Spring March to May
Cherry blossom reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March and in early April. From mid-April the Alpine Route opens between high walls of snow.
Japan beyond Tokyo and Kyoto
Tailor-made routes for couples and families, driving yourselves through the Japanese Alps and villages, with Hebrew-speaking guides in the cities.
Pick a destination on the map to go in
The classic route, Osaka to Tokyo
This is the twenty-day trip we build again and again. Every route is cut anew, from 14 to 30 days.
- Days 1–2OsakaLanding, Osaka Castle, an evening in Dotonbori.
© Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0Days 3–6KyotoA day with a Hebrew-speaking guide, the thousand gates, Gion, the bamboo grove and a tea ceremony.- Day 7Kiso ValleyThe car is yours; walk the Nakasendo from Magome to Tsumago.
© 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0Days 8–9Takayama & KamikochiMorning markets and woodwork, and a day on foot in the valley at the heart of the Alps.
© 663highland, CC BY 2.5Days 10–11Shirakawa-go & KanazawaThe thatched village, the White Road, Kanazawa’s gardens and geisha quarters.- Day 12The Alpine RouteBy cable car over the mountains to the Kurobe Dam. A driver takes the car round.
© 663highland, CC BY 2.5Day 13MatsumotoJapan’s oldest five-storey castle and the Yayoi Kusama museum.
© Joli Rumi, CC BY-SA 4.0Days 13–14Fuji & HakoneA night facing the mountain, Chureito, the smoking crater and hot springs.
© Morio, CC BY-SA 3.0Days 15–18TokyoThe car goes back, a bullet train to Tokyo, and a day with a Hebrew-speaking guide.- Day 19Flight home
Destinations in Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu
Most of our travellers combine four to six. Here they are, by region.
Tokyo and around
5 destinations
© Macgills2, CC BY-SA 4.03 to 5 daysTokyoShinjuku, Shibuya and Harajuku, Asakusa and Ueno, teamLab on Odaiba, and a day with a Hebrew-speaking guide before the flight home.
© Justin Taylor, CC BY 2.01 to 2 daysYokohamaThe port city south of Tokyo: an easy starting point, with the Minato Mirai waterfront, Chinatown and a short drive to Hakone and Fuji.
© Koichi Sato, CC BY-SA 4.01 to 2 daysNikkoThe shrine town in the mountains north of Tokyo: the ornate Toshogu Shrine, the red Shinkyo Bridge, Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji.
© Supanut Arunoprayote, CC BY 4.02 to 3 daysFuji & HakoneA night facing the volcano at Lake Kawaguchi, the Chureito Pagoda, Hakone’s smoking crater and an evening in the hotel’s hot springs.
© Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.02 to 3 daysIzu PeninsulaA peninsula of coves, cliffs and waterfalls south of Fuji: Mount Omuro, the suspension bridge on the Jogasaki cliffs, the Seven Waterfalls and a boat to the Dogashima sea caves.
Swipe sideways, or use the arrows, to see every destination in the region
The Alps and central Japan
4 destinations
© Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.04 to 5 daysThe Japanese AlpsThe heart of our route: driving yourselves through the mountains, the old Nakasendo trail, Takayama’s morning markets and a day on foot in the Kamikochi valley.
© Ashley98lee, CC BY 4.01 to 2 daysNaganoAt the end of the Alps crossing: the snow monkeys bathing in the hot springs of Jigokudani, the old Zenko-ji temple and the cedar forests of Togakushi.
© KimonBerlin, CC BY-SA 2.02 to 3 daysKanazawa & Shirakawa-goThe thatched village on the UNESCO list, the White Road through the mountains, Kanazawa’s gardens, and the Alps crossed by cable car to the Kurobe Dam.
© Bariston, CC BY-SA 4.01 to 2 daysToyota & NagoyaNear Nagoya: Toyota's factory city with its museum and plant tour, Ghibli Park, and in autumn the red maples of Korankei Gorge.
Kyoto and Kansai
3 destinations
© Marco Almbauer, CC BY-SA 4.04 to 6 daysKyoto & OsakaThe old capital: the thousand gates of Fushimi Inari, the Gion geisha quarter and the bamboo grove, with a Hebrew-speaking guide for a full day.
© Saigen Jiro, CC01 dayLake BiwaJapan's largest lake, just over the hills from Kyoto: a stop on the way north to Kanazawa, with a boat through the canals of Omi-Hachiman and a torii standing in the water.
© Zairon, CC BY 4.02 to 4 daysKumano KodoAn ancient pilgrimage route through the forests of the Kii Peninsula: stone paths among cedars, the three grand shrines of Kumano and Nachi Falls beside a red pagoda.
Hiroshima, the Inland Sea and Shikoku
3 destinations
© Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.01 to 2 daysHiroshima & MiyajimaThe Peace Park and museum, and Miyajima’s floating torii among the deer. A day or two, by bullet train from Osaka or Kyoto.
© Joi Ito, CC BY 2.01 to 2 daysNaoshimaThe art island in the Inland Sea: museums built into the landscape, sculptures on the shore and old houses turned into artworks. Reached by ferry from the Okayama area.
© ume-y, CC BY 2.03 to 5 daysShikokuThe smallest and quietest of the four main islands: the vine bridges of the Iya Valley, Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen, and Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu.
Kyushu
4 destinations
© 新幹線, CC BY-SA 4.01 to 2 daysFukuokaThe gateway to Kyushu: land, pick up the car and head south. An evening at the riverside food stalls of Nakasu, and a fast train to Hiroshima at the end of the loop.
© 663highland, CC BY 2.51 to 2 daysKumamotoThe castle city of central Kyushu, and a handy base for a day in Aso-Kuju National Park and Takachiho Gorge.
© Hahifuheho, CC02 to 3 daysAso-KujuThe volcanic heart of Kyushu: Aso's active crater and the grasslands around it, Takachiho Gorge, the town of Yufuin and the steaming springs of Beppu.
© TANAKA Juuyoh, CC BY 3.02 to 3 daysKagoshima & SakurajimaKyushu's southern city, facing the active Sakurajima volcano: a short ferry to the island, lava trails and hot springs along the shore, and the crater lakes of Kirishima on the way north.
Hokkaido
One destination
Japan, the Kartel way
What comes back in almost every route we build for Japan.
Driving through the Alps
A rental car from the Kiso Valley to Fuji. On the Alpine Route a driver takes it round while you cross over the top.
Guides who speak Hebrew
A full day with a guide in Kyoto and another in Tokyo.
Your bags travel ahead
The suitcases are sent on, and you travel the moving day with a small bag.
Ryokan and hot springs
A night facing Mount Fuji, and an evening in the hotel’s hot springs in Hakone.
Tea and performances
A traditional tea ceremony, taiko drummers or a folklore show in Kyoto.
Families with children
Universal in Osaka, DisneySea, the Ghibli Park and Legoland, at a pace that leaves the children time to rest.
Keeping Shabbat
Shabbat is planned into the route, with a whole day on foot in the city, such as the Imperial gardens and Ginza in Tokyo.
When to go
Autumn October and November
The leaves turn in the Alps in early October and reach Kyoto in November. It is when most of our travellers go.