Self-Guided Adventure
Tailor-made
Zen & Now Family Holiday
10 Nights: from US$8905 per person (per family) Trip Code: ZANC
We know that the key to a good family holiday is to keep things simple. This trip is an easy two-centre jaunt to Japan's best-loved cities: Tokyo and Kyoto. With five nights in each you'll have plenty of time to explore, taking things as fast-paced or as relaxed as your family desires. Read more >
If adults come away from Japan enthralled - just imagine visiting as a child. Utterly fascinating yet accessible, a trip to Japan is a mind-opening experience for a whole family.
Japan's capital Tokyo has lots to entertain children of all ages. From play parks to amusement arcades, wacky outlandish fashions to open air historical museums, robots to cat cafes, plus all manner of transportation: boats, buses, subway trains, even rickshaws and a monorail. We've included our Tokyo Mystery Game, a fun way to discover the districts of Asakusa, Harajuku and Shibuya. We've also thrown in tickets up the Tokyo Skytree so you can see the vast neon cityscape from above.
Two and a half hours on the bullet train will take you on to Kyoto, the epicentre of traditional Japanese culture and home to the country's best temples, shrines and gardens. You'll stay in a self-catering machiya townhouse giving your family privacy and the freedom to come and go as you please.
There's probably only so many temples that your kids will tolerate, but fortunately Kyoto has lots more to offer. There's an aquarium, a fantastic train museum, bamboo groves, Iwatayama monkey mountain, hands-on craft activities and kimonos to try-on. This trip includes a sushi-making class, but if you'd like to include more cultural lessons please let us know and we can tailor the itinerary to suit you.
Kyoto is also a fantastic base for day trip. In Nara you can feed the cheeky yet sacred deer; in Osaka why not visit Universal Studios Japan; or unleash your inner samurai at Himeji Castle. Our complimentary Info-Pack is full of family-friendly sightseeing ideas and advice, and our English-speaking Japan office staff are just a phone call away should you have any problems or questions.
Please note that this trip is designed to start in Tokyo - you can fly into either Tokyo Narita or Haneda Airports. The trip finishes with a shared shuttle bus transfer from Kyoto to Osaka Kansai Airport.
Guideline pricing: The trip price is for a family of four (based on two adults, one teenager and one child aged 6-11). Please get in touch and we can put together a proposal quote to suit your family.
What's included
- 10 nights' accommodation
- 5 breakfasts at Tokyo hotel
- Manaca transport card with 2,500 yen credit for city transport
- Bullet train tickets from Tokyo to Kyoto
- Shared shuttle bus airport transfers
- Tokyo Skytree tickets
- Tokyo Mystery Game
- Sushi-making lesson in Kyoto
- Family-friendly sightseeing ideas & inspiration
- Pocket WiFi device
- Your personalised InsideJapan Tours' Info-Pack
What's NOT included:
- International flights
- Any extra local transport (buses, subways, taxis) unless covered by the included passes
- Any entrance fees (including those for temples, shrines and museums) unless otherwise specified
- Baggage handling and luggage forwarding
Trip Highlights
- Explore Japan's greatest cities: Tokyo & Kyoto
- Ride the world famous bullet train
- Stay in a beautiful traditional Kyoto townhouse
- Learn to make your own sushi rolls
- Take an elevator up the 634m Tokyo Skytree
- Enjoy quality family time on this gentle-paced trip
For more information email us: [email protected] or call: 303 952 0379
What, where, when and how...
Zen & Now Family Holiday - 11 Days

Destinations
Zen & Now Family Holiday - 11 Days - Day by Day
Zen & Now Family Holiday - 11 Days - Accommodation
Zen & Now Family Holiday - 11 Days - Experiences
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Day 1-5
Welcome to Tokyo! Explore the parks, museums, wacky restaurants and skyscrapers of the world's greatest capital.
This is a holiday of two halves - first up: Tokyo. You'll stay in one of our favourite mid-range hotels close to Tokyo Tower and Zozo-ji Temple, with excellent public transport links to all the main sightseeing areas in the capital.
Our complimentary Info-Pack has lots of family-friendly sightseeing ideas and advice, from our favourite playparks, where to see robots, fashion spots and the best time to visit the fish market. We've also included tickets up the Tokyo Skytree so you can see the mega metropolis from above, as well as our fantastic Tokyo Mystery Game. Solve the clues to progress from one district to another and along the way visit both famous sites and secret fascinating spots.
In Shinjuku, the Tokyo Toy Museum children can play with 15,000 toys from across the world. There are also workshops for kids to make their own toys. If your children are obsessed with Pikachou and co., there are two Pokemon megastores in Tokyo selling all manner of merchandise.
For something more educational, try the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum. Historically significant buildings were relocated and reconstructed here, and a walk around the museum grounds is a fun way to relive Japanese history.
Teenagers will love the outlandish fashion shops, creperies and ice cream parlours of Harajuku. Don't miss the three-storey Daiso 100 yen shop here – pocket money has never stretched so far!
A day trip across Tokyo Bay to the man-made island of Odaiba is well recommended. Here you'll find some great museums including the National Museum of Nature and Science, and the Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. The former is filled with hands-on science exhibits, while the latter is the place to go to meet Asimo the walking robot. Also on Odaiba is the Legoland Discovery Centre, and Joypolis, a Sega amusement park with video games and rides.Overnight: Shiba Park
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Day 6-11
Take the bullet train to Kyoto, home of Japan's finest temples, shrines, gardens and geisha.
Next up Kyoto, the heart of Japanese tradition and culture. Your home for the next first nights is a traditional machiya townhouse now converted into self-catering accommodation while retaining its charm and character.
You'll have lots of time to explore Kyoto at your own pace taking in as many or as few temples as suits you all! We have loads of great ideas for sightseeing in Kyoto. Japan's best railway museum is here housing 53 trains from steam locomotives to the most recent bullet trains.
Kyoto sits in a flat basin making it an easy place to walk or cycle. Bikes can be rented easily and a great route is to cycle along the banks of the Kamo River. The Imperial Palace grounds are another place to let off steam. There's an excellent playground in the northeast corner of the park.
If you don't mind parting with some yen, the parallel shopping arcades of Teramachi and Shinkyogoku in the city centre is the beloved hangout spot of Japanese schoolkids. Shops sell all manner of kitsch from pencil cases, to key rings, to flavoured KitKats. There are also plenty of gorgeous craft shops and vintage stores to keep adults happy.
Kyoto is also a great place for a day trip. Nara is just 40 minutes by train, home to picturesque temples set in a sprawling deer park. Or why not visit Himeji Castle, 45 minutes away on the bullet train.
At the end of your stay in Kyoto we'll arrange a shared shuttle bus transfer to Osaka Kansai Airport ahead of your flight home.Overnight: Machiya Residence
Trip Reviews
Self-Guided Adventure Zen & Now Family Holiday
Read more >Very happy with the service received, from the level of engagement during initial design, level of details provided to accompany our journey and responsiveness to questions…
Trip Reviews
Self-Guided Adventure Zen & Now Family Holiday
Read more >Very happy with the service received, from the level of engagement during initial design, level of details provided to accompany our journey and responsiveness to questions…
5.0 out of 5 from 1 review Show all Zen & Now Family Holiday Reviews
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