InsideJapan

When InsideJapan was founded in 2000, the original concept wasn’t based around traditional tourism. They designed trips to get beneath the surface of Japanese life, trips that showcased local culture and packed in experiences their founders had loved most while living in Japan. InsideJapan call this style of travel cultural adventure. It’s the spirit that runs through everything they do.

When InsideJapan creates a cultural adventure, whether it’s a (genuinely) small group tour or a trip for independent travellers, there is a recipe. You’ll see the top sights, experience local life and culture and connect with our Insiders – their passionate, expert guides.

InsideJapan travellers buy lunch from vending machines, try sweet potato ice cream, drink sake and eat yakitori skewers in traditional pubs, walk the pilgrim trails and stay at family-run ryokan inns. They want to take every traveller somewhere they’ve never heard of, for every customer to experience what is normal to locals but wholly new to visitors.

InsideJapan’s Insiders are unrivalled. Whether they lead your group tour for two weeks or guide you through Tokyo for a day, the Insiders will show you things you wouldn’t have noticed and explain what’s happening around you.

WHY WE RECOMMEND InsideJapan

Sustainability

Purpose-led and run on the principles of people, planet, profit. Every customer trip is offset. Certified Carbon Neutral. InsideJapan has a mission to protect travel for future generations.

Seamless service

InsideJapan guarantee that you'll have support every step of the way, offer 24/7 customer service and have a Japan-based customer experience team. That’s why 98% of their customers rate them as excellent or good.

Small groups

Their tours are maximum 14 people, which means staying in traditional accommodation, using public transport. No buses. No flags.

Tailor-made holidays

For independent travellers, InsideJapan create a bespoke Infopack which contains everything you need to know about your trip and more. There are suggestions for day itineraries, attractions and expert tips.

Current offers

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EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE TEA CEREMONY INCLUDED

InsideJapan - Golden Route - Self Guided Adventure

From £2,120 per person

9 nights
Golden Route - Self Guided Adventure (Twin Basis)
Flexible itinerary ideal for first-time visitors
Discover Tokyo | Kyoto and Hakone
Stay in a traditional ryokan inn and ride the bullet trains
Excludes flight arrangements
Ask your Personal Travel Expert

the InsideJapan difference

Cultural adventures by Japan specialists

Japan is a country that demands a deep knowledge. We work with InsideJapan to get to know you, find out what you want to experience and make recommendations for where and how that can happen. We’ll throw in places and experiences you’ll never have thought of, and co-create an itinerary matched to your budget and tastes. When you say it’s perfect, we’ll book everything.

Award winning Small Group Tours

InsideJapan claims their Insiders to be the best Japan guides in the world, and they have the awards to prove it. Made with the cultural adventure recipe, they take in top sights and slices of local life. The pace is good, and there’s plenty of time for independent exploration.

Travel as a force for good

InsideJapan wants travel to benefit the communities they live, travel and work. That’s why they run their business on B-Corp principles, why they give 5% of their profits to charity and why they won’t recommend any experience that has a negative impact on people, wildlife or places.

Exclusive experiences

InsideJapan knows Japan better than anyone else. And with 20 years experience in cultural adventures, you’ll get a glimpse of Japanese culture that’s rarely seen. For how many of your friends can say they we’re entertained by a Maiko in Kyoto, or stepped foot in a working Sumo stable?

Japan’s must-visit temples, gardens and castles

Fresh off a Bullet Train and sampling sushi for breakfast, we asked our Japan experts what temples, gardens and castles they’d recommend during a Japan holiday. Here are a few of their favourites…

Sushi is just raw fish and other Japanese sushi myths

The heritage of Japanese food is long and rich but there are some commonly-held beliefs that are actually incorrect – our Japan Experts set about myth-busting a few of them.

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Book an appointment now

Your dream holiday is just a few steps away. Speak to an expert in-person, on the phone or as a virtual appointment.

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