12 days · Small group · From $3,420
Japan Unhurried
Kyoto to the Kiso Valley by rail. A trip designed around old inns, quiet temples, and the kind of slow mornings Japan does better than anywhere.
Duration
12 days / 11 nights
Group size
Max 10 travelers
Best season
Apr–May, Oct–Nov
From
$3,420 pp
The trip, day by day
A guideline, not a straitjacket. Every day has a free window, and your trip leader will read the room — if everyone wants a lazy afternoon, that’s the plan.
Day 1
Arrive in Kyoto
Met at the station and walked to a machiya townhouse stay in Higashiyama. Evening stroll through Gion as the lanterns come on, then a welcome dinner of Kyoto-style kaiseki.
Day 2
Temples & tea
A quiet early visit to Kiyomizu-dera before the crowds, then a private tea ceremony with a master in a 200-year-old tea house. Afternoon free for the bamboo grove or a nap — your call.
Day 3–4
Kanazawa by rail
The Thunderbird express to Kanazawa. Kenroku-en garