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8-Day West Japan Mountain & Sea Highlights Tour

Witness the Highlights of Mountain and Sea in West Japan

The Kansai Region (West Japan) was the political center of Japan in its early days (c. 300–1600), and now it has become a travel destination where you can see many well-preserved historical and cultural sites. We have combined this main element with many astonishing views of natural sights and tasty foods to enrich your journey.
Follow this itinerary and you won't feel bored in Kansai. Whether you enjoy natural scenery of the mountains and sea, the busy streets of Osaka, the storytelling history of Kyoto, or the different traditional Japanese building styles of Ine fishing village and Miyama's thatched village, there's something for everyone!

Days:8±
Best For:First-timers, Nature lovers, Foodies
Departure date:up to you
Sample Price:from US$ 5,199 each (2 per room)

Journey Route

This is an ideal tour for first-time visitors and families. Sign up for your favorite part of the tour or simply treat the whole tour as inspiration, designing each element specially for you.

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Honeymoon Planning 2025

I worked with Bert and he was super helpful in helping me plan a honeymoon trip to Japan. I have wanted to visit Japan for a really long time but the idea of planning a whole trip and taking in all Japan has to offer sounded like a huge amount of work and research. This planning experience took all those nerves away. I got both a summery of the trip and very detailed review of all the places on the itinerary. They have multiple ways to communicate, I choose to communicate by email. Bert was very professional and polite. Quick responses and follow up emails were sent to keep me on track with planning.

, Apr 2024

Customized Trip Planning

My experience with Alisa at Asia Highlights has been excellent. I wanted to customize my trip to South Korea and Japan. I made several changes and asked many questions which she answered promptly. My trip included only hotels and transportation because I wanted to explore on my own. This gave me the option to book my own tours if I want. I selected Asia Highlights because of the great reviews and booked because Alisa was helpful in planning my trip.

JBC, Feb 2024

Japan Tour

Alisa did a fantastic job, answering all my questions and catering to what I want for our upcoming Japan tour. The itinerary was so detailed! We are so excited for our trip!

Theresa Beltran, Feb 2024

Highlights

Merge yourself into the vibrant streets of Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi.

Step up onto Rokko Mountain and reward yourself with fresh air and a panorama of Kobe.

Taste the best-known Japanese beef — Kobe Wagyu, and a challenging delicacy — pufferfish.

Wander between different traditional and local building styles.

Cruise across Ine Bay, watch the seagulls, and be careful of the eagles!

Take a cable car up to Kasamatsu Park for the astonishing view of Amanohashidate — a stunning sandbar across a bay.

Experience a Japanese Tea Ceremony and have a short hike in Gion, Kyoto's old entertainment district.

Enjoy the local cultural highlights of Kyoto.

Enter the Japanese Buddhism universe at Koyasan.

Discover the coastline of Shirahama — try a glass-bottom boat cruise and/or its hot springs.

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12-Day Classic Japan Tour

Itinerary in Detail

We arrange plenty of cultural activities to help create memorable experiences along the way. We also take time to admire the nature, and enjoy great foods. Of course, all of them are adjustable according to your ideas!

Day 1

Osaka Arrival

Welcome to Osaka — a charming, relaxed city, best known for its food and culture!

Arrive in Kansai International Airport (KIX) and travel to your hotel by private transfer. Catch the night atmosphere of Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi Shopping Street and sample various local delicacies, if there is time available after arrival.

The dusk of downtown Osaka

Day 2

Kobe Highlights

Witness the best of Kobe and taste its world-famous Wagyu beef and seafood:

Step onto Akashi Strait Bridge, the suspension bridge across the Akashi Strait in west-central Japan. It was the world's longest suspension bridge when it opened on April 5, 1998.
Have a walk on the Maiko Marine Promenade — suspended 47 meters above the sea, it has a total length of 317 meters overlooking the Akashi Strait.
Visit the Awaji Yumebutai hillside complex that is designed for you to feel as many natural elements as possible, such as water, wind, light, shade, mountains, gardens, sky, and ocean, which you might need more of if your daily lives lack them.
Finish the day with the incredible panorama of Kobe see from the Mt. Rokko Observatory — selected as one of the "Three Major Night Views of Japan".
Have some famous Kobe Wagyu ('Japanese beef') for lunch and a seafood buffet for dinner.

The Akashi Strait Bridge

Day 3

The Views of Kyoto

On day 3, we would travel from Kobe to northern Kyoto:

Visit various Western-style buildings that were built during the Meiji and Taisho eras (1868–1926) at Kobe Kitano Ijinkan Gai — the old foreign settlement quarter.
Moving to northern Kyoto, explore Ine Fishing Village with a cruise for an overall view of the charming village — the distinctive boathouses that line the bay offer an interesting historical perspective.
Back to Kyoto, take a cable car up to Kasamatsu Park Observatory for a superb hillside view of Amanohashidate — a pine-covered sandbar famous as one of "Japan's Three Scenic Views".

The view of Amanohashidate from the Park

Day 4

Traditional Kyoto Experiences

This is a special day for experiencing the local cultural and traditional elements of Kyoto:

Walk around Miyama's Thatched Village and enjoy the atmosphere and charming views of its tall thatched roofs mirroring a mountain backdrop.
Back in Kyoto, have a local tea ceremony and pastries for a restful interlude.
Then, have a short walk in Gion — a district of Kyoto in front of Gion Shrine. Originating as an entertainment district in the Sengoku Period (1467–1573), it eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan.

Traditional village in Miyama

Day 5

Kyoto Highlights

On day 5, we would visit the top highlights of Kyoto:

See the impressive shining Zen temple — the Golden Pavilion — a structure built overlooking a large pond, its top two floors completely covered in gold leaf.
Then, enter the pleasant area of Arashiyama, a popular destination since the Heian Period (794–1185), when nobles would enjoy its natural setting.
Get some great photos at Fushimi Inari Shrine — an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto, famous for its thousands of vermillion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings.

The autumn of Arashiyama

Day 6

Koyasan Highlights

Looking for something different? On day 6, we would head to Koyasan and immerse ourselves in Shingon Buddhism:

Drive to Koyasan in the morning from Kyoto, and spend the whole day and night getting a taste of a monk's lifestyle, eating vegetarian monk's cuisine, and attending the morning prayers there.
Free at leisure and feel the Zen atmosphere.

Feel the Zen atmosphere

Day 7

Wakayama to Osaka

The day is mainly for relaxing after 5 days of travel and discovery:

Back at the seaside, check out Senjojiki — 'One Thousand Tatami Mats'. A relaxing walk on its smooth stone formations would be fun!
Enjoy a sunbathe or swim at Shirarahama Beach — the best beach in Kansai.
Take a glass-bottom boat to discover the wonders of the clear sea, or simply have a hot spring bath at Shirahama Onsen — Japan's oldest hot spring resort.
Enjoy fugu ryori (a Japanese pufferfish delicacy) after the daytrip.