Japan

Offbeat Japan

A two-hour drive out to Nikko's gold-leafed shrines, and a slower afternoon in Uji most Japan trips never see.

8 Nights / 9 DaysDuration
5Cities

Nikko and Uji rarely make a first Japan itinerary. Nikko sits two hours north of Tokyo, easy to reach and easy to skip if nobody thinks to build in the extra day. Uji is a slower half-day south of Kyoto, better known for tea than for tourists. Both reward the detour.

This is one of the Japan itineraries we've planned for a group before , eight nights, nine days across Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto and Osaka, built for a group of 30 adults travelling together. It's shared here to show what a Japan trip that goes off the usual route could look like. A version built around your own group's size, pace, and dates would look a little different , and that's the point.

Why This Trip

Why Detour to Nikko and Uji

Why Detour to Nikko and Uji

Nikko adds a different kind of morning to the trip , Toshogu Shrine's carved gates and Kegon Falls, a two-hour drive from Tokyo that most first-time visitors skip entirely in favour of squeezing in one more Tokyo day.

Uji does something similar on the Kyoto side , Byodo-in Temple, the building on the ten-yen coin, and a tea culture Kyoto's day-trippers rarely make time for. Neither detour costs much time. Both change what the trip is actually about.

Holiday Overview

Cities Covered
Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto, Nara & Uji, Osaka
Starting Price
₹2,32,675

per adult, based on 30 adults travelling together, excluding international airfare

Best Time to Travel
April (cherry blossom season)
Experiences Covered
Private Tokyo city tour, Kawaguchiko & Mt. Fuji day tour, Nikko day tour, Kyoto city tour, Nara & Uji day tour, Osaka day tour, Indian meals throughout

Tap a pin to preview each stop

Trace Your Path

An itinerary designed
for every moment.

Tokyo Day 1–4

Imperial Palace East Garden, Senso-ji Temple, Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing and a Kawaguchiko & Mt. Fuji day tour.

Nikko Day 4

Toshogu Shrine, Shinkyo Bridge, Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls.

Kyoto Day 5–9

Gion's machiya houses and tea houses, then Kyoto's shops and side streets.

Nara & Uji Day 6, 8

Todai-ji Temple's Great Buddha, deer that bow for crackers at Nara Park, then Uji's Byodo-in Temple, the building on the ten-yen coin.

Osaka Day 7

Osaka Castle's gardens, Shinsaibashi's shopping arcades, and Dotonbori after dark, where the neon and the street food both run late.

Day By Day

Japan Trip Itinerary

  1. Day 1 (1 April)

    Tokyo Arrival

    Arrive at Narita or Haneda and settle in with a private transfer to the hotel. The evening brings dinner at an Indian restaurant, a familiar meal before a week of new ones.

  2. Day 2 (2 April)

    Tokyo, Full Day

    An English-speaking guide leads the group through the Imperial Palace East Garden, Asakusa's Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Street, Meiji Shrine, and , time allowing , the crossing at Shibuya.

  3. Day 3 (3 April)

    Kawaguchiko & Mt. Fuji, Full Day

    Arakurayama Sengen Park frames the mountain behind its five-storey pagoda, and a boat ride across Lake Kawaguchiko follows, weather permitting.

  4. Day 4 (4 April)

    Nikko, Full Day

    A two-hour drive out to Toshogu Shrine, a UNESCO site carved in more gold leaf and detail than almost anywhere else in Japan, followed by Shinkyo Bridge, Lake Chuzenji, and Kegon Falls.

  5. Day 5 (5 April)

    Tokyo to Kyoto

    The Shinkansen carries the group to Kyoto, where the afternoon opens onto Gion's machiya houses and tea houses, the closest most travellers get to spotting a geisha mid-stride.

  6. Day 6 (6 April)

    Nara & Uji, Full Day

    Todai-ji Temple's Great Buddha, deer that bow for crackers at Nara Park, then Uji's Byodo-in Temple, the building on the ten-yen coin.

  7. Day 7 (7 April)

    Osaka, Full Day

    Osaka Castle's gardens, Shinsaibashi's shopping arcades, and Dotonbori after dark, where the neon and the street food both run late.

  8. Day 8 (8 April)

    Uji, Half Day

    A slower morning in Uji, with a tea ceremony or a walk along the river, before an afternoon left open for Kyoto's shops and side streets.

  9. Day 9 (9 April)

    Departure

    A transfer to the airport closes out the trip.

What's Included

Experiences Included.

Where You'll Stay

Hotel Stays.

Hotel stays in Tokyo and Kyoto, with breakfast and Indian lunch and dinner daily.

Tokyo: Hotel Keihan Tsukiji Ginza Grande, close to the Ginza district. Kyoto: Hotel Keihan Kyoto Hachijoguchi, near the station and the city's temples.

The Fine Print, Handled

What Travenza Holidays
Will Arrange.

Itinerary planning, hotel reservations, private transfers, sightseeing, bullet train bookings, Indian meal arrangements, visa assistance, and travel support for the whole group.

Customised by family size, hotel preference, budget, travel dates, and pace. For larger groups: one coach, one guide, and a single WhatsApp point of contact for the entire trip.

Ready When You Are

Plan Your Off the Beaten Path Holiday to Japan

Toshogu's gold-leafed gates, Kegon Falls in full flow, an Uji afternoon over tea , Japan has more than the golden triangle, and this route goes and finds it.

This is one of the itineraries we've built for a group travelling together before, shared here to show what the trip could look like. A version built for your own group , size, pace, and dates , would look a little different.

Estimated from ₹2,32,675 per adult · All inclusive

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