Tours & experiences

Tours in Japan

Small-group tours, day trips, cooking classes and multi-day adventures. Every tour vetted for traveller reviews first.

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Osaka Food Tour Eat Like a Local in Namba and Dotonbori

★ 5.0 (17)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Japan

Osaka Food Tour Eat Like a Local in Namba and Dotonbori

Taste your way through Osaka's culinary heart across 3.5 hours, guided by locals who know these streets intimately. You'll hit five neighbourhood joints in Namba and Dotonbori, sampling what residents actually eat: takoyaki, kushikatsu, udon, karaage and rotating specials. Small groups mean you're never crushed against crowds, and your guide speaks from lived experience, not a script. Two drinks are your shout, the rest flows naturally.

Sake Blending Experience : Craft Your Own Signature Sake

Work alongside a sake master in a private brewery lab to blend five distinct sake styles into your own 500ml bottle. Over two hours in Japan, you'll learn the post-fermentation techniques that shape flavour, taste through each component, and finish by hand-painting a kanji character onto your custom label—a tangible record of your creation to take home.

Tokyo Your Way A Tailored Full Day Friendly Food Tour With Guide

Craft your own Tokyo itinerary with a local guide over 6–7 hours, choosing three to four neighbourhoods that genuinely interest you. Rather than following a fixed route, you'll navigate the city by train and foot as residents do, stopping for wagyu lunch and dinner along the way. Your guide reveals the layered histories and contemporary energy that no map captures—from Shinjuku Gyoen's gardens to Shibuya's controlled chaos.

6 hours – 7 hoursfrom AUD $391

Hiroshima’s Heart: A 4-Hour Private Storytelling Walk

★ 5.0 (17)

🛕 Culture & History

Japan

Hiroshima’s Heart: A 4-Hour Private Storytelling Walk

A four-hour private walk through Hiroshima led by a long-time resident guide who unpacks the city's layered story—from feudal castle grounds through wartime devastation to present-day life. You'll start at either Shukkeien Garden or Peace Memorial Park, move through Hiroshima Castle and Gokoku Shrine to grasp the pre-1945 landscape, then follow the Peace Line into the memorial precinct. The pace stays unhurried, leaving room for questions and genuine reflection rather than ticking off checkboxes.

Traditional Japanese Costumes "Kimono", "Yukata", "Ryuso", "Photograph Course "Hair Set & Lipstick & Kimono & Photography"

Step into traditional Japanese dress at this Tokyo studio where you'll be styled head-to-toe in authentic kimono, yukata, or formal ryuso before a professional photoshoot. A stylist handles your hair, makeup, and garment draping—all you do is show up and pose. The studio stocks over 500 pieces across all sizes, from infants to adults, making it genuinely accessible. You leave with photographs and the memory of seeing yourself as Japanese nobility might have centuries ago. One hour total.

1 hourfrom AUD $31

Shore Excursion from Hiroshima Port : Private Tour in Hiroshima

★ 5.0 (17)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Shore Excursion from Hiroshima Port : Private Tour in Hiroshima

A private vehicle tour designed for cruise passengers docking at Hiroshima, covering the city's defining monuments within a single day. The itinerary centres on the Peace Memorial Park and Museum, followed by a ferry crossing to Miyajima Island. A driver collects you from port at 08:00, manages the day's logistics, and returns you by 17:00. Total duration spans up to 9 hours with built-in lunch, allowing genuine time at each stop rather than rushed circuit tourism.

4 hours – 9 hoursfrom AUD $2842

Tokyo Shibuya Hidden Izakaya and Karaoke Night Tour

★ 5.0 (17)

🍹 Nightlife

Japan

Tokyo Shibuya Hidden Izakaya and Karaoke Night Tour

A three-hour evening through Shibuya's backstreet drinking culture, starting with two hours in a tucked-away izakaya serving Japanese nibbles alongside sake, shochu and whiskey sodas, then moving to a private karaoke booth for an hour of singing. You'll navigate Tokyo's neighbourhood bars with an English-speaking guide, meeting other travellers in genuine local settings rather than tourist traps. Bring cash for food and drinks; karaoke fees run ¥1000–2000 per person.

[1 Group Only] Tokyo Shibuya Food Tour for Family

Spend three-and-a-half hours in Shibuya with your family cooking Japanese street food, playing vintage arcade games, and snapping photos at a purikura booth. This private tour keeps just your group together, moving through three neighbourhood food spots where you'll make okonomiyaki and monjayaki from scratch, then sit down to yakitori with a drink of your choice. A guide documents the evening with professional shots so you can focus on the experience rather than managing a camera.

