Essence of Japan Rail & Tour
From AU$8,005* per person, twin share
Marvelling at the harmonious contrast of Japan’s old and new. Enjoying three exhilarating rides on the modern marvel that is the bullet train. Experiencing a traditional Japanese tea ceremony in Kyoto, the country’s ancient capital (and birthplace of this refined ritual).
Ancient and ultra-modern sit shoulder to shoulder in Japan. On this Japan itinerary, we’ll experience both over two weeks, exploring high-paced cities, hushed shrines and temples, and serene gardens. We’ll attend a traditional tea ceremony, learn a little about geisha and samurai culture, catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji and whizz between cities on the sleek, slick Shinkansen (bullet train). This special departure coincides with the Gion Matsuri (Gion festival) in Kyoto, undoubtedly the country’s biggest festival.
Highlights
- City tours of Tokyo, Kanazawa (with Kenroku-en Garden), and Kyoto
- Mount Fuji Visitor Centre
- Visits to Matsumoto Castle, Shirakawago Village, Miyajima Island and Nara (including Todaiji Temple and Nara Park)
- Experience Gion Festival with walking tour
- Kawadoko dining experience
- Sake tasting at a traditional brewery
- Walking tours of Takayama and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
- Three journeys on the bullet train
- Traditional tea ceremony, Lake Ashi cruise
- Cable car to the Owakudani Valley and hot springs
📌 View the full itinerary under the Inclusions tab for all trip details and experiences.
Travelflex payment options available to eligible Lifestyle Gold, Platinum and 100 Club Owners
Rates
Payment options: The use of part payment using your vacation credits is available with the Travel Flex benefit, currently available to Owners who are Lifestyle Gold and above.
Price Per Person, Twin Share – Flights are not included We’re always bringing you the best value. Current offers, including early booking discounts and seasonal specials are automatically applied when you book. |
|
Travel | From Price |
September 2025 (2 Solo Departures) | AU$11,160* |
6 October 2025 | AU$8,005* |
November 2025 (2 Departures) | AU$8,282* |
March 2026 (9 Departures) 14 Days | AU$9,132* |
April 2026 (5 Departures) 14 Days | AU$8,283* |
9 April 2026 (Solo Departure ) 14 Days | AU$10,513* |
5 September 2026 (Solo Departure ) 14 Days | AU$10,323* |
22 October 2026 (Solo Departure ) 14 Days | AU$8,858* |
Bookings subject to availability. Prices shown are the lowest monthly rate, selected from multiple departure dates. Subject to change and availability. Several departures are available each month. Any updates to pricing will be provided at the time of your enquiry. All prices shown include the Grand Sale discount of up to $1,000 per person. |
Inclusions
15 meals 13 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Accommodation 13 nights in hotels
19 excursions & visits
- City tours of Tokyo, Kanazawa (with Kenroku-en Garden), and Kyoto
- Mount Fuji Visitor Centre
- Visits to Matsumoto Castle, Shirakawago Village, Miyajima Island and Nara (including Todaiji Temple and Nara Park)
- Experience Gion Festival with walking tour
- Kawadoko dining experience
- Sake tasting at a traditional brewery
- Walking tours of Takayama and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
- Three journeys on the bullet train
- Traditional tea ceremony, Lake Ashi cruise
- Cable car to the Owakudani Valley and hot springs
- Titan tour manager and local guide
- Portable audio -Headset system on excursions
- Porterage –Services included
Itinerary
2026 Departures – Itinerary 13 Days
Day 1 – Tokyo
Join your tour group at the hotel.
Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo (4-star)
Day 2 – Tokyo
A tour guide helps us to embrace this dazzling city. As we walk out amidst skyscrapers and the world’s tallest self-supporting tower (the Tokyo Skytree), we find Tokyo’s traditional side. Learn the stories behind legendary landmarks like the moated Imperial Palace, Tokyo’s oldest temple – Sensō-ji, and Meiji Shrine, a serene Shinto shrine set on a tree-lined avenue.
Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo (4-star)
Today includes…Excursions & visits: Guided city tour of Tokyo (all day)
Day 3 – Mount Fuji – Matsumoto
Standing out from its surroundings at 3,776m high, Japan’s tallest mountain has inspired countless artists and photographers. Clouds often linger around this active volcano, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for you to catch a sight of the iconic snow-capped peak as you travel from Tokyo to Matsumoto. If the weather is clear, you’ll see the volcano’s image reflected on the placid waters of Lake Jawaguchi.
Alpico Plaza Hotel, Matsumoto (3.5-star)
Today includes…Excursions & visits: Mount Fuji visitor centre (morning)
Day 4 – Matsumoto – Takayama
Known as one of the most beautiful castles in Japan, Matsumoto is a striking timber and stone structure with a unique moon-viewing turret. In the spring, take your time to stroll among the cherry blossoms in the spacious castle gardens. Stop to sample sake (Japanese rice wine) in a traditional brewery, before we take the breathtaking journey through thick pine forests and snow-tipped peaks of the Japanese Alps to the hill town of Takayama. We’ll call in at the Hida Folk Village, an open-air museum with a collection of antique houses from the region and displays highlighting crafts and ancient traditions.
Takayama Green Hotel (3-star) or Associa Takayama (3-star)
Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit to Matsumoto Castle (morning)
Sake tasting (afternoon)
Day 5 – Takayama
Meiji-era inns, hillside shrines and a pretty riverside setting – the hamlet of Takayama is traditional Japan at its finest. Soak in the local character on our walking tour, when we’ll see highlights such as the open-air flower and fruit market and government house.
Takayama Green Hotel (3-star) or Associa Takayama (3-star)
Today includes… Excursions & visits: Walking tour of Takayama (morning)
Day 6 – Kanazawa
Next on our Japan itinerary, we transfer by coach to Kanazawa, visiting the World Heritage Shirakawago Village en route. Kanazawa is a historic castle town, boasting beautifully preserved samurai and geisha districts. Our sightseeing tour includes Omicho market and Higashi Chayagai (the ‘teahouse district’).
Kanazawa Tokyu Hotel (4-star)
Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit to Shirakawago Village (morning)
Sightseeing tour of Kanazawa (afternoon)
Day 7 – Kanazawa – Hiroshima
We pack overnight bags whilst our luggage is transferred to Kyoto. We’ll have another sweep of the city, stopping at the gorgeous Kenroku-en Garden and BukeYashiki (Samurai’s house). Located outside the gates of Kanazawa Castle and covering an area of 11.4 hectares, the Kenroku-en Garden was created in the 1620s and opened to the public in 1874. It’s the epitome of a traditional Japanese garden with plum and cherry blossoms, artificial ponds, hills and buildings. From the quaint, quiet streets of Kanazawa, we’ll go full throttle into one of Japan’s other passions. The Shinkansen (bullet train) will hurtle us from Kanazawa to Hiroshima in perfect comfort. Our hotel for two nights has excellent views of the castle or the Peace Park.
Rihga Royal Hotel Hiroshima (4-star)
Today includes…Excursions & visits: Visits to Kenroku-en Garden and BukeYashiki (morning). Bullet train journey (afternoon)
Day 8 – Hiroshima
Leafy Hiroshima, with its wide boulevards and friendly locals, might not be what you expected. It’s a vibrant and cosmopolitan city of peace with a devastating history. Today we’ll catch a ferry over to Miyajima Island to admire the ancient Itsukushima Shrine and its torii gate. We’ll spend some time strolling through the park. In autumn, the maples here are ablaze with rich reds and oranges. Back in Hiroshima, we’ll take a walking tour around the Peace Memorial Park and take some time for reflection at the Atomic Bomb Museum.
Rihga Royal Hotel Hiroshima (4-star)
Today includes…Excursions & visits: Boat to Miyajima Island (morning)
Peace Memorial Park walking tour and Atomic Bomb Museum (afternoon)
Day 9 – Nara – Kyoto
Another bullet train takes us to Osaka, where we’ll board our coach for the onward journey to Nara, a former capital of Japan. The 8th-century Todaiji temple – supposedly the oldest wooden structure in the world – is wondrous, but the real highlight here are the adorable deer roaming through Nara Park. You can buy a packet of crackers to feed them – they’ll even bow to you before you feed them. We arrive in Kyoto this afternoon. With its wealth of shrines and temples, colourful gardens and variety of arts and crafts shops, it’s a real highlight of our Japan tour package. We’ll uncover geisha culture with some time in the Gion area – Japan’s most famous geisha district. This evening we enjoy a traditional Kawadoko dining experience, with a Maiko (apprentice geisha) performance.
