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Tailor-made
Self-Guided Adventure
Japan Alps Discovery
from US$21763 (Per Family)
14 Nights Trip Code: FAM4
This family-friendly journey blends Japan's big-name stops (Tokyo and Kyoto) with the alpine adventure of the Japan Alps and Fuji Five Lakes. Read more >
Japan Alps Discovery is built for families who want to explore together, with hands-on experiences, big natural landscapes and enough time in the classic cities to get a proper sense of Japan. We’ve designed it with active teens in mind, while making sure parents get the holiday they deserve.
Travelling by public transport throughout and staying in carefully chosen accommodation, your family will get a true taste of Japan life. With at least two nights at each stop, you’ll get enough time in each place without feeling rushed.
Explore Tokyo alongside a private guide who can help decode neighbourhoods, food culture and daily life, before exploring immersive digital art and pop-culture hotspots independently.
Head to Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes. Alongside scenic walks and hot spring baths, there's time for a full day at Fuji-Q Highland, a theme park where rides sit against a Fuji backdrop.
Journey into the Japan Alps. The historic towns of Matsumoto and Takayama remain rooted in craft traditions, with a strong sense of regional identity. You'll walk sections of the Nakasendo, an old samurai highway, explore castle towns and cycle through rural villages and alongside rice fields and canals.
Stay in a traditional Kyoto machiya and get the guided tour of the city, before a ramen workshop and tea ceremony. Kyoto is a great base to explore beyond the city too, perhaps Osaka's food scene and theme parks or Nara's deer-filled parkland.
This trip is designed with families and curious travellers in mind, combining cities and countryside, with hands-on experiences, theme parks and outdoor adventure along the way.
Pricing: We know that families come in all shapes and sizes. This itinerary has been priced based on a family of four, made up of two adults and two teenagers aged 12-16. Speak to us and we can adjust everything to suit your family's situation and interests.
What's included
14 nights' accommodation (two nights Japanese style)
Breakfast in all hotels and three evening meals (self catered in apartment and town house style accommodation)
All transport between destinations
Airport transfers
Private guide services in Tokyo, Kyoto and Takayama
Fuji-Q Highland Passes
Countryside Cycling Tour
Ramen cooking class
Private Tea Ceremony in Kyoto
Digital Art Exhibition Tickets
Pocket WiFi device
Your personalised InsideJapan Tours Info-Pack
What's NOT included:
International flights
Local transport (buses, subways, taxis) at any destination unless otherwise specified
Any entrance fees including those for shrines, temples and museums
Baggage handling and luggage forwarding
Trip Highlights
- Experience digital art exhibitions and robotics museums in Japan's capital Tokyo
- Cycle through rice paddies and countryside towns in the Hida area with a local guide
- Ride rollercoasters with views of Mt. Fuji at Fuji-Q Highland – famed for once asking guests to "scream within your heart"
- Head into the Japan Alps for outdoor adventures on the Nakasendo Trail – once used by samurai to get to and from Tokyo
- Cook ramen and whisk up tea in Kyoto
- Explore Matsumoto's historic black castle – one of the few remaining original castles in Japan
Ready to plan your trip?
For more information email us: [email protected] or call: 720 744 0205
What, where, when and how...
Japan Alps Discovery - 15 Days
Japan Alps Discovery - 15 Days - Day by Day
Japan Alps Discovery - 15 Days - Accommodation
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Day 1-4
A private guided tour through Tokyo's neighbourhoods
Your trip begins in Tokyo's historic Asakusa area, an easy introduction to the capital with riverside walks and excellent transport connections.
Get to grips with the city with your private guide, on a day shaped to your family's interests. Perhaps crossing Shibuya's famous “scramble” junction, or browsing Harajuku's fashion streets. Then there's Akihabara's anime and gaming hubs, or, for something a little more traditional, Meiji Shrine.
You'll visit teamLab Borderless, an immersive digital art experience where installations shift and evolve around you.Overnight: Mimaru Apartment Hotel
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Day 4-6
A room with a (Mount Fuji) view
Leave the city behind as you travel west to the Fuji Five Lakes, arriving in Kawaguchiko with Mount Fuji looming large on the horizon. This lakeside town has some lovely walks, big open skies and fresh mountain air. It's a popular tourist site, but far quieter than its neighbours, such as Hakone.
You'll have time to explore the area at your own pace, from lakeside viewpoints and ropeways to local museums and cafés. One day is set aside for Fuji-Q Highland, a headline attraction for families, with record-breaking rollercoasters, gentler rides and Fuji providing the backdrop throughout. As the night draws in, relax at your lakeside ryokan, with hot spring baths and delicately prepared seasonal meals.Overnight: Konanso
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Day 6-8
Castles, craft traditions and alpine landscapes
Travelling deeper into the mountains, you arrive in Matsumoto, surrounded by the peaks of the Japan Alps. The city is compact and relaxed, centred around one of Japan's best original castles.
