Guided tour

18 comments

1. There is nothing special in this that you cannot do by yourself.

   Using a tour will cost much more and you will have to follow their plan, so less flexible to see what you want.

   Buy if you do not want to plan, just want to buy the tour and forget about it until you have to pack your bag yo go to the airport… then ok… maybe.

   With 10 days, for sure you could focus on only the Tokyo area and day trips or the Kansai area with day trips, so it’s really up to you on what you want to see, but 10 days is the bare minimum if you want to do both regions. To be honest, this tour is quite fast paced with only one day in Kyoto, while you would easily need 2-3 days just to see the major attractions, but at the same time, with only 10 days, there is just that much time you can spend in each city you decide to visit.

2. I lived in Kobe, Japan for 5 years. Been there to many times to count. My bride is Japanese and I’ve been studying the language for 30 years.

   I’ve been everywhere on the list. This itinerary looks crazy. To much in to short a time. I won’t go to Hiroshima unless you want to be depressed. It’s really sad and you spend 4 to 5 hours on the Bullet train.

   Go to Kyoto and do an English language bus tour of the city. Spend a day or two there. It’s amazing. Nara is small and overrated. Spend a day or two seeing Osaka. Go to Himeji for a day and explore the castle and city. If your into cars go to the car Museum.

   Spend the rest of the around Mt. Fuji. Stay in an place with an Onsen with a view of Mt Fuji.

   That schedule is not enjoyable. A shrine in Tokyo is the same as a shrine in Osaka. If you want to have a great memorable trip slow it down and have fun.

3. In general, I would recommend planning the trip yourself, unless itinerary of the trip features locations that are difficult to access with a public transport, or specific experiences that would not be otherwise possible.

   TLDR: If you have 10 days, choose either Kanto (Greater Tokyo) or Kansai (Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe) rather than this very strange and awkward guided tour.

   Its itinerary is weird, rushed and at certain points seems very silly indeed:

   Day 3: This should read: “We will drive you to Todaiji, herd you through Nara Park to Kasuga Taisha, leave you to find your lunch and then drive you to Osaka”.

   Day 4: Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass costs 16,000 JPY. Entries to Itsukushima-jinja and Peace Memorial Museum + double ride on a tram in Hiroshima would equal to 1,500 JPY at most. Also, while Miyajima (without Mt. Misen) and Hiroshima are perfectly doable as a day trip from Osaka – you typically aim to get to Miyajima at 10:15-10:30 to give you chance to experience something in Hiroshima than A-Dome and Peace Park (eg. Shukkei-en) .

   Day 5: This is a silly extremely, rushed itinerary. Typically, we recommend at least 2½ days for Kyoto (and preferably more): a day for Higashiyama/Nishiki Market/Gion (Kiyomizu-dera, Ginkakuji, Philosopher’s Path – which is totally skipped), a day for Arashiyama and northern Kyoto temples (which are much more than just Bamboo Forest and Kinkakuji) and some time set aside for Fushimi Inari.

   Day 6: Honestly, this is WTF day. I don’t know if someone confused Tsumagoi (north of Karuizawa) with Tsumago (of Nakasendo), but this is 7-8 hours on the bus kind of day. This day would be extremely rushed even with just a Toyota museum and one of the postal towns (either Tsumago or Narai) on Nakasendo.

   Day 7: This is another weird day (and a lot has been lost in translation). The drive to Yamanakako, then to Fujiyoshida Trail 5th Station, then to Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway. And no Chureito Pagoda…

   Day 8: APA Tokyo Bay Makuhari is about 45-60 minutes away from central Tokyo. Unless your point was being staying fairly close to Tokyo Disney without actually paying premium for the resort – this is not the location I would choose for convenient stay in Tokyo (particularly since you’d be dealing with painful rush hour traffic on JR Sobu line on your way in and out of the city).

   The tour is very uninspired, although I’m curious what that secret rock garden is – I hope that it’s the garden at CIAL Tsurumi (next to Tsurumi station) or a fairly brutalist one at Canadian Embassy, but I get the feeling that it’s the underwhelming one that opened just prepandemic at Yaesu side of Tokyo station.

4. Usually guided tour will bring you to popular tourist spots, which you can actually do it by yourselves as well, at a cheaper cost and tours are pretty hectic because they cramp as much as they can into a day, which is to me, you don’t really get to enjoy and soak it in.

   Since you only have 9 days, i highly recommend only visiting 1 region, like for example Kansai region, which consists of Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe etc etc or Kanto region, which is Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone/Mt Fuji etc etc.

   Considering this is your first time, Tokyo is pretty fun too, i visited Japan – Tokyo on my first time with 9 days to spend like yourself, there is so much to explore that you might consider visiting again, so ya, u can choose Tokyo as well if you want.

   Japan is pretty convenient to do free & easy, the only so called “problem” is that you gotta do your own homework, but if you are into that, then it is no longer a problem.

