30 march to 10 april 2027 · japan
The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan 2027
twelve days · cherry blossom
30 March to 10 April 2027
$22,500 per person, twin share
One inclusive price: all breakfasts, and all other meals as detailed in the itinerary.
Each spring the cherry blossom crosses Japan in a slow tide of pale pink, and the whole country goes out to sit beneath it. For twelve days this journey travels with it. In Tokyo, clouds of blossom arch over the moat of the Imperial Palace, and petals drift on the water at dusk. At Mount Fuji you soak in your own onsen with the majestic mountain before you. In Kyoto a picnic from a Michelin-starred kitchen is laid for you beneath the canopy, and an evening is spent in a private teahouse with the geiko of Gion. Your Tour Directors are beside you from the first evening to the last. All that is asked of you is to be there.
signature experiences
hanami
The thousand-year art of the blossom
More than a thousand years ago, the emperor's court in Kyoto gathered beneath the cherry trees each spring and answered the blossom with poetry. They called it hanami, the viewing of flowers, and Japan has kept the custom ever since. Hanami means sitting down: rugs are laid under the trees, food and sake are brought out, and a whole afternoon is given to the blossom overhead. In the eighteenth century the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune planted cherry trees along the Sumida river so that all of Edo could join in, and riverbanks, castle parks and temple gardens across the country have been planted for it since. This tour is hanami as the court knew it, in the company of Tour Directors who know the best ground beneath the trees in every city on the route.
signature moments
The moments that make the journey
hanami, at the table
A picnic under the blossom
Rugs laid beneath the cherry trees, a bento prepared by a Michelin-starred kitchen, and cold sake poured beside you. This is hanami as Japan has kept it for a thousand years.
mount fuji
Mount Fuji from your own terrace
Two nights at FUFU Kawaguchiko, in a suite with its own open-air onsen and majestic Mount Fuji across the lake, and the walk up to the Chureito Pagoda.
gion
An evening with the geiko of Gion
A private room in a Gion teahouse, where geiko and maiko dance, pour and play the old games of the ozashiki with you.
two places, two days of relaxation
Time to do nothing at all
Two nights beside Mount Fuji and one in the onsen town of Kinosaki, with long hours left free for the water and the view.
From the palace moat to the Japan Sea
The cherry trees of the Imperial Palace moat in Tokyo, Mount Fuji across the lake from your own onsen, the temple gardens of Kyoto, and the willow-lined canal of Kinosaki on the coast of the Japan Sea.
the itinerary
the itinerary
The shape of the journey
The journey opens in Tokyo, where the blossom arches over the moat of the Imperial Palace and lines the Meguro river. From there it travels south and west: to Mount Fuji, for two nights in a suite with its own onsen and the mountain across the lake; to Kyoto, for a hanami picnic in the park of the Imperial Palace and an evening in a teahouse in Gion; and out to the Japan Sea, to the onsen town of Kinosaki. It ends with two nights in Osaka, beside the castle and its three thousand cherry trees.
- Tokyo, three nights
- Mount Fuji, two nights
- Kyoto, three nights
- Kinosaki Onsen, one night
- Osaka, two nights
the journey begins at home
Before you depart
The journey begins weeks before you fly. Your Tour Directors meet you on a private video call to introduce themselves, take you through the twelve days, and hear what you are most looking forward to. A welcome pack follows, with packing guidance for the season, your arrival instructions and the details of your chauffeur, and reading for the flight. When you walk out of arrivals in Tokyo, you are already known and already expected.
three nights
Tokyo
two nights
Mount Fuji
three nights
Kyoto
one night
Kinosaki Onsen
two nights
Osaka
- Tokyo, three nights
- Mount Fuji, two nights
- Kyoto, three nights
- Kinosaki Onsen, one night
- Osaka, two nights
From the palace moat to Mount Fuji and the Japan Sea
12
days
11
nights
5
hotels and ryokan
8
guests
extension availableYoshinoyama, and the Inland Seasee the extension the extension
extension available · nara, 2 days · hiroshima and miyajima, 3 days
Yoshinoyama, and the Inland Sea
Some thirty thousand cherry trees climb Yoshinoyama in four great bands, on a mountain of pilgrimage for more than a thousand years. Below it the deer of Nara walk beneath the cherry trees, and the day closes with Kobe beef seared before you. Further west, the vermilion torii of Itsukushima stands in the shallows of the Inland Sea, and Hiroshima gives you a quiet afternoon in the Peace Memorial Park.
nara extension
2 days, ends in Osaka
hiroshima and miyajima extension
3 days, ends in Tokyo
to add one or both
Tell us when you enquire
Add one or both, and let the journey run on to the Inland Sea.
accommodation
accommodation
Where you stay
You stay in the finest luxury hotels and ryokan in Japan, each one chosen personally by us for its luxury, its comfort and its setting.
tokyo · nights 1 to 3
Hotel New Otani Tokyo, Executive House Zen
The New Otani's hotel within a hotel, with its own Executive Lounge and its own concierge, and a twin room with breakfast and the lounge included.