Tokyo: Tsukiji Fish Market Tour & Sushi Making with Tuna Tasting

When Lily from our team tried this Tokyo experience, she got the rare treat of accessing Tsukiji's inner lanes and then making her own sushi in just two hours. You start with an English-guided walk through the market's working stalls—the kind of places tourists normally miss—meeting shop owners and seeing the tools of the trade. Then it's hands-on in a proper kitchen: rolling and shaping premium tuna, salmon, and seasonal vegetables with authentic Japanese knives, finishing your work in a handcrafted wooden bento box. The operator has over a century of Tsukiji roots, and the small-group cap of eight keeps it intimate. It's a solid way to kick off a Tokyo day without burning half of it.

Private Tea Ceremony & Kimono Experience in Nikko

When Alex from our team did this Nikko tea ceremony, we got the full cultural treatment: dressed in a proper kimono, then guided through a traditional matcha service in a quiet room near the UNESCO-listed Toshogu Shrine. The host—a certified tea teacher, kimono master, and ikebana instructor—walked us through each deliberate gesture without the usual tourist rush. The whole thing runs 90 minutes indoors, so weather's never an issue. It's the kind of experience that feels genuine rather than staged, especially if you've never sat through a formal tea ceremony before.

Kyoto tea town for matcha lovers

Explore Uji, the matcha heartland south of Kyoto, on this five-hour walking tour designed for those serious about green tea. You'll navigate historic streets, visit working tea fields and centuries-old shrines, then sit down to a traditional tea ceremony at a genuine tea house. Lunch centres on seasonal dishes built around matcha and tea-infused soba, with tastings woven throughout the day.

5 hours – 5h 30mfrom AUD $224

Tattoo-Friendly Funaoka Onsen & Japanese bathing Culture Tour

★ 5.0 (16)

🧖 Wellness & Spa

Japan

Tattoo-Friendly Funaoka Onsen & Japanese bathing Culture Tour

Spend 90 minutes learning the philosophy and practice of Japanese bathing culture, starting at a converted bathhouse café where a local guide walks you through proper technique and etiquette. Then head to Funaoka Onsen, a historic Kyoto bathhouse where residents have soaked for generations, and experience the ritual firsthand. You'll leave with a bathing guide and genuine understanding of this cornerstone of Japanese wellness tradition.

Fushimi Inari - Arashiyama: Torii Gates, Bamboo, Monkeys & Secret

A 5–6 hour guided walk through Kyoto's most atmospheric sites: start at [Fushimi Inari Taisha](/places/fushimi-inari-shrine), threading through thousands of vermillion torii gates on a moderately strenuous hike, then pivot to Arashiyama's gentler pleasures—Tenryuji's manicured gardens, a towering bamboo stand, and the viewpoint at Togetsukyo Bridge. Your bilingual guide reveals tucked-away corners and local anecdotes. Train fees and lunch are separate; the itinerary suits solo travellers, couples, and small groups with moderate fitness.

5 hours – 6 hoursfrom AUD $121

Mt. Fuji Drive Tour (Includes Visit to Fuji Speedway)

★ 5.0 (16)

🏔 Adventure & Sports

Japan

Mt. Fuji Drive Tour (Includes Visit to Fuji Speedway)

Combine two Japanese icons in a single 6–7 hour outing from Tokyo: drive past [Mount Fuji](/places/mount-fuji)'s most photographed vantage point at Arakurayama Sengen Park, then head to Fuji Speedway for a behind-the-scenes tour of its four circuits. Petrol heads can upgrade to pilot a GT 86 around the legendary track itself. Wrap up with lunch at trackside Crane Cafe and browse the speedway's automotive museum. Includes private transport and English-speaking guide throughout.

6 hours – 7 hoursfrom AUD $402

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Early Half Day to Kyoto Highlights

Starting early to dodge the queues, this five-hour walking tour hits three of Kyoto's most photographed landmarks using public transport: the thousands of vermillion gates at Fushimi Inari, the dense bamboo groves of Arashiyama, and the mirrored pond reflecting Kinkakuji's golden pavilion. Your local guide unpacks the religious significance, architectural choices, and everyday Japanese life woven through each stop, leaving your afternoon free for wandering elsewhere in the city.

