In partnership with The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, we are offering a 4.5 star, all-inclusive tour to Japan. This thoughtfully designed tour will take travelers through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka—three of Japan’s most iconic and culturally rich cities. Guests will explore celebrated sites such as the Meiji Shrine, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple, and Osaka Castle, many of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The itinerary features immersive experiences including a traditional rickshaw ride through a bamboo forest, a hands-on sushi-making class, and a visit to the amazing digital art museum. Free time is woven throughout the journey for relaxation, shopping, or personal exploration.
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) or Haneda Airport (HND). 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 4.5-star hotel, The Daiichi Hotel Tokyo, 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 4th 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 our welcome dinner.
Meet at the hotel lobby and depart via taxis for Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. This is one of the largest parks in Japan. Created in 1603, the park features an immense Japanese landscape garden, as well as a French garden, an English garden, and a green house.
After taking a walking tour of this garden, we will take taxis to the Mori Building in Azabudai Hills. We will enjoy lunch within the Mori Building.
We will have tickets to the spectacular Tokyo Digital Art Museum, also known as teamLab Borderless. 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 nearby restaurant, Sotoroku, for dinner. This restaurant is located in the high-rise Blossom Hibiya hotel, and will provide us with a great view of the city.
As we will be having a light lunch on the train, a heavy breakfast is recommended.
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. This journey will take about 3 hours.
Eat a simple box lunch on the Bullet Train. This will be a light lunch.
Arrive in Kyoto, a city of more than 2,000 temples and shrines; and countless gardens.
Meet up with our local guide, and take taxis to our hotel, the four-star Cross Hotel Kyoto. It is a new hotel, and it is located in the city’s center near many attractions, restaurants, and stores. The Cross Hotel Kyoto is perfectly situated for exploring the city by foot.
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 “tori” gates, this shrine goes deep into a lush forest.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby, and walk to a local restaurant positioned in one of Kyoto’s famous alleyways.
Meet in the hotel lobby and depart via taxis to see some of Kyoto’s most famous gardens.
Arrive at Nanzenji Temple, which was built in the early 13th Century, and is one of the most famous Zen temples in Japan. Nanzenji has numerous gardens, including some very special rock gardens.
Accompanied by a Japanese garden expert, we will tour the grounds of Nanzenji, exploring a variety of gardens.
While still on the temple grounds, we will visit the famous Tenjuan Garden. This ancient, lush garden is full of many features. Our local garden expert will give us a tour of this quiet garden.
We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.
We will take taxis, a short distance, to Heian Jingu Shrine, one of Kyoto’s most famous landmarks.
Heian Jingu Shrine is also home to one of the city’s most famous gardens, Shin-en, which translates into “Garden of the Gods”. This eight-acre garden features countless trees, plants, flowers, and water features.
We’ll enjoy a guided tour of this massive, beautiful, and quiet garden.
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 lobby and depart via taxis for Arashiyama, a picturesque part of Kyoto. Arashiyama:
Enjoy a 30-minute ride through a famous bamboo forest in a traditional Japanese rickshaw.
Afterwards, spend time walking around the area or rowing on the nearby lake in small boats.
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.
Dinner tonight will be arranged differently. As there are hundreds of small restaurants within a few blocks from our hotel, guests will be given local currency to go out and enjoy a meal of their choice.
Since some of the city’s best restaurants are too small for groups, this evening will give people the option to eat when and where they want.
Meet in the hotel lobby, and depart via taxis with our guide, for Nijo Castle and enjoy a guided tour. Nijo has a wonderful traditional Japanese garden. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its stunning architecture and historical significance as the residence of Tokugawa shoguns.
On the Nijo Castle grounds, see a famous Eucalyptus Melliodora tree, which was planted from one of the seeds from one of the few trees that survived the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.
Enjoy a multi-course meal at a great Chinese restaurant, near Nijo Castle.
Take taxis to Saiho-ji Temple, which features one of the most famous gardens in the world. This temple, because of its moss-dominated garden, is often called the Moss Temple.
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.
Enjoy free time to explore the area (there is great shopping nearby, as well as a wonderful river walk)
Meet in the lobby and walk about ten minutes to Nishiki Market. This market, founded in the year 1310, offers fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, and fruits to locals.
Have lunch at nearby restaurant.
Take taxis to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kinkaku-ji Temple. Tour the extensive temple grounds, as well as its stunning gardens.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant, 7 Embers, 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).
Meet at the hotel lobby, with bags ready. We will have a private van and driver 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 all of the countless food offerings, enjoy dinner at a seafood restaurant.
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, it's lovely gardens, and the surrounding area.
Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.
Meet at one of the hotel’s restaurants 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.
*This is an all-inclusive tour with the exception of alcoholic beverages and hotel incidentals such as laundry, room service, etc.
PRICE OF TOUR:
$8,495 USD per person based on double occupancy
$10,495 USD per person based on single occupancy
Some details, like restaurants may change, but quality will be the same
PRICE INCLUDES:
Accommodations at two four-star hotels and one five-star hotel
All transportation within Japan
All 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
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 nonrefundable, per person, deposit is due to John Shors Travel by March 1, 2026
This tour will be filled up on a first-come, first-serve basis
John Shors 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.