Kyoto Hotel Okura (4-star)
Today includes…Excursions & visits: Bullet train journey (morning)
Todaji Temple and Nara Park (afternoon)
Kawadoko dining experience (evening)
Days 10 – Kyoto
Highlights of our Kyoto tour on day 10 include the wonderful Ryoanji Temple (a Zen temple with a famous rock garden), and the beautiful Kinkakuji Temple, or ‘Golden Pavilion’, whose top two floors are completely bedecked in gold leaf. We also visit Nijo, a fortified castle with unique ‘nightingale’ floors designed to replicate the sound of the nightingale song when stepped on.Kyoto Hotel Okura (4-star)
Today includes…Excursions & visits: Guided city tour of Kyoto (morning)
Day 11 – Kyoto – Mishima
We’ll sit down for a cuppa before leaving Kyoto this morning – it is the birthplace of the traditional tea ceremony, after all. Learn the intricacies of this graceful discipline, considering simple details like holding the bowl so your friends can enjoy the beauty of its decoration. You can read about these rituals in any Japan travel guide, but there’s nothing quite like experiencing it first hand. You’ll never drink tea at home the same again! Another bullet train whisks us from Kyoto to Mishima. We’ll check into our hotel and if the weather is kind you’ll have views of Mount Fuji from your room.
Fujisan Mishima Tokyu Hotel (3.5-star)
Today includes…Excursions & visits: Traditional tea ceremony (morning)
Bullet train journey (afternoon)
Day 12 – Hakone – Tokyo
We drive to Hakone and embark on a cruise on Lake Ashi for stunning views of the snow-capped mountains. We’ll jump in a cable car all the way up to the Owakudani Valley and Hot Springs, in the crater of Mount Hakone. Later, we’ll arrive in Tokyo.
Kawasaki King Skyfront Tokyu Rei Hotel, Tokyo (3-star)
Today includes… Excursions & visits: Lake Ashi cruise (morning)
Cable car to Owakudani Valley and hot springs (afternoon)
Day 13 – Tokyo Say goodbye to your tour group for your onward travel.
Terms & Conditions
- Bookings subject to availability.
- Prices are per person twin share, in Australian Dollars.
- Pricing correct as of 23 May 2025 and may fluctuate due to changes in availability, surcharges, fees or taxes.
- Standard Travel Club Terms and Conditions apply.
- This tour is offered and managed by Titan Travel and their terms and conditions apply.
- Cancellation and change fees apply. Bookings are non-transferable
- Travel insurance is not included in the package. Please ensure you have valid Travel Insurance, or request a quotation.
- Prices are correct at the time of publishing but are subject to change without notice due to fluctuations in taxes, currency exchange rates, or availability. The prices quoted represent the best available at the time of publication. We do not assume responsibility for changes made by suppliers, as many departures are subject to capacity controls. Any updates to pricing will be provided at the time of your enquiry
Travel Flex ^ guidelines
These offers are provided by Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific Pty Ltd ACN 090 083 613 (Developer) via the TravelFlex benefit as part of Lifestyle by Wyndham membership and are subject to availability at time of booking. TravelFlex is available to all Lifestyle Gold members and above.
You can use up to maximum number of credits as listed below of your Lifestyle Qualified credits toward TravelFlex:
60,000 credits for Gold, 90,000 credits for Platinum, 150,000 credits for 100 Club members.
It is a limited offer which can only be used once before the expiry date.Lifestyle Platinum and 100 Club members can make up to two transactions per promotion period (provided the total amount of exchanged credits does not exceed the above cap).
Your credits must have a minimum of 6 months / 180 days validity for use with TravelFlex
You must provide a Housekeeping Token for the first 19,999 credits and for each additional 10,000 Lifestyle Qualified Credits exchanged for Travel Flex.
If you do not have enough allocated tokens per above, a fee of AU$131 is payable per 10,000 credits (or part thereof) exchanged.
If you prefer to use less credits and more cash, we can adjust the pricing accordingly