5 hoursfrom AUD $130

Tokyo Private SightSeeing Day Tour With Guide

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Tokyo Private SightSeeing Day Tour With Guide

Spend ten hours with a private guide navigating Tokyo's contrasts—centuries-old temples and shrines sit alongside neon-lit shopping districts and observation decks. Your driver handles the navigation while you move between the serene Imperial Palace East Gardens, the bustling Tsukiji Fish Market, the vermillion gates of Senso-ji, [Meiji Jingu](/places/meiji-shrine)'s forested grounds, the fashion chaos of Takeshita Street, and the organized mayhem of [Shibuya Crossing](/places/shibuya-crossing). You'll experience how Tokyo layers its past and present without pretension.

10 hoursfrom AUD $986

★ 5.0 (16)

🏔 Adventure & Sports

Japan

Private Electric Bike Tour & Soba Lunch

Pedal through Matsumoto's countryside on an e-bike, moving at an easy clip past rice paddies and traditional farmhouses. This six-hour guided ride weaves between the city's castle district and surrounding rural landscapes, stopping for sightseeing and photographs. You'll finish with a bowl of fresh soba noodles at a village restaurant, giving you the feel of how locals actually move through this region rather than how tourists typically do.

Kyoto Gion Cultural Walk with Geisha Traditions Explained

Explore Gion and Ponto-chō's geisha districts on foot with a Kyoto-based guide who's lived here for years. This two-hour walk threads through both celebrated lanes and backstreet alleyways, unpacking the real distinctions between geiko and maiko, how teahouses operate, and what respectful engagement looks like. You'll see machiya wooden townhouses, learn shrine customs, and understand the district's layered history. Your guide stays nearby after the tour to steer you toward quieter bars and lesser-known restaurants.

2 hoursfrom AUD $40

Hakone Private & Custom Day Tour with English Driver-guide

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Hakone Private & Custom Day Tour with English Driver-guide

Spend a full day exploring Hakone's volcanic landscapes and cultural attractions with a private driver-guide who tailors the route to your interests. This 10-hour tour covers the region's highlights—from the Motohakone Pirate Ship and cable car rides to art museums and shrine grounds—without the constraints of group schedules. You'll travel in a comfortable air-conditioned van with all transport logistics handled, leaving you free to move at your own pace and linger where things catch your eye.

10 hoursfrom AUD $537

Mount Fuji Full Day Customize Private Tour With English Guide

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Mount Fuji Full Day Customize Private Tour With English Guide

When Charlie from our Global Hobo crew booked this private Mount Fuji tour from Tokyo, we got a full day spinning through the volcanic landscape with a dedicated English-speaking guide and our own transport. The itinerary sweeps across the big draws — Lake Kawaguchiko's mirror-still waters, the 5th Station viewpoint, Oshino Hakkai's spring-fed ponds, Oishi Park's flower beds, the iconic Chureito Pagoda framed against the peak, and the Hakone Ropeway's sulphurous views. It's pitched as customisable, so you're not locked into a rigid schedule. Eight to ten hours on the road means a proper chunk of your day, but you're seeing Fuji from multiple angles without the tourist-bus shuffle.

8 hours – 10 hoursfrom AUD $479

Nagasaki Highlights Private Full-Day Tour by Car

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Nagasaki Highlights Private Full-Day Tour by Car

When Lily from our Global Hobo crew ran this Nagasaki tour, it felt like the kind of thing you'd do if a cruise had left you just 6 hours to see the city properly. Private car the whole way meant no trudging between sites in what can be genuinely wet weather, and everything—entrance fees, transport, the lot—was sorted upfront with no gotchas at the end. You hit the essential three: Dejima's Dutch trading post, the Atomic Bomb Museum, and Glover Garden's colonial architecture. It's designed tight for cruise passengers, but honest enough to admit you're fitting a lot in.

Tokyo Castle, Imperial Palace Gardens, Shogun History Tour

When Noah from our Global Hobo crew booked this two-hour walk through the Imperial Palace East Gardens, he expected the usual castle rundown. Instead, the guide pulled back layers on how Edo Castle actually worked—the mechanics of samurai control, the architecture of power, the reasons certain gardens faced certain directions. You're in central Tokyo, surrounded by modern office towers, but the tour peels away the postcard version and shows how those old systems still tick beneath Japanese life today. It's less 'here's a wall' and more 'here's why that wall mattered, and why Japanese society still reflects it.'

