from Kyoto to Osaka. This drive will take about one hour.
Check into our 5-star hotel, the Swissotel Nankai Osaka, which is a high-rise hotel that offers amazing views of the city:
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to Dotonbori, one of the most famous pedestrian malls in the world, which is known for its countless street food stalls:
After walking around Dotonbori, and seeing all of the countless food offerings, enjoy dinner at a seafood restaurant, Kani Doraku.
Meet in the hotel lobby and depart, via two private vans, for a private sushi-making class with Cooking Sun.
We will learn to make several different kinds of sushi rolls, which we will then eat for lunch.
Tour Osaka Castle, its lovely gardens, and the surrounding area.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet at one of the hotel’s restaurants for a farewell dinner.
There is a high-speed train that departs below our hotel and heads directly to Osaka airport (Kansai International Airport – KIX). A ticket and instructions will be provided for each guest for this train, and groups of guests will be accompanied by John or another guide.
$8,695 USD per person (based on double occupancy)
$10,695 USD per person (based on single occupancy)
Some details, like restaurants may change, but quality will be the same
PRICE INCLUDES:
Accommodations at two five-star hotels and one four-star hotel
All transportation within Japan
Meals and non-alcoholic drinks
Fees (temples, tours, guides, etc.)
Excursions (rickshaw ride, cooking class, etc.)
All tips
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
International airfare to Tokyo and returning from Osaka
Alcohol beverages and one dinner
Activities during free times
Hotel incidentals such as room service, mini bar, Internet and phone charges, laundry, etc.
A $2,000 nonrefundable, per person, deposit is required to reserve your spot in the tour.
This tour will be filled up on a first-come, first-serve basis
Exact tour details may differ slightly from what is listed above, depending on recommendations from local guides; as restaurants close, streets are refurbished, etc.
Before booking your slot, please ensure that you are physically and mentally fit to travel fully unassisted. This includes being able to:
Walk two or more miles per day, including on uneven surfaces
Go up and down steps and inclines
Stand for periods of time
Carry personal bags and luggage independently
Have a look at our full “Traveler Expectations and Disclaimer” page here.
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance for your trip. For your convenience, you can explore options from our trusted travel insurance partner here.