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Epic Japan: Speed Trains & Street Food

Tour, Escorted tour

18-to-Thirtysomethings

Offer Image
Epic Japan: Speed Trains & Street Food
Now's the time to explore Japan on your terms with this tour that's affordable for young travellers. Always wanted to explore Japan but kinda felt it was pricey? We got you. This 11-day introduction to the Land of the Rising Sun is super-affordable and super fun. Travel by train to introduce yourself to Tokyo nightlife, the famous geisha district of Kyoto, and the iconic floating torii gate of Miyajima. Experience the country's traditions and cutting-edge modernity with lots of free time to do your own thing. When you see Japan with a group of like-minded adventurers, you'll never want to come home.

Highlights
Explore both the ultramodern and traditional sides of Japan, experience Tokyo's vibrant nightlife, visit Kyoto's iconic temples and geishas, see the floating torii gate of Miyajima, stay in a traditional inn in Takayama to experience historic Japan

Accommodation
Hostels (9 nts, multi-share, shared facilites), traditional inn (1 nt, multi share room and shared facilities)

Group Leader
CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout.

Group Size Notes
Max 16, avg 14

Meals Included
No meals included

What's Included
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group Your First Night Out Moment: Connect With New Friends Your Big Night Out Moment: - Kyoto, Kyoto Your Discover Moment: Kyoto Your Big Night Out Moment: - Osaka: Nightlife, Osaka. Orientation walks in Tokyo and Takayama. Overnight stay in a traditional inn. Miyajima Island visit. Free time in each destination. Japan Rail (JR) pass (7 days). All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.

Interests
  • Culinary and Cooking
  • Rail Tours
  • Younger Travelers
10 Nights Starting At
May 01, 2025 through May 10, 2025
Book by:
May 06, 2025 7:00 PM
5 departures, various dates
Itinerary Map
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Dates & prices
Additional
Offers
Starting From Additional Details
10 Nights from $2,069.10 (USD) Per Person
5 departures, various dates
May 06, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,599.20 (USD) Per Person
January 07, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,699.15 (USD) Per Person
January 14, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,599.20 (USD) Per Person
January 19, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,699.15 (USD) Per Person
January 21, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,599.20 (USD) Per Person
January 28, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,699.15 (USD) Per Person
2 departures, various dates
February 11, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,869.15 (USD) Per Person
4 departures, various dates
March 11, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $2,379.15 (USD) Per Person
11 departures, various dates
April 11, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,954.15 (USD) Per Person
6 departures, various dates
April 25, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $2,699.10 (USD) Per Person
May 11, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,979.10 (USD) Per Person
26 departures, various dates
August 26, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $2,299.00 (USD) Per Person
13 departures, various dates
October 26, 2025 7:00 PM
10 Nights from $1,999.00 (USD) Per Person
105 departures, various dates
December 15, 2026 7:00 PM
Additional
Offers














Tour Tips
Local Dress
In Asia the dress standard is more conservative than it is back home. When packing try to pick loose, lightweight, long clothing that will keep you cool in the usually hot and humid climate of Asian summers.

Optional Activities
Asakusa- Senso-ji Temple Visit (Free)Tokyo- Akihabara Visit (Free)- Harajuku Visit (Free)- Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) Visit (Free-1000JPY per person)- Ueno Park Visit (Free)Takayama- Sake Street Visit (300-400JPY per person)- Biking (200-1000JPY per person)- Hida no Sato (Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village) Visit (700JPY per person)Kyoto- Zen Gardens of Ryoan-ji (500JPY per person)- Gion Walk (Free)- Kiyomizu Temple Visit (400JPY per person)- Nijo Castle and Gardens Visit (600JPY per person)- Day Trip to Nara- Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion Visit (500JPY per person)- Silver Pavilion Visit (500JPY per person)Hiroshima- Hiroshima Park and Peace Memorial (Free-200JPY per person)Miyajima- Mt. Misen Visit (Free-1840JPY per person)Osaka- Instant Ramen Museum Visit- Osaka Castle Park (Free)