Explore Matsumoto Castle and its historic district. Wander old merchant streets, visit small museums or try the region's famous soba noodles. Take a day trip into the Kiso Valley to walk a section of the Nakasendo Way, a former highway once used by travellers and samurai moving between Kyoto and Edo. The route between Magome and Tsumago is one of our favourites: quiet forest paths, traditional villages and big mountain scenery.Overnight: Buena Vista Hotel
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Day 8-11
Craft and cycle in the Alps
A scenic bus journey carries you across the Alps to Takayama, a beautifully preserved town known for its wooden streets, markets and strong sense of regional identity. With a private guide, you'll explore the old town and morning markets, learning about local food, festivals and crafts. There's time to browse sake breweries, walk quiet shrine paths or visit the Hida Folk Village just outside town.
Visit nearby Hida Furukawa and go for a gentle cycle with a guide through rural landscapes – rice fields, canals and farming villages – a glimpse of everyday life beyond the main tourist routes.Overnight: Tokyu Stay Hida Takayama
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Day 11-14
Temple-hopping and tea sipping in Japan's ancient capital
Your local private guide will give you an introduction to Japan's ancient capital: temples, shrines and neighbourhoods. Then, it's time to focus on food. Make your own ramen and take tea at a traditional ceremony with an expert host (these experiences work well for all ages). You'll stay in a traditional machiya townhouse right in the heart of the city – plenty of space to spread out and do your own thing.
Choose your own adventure on a free day – perhaps to Osaka for street food and more theme parks, or to Nara, where temples and roaming deer fill the town centre and parks.Overnight: Machiya Residence
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Day 14-15
Back to the big city for your final night
Zip back up to Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train. Pick up some last minute souvenirs and snacks, or explore a new neighbourhood – your trusty Info-Pack will be there to guide you, with recommendation's tailored to your family.
Overnight: OMO5 Tokyo Gotanda by Hoshino Resorts
-
Day 1-4
A private guided tour through Tokyo's neighbourhoods
Your trip begins in Tokyo's historic Asakusa area, an easy introduction to the capital with riverside walks and excellent transport connections.
Get to grips with the city with your private guide, on a day shaped to your family's interests. Perhaps crossing Shibuya's famous “scramble” junction, or browsing Harajuku's fashion streets. Then there's Akihabara's anime and gaming hubs, or, for something a little more traditional, Meiji Shrine.
You'll visit teamLab Borderless, an immersive digital art experience where installations shift and evolve around you.Overnight: Mimaru Apartment Hotel
-
Day 4-6
A room with a (Mount Fuji) view
Leave the city behind as you travel west to the Fuji Five Lakes, arriving in Kawaguchiko with Mount Fuji looming large on the horizon. This lakeside town has some lovely walks, big open skies and fresh mountain air. It's a popular tourist site, but far quieter than its neighbours, such as Hakone.
You'll have time to explore the area at your own pace, from lakeside viewpoints and ropeways to local museums and cafés. One day is set aside for Fuji-Q Highland, a headline attraction for families, with record-breaking rollercoasters, gentler rides and Fuji providing the backdrop throughout. As the night draws in, relax at your lakeside ryokan, with hot spring baths and delicately prepared seasonal meals.Overnight: Konanso
-
Day 6-8
Castles, craft traditions and alpine landscapes
Travelling deeper into the mountains, you arrive in Matsumoto, surrounded by the peaks of the Japan Alps. The city is compact and relaxed, centred around one of Japan's best original castles.
Explore Matsumoto Castle and its historic district. Wander old merchant streets, visit small museums or try the region's famous soba noodles. Take a day trip into the Kiso Valley to walk a section of the Nakasendo Way, a former highway once used by travellers and samurai moving between Kyoto and Edo. The route between Magome and Tsumago is one of our favourites: quiet forest paths, traditional villages and big mountain scenery.Overnight: Buena Vista Hotel
-
Day 8-11
Craft and cycle in the Alps
A scenic bus journey carries you across the Alps to Takayama, a beautifully preserved town known for its wooden streets, markets and strong sense of regional identity. With a private guide, you'll explore the old town and morning markets, learning about local food, festivals and crafts. There's time to browse sake breweries, walk quiet shrine paths or visit the Hida Folk Village just outside town.
Visit nearby Hida Furukawa and go for a gentle cycle with a guide through rural landscapes – rice fields, canals and farming villages – a glimpse of everyday life beyond the main tourist routes.Overnight: Tokyu Stay Hida Takayama
-
Day 11-14
Temple-hopping and tea sipping in Japan's ancient capital
Your local private guide will give you an introduction to Japan's ancient capital: temples, shrines and neighbourhoods. Then, it's time to focus on food. Make your own ramen and take tea at a traditional ceremony with an expert host (these experiences work well for all ages). You'll stay in a traditional machiya townhouse right in the heart of the city – plenty of space to spread out and do your own thing.
Choose your own adventure on a free day – perhaps to Osaka for street food and more theme parks, or to Nara, where temples and roaming deer fill the town centre and parks.Overnight: Machiya Residence
-
Day 14-15
Back to the big city for your final night
Zip back up to Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train. Pick up some last minute souvenirs and snacks, or explore a new neighbourhood – your trusty Info-Pack will be there to guide you, with recommendation's tailored to your family.
Overnight: OMO5 Tokyo Gotanda by Hoshino Resorts
Trip Reviews
Self-Guided Adventure Japan Alps Discovery
Read more >Guides were excellent and everything very well organised
Trip Reviews
Self-Guided Adventure Japan Alps Discovery
Read more >Guides were excellent and everything very well organised
5.0 out of 5 from 1 review Show all Japan Alps Discovery Reviews
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