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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 vermilion hall among the maples.

winter tours of japan

Japan Winter Tours

Our winter tours of Japan are private, on the dates you choose. The four journeys of The Private Collection can be taken through the winter, from USD $18,000 per person, twin share: Pure Hokkaido through Hakodate, Noboribetsu, Otaru and Sapporo, and Classic Japan with two nights at Kinosaki Onsen among them. The Custom Tour of Japan and our private ski journeys at Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko complete the season.

In winter
The Private Collection, on the dates you choose
From
USD $18,000 per person, twin share
On the snow
Private ski journeys at Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko
See the tours
The wooden ryokan of Ginzan Onsen facing each other across a narrow river, their roofs deep in snow and their lamps lit at dusk
Ginzan Onsen under snow, Yamagata
A wooden pail and a blue and white cloth on the rock edge of an open-air onsen, frost on the stones around the water
An open-air onsen, frost on the rocks

Winter divides Japan in two. Cold air off Siberia crosses the Sea of Japan and drops its snow on Hokkaido and the mountains of the coast, then reaches Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka as clear, dry wind, so a winter journey pairs the bright cities with the snow country. At Kinosaki Onsen the snow crab season runs from November into March, the matsuba-gani landed at ports a few minutes from the willow-lined canal and served at every dinner in town; at Noboribetsu, where Pure Hokkaido stays two nights, the steam of Jigokudani rises through the snow; and on the Kushiro marsh the red-crowned cranes dance in pairs on the snow near Tsurui.

the winter journeys

Private journeys for the winter

Pure Hokkaido, nine days through the onsen towns of the north; Classic Japan, eleven days through Tokyo, Kyoto, Kinosaki Onsen and Osaka; and the Custom Tour of Japan, for a winter shaped around your party alone, the snow country, the cranes of Kushiro and the mountains included.

side by side

The winter journeys, side by side

Dates, length, route and price per person of each tour
TourDatesDaysWhere it goesPrice, per person
Pure HokkaidoThe Private CollectionOn the dates you choose9 daysHakodate, Noboribetsu, Otaru and SapporoUSD $21,600 twin share
Classic JapanThe Private CollectionOn the dates you choose11 daysTokyo, Kyoto, Kinosaki Onsen and OsakaUSD $22,000 twin share

every private journey

What every winter journey includes

  1. A Tour Director, every day

    From the first evening to the last, fluent in English and Japanese, with every ryokan, table and transfer handled in Japanese on our side.

  2. A private chauffeur at the airport

    At both ends of the journey, and a private vehicle wherever the rail cannot do the day.

  3. The Green Car, and luggage sent ahead

    First-class rail between the cities, and your luggage sent ahead between hotels.

  4. The onsen ryokan

    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. On Classic Japan, two nights at an onsen ryokan in Kinosaki Onsen; on Pure Hokkaido, six of the eight nights at ryokan with their own hot springs, at Noboribetsu and outside Otaru among them.

  5. The table

    Breakfast every day, a welcome dinner and most dinners after it, the ryokan dinners among them, and on Pure Hokkaido a whisky tasting at the Nikka distillery in Yoichi.

One price per person, all-inclusive. A deposit confirms your dates; the balance is due 95 days before you travel. Safe, secure, encrypted payment, by card or bank transfer.

hotels and ryokan

Where the winter journeys stay

Every hotel and ryokan is named on its journey. Where its page is written, the name leads to the rooms, the onsen and the setting. Every hotel and ryokan in Japan we know.

Pure Hokkaido, The Private Collection

Classic Japan, The Private Collection

The places on the way

questions

Winter tours of Japan, your questions answered

Which tours of Japan run in winter?

Our six published tours follow the cherry blossom, the northern summer and the autumn leaves, so in winter we travel privately, on the dates you choose. The four journeys of The Private Collection can be taken through the winter, from USD $18,000 per person, twin share; the Custom Tour of Japan shapes a winter around your party alone; and our private ski journeys go to Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko.

Is Japan worth visiting in winter?

Yes, for the snow, the onsen, the winter table and the quiet. The snow falls on Hokkaido and the coast of the Sea of Japan while Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka keep clear, dry days; an open-air onsen in the snow is the hot spring at its most complete; and the snow crab of the Sea of Japan is the centre of every dinner at Kinosaki Onsen. More in Japan in winter.

How much does a winter tour of Japan cost?

The Private Collection is priced per person, twin share and all-inclusive: Pure Hokkaido, nine days, is USD $21,600, and Classic Japan, eleven days, is USD $22,000; travelling alone has its own price on each journey's page. The Custom Tour of Japan is from USD $3,500 per person, per day, for two guests. A deposit confirms your dates; the balance is due 95 days before you travel.

Can we ski on a private tour of Japan?

Yes. We plan private ski journeys at Niseko in Hokkaido, Hakuba in Nagano and Myoko in Niigata, where Lotte Arai Resort stands alone on its own mountain: each unmistakably Japan, and each run in English, from the ski schools and the mountain guides to the front desk. Rusutsu, Furano, Kiroro, Tomamu and Nozawa Onsen can be planned too. Everything is on luxury ski journeys in Japan.

Can we see the cranes and the drift ice of Hokkaido?

Yes, on a Custom Tour of Japan. The red-crowned cranes gather on the snow of the Kushiro marsh near Tsurui, and the drift ice reaches the Okhotsk coast of eastern Hokkaido; both are described in eastern Hokkaido in winter and the cranes of Kushiro.

Do you arrange flights?

You book your international flights, and we advise on the routing and the flights that land you in good time for the first evening. On Pure Hokkaido you book the flight to Hakodate or Sapporo, and we advise on the best choice.

the japan edition

Further reading

Begin with an enquiry

Tell us which journey you have in mind, when you would like to travel and how many of you there are, and we reply in person with the itinerary and the next step.

Every season, side by side: all our luxury Japan tours. Private, on your own dates: private tours of Japan.