Hands On Wagyu Sushi Making Experience

Roll, shape, and plate premium wagyu sushi under a Tokyo chef's eye in this 90-minute hands-on class. Working in Patia's Kitchen Studio near central Tokyo's train hub, you'll master nigiri, gunkan maki, and temaki techniques using top-grade ingredients. Leave with photos of your creations and a proper lunch you've made yourself.

1h 30mfrom AUD $143

Nagasaki City and Shimabara Highlights Tour

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Nagasaki City and Shimabara Highlights Tour

This 7–10 hour tour covers Nagasaki city and the Shimabara Peninsula with a small-group approach that ditches rigid schedules. You move at your own pace through the region's standout natural, historical and cultural sites, stopping as long as you like at each spot. Your guide steers you toward the peninsula's best attractions without the cattle-herding feel of mass-market operators. Lunch is sorted en route, leaving more daylight for exploration.

7 hours – 10 hoursfrom AUD $896

★ 5.0 (16)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Japan

Fujisan Sushi Making Lesson

Learn sushi-rolling techniques from a trained chef in a three-hour hands-on session in Japan. You'll master fundamental methods you can recreate in your own kitchen, whilst exploring the cultural roots of this Japanese culinary tradition. The class accommodates vegetarian preferences, and you'll eat everything you prepare.

Kyoto Cultural IKEBANA Experience@節華

Learn ikebana arrangement in a 40-minute session at a traditional Kyoto studio. Under guidance from a tutor, you'll compose a floral piece using classical techniques that celebrate the raw beauty of stems and blooms. Your creation gets positioned in an alcove for photographs, and the studio can courier it to your accommodation so you can live with your work throughout your stay—then collect it when you leave.

Ise Jingu(Ise Grand Shrine) Full-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide

Spend six hours with a licensed English-speaking guide exploring Ise's spiritual heart. You'll visit Japan's most venerated Shinto shrine, home to the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami and steeped in two millennia of religious practice. The tour is flexible—choose three to four sites from the available options, including the atmospheric Okage Yokocho street where traditional food and local history intersect. Walking forms the backbone of this experience, with the guide meeting you on foot in the designated Ise area.

Asakusa No.1 Kimono Experience｜Best Value Full Service

Dress in a proper kimono at Makigawa's Asakusa studio, then walk out ready to photograph yourself at Senso-ji Temple and the surrounding streets. This two-hour rental includes expert fitting, optional hair and makeup, and a collection of traditional and contemporary styles—from classic silk to trendy lace versions. The studio sits just minutes from Asakusa Station, so you can drop your everyday clothes in storage and step straight into the old Tokyo vibe.

Kimono and Calligraphy Experience in Miyajima

Dress in kimono and learn brush calligraphy in a serene 300-year-old Zen temple set away from Miyajima's crowds. Over one hour, you'll study the mechanics of the brush stroke, then practise writing your name transliterated into Japanese characters. The session concludes with inscribing a wooden rice scoop—a traditional good-luck charm you take home. All materials and clothing provided.

Experience Japanese calligraphy & tea ceremony at a traditional house in Nagoya

Learn calligraphy and tea ceremony in a restored Kominka (traditional wooden house) in Nagoya, the historic seat of samurai power. Over 2.5 hours, you'll practice brush strokes and whisk matcha in an authentic lived-in space—tatami floors, paper screens, garden views intact—rather than a museum or tourist venue. Your host will guide you through both practices in English, connecting each to the samurai era that shaped the region.

2h 30mfrom AUD $246

Osaka Uncovered Full Day Journey Through City's Highlights

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Osaka Uncovered Full Day Journey Through City's Highlights

An eight-hour guided tour hitting Osaka's essential landmarks—the castle's grounds, the Umeda Sky Building's observation deck, and the neon-soaked streets of Dotonbori and Namba. Your guide steers you through the city's mix of feudal history and contemporary energy, with a lunch break built in. You'll navigate via public transport and pay entry fees separately, so the pace stays flexible and you're not herded through a rigid schedule.

Nerikiri and Matcha Making Class in Kyoto

Learn to craft nerikiri—delicate hand-moulded sweets—alongside whisked matcha in central Kyoto over two and a half hours. A Japanese pastry chef walks you through each technique, from kneading coloured bean paste to shaping blossoms and leaves with bare fingers. You'll leave with five finished pieces and a container to transport them home, whether you're after a genuine cultural encounter or aiming to refine skills you'll use later.