What to Take
We suggest that you pack as lightly as possible as you are expected to carry your own luggage. You will be walking with your luggage in busy public train stations to catch connecting trains, so it is highly recommended that you travel light, have easy to handle luggage, and are capable of walking up and down the stairs with your luggage without any assistance. A large bag will be an inconvenience to you and slow you down!We recommend keeping the weight of your bags between 10-15kg (22-30 lbs). Large suitcases are not recommended for G Adventures trips. We suggest travellers bring a rucksack or rolling bag of small to medium size. You will also need a day-pack to carry daily essentials like water, cameras, passport, etc.It’s essential to pack as lightly as possible for rail travel in Japan. All G Adventures tours use the world-famous Shinkansen bullet trains, which have a restriction on maximum luggage size.Any luggage brought on board must be less than 160cm in total (calculated as the sum of the height + width + depth of your luggage). This is roughly the size that most airline companies consider as "carry-on baggage" and allow in overhead storage compartments. We strongly recommend bringing a day pack or backpack to use during the day (for daily essentials like water, cameras, passport, etc.).Please note that travellers who bring luggage that exceeds this restriction will be directly penalized by the Central Japan Railway Company. Any luggage between 160–250cm will require a fee of 1,000 JPY per luggage, for each leg of your train journey, and is strictly subject to availability. Any luggage over 251cm in total is prohibited on the Shinkansen trains.If you absolutely must bring more than what fits into a single carry-on bag plus day pack, you may bring a second carry-on bag which also must be less than 160cm in total. Please note, however, that as with all G Adventures tours, you must be able to carry your luggage unassisted.Luggage Transfer - Japan’s "takuhaibin" service is a convenient and reliable way to transfer luggage from one location to another throughout the country. Pick-up/drop-off/delivery dates and times can be easily scheduled (usually overnight) and costs are moderate. Service can be arranged at most hotels and airports. Using takuhaibin to send your luggage between hotels, or from hotel to airport, is a great way to travel light and avoid hauling large bags on crowded trains or up and down stairs – just be sure to pack an overnight bag with everything you’ll need until you’re reunited with your luggage the following day.

Group Leader Description
All G Adventures group trips are accompanied by one of our Chief Experience Officers (CEO). The aim of the CEO is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. They will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting - we think it's the best of both worlds.

Responsible Travel

Change the world just by having the time of your life.

We have always believed in the life-changing power of travel, but for that power to exist we need to travel the right way. Since the very beginning, G Adventures’ vision for travelling responsibly has meant giving back as much — if not more — than what you take away. Yes, travel should be incredibly fun (have you been on one of our tours?), but we also believe travel needs to be a force for good. For you, for local communities around the world, and for the world itself — we call it “community tourism.” See how we do it below.

A lot of companies use “sustainability” or “sustainable travel” to talk about exploring the world in a better way, but we’ve never been ones to follow in others’ footsteps or borrow out-dated ideas. Our commitment to making travel a force for good is different — so we call it G for Good.

It stands for all of the social, environmental, and ethical good we create as a business which helps to fuel community tourism. Which is… you ask? It means our tours are built on meaningful relationships with local communities and directly benefit the people and places we visit. Today, our definition of community tourism means that the communities we positively impact ripples far beyond these destinations, to include our employees, supplier and agent partners, small business owners, customers, social followers, and travellers like you.

G for Good is what makes us, us. With your help, we can make travel the force for good we’ve known it can be since our company was established over three decades ago.

Animal Welfare

G Adventures recognizes the importance of animal welfare. That’s why we have worked with experts from World Animal Protection, The Jane Goodall Institute and The World Cetacean Alliance to draw up a robust policy, which builds on the ABTA Global Welfare Guidelines for Animals in Tourism and puts the needs of animals first. We want to ensure that all animals featured on our tours are treated humanely.

