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Kyoto · Japan
A vermillion hall and arched bridge reflected in a still pond among autumn maples at Daigo-ji, Kyoto
Kyoto · Japan
Autumn at Daigo-ji, the vermillion hall among the maples.

private & exclusive luxury tours of japan

Japan cannot be seen, Japan must be discovered.

Let us show you how.

ask our concierge

spring 2027
The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan30 March to 10 AprilThe Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido28 April to 10 May
A woman in a dark kimono kneeling on tatami beside a tea kettle, lit through shoji screens
Tea, prepared in a tatami room

The four seasons of Japan

A forested mountain valley scattered with wild cherry in blossom, Mount Yoshino, Nara
Spring. The cherry blossom, from the valleys of Nara to Hokkaido.Mount Yoshino in blossom, Nara
Rows of lavender leading to bands of pink, gold and white flowers at Farm Tomita, Furano, Hokkaido
Summer. The lavender fields of Furano, in bands of colour across the hills.Farm Tomita, Furano, Hokkaido
A sika deer resting beneath glowing autumn maples, Nara
Autumn. The maples of the old capitals, in red and gold.A deer beneath the maples, Nara
The long wooden Togetsukyo bridge beneath snow-covered mountains, Arashiyama, Kyoto
Winter. Snow on Arashiyama, and the steam of a hot spring.The Togetsukyo bridge in snow, Arashiyama, Kyoto
A maiko in a red floral kimono and flowered kanzashi, one hand on a sunlit window pane, her reflection in the glass

The hush of silk, and light turning gold.

An evening with geiko and maiko in Gion, on The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan

Kanzashi and silk, by a window

Tours of Japan through the year

We publish six tours a year, each on fixed dates and each built around one season.

the spring of 2027

Cherry blossom tours of Japan in 2027

The cherry blossom opens in Tokyo and Kyoto at the end of March, and then travels north for more than a month before it reaches Hokkaido in the first days of May. Japan follows its progress like the weather and gives it a name, the sakura zensen, the blossom front. We run one tour at each end of it: The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan, through Tokyo and Kyoto as the season opens, and the Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido, four weeks later, where the season closes. Both are guaranteed departures.

A two-storey wooden ryokan glowing at dusk beside cherry blossom

30 march to 10 april 2027

The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan

Twelve days from Tokyo to Osaka, planned around the order in which the blossom opens.

dates
30 March to 10 April 2027
length
12 days, 11 nights
group
Limited to 8 guests
price, per person
USD $19,500 per person, twin share

A ryokan at dusk beside the cherry blossom

A private stone bath on an open-air balcony facing Mount Fuji
A private bath facing Mount Fuji

tokyo and mount fuji

The blossom arches over the Chidorigafuchi moat beside the Imperial Palace, and the Meguro river runs beneath a canopy of it. Three nights at Palace Hotel Tokyo, then two at FUFU Kawaguchiko on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi, beneath Mount Fuji, where every suite has its own onsen.

Cherry blossom and green willow over the stone-paved lane of Gion Shirakawa, Kyoto, at dusk
Gion Shirakawa at dusk, Kyoto

kyoto

In the first days of April the canopy closes over the stone lanes of Higashiyama and the willows of Gion Shirakawa. Three nights at Hotel The Celestine Kyoto Gion, two hanami picnics beneath the blossom, and an evening with geiko and maiko in a Gion teahouse.

kinosaki onsen and osaka

Then the old spa town near the Sea of Japan, where guests walk between its seven bathhouses in yukata and geta along a willow-lined canal. Two nights at Nishimuraya Honkan, and a last night in Osaka, with the castle in blossom.

A guaranteed departure. USD $3,500 per person secures your place; the balance is due 95 days before departure.

The tour in full

The blossom opens in the south and travels north.

On its way it passes Hiroshima and the island shrine of Miyajima, Osaka and Kyoto, Kinosaki on the Sea of Japan, Mount Fuji and Tokyo.

The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan

30 March to 10 April 2027

Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Kinosaki Onsen and Osaka

Four weeks after Kyoto, the blossom reaches Hokkaido.

Across the Tsugaru Strait the trees change too. The northern Ezo-yamazakura opens with its leaves already out, in a deeper pink than the pale cherry of Kyoto.

The Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido

28 April to 10 May 2027

Hakodate, Matsumae, Lake Toya, Noboribetsu, Lake Shikotsu and Sapporo

The Otaru canal at blue hour, its gas lamps lit and doubled in the water, Hokkaido

28 april to 10 may 2027

The Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido

Thirteen days across the far north, beginning where the blossom comes ashore and ending in the gardens of Sapporo, which flower last.

dates
28 April to 10 May 2027
length
13 days, 12 nights
group
Limited to 8 guests
price, per person
USD $18,500 per person, twin share

The Otaru canal at blue hour, Hokkaido

matsumae

Matsumae is the northernmost castle town in Japan. Ten thousand cherry trees of two hundred and fifty kinds flower in turn around its keep, and a hanami picnic is laid on rugs beneath the castle wall.

lake toya and lake shikotsu

A private boat on the round caldera of Lake Toya, with Mount Yotei across the water, and two nights on the shore of Lake Shikotsu, the clearest lake in Japan.

the ainu

The culture of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, followed from Upopoy, the national museum, to an indigo-dyeing workshop beside the lake.

Five properties across the island: Epuy on Lake Onuma, Hikari no Uta above Lake Toya, Takinoya at Noboribetsu, Mizu no Uta on Lake Shikotsu and the Sapporo Grand Hotel.

A guaranteed departure, arriving at Hakodate and leaving from New Chitose. USD $3,500 per person secures your place; the balance is due 95 days before departure.

The tour in full

summer and autumn

After the blossom, the year moves to the north.

  • summer

    Summer Tour of Hokkaido 2027

    25 June to 6 July, or 11 to 22 July 202712 days, USD $18,500 per person

    The lavender fields of Furano, the clear lakes and the long evening light of a northern summer.

    Mori no Ryotei Biei at blue hour. Photograph: Mori no Ryotei Biei

  • high summer

    Wild North Tour of Hokkaido 2027

    27 July to 6 August 202711 days, USD $21,500 per person

    The World Heritage coast of Shiretoko seen from the water, where Kashuni Falls drops straight into the sea and brown bears walk the Rausu shore.

  • autumn

    Autumn Leaves Tour of Northern Japan 2027

    2 to 13 November 202712 days, USD $19,500 per person

    The last of the colour in Hokkaido and the north of Honshu: the Oirase gorge, the milky baths of Nyuto and the gas-lit street of Ginzan.

The Autumn Leaves Tour of Japan for 2026 is sold out.

All six tours, side by side
The wooden veranda of the Nomura samurai house above its moss and stone garden, Kanazawa
The veranda of the Nomura samurai house, Kanazawa

on the dates you choose

Private journeys in Japan

The Private Collection

Four ready-made journeys through Japan, taken privately on the dates you choose, with a Tour Director every day, each priced for two sharing a room or for one travelling alone.

Prices are per person, two sharing a room. Travelling alone, from USD $28,800.

The Custom Tour of Japan

A tour of Japan created around your party alone, on your dates and at your pace, from five nights. It begins with a conversation, and a call with a Tour Director.

The Expert Japan Itinerary

Our plan for your own journey through Japan, written day by day, for travellers who would rather go on their own. It is delivered within seven working days.

how it begins

How a journey with us begins

It begins with a question. Ask the concierge at the top of this page, or send us an enquiry, and we reply to you personally with the itinerary for the tour you have in mind. If you would like to talk it through, we arrange a call with a Tour Director at a time that suits you. A deposit of USD $3,500 per person confirms your place, and the balance is due 95 days before departure. From then on we arrange everything in Japan, in Japanese, so that you never have to negotiate a thing.

questions

When does the cherry blossom reach Kyoto and Hokkaido?

In Kyoto the cherry opens at the end of March and fills the city in the first days of April. The blossom then travels north through Honshu, crosses to Hokkaido at the end of April and reaches Sapporo in the first days of May. The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan and the Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido are set on those two moments.

How many guests travel on a published tour?

Limited to 8 guests, a truly small group tour. Every guest is eighteen or over, and everyone is accommodated twin share.

What does the price include?

One price per person, in US dollars, covers every night at the properties named, your Tour Director from the welcome evening to the final departure, first-class rail and private vehicles, a private chauffeur at the airport at both ends, every entrance, and more than twenty meals. International flights are not included.

Can we take a tour privately?

Yes, in three ways. The Private Collection offers four journeys on the dates you choose. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone. And a whole departure of a published tour may be taken by one party of up to eight guests, at the published price per person.

Do you arrange international flights?

We do not book international flights, and we always advise on them: the routing, the timing and the flight that brings you in right for the welcome evening.

Who leads the tours?

Our Tour Directors, who are fluent in English and Japanese, travel with you from the first evening to the last. A private chauffeur meets you at the airport, and everything on the ground is handled in Japanese on our side.

Tell us when you would like to travel, and we will write back with the journey that season holds.

Or read The Japan Edition, our journal of Japan.