This tour is offered in partnership with Grinnell College and will take guests on a remarkable journey through Japan, beginning in Tokyo and concluding in Osaka. Travelers will experience the rich cultural and historical tapestry of Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Osaka.
Highlights include visits to iconic temples, a rickshaw ride through Kyoto’s bamboo forest, a hands-on sushi-making class, and a visit to the world-renowned teamLab digital art museum.
Throughout the trip, guests will also enjoy thought-provoking conversations and cultural insights led by esteemed Grinnell College professor Mariko Shigeta.
Mariko Shigeta Schimmel is associate professor of Chinese and Japanese and East Asian Studies at Grinnell College. Her scholarship centers on modern Japanese literature, with particular focus on political and aesthetic radicalism, modernist and proletarian movements of the 1920s and 1930s, and the role of humor, absurdity, and nonsense in cultural expression. She has published widely in both academic and literary journals and has presented her research at national and international conferences, including invited talks at major universities.
Professor Schimmel is known for her interdisciplinary approach to teaching, blending literature, film, and cultural studies to foster cross-cultural understanding and critical inquiry. Her courses range from Japanese language at all levels to explorations of Japanese horror, popular culture, and experimental writing.
Please contact Masahiko at masahiko@johnshorstravel.com. We'd love to have you join this fabulous tour!
Fly into Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT); flights usually arrive in the late afternoon.
Each individual traveler or family of travelers will have a reservation for a complimentary, private car that will drive them from Narita Airport to our four-star hotel in downtown Tokyo
(Note: Since Narita Airport is far outside of Tokyo, this drive will take about 70 minutes).
Note: If guests wish to arrive one day earlier, so that they may relax for a full day before the tour starts, they may do so. Anyone arriving one day early will still have complimentary airport pickup, but will be on their own for October 16th in terms of activities, and will be charged for an extra night at the hotel.
Check into our 4.5-star hotel, The Daiichi Hotel Tokyo.
Meet in the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, in a private room, for a welcome dinner.
Here you will meet your hosts, Mariko Shigeta Schimmel, associate professor and department chair of Chinese and Japanese at Grinnell College, and John Shors, founder of John Shors Travel.
Depart via taxis to enjoy a stroll through the peaceful and large Yoyogi Park. This park features hundreds of now mature trees that were brought here as saplings from all corners of Japan. At Yoyogi Park, we will enter through the Meiji Jingu gate.
After walking into the park and visiting a temple at its center, we’ll drive to Shibuya, a famous part of Tokyo
We will briefly watch over Shibuya Crossing.
Enjoy a multi-course meal of Japanese delicacies at Tsuru TonTan restaurant.
Since this is our first day of the trip, and we’ll go out tonight, we will head back to our hotel via taxis to enjoy some free time.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant, Sotoroku, for dinner. This meal will be in the high-rise Blossom Hibiya Hotel, providing us with a great view of the city.
Meet in the hotel lobby and depart on taxis or private cars for a tour of Asakusa Temple complex, which features Senso-ji Temple.
While at Senso-ji Temple, we will learn and observe many ancient Japanese traditions and rituals.
Enjoy lunch at a neighborhood, traditional restaurant.
Depart for the spectacular Tokyo Digital Art Museum, also known as teamLab Borderless. We will have tickets for a 2 p.m. entry. This amazing museum features stunning, digital gardens.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a local restaurant for dinner.
Note: Today’s lunch will be light, so a large breakfast is a good idea.
Meet in the hotel lobby, with bags, and take taxis to Tokyo Station.
If we have a clear day, we’ll get a great view of Mt. Fuji.
Eat a simple box lunch on the Bullet Train. This will be a light lunch.
After about 3 hours, arrive in Kyoto — a city of more than 2,000 temples and shrines.
Meet up with our local guide, and take private cars to our hotel, the four-star Cross Hotel Kyoto, which is a new hotel, and is in the city’s center and near many attractions, restaurants, and stores. Check into rooms, if possible. If not, leave our bags at the front desk.
Depart via local train, with our local guide, and enjoy a guided tour of the legendary Fushimi Inari Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Comprising thousands of orange “tori” gates, this shrine goes deep into a lush forest. Fushimi Inari Shrine:
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby, and walk to Guilo Guilo Hitoshima, a nearby restaurant that features traditional Japanese food.
Meet in the lobby and depart via taxis for Arashiyama, a picturesque part of Kyoto.
Enjoy a 30-minute ride through a famous bamboo forest in a traditional Japanese rickshaw.
Afterwards, spend time walking around the area.
Enjoy lunch at Shigetsu restaurant, which is famous for its Zen Buddhism food (vegetarian) and is located inside the famous Tenryuji Temple grounds.