Child Welfare

It is critical that no child is ever harmed as a result of tourism. Travellers have the power and responsibility to make a true impact in the communities they visit, and that’s why we actively work to ensure child welfare is protected in the places we operate. We were also the first global travel company to achieve Friend’s International ChildSafe certification.

Climate Action

With all the good global travel does for local communities, it’s an unfortunate truth that the industry produces environmentally harmful carbon dioxide. That’s why we signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and got to work on halving our carbon footprint by 2030. Want to know exactly how we and our travellers are going about it? Read on to review our full Climate-Biodiversity Action Plan.

Respecting local cultures

Connecting curious travellers with Indigenous communities is an essential part of our identity at G Adventures. We are committed to respecting the rights, history, and culture of Indigenous people while ensuring that tourism supports their well-being.

Trees For Days

Go. Grow. Love.

Trees for Days, our latest initiative in partnership with Planeterra and Reforest, aims to spread love around the world — with trees! For each and every day a traveller is on an adventure with us, we grow a tree in their name. Armed with trees and a shovel, our mission is simple: to help communities around the world adapt to the growing impacts of climate change. Want to help spread the love with your very own grove of trees? All you need to do is book a trip — we’ll take care of the rest.

How do we spread love with trees? It’s easy.

With help from our partners, we work with local communities to grow and maintain our trees. Here’s how the magic unfolds:

You go on an adventure

As soon as your trip is booked and paid for, we start sourcing your tree bundle — one tree is grown for every day of your travels.

We grow your trees

Our reforesting process gets underway! We grow, maintain, and make sure your trees have all the love they need to thrive in their new environment.

Watch your love unfold

Want to see the difference you’re making? Log in to your G Adventures account to track how many trees you have grown, where they live and, if you’re in the mood, add a few more to your grove!

Local Dress
In Asia the dress standard is more conservative than it is back home. When packing try to pick loose, lightweight, long clothing that will keep you cool in the usually hot and humid climate of Asian summers.

Optional Activities
Asakusa- Senso-ji Temple Visit (Free)Tokyo- Akihabara Visit (Free)- Harajuku Visit (Free)- Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) Visit (Free-1000JPY per person)- Ueno Park Visit (Free)Takayama- Sake Street Visit (300-400JPY per person)- Biking (200-1000JPY per person)- Hida no Sato (Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village) Visit (700JPY per person)Kyoto- Zen Gardens of Ryoan-ji (500JPY per person)- Gion Walk (Free)- Kiyomizu Temple Visit (400JPY per person)- Nijo Castle and Gardens Visit (600JPY per person)- Day Trip to Nara- Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion Visit (500JPY per person)- Silver Pavilion Visit (500JPY per person)Hiroshima- Hiroshima Park and Peace Memorial (Free-200JPY per person)Miyajima- Mt. Misen Visit (Free-1840JPY per person)Osaka- Instant Ramen Museum Visit- Osaka Castle Park (Free)

