Japan is the destination people put off the longest, not because they don’t want to go, but because the planning feels like a second job. Do you chase temples in Kyoto or bullet trains through the countryside? Stay in a hotel or brave a traditional ryokan for a night? Trust the transit app or a real guide who knows which platform the train actually leaves from? [We think the honest answer is: you shouldn’t have to choose, and you definitely shouldn’t have to figure out the platform yourself.]
Japan tours from Canada mean long flights, a country where the language barrier is real, and an itinerary that has to balance Tokyo’s neon with quiet mountain towns without losing the thread. We built ours around exactly that balance. If Japan has been on your list for a while, here is what an Approach Tours trip actually looks like, what it costs, and how we plan around the details that trip up first-time visitors.
Key Takeaways
- Japan rewards a real itinerary, not just Tokyo and a day trip. Our Timeless Japan Tour is 17 days, all-inclusive, and moves from Tokyo through Hiroshima, Himeji, Mount Koya, Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama and Kawaguchiko. See our full Japan experience.
- Cities and countryside, in one trip. Most Japan itineraries either stay urban or go rural. Ours does both: Tokyo’s modern face and Osaka’s waterfront alongside a night in a traditional ryokan and a sake tasting in the mountain town of Takayama.
- Every departure is capped at 30 travellers, all-inclusive from flights out of Canada to gratuities on the ground, with a Group Guru at your side the entire way.
- This is rated High difficulty, and we say so plainly. Full travel days, bullet train transfers and a genuinely packed 17-day itinerary make this a trip built for travellers who want the real thing and can keep pace with it.
- Not sure which Japan trip fits your style? Our Japan itinerary guide walks through the shorter options too.
Why Japan rewards a guide who knows it
Everyone plans around Tokyo and Kyoto first, understandably. But one of the more memorable stops on this trip happens on day seven, at Himeji Castle, the largest and best-preserved castle in Japan and the inspiration for its nickname, the White Heron, for the way its brilliant white plaster walls seem to take flight against the sky.
Here is the part most visitors never get told, and it is worth knowing before you go. Himeji almost did not survive to be photographed. During the American firebombing raid on the city on the night of July 3, 1945, an incendiary bomb struck the castle’s main keep directly. [It simply failed to detonate.] The rest of Himeji burned to the ground around it. The castle is one of only twelve original castles left standing in Japan today, meaning it was never destroyed by war, fire or earthquake and rebuilt from scratch the way most “historic” Japanese castles have been.
That is the kind of context a good guide hands you standing at the base looking up at the keep, not read off a plaque you skim once and forget by lunch. It is also, honestly, why we think a small group with a dedicated Group Guru beats touring Japan on your own. You could see the castle without that story. You would not feel the same about the walls.
What a typical Japan itinerary covers
Our Timeless Japan Tour runs 17 days and does not rush the country. The rough shape of it, without pretending to cover every stop:
Tokyo first. You will land, meet your Group Guru and the rest of your small group, and settle in before two full days in the city: its modern skyline and neighbourhoods on one day, then a bullet train south to Hiroshima the next, where the Peace Memorial grounds ask for a slower, quieter pace than the rest of the trip.
From Hiroshima, the route continues to Himeji Castle and Osaka’s waterfront, then up to Mount Koya, the mountaintop centre of Japanese Buddhism, for a night unlike any other on the trip. Back down to Osaka for its shrines and a stop at Nara’s deer park, where the deer really do wander freely among the temples, before settling into Kyoto for its cultural treasures: Fushimi Inari’s thousand torii gates among them.
From Kyoto, a train to Kanazawa for its gardens and preserved samurai and geisha districts, then on to Shirakawago’s thatched-roof farmhouses and the mountain town of Takayama for a sake tasting and a night in a traditional ryokan. The final stretch runs through Matsumoto Castle, a soak at Isawa Onsen, and a quiet close at Kawaguchiko, where Mount Fuji fills the horizon, before the trip loops back to Tokyo to say sayonara.