After lunch, enjoy the grounds and wonderful garden at Tenryuji Temple, which features one of the city’s most famous rock gardens.
Guests may continue to explore the area (which has great shopping), return to the hotel via taxis for free time, or walk up nearby “Monkey Mountain”.
This is about a 20-minute hike, each way, and at the top of the mountain are many wild monkeys. The summit offers not only views of the monkeys, but a great view of the city.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant, Ganko Sushi, which is a high-end sushi restaurant
Meet in the hotel lobby and depart for a walking tour of Nishiki Market. This ancient market is still functioning, and offers locals the chance to buy fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, and much more. Guests will enjoy some free time here to do a little shopping (many other goods are available).
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
Take taxis to Nijo Castle and enjoy a guided tour. Nijo Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In Nijo Castle, we will see many of the background sets for the mini-series “Shogun”.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to the nearby Fortune Garden Kyoto, which is one of the city’s best restaurants and is located next to a Zen garden. This restaurant serves French food in addition to Japanese dishes.
Guests may enjoy time in the Zen garden prior to eating.
Option 1: Remain in Kyoto City with John Shors and visit sites like Nanzenji Temple and Heian Jingu Shrine.
Option 2: Head to Hiroshima with a local guide and Grinnell's Mariko Shigeta to visit the Peace Memorial Museum and the Memorial Park.
Option 1:
10:00 a.m. - Meet John Shors in the hotel lobby and take taxis to Nanzenji Temple, which was built in the early 13th Century, and is one of the most famous Zen temples in Japan.
12:00 p.m. - Lunch
2:00 p.m. - We will take taxis, a short distance, to Heian Jingu Shrine, one of Kyoto’s most famous landmarks. We’ll enjoy a guided tour of this massive, beautiful, and quiet garden.
4:00 p.m. - Arrive back at our hotel and enjoy free time.
Option 2:
9:00 a.m. - Meet our local guide, Koji, and Grinnell’s faculty member, Mariko Shigeta, in the lobby and depart for Kyoto Station.
10:00 a.m. - Board the Bullet Train, bound for Hiroshima. This will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
12:00 p.m. - Tour the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Lunch will also take place in the museum.
2:00 p.m. - Tour through Hiroshima Memorial Park.
3:30 p.m. - Return to Hiroshima Station and board your Bullet Train, bound for Kyoto Station.
5:30 p.m. - Arrive back in Kyoto and take taxis to our hotel
Tonight, guests will be on their own for dinner.
Options include:
Leave bags in the lobby.
Walk to a local restaurant of your choosing for lunch (you’ll be supplied with the local currency).
We will have private vans and drivers take us from Kyoto to Osaka. This drive will take about one hour.
Check into our five-star hotel, the Swissotel Nankai Osaka, which is a high-rise hotel that offers amazing views of the city:
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to Dotonbori, one of the most famous pedestrian malls in the world, which is known for its countless street food stalls.
After walking around Dotonbori, and seeing countless food offerings, enjoy dinner at a seafood restaurant.
Note: This will be our last event with Mariko Shigeta, the Grinnell College faculty member.
Meet in the hotel lobby and depart, via two private vans, for a private sushi-making class with Cooking Sun.
We will learn to make several different kinds of sushi rolls, which we will then eat for lunch.
Tour Osaka Castle and the surrounding area.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant for a farewell dinner.
There is a high-speed train that departs below our hotel and heads directly to Osaka airport (Kansai International Airport – KIX). A ticket and instructions will be provided for each guest for this train, and groups of guests will be accompanied by John or another guide.
$8,595 USD per person, based on double occupancy
$10,595 USD per person, based on single occupancy
PRICE INCLUDES:
Accommodations at two four-star hotels and one five-star hotel
All transportation within Japan
Meals and non-alcoholic drinks
Fees (temples, tours, guides, etc.)
Excursions (rickshaw ride, cooking class, etc.)
All tips
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
International airfare to Tokyo and returning from Osaka
Alcoholic drinks and one dinner
Activities during free times
Hotel incidentals such as room service, mini bar, Internet and phone charges, laundry, etc.
To reserve a spot for this tour, a $2,000 USD nonrefundable, per person, deposit is due to John Shors Travel by February 1, 2026
This tour will be filled up on a first-come, first-serve basis
John Shors and Mariko Shigeta will accompany the group for the entire trip. The maximum size for any group is 18 guests, plus guides
Exact tour details may differ slightly from what is listed above, depending on recommendations from local guides; as restaurants close, streets are refurbished, etc.
This trip includes walks of up to one mile, and over uneven terrain
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance for your trip. For your convenience, you can explore options from our trusted travel insurance partner here.