What to Take
We suggest that you pack as lightly as possible as you are expected to carry your own luggage. You will be walking with your luggage in busy public train stations to catch connecting trains, so it is highly recommended that you travel light, have easy to handle luggage, and are capable of walking up and down the stairs with your luggage without any assistance. A large bag will be an inconvenience to you and slow you down!We recommend keeping the weight of your bags between 10-15kg (22-30 lbs). Large suitcases are not recommended for G Adventures trips. We suggest travellers bring a rucksack or rolling bag of small to medium size. You will also need a day-pack to carry daily essentials like water, cameras, passport, etc.It’s essential to pack as lightly as possible for rail travel in Japan. All G Adventures tours use the world-famous Shinkansen bullet trains, which have a restriction on maximum luggage size.Any luggage brought on board must be less than 160cm in total (calculated as the sum of the height + width + depth of your luggage). This is roughly the size that most airline companies consider as "carry-on baggage" and allow in overhead storage compartments. We strongly recommend bringing a day pack or backpack to use during the day (for daily essentials like water, cameras, passport, etc.).Please note that travellers who bring luggage that exceeds this restriction will be directly penalized by the Central Japan Railway Company. Any luggage between 160–250cm will require a fee of 1,000 JPY per luggage, for each leg of your train journey, and is strictly subject to availability. Any luggage over 251cm in total is prohibited on the Shinkansen trains.If you absolutely must bring more than what fits into a single carry-on bag plus day pack, you may bring a second carry-on bag which also must be less than 160cm in total. Please note, however, that as with all G Adventures tours, you must be able to carry your luggage unassisted.Luggage Transfer - Japan’s "takuhaibin" service is a convenient and reliable way to transfer luggage from one location to another throughout the country. Pick-up/drop-off/delivery dates and times can be easily scheduled (usually overnight) and costs are moderate. Service can be arranged at most hotels and airports. Using takuhaibin to send your luggage between hotels, or from hotel to airport, is a great way to travel light and avoid hauling large bags on crowded trains or up and down stairs – just be sure to pack an overnight bag with everything you’ll need until you’re reunited with your luggage the following day.

Group Leader Description
All G Adventures group trips are accompanied by one of our Chief Experience Officers (CEO). The aim of the CEO is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. They will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting - we think it's the best of both worlds.

Change the world just by having the time of your life.

We have always believed in the life-changing power of travel, but for that power to exist we need to travel the right way. Since the very beginning, G Adventures’ vision for travelling responsibly has meant giving back as much — if not more — than what you take away. Yes, travel should be incredibly fun (have you been on one of our tours?), but we also believe travel needs to be a force for good. For you, for local communities around the world, and for the world itself — we call it “community tourism.” See how we do it below.

A lot of companies use “sustainability” or “sustainable travel” to talk about exploring the world in a better way, but we’ve never been ones to follow in others’ footsteps or borrow out-dated ideas. Our commitment to making travel a force for good is different — so we call it G for Good.

It stands for all of the social, environmental, and ethical good we create as a business which helps to fuel community tourism. Which is… you ask? It means our tours are built on meaningful relationships with local communities and directly benefit the people and places we visit. Today, our definition of community tourism means that the communities we positively impact ripples far beyond these destinations, to include our employees, supplier and agent partners, small business owners, customers, social followers, and travellers like you.

G for Good is what makes us, us. With your help, we can make travel the force for good we’ve known it can be since our company was established over three decades ago.

Animal Welfare

G Adventures recognizes the importance of animal welfare. That’s why we have worked with experts from World Animal Protection, The Jane Goodall Institute and The World Cetacean Alliance to draw up a robust policy, which builds on the ABTA Global Welfare Guidelines for Animals in Tourism and puts the needs of animals first. We want to ensure that all animals featured on our tours are treated humanely.

Child Welfare

It is critical that no child is ever harmed as a result of tourism. Travellers have the power and responsibility to make a true impact in the communities they visit, and that’s why we actively work to ensure child welfare is protected in the places we operate. We were also the first global travel company to achieve Friend’s International ChildSafe certification.

Climate Action

With all the good global travel does for local communities, it’s an unfortunate truth that the industry produces environmentally harmful carbon dioxide. That’s why we signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and got to work on halving our carbon footprint by 2030. Want to know exactly how we and our travellers are going about it? Read on to review our full Climate-Biodiversity Action Plan.

Respecting local cultures

Connecting curious travellers with Indigenous communities is an essential part of our identity at G Adventures. We are committed to respecting the rights, history, and culture of Indigenous people while ensuring that tourism supports their well-being.

Go. Grow. Love.