Costs, timing and getting there from Canada
The Timeless Japan Tour runs $16,395 CAD per person in double occupancy for 17 days, all-inclusive, from your flights out of Canada right through to gratuities on the ground. A single supplement applies at $3,000 (add $250 for Fall 2027 departures), and if you would rather arrange your own flights, a land-only option saves $1,675. Deposits work the same as every Approach Tours departure: $500 per person to book, $1,000 per person 45 days later, and the balance due 90 days before departure.
Wondering when to actually go? We have a full seasonal breakdown for Japan that walks through cherry blossom season versus autumn leaves and everything in between, worth a read before you pick a date.
Radically All-Inclusive, applied to Japan specifically
“All-inclusive” gets used loosely by a lot of operators. For us it means every flight, the bullet train transfers, all 44 meals (including a welcome cocktail, a sake tasting in Takayama and a tea ceremony in Kyoto), and a dedicated English-speaking tour guide plus local guides who take you between every stop without a single logistics decision landing on your plate. You will not be sorting out which platform your Shinkansen departs from or trying to book a ryokan reservation in a language you don’t read. Your Group Guru handles it, and handles the small stuff too: the reservation nobody remembered to make, the traveller who needs a slower pace on a long travel day, the details that add up to a trip that actually feels like a vacation rather than a logistics exercise.
Built for Travellers 55 and Up: difficulty, honestly addressed
We rate this itinerary High difficulty, and we are not going to soften that. Between two bullet train transfers, a night in a traditional ryokan (often futon-on-tatami, not a Western bed), a full mountain-to-city 17-day pace and stretches of walking on uneven temple grounds, this trip asks something of you physically. So here is the thing: we would rather tell you that upfront than have you find out on day five.
It still rewards the effort. Your Group Guru is there for the early departures and the language barrier, not just the highlight-reel days, and the itinerary’s mix of cities and quieter mountain stops gives you a real chance to recover pace along the way. Our physical requirements FAQ covers what to expect in more detail.
How to choose the right Japan tour
A few things worth checking before you book with anyone, us included: does the itinerary actually connect Japan’s cities to its countryside, or does it just stay in Tokyo and Kyoto and call it Japan? Is the group size genuinely small, or is “small group” doing a lot of marketing work for what turns out to be forty-plus people on a coach? And does the operator handle the language barrier and the bullet train logistics for you, given how easily a missed transfer can unravel a Japan itinerary?
We think our answer to all three holds up. Thirty travellers maximum, a route that treats the cities and the mountain towns as one trip instead of two, and a Group Guru who has done this exact route before and knows which platform you need.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Approach Tours Japan itinerary?
Seventeen days, all-inclusive, covering Tokyo, Hiroshima, Himeji, Mount Koya, Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama and Kawaguchiko.
How much does a Japan tour from Canada cost?
Our Timeless Japan Tour is $16,395 CAD per person in double occupancy, with a $3,000 single supplement and a $1,675 discount for travellers arranging their own flights.
Is Japan difficult for travellers with mobility concerns?
We rate this itinerary High difficulty because of bullet train transfers, a night in a traditional ryokan, and stretches of walking on temple grounds, and we would rather tell you that upfront. Your Group Guru paces the group throughout, but it is worth an honest conversation with us before booking if mobility is a concern. Our physical requirements FAQ is a good place to start.
What is the best time of year to visit Japan?
It depends on what you want from the trip. Our seasonal guide to Japan breaks down cherry blossom season versus autumn leaves in detail.
Does the tour include both cities and the countryside?
Yes. This is one of the few Approach Tours itineraries that treats Japan as a single trip rather than choosing Tokyo’s neon or Japan’s mountain towns. A stretch of major cities leads into a night in a traditional ryokan and a sake tasting in Takayama before the trip loops back to Tokyo.
