destinations
Japan destinations
Japan runs some 3,000 kilometres from Hokkaido in the north to the Yaeyama Islands in the south. We divide it into six regions, and every place in them has a page of its own, marked where our tours stay.
Islands at dusk
- Regions
- 6
- Places
- 100
- Where our tours stay
- 24
the six regions
From the northern lakes to the southern reefs
Every place on the map has a page of its own. A gold ring marks where our tours stay; as you read on, the map travels with you, region by region.
Our tours stayA day on tourA Custom Tour of Japan
Hokkaido
Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's four main islands, a country of caldera lakes, volcanoes and hot springs.
22 places, twelve of them where our tours stay.
Every place in HokkaidoTohoku
Tohoku is the mountainous north of Honshu: beech forest, onsen villages and samurai towns, six prefectures where Japan keeps its older ways.
Sixteen places, four of them where our tours stay.
Every place in TohokuHonshu
Honshu is Japan's main island, home to Tokyo, Kyoto and Mount Fuji, and to most of the places a first journey to Japan is made of.
34 places, eight of them where our tours stay.
Every place in HonshuShikoku
Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands, where the Iya Valley cuts deep between forested mountains and a bridge of woven vines still crosses the river.
Six places, each a page of its own.
Every place in ShikokuKyushu
Kyushu is the southernmost of the four main islands, from the harbour of Nagasaki to the cedar forests of Yakushima, with volcanoes and onsen towns between them.
Twelve places, each a page of its own.
Every place in KyushuSouthern Islands
The Southern Islands run south-west from Kyushu: Amami, Okinawa and the Kerama, Miyako and Yaeyama islands, where the sea runs the colour of jade over coral sand.
Ten places, each a page of its own.
Every place in Southern Islandswhere our tours stay
Every night, place by place
The six fixed tours and the four journeys of The Private Collection, each drawn by the places it sleeps.
- The Classic Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan
USD $19,500 per person
- The Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido
USD $18,500 per person
- The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido
USD $21,500 per person
the gazetteer
Every place, region by region
Hokkaido
Tohoku
Honshu
- Amanohashidate
- Arima Onsen
- Hakone
- Hakuba
- Himeji
- Hiroshima
- Ise-Shima
- Izu Peninsula
- Izumo
- Kaga, Yamashiro Onsen
- Kamakura
- Kamikochi
- Kanazawa
- Karuizawa
- Kinosaki Onsen
- Kiso Valley
- Kobe
- Koyasan
- Kumano Kodo
- Kurashiki
- Kyoto
- Lake Kawaguchiko
- Matsumoto
- Miyajima
- Myoko
- Naoshima and the Seto Inland Sea
- Nara
- Nikko
- Osaka
- Shirakawa-go
- Takayama
- Tokyo
- Uji
- Yokohama
Shikoku
Kyushu
Southern Islands
questions
Questions about travelling in Japan
How do you divide Japan for travel?
Into six regions, the way a traveller meets them: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and the Southern Islands. Each region has a page, and every place in it a page of its own.
Where do your tours stay?
In 24 places across Hokkaido, Tohoku and Honshu, from Shiretoko and Lake Akan in the far north to Kyoto, Kinosaki Onsen and Osaka. Each is marked in gold on the map, and each page names the hotel.
Can you plan a journey to a place your tours do not visit?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, and can go anywhere in Japan, the Southern Islands included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans the days for you.
Where should a first journey to Japan go?
Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, with two nights at an onsen ryokan in Kinosaki between them: that is Classic Japan, in The Private Collection, on the dates you choose.
A place you have in mind is not on the map?
Tell us when you enquire. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, and the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you if you would rather travel independently.