mount fuji · nights 4 to 5
FUFU Kawaguchiko
A small resort among the trees above the lake. Every suite has its own open-air onsen and faces Mount Fuji.
kyoto · nights 6 to 8
Hotel The Celestine Kyoto Gion
Awarded a Michelin Key in 2025, in the old streets of Higashiyama, with the lanes of Gion at the door.
kinosaki onsen · night 9
Nishimuraya Honkan
A Relais & Châteaux ryokan kept by the same family for seven generations, on the willow-lined canal of Kinosaki.
osaka · nights 10 to 11
Imperial Hotel Osaka
On the Okawa River, where cherry trees line both banks for more than four kilometres.
tour experiences
tour experiences
Moments along the way
Blossom over still water, at dusk
An evening in Gion, in the company of a maiko
The blossom, at its closest
A maiko in the ozashiki
The moat of the Imperial Palace in blossom
what is included
Looked after, entirely
From the moment you land, you are in our care. A private chauffeur meets you at the airport, and another sees you to your flight at the end. The long distances are travelled in first class, and on certain days a private vehicle carries you on and your luggage goes ahead to your next hotel. Every room, every table and every door is ready before you arrive. The Japanese call this omotenashi, the care of a guest before the guest has thought to ask, and for twelve days it is how you travel.
$22,500
per person, twin share, one inclusive price: all breakfasts, and all other meals as detailed in the itinerary
The team’s care and attention to every detail made us feel truly pampered.
Part of your journey
included, always
Every night at the properties named above, among them a suite with its own onsen terrace at FUFU Kawaguchiko
Your Tour Directors, from the welcome evening to the final departure
First class for the long distances, and a private vehicle on certain days
A private chauffeur at the airport, on arrival and on departure
Every entrance and every arrangement
the days
The tunnel of cherry trees along the Chidorigafuchi moat, and the cherry trees of the Meguro river
Two nights beside Mount Fuji, in a suite with its own open-air onsen, and the walk up to the Chureito Pagoda
The vermilion torii of Fushimi Inari, and the Golden Pavilion at Kinkaku-ji
Two hanami picnics under the blossom, in Tokyo and in Kyoto
A private evening with the geiko and maiko of Gion
The seven public onsen of Kinosaki, in yukata and geta
at the table
A welcome kaiseki in Nihonbashi, served beneath a Noh stage, with Noh and Kyogen performed between the courses
Kaiseki at a restaurant with two Michelin stars in Kyoto
Two hanami picnics, each a bento from a Michelin-starred kitchen
Two kaiseki dinners at FUFU Kawaguchiko, and one at Nishimuraya Honkan, with Tajima beef and the seafood of the San'in coast
Sushi at the counter in Tokyo, and again for the farewell in Osaka
All breakfasts, and all other meals as detailed in the itinerary
the journey
Japan is all we do, and every day of this journey is ours
Your Tour Directors lead every day of this one, and the group is limited to 8 guests, a small number of couples, so there is one table at dinner and one conversation. The route runs from Tokyo to Mount Fuji, Kyoto and the Japan Sea coast, and every night is spent at a property named on this page.
how it works
How it works, and the terms
How to reserve
Send us your enquiry and we reply personally. If you would like to talk the journey through, your Tour Directors are glad to speak with you on a call, at a time that suits you. A deposit of $3,500 per person secures your place, and the balance is due 95 days before departure. Before you travel, your Tour Directors call you again to prepare you for the days ahead.
Payment
One inclusive price: all breakfasts, and all other meals as detailed in the itinerary. Tax is included, and payment is safe, secure and encrypted, by card or bank transfer.
The terms
Your booking is governed by our Booking Conditions, which set out what is included and our cancellation terms in full.
Good to know
International flights are not included. We advise you on which flights to book, so that you land in good time for the welcome evening. We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance, and we are glad to tell you what it should cover.
questions
frequently asked
Questions before you enquire
If your question is not answered here, ask us; it is what the enquiry is for.
How many guests travel on the tour?
What is the pace of the tour like?
What is included in the price?
Can you cater for dietary requirements?
Where does the tour finish?
How long does the tour spend in Kyoto?
When does the tour run, and when should I enquire?
Further questions
when to speak to us
A journey that keeps coming back to you
This is a journey that keeps coming back to you long after you are home: the blossom arching over the moat, the red pagoda with the great mountain behind it, the shamisen sounding through the floor of a Gion teahouse, the sound of geta on a wet stone street. Months later a certain slant of spring light brings the whole season back. Japan cannot be seen, Japan must be discovered, and you have discovered it.
Considered. Intimate. Perfect.
Request the itinerary, and the spring of 2027 in Japan is yours to enjoy, in a group that never exceeds eight. Add the extensions, and the journey carries on to the cherry trees of Yoshinoyama and the vermilion torii of Miyajima.
30 March to 10 April 2027eight places$22,500 per person, twin share
other journeys
Another tour of the season
from The Japan Edition
Read before you go
On your own dates, or in your own way: The Private Collection, the Custom Tour of Japan, or the Expert Japan Itinerary.