   My first time visiting Japan, i didn’t even prepare any itinerary, i just bought ticket and booked a hotel and flew over with 3 people following me with extreme nervous cause i didn’t do any homework for it, i only plan where to go when i checked into the hotel at night. Sure it has minor setback for not planning anything in advance but nothing major happen that would disrupt the trip, i still manage to visit the places that i wanted to and it was an experience to remember, an experience that is greatly helpful towards my next visit, which everything was much smoother.

5. It’s probably be more economical buying a 7-day JR Pass too, but considering, the itinerary is all over the place, you won’t have time to absorb and enjoy the sights that much.

   Just looking at the Hiroshima part feels too rushed – enjoying the Museum and the park took us a day and a half at the least.

   Also there are tons of free walking tours being offered (though most of the time we tip them in the end) by locals themselves

6. I think the benefit of a guided tour is that you dont have to deal with anything and someone gets to decide what you are gonna do and see. Optimally, they also deal with where to sleep, eat and how to get from a to b

   I saw your trip wants to switch hotels, and tries to sell “you deal with getting there, or dont” as “flexibility”
   And they give you free days, or they dont do nothing and probably still make you pay a lot for their tour…

   I see the benefit of guided tours, I really do. If you get cold sweaty hands by the thought of trying to find something down the road from the hotel, then, by all means, you benefit from their service…

   But if you feel capable of pre planing the trip yourself and feel capable of using a bus and a tourist map/maps app on the phone, and can deal with readjusting to having missed a bus or having to backtrack a little, then I think “explore on your own” is very much possible and you dont need a guided tour.

   at first I would begin in trying to see what are your interests, and in which area would you be able to satisfy them. I know its not an easy question, so dont make it harder than it needs to be. The goal here is to decide in which area you will be. for a 10-14 day trip I dont think spending a lot of time in a train is fun, so I would advise against trying to fit in all the areas.

   rather pick a place or two, and stay there. I understand how there is soo much to see, but you cant see it all, not in 2 weeks. Hakone is nice, and its close enough you can justify splitting the time with Tokyo. Kyoto is nice, and Osaka or Nara is close enough you can have day trips.
   In the end, do a little research, what are your “must see/do” in Japan, and see where you need to be to make that happen. and then see what the region has to offer and your days will fill up on their own. Just try to limit traveling as much as possible, unless you NEED to travel for something worthwile or using a shinkansen is on your bucket list…

7. > the exhilarating return journey to Osaka on the bullet train

   Oh yeah, I totally can’t stop laughing, that train is SO FUNNY

   Seriously, after a day in Hiroshima, who the hell thought that was a nice way to describe a train ride?

   But yeah, that tour is kind of a mess, you’re all over the place, see almost nothing and rush a lot.. and why do they even need to change the hotel in Osaka after a single night?

   I’ve been making and guiding tours for quite a few years, and trust me, you can do a better tour than that on your own, as long as you can use Google Maps properly to look for public transport routes, hell I’ll be glad to give you some support if you wanna plan your own trip!

   Or, if you really wanna be toured about with zero hassle, please skip that company and find one that doesn’t make you spend more time changing hotels than visiting places… also, the Hiroshima thing being options yet costing more than the JRpass, what a scam.. and if you don’t go, you’re still left on your own in Osaka

8. As a rule of thumb, I’d say never book a multi-day guided tour for Japan. They are always *insanely* more expensive in comparison to what you pay when you do a similar itinerary solo. And it’s very easy to do similar itineraries solo, with the added advantage that you can concentrate on the things you’re really interested in and still have some time to relax.

9. Just to echo what others have said. You don’t need to pay all that money for these tours, these things are all super easy to do by yourself, and at your own pace 🙂 Just look up the routes on google maps, everywhere you’ve mentioned is super popular with tourists so they are very accessible and used to tourists.

   Although I slightly disagree with people saying this it too much though, it depends on your travel style. I personally like waking up early and squeezing a lot in each day. I don’t need to see *everything* in an area, and not everyone needs to spend an entire day lingering at (for example) Nara deer park (as lovely as it is, while it’s definitely possible to spend an entire day there, you can be satisifed with a half day for sure).

   Personally I would spend half your time based in Kyoto, and half in Tokyo. Then have, say, a day trip to Nara (from Kyoto obviously) and a day trip to Fuji/Hakone (from Tokyo). That’s your most efficient way. Don’t bother with Nagoya or Nagano this trip, you’ll get all the rural vibes you need from a day in the Kyoto suburbs (maybe a trip to sanzenin?) or Hakone.

10. Unless you literally can’t go any other time other than this summer, or you really enjoy guided tours, I would wait until you can plan your own trip. Hopefully you’ll be able to do this by November.

11. Going to Japan isn’t a video game where the goal is to go to as many sights as possible.

12. This is about 3 full weeks’ worth of stuff crammed into effectively 6 days. Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara alone have way more than you could possibly hope to do in just 6 days (in fact, that’s usually what I would recommend as a minimum amount of time just to quickly cover the highlights of this region). And the fact that you’re going in November (the height of fall foliage season) would be reason to spend even longer.