Trees for Days, our latest initiative in partnership with Planeterra and Reforest, aims to spread love around the world — with trees! For each and every day a traveller is on an adventure with us, we grow a tree in their name. Armed with trees and a shovel, our mission is simple: to help communities around the world adapt to the growing impacts of climate change. Want to help spread the love with your very own grove of trees? All you need to do is book a trip — we’ll take care of the rest.

How do we spread love with trees? It’s easy.

With help from our partners, we work with local communities to grow and maintain our trees. Here’s how the magic unfolds:

You go on an adventure

As soon as your trip is booked and paid for, we start sourcing your tree bundle — one tree is grown for every day of your travels.

We grow your trees

Our reforesting process gets underway! We grow, maintain, and make sure your trees have all the love they need to thrive in their new environment.

Watch your love unfold

Want to see the difference you’re making? Log in to your G Adventures account to track how many trees you have grown, where they live and, if you’re in the mood, add a few more to your grove!

About G Adventures
G Adventures logo

We’ve been the leaders in small group adventure travel for 30+ years. How’d we get here? By listening to our travellers and giving them what they want: flexible itineraries, freedom to explore, smaller groups, safety and peace of mind, and locally based guides who show you your destination in a way you’d miss travelling any other way. 

The trip of your dreams doesn’t need a Hollywood-sized budget or years of planning. Simply join a small group of like-minded travellers that, like you, are eager to experience all the things that make our world worth exploring.

Our guides are all CEOs.

At G Adventures, we don’t have tour guides — we have Chief Experience Officers. Our founder, Bruce Poon Tip, gave up his title as CEO because he felt they needed a proper title to reflect how integral they are to giving you an exceptional travel experience. (But don’t worry, they won’t be using any office attire or business jargon.)

Locally based = local experts.

Our CEOs are locally based, meaning they know the area you’re exploring like the back of their well-travelled hand. They plan visits around the best times to visit (or avoid) the most popular spots, can help you choose local restaurants, and generally give you great tips on the best things to experience. And since they usually speak the local language, they are your go-to resource for anything that comes up.

Local support. All. The. Time.

All CEOs are supported by our local operations teams 24/7. If something comes up that your CEO can’t help you with (however unlikely that is), the team nearby is there to support them in keeping you safe and happy.

Your experience is their focus.

We want you to have the time of your life — that’s why we hire the smartest, friendliest, bestest CEOs around. It’s their mission to make sure you return home feeling like your life has truly been changed.

Read More

About G Adventures

We’ve been the leaders in small group adventure travel for 30+ years. How’d we get here? By listening to our travellers and giving them what they want: flexible itineraries, freedom to explore, smaller groups, safety and peace of mind, and locally based guides who show you your destination in a way you’d miss travelling any other way. 

The trip of your dreams doesn’t need a Hollywood-sized budget or years of planning. Simply join a small group of like-minded travellers that, like you, are eager to experience all the things that make our world worth exploring.

Our guides are all CEOs.

At G Adventures, we don’t have tour guides — we have Chief Experience Officers. Our founder, Bruce Poon Tip, gave up his title as CEO because he felt they needed a proper title to reflect how integral they are to giving you an exceptional travel experience. (But don’t worry, they won’t be using any office attire or business jargon.)

Locally based = local experts.

Our CEOs are locally based, meaning they know the area you’re exploring like the back of their well-travelled hand. They plan visits around the best times to visit (or avoid) the most popular spots, can help you choose local restaurants, and generally give you great tips on the best things to experience. And since they usually speak the local language, they are your go-to resource for anything that comes up.

Local support. All. The. Time.

All CEOs are supported by our local operations teams 24/7. If something comes up that your CEO can’t help you with (however unlikely that is), the team nearby is there to support them in keeping you safe and happy.

Your experience is their focus.

We want you to have the time of your life — that’s why we hire the smartest, friendliest, bestest CEOs around. It’s their mission to make sure you return home feeling like your life has truly been changed.

Read More

Prices are per-person based on double occupancy, unless otherwise noted.