Tokyo : Vintage, Music & Food Tour in Shimokitazawa with a Local

A 2.5-hour guided wander through Shimokitazawa with a neighbourhood regular who knows where the best vintage stock hides. You'll hunt through independent record shops, secondhand clothing boutiques, and antique dealers tucked into side streets, building a picture of Tokyo's creative quarter along the way. Expect to find obscure vinyl, preloved fashion, and oddities that carry actual history rather than manufactured nostalgia.

2h 30mfrom AUD $31

Kyoto Sagano Insider: Rickshaw and Walking Tour

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Kyoto Sagano Insider: Rickshaw and Walking Tour

Experience Arashiyama's most photographed sights from a traditional rickshaw, then explore on foot through mountain pathways and preserved neighbourhoods. This 3-hour 10-minute tour threads together Kyoto's bamboo groves, riverside views, and hidden temples with a knowledgeable local guide who navigates you safely past iconic landmarks like Togetsukyo Bridge before leading you uphill to quieter corners where wooden machiya houses and a quirky stone temple reward curious walkers.

Fish Cutting workshop in Kyoto Japan

Learn to fillet and prepare raw fish for sashimi in a hands-on two-and-a-half-hour workshop in Kyoto. Your instructor brings two decades of fish-shop experience to teach you the techniques that transform whole fish into restaurant-quality cuts. You'll process your own catch and eat what you've prepared, gaining genuine insight into Japanese culinary traditions and why the fish you handle yourself always tastes superior.

Let’s Dance Bon Odori Japanese folk Dance near Tsutenkaku

Join a 90-minute Bon Odori session at Ebisuza studio, just steps from Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka. This traditional Japanese folk dance comes alive with rhythmic, samba-influenced beats that invite improvisation and movement. You'll dance alongside locals, sip a complimentary drink, and experience one of Japan's most cherished seasonal celebrations in an authentic setting rather than watching from the sidelines.

1h 30mfrom AUD $27

Tokyo Private Bike Tour by Harajuku Bike Shop – 3 Hours

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Tokyo Private Bike Tour by Harajuku Bike Shop – 3 Hours

Explore Tokyo on two wheels with a private guided ride tailored to your interests, led by Kotaro (former European road racer) and Kentaro (local cultural guide). Based at a Harajuku bike shop, you'll navigate everything from the hectic Shibuya Scramble to quiet residential streets over 2–3 hours. Routes adapt to your pace and curiosity—no fixed itinerary, no tour groups, just you discovering both famous and overlooked corners of the city on a shop-tuned road bike.

2 hours – 3 hoursfrom AUD $183

Shibuya All You Can Eat & Drink Private Tour

★ 5.0 (16)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Japan

Shibuya All You Can Eat & Drink Private Tour

A 3.5-hour guided crawl through Shibuya with a Tokyo native, stopping at multiple restaurants for set dishes—sushi, yakitori, karaage, yakiniku, takoyaki—paired with unlimited beer, sake, whisky, wine, and soft drinks. You'll navigate the district's back streets, learn conversational Japanese, and taste what locals actually eat rather than what guidebooks suggest. The guide adapts to your interests and dietary requests throughout.

Kyoto: Arashiyama Unveiled – Bamboo, Temple, Matcha, Monkeys

This four-hour Arashiyama circuit threads together Kyoto's most photogenic landmarks without the usual rush. You'll walk through Tenryu-ji Temple's composed gardens, lose yourself in the Bamboo Grove's towering stalks, pause at Nonomiya Shrine, taste ceremonial matcha, cross the Togetsu-kyo Bridge, then climb to Iwatayama where Japanese macaques roam freely and the city sprawls below. A local guide steers you through the rhythm of each stop, mixing contemplative moments with gentle movement.

4 hoursfrom AUD $54

Private Vibrant Night Photoshoot Experience in Osaka (Dotonbori)

★ 5.0 (16)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Private Vibrant Night Photoshoot Experience in Osaka (Dotonbori)

A 90-minute private photography session through Dotonbori's neon-soaked streets, starting at Ebisubashi Bridge and finishing at a takoyaki stall. You'll walk away with 30 professionally edited photos delivered within 24 hours, plus access to all ~200 raw frames. Suits solo travellers, couples, families and groups who want polished shots of themselves against Osaka's most electric backdrop without the crowds of a group shoot.

1h 30mfrom AUD $179

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