    Guided tours are often way too rushed (as evidenced by this very itinerary) and are generally a waste unless you’re getting something out of them that you couldn’t get on your own (with this itinerary, you’re definitely not).

    My advice would be: fly into KIX, stay in Kyoto for the entire trip or spend a couple of nights in Osaka and then spend the rest in Kyoto, and focus mainly on Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and maybe Himeji or Hikone.

    >My wife says that she would rather explore on our own, again, any info or suggestions would be appreciated.

    Listen to your wife. This itinerary is insane. If you try to see everything, you end up seeing nothing. There’s a lot that could be said about the individual days of this itinerary, but honestly it’s bad enough that I think making those comments would be kind of a waste of time and you would be better off starting from scratch.

13. I do agree, that it is always going to be cheaper if you do it yourself (obviously). If you can feel comfortable doing that, then plan it yourself.

    That being said, this subreddit has a tendency to encourage you plan and manage the trip yourself and not everyone on this planet is comfortable with that. So I personally give tours to that subgroup of people, but always with the caveat, “if you can plan it yourself, do it”.

    That being said, they are very right: this tour is awful. I googled around and found it and “oof”. On top of the itinerary being terrible, you will be with 30+ other people, it’ll be a zoo.

    I am not running any tours or selling self-guided tours this year because of border closures, EVEN IF they open. But I’m happy to hand you my itineraries for free for you to adjust and manage yourself, including recommendations of where to stay.

    Just DM me if you want the info.

14. I agree with the other posts – it’s a busy tour.

    Best tip? Get a JR Pass.

    You pay a set fee and have (mostly) unlimited travel on all bullet trains / Shinkansen for a set period.

    With a JR rail pass you can travel very easily and quickly to all of the major cities. They’re safe, clean and reliable and have English signs and announcements.

    The 7 day pass won’t cover your entire trip, but that’s fine if you don’t plan use the bullet train in your last couple of days.

    For example, you can base yourself in Osaka and do day trips to Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Kobe etc. If you want, you can then go up to Tokyo and do a few day trips to surrounding towns too (e.g. Kamakura, Hakone, Nikko, Yokohama).
    Using this structure means you can do as many or as few day trips as you want. Feeling tired one day? Stay local and travel the next day instead.
    The JR pass gives you more control over your itinerary than an organised tour like the one you shared.

15. I would agree with majority of the posters here. For 10 days, it’s too much.
    Well I get it that some people dig guided tours because of the hassle of planning, and they do not mind spending lots of time on the bus and only 1h at each sight. If you (OP) do not mind this, then go ahead with the plan. As long as you know what you are in for guided tours, and you are ok with this sort of arrangement. If you have not taken a guided tour before, then be prepared to be rushed (and many other things).
    From your post, you have only 10 days to spare. Here is my (vague) suggestion:
    Day 1/2: Fly into Osaka and stay in a hotel near Dotonburi. Soak in the sights of that massively crowded area. Try out the food in Osaka.
    Day 3: Osaka Castle and aquarium. Basically hang around the city area for a couple of days since arrival.
    Day 4/5/6: Spend a couple of nights if you can in Kyoto, depending on your fondness of temples/shrines. Visit Fushimi Inari and hike up the hill. Visit Arashiyama if you want a different landscape. Or if you do not mind the travelling time of about 30 – 45 min from Osaka, you can always do a few repeated trips from your base in Osaka.
    Day 7/8/9/10: Do day trips from Osaka. Hiroshima, Himeiji, Kobe and Nara are the most common places to visit from Osaka.

    I would not advice going to Tokyo because it’s only 10 days.

    Happy planning! 🙂

16. I think it’s better to explore on your own, but some people like guided tours better. As long as you have a phone and Google Maps, you should be fine going wherever you want. I’d use the money for the tour on a JR Pass, unless you plan to stay only in a few cities during your trip.

17. I’ve travelled to a fair few places and I found Japan one of the easiest to get around and find amazing things to do. The trains are so regular, convenient, easy to access and comfortable that I just feel like you don’t need someone to organise the tour for you. There’s a lot of apps that help with this as well. I’d advise using Japan Guide too, it has some premade itineraries you can tweak for your trip.

    We originally planned quite a few day trips from Tokyo on our trip and didn’t make it as there was more in Tokyo we wanted to check out. This is in contrast to our time in Kyoto, where we found it unbearably hot, not as suitable to us interest wise and so we went on loads of day trips with our JR pass. So it also depends what you’re interested in!

18. If you’re interested in something between a fully guided tour like this and having to figure out everything yourself, I’d recommend looking into InsideJapan Tours’ self-guided adventures. They do all the work of booking your lodging, etc. and working with you to design a trip that fits your interests, but then when you get to Japan you have the freedom to do things at your own pace and switch things up day to day. I’ve used them for one trip and have another booked for whenever Japan opens up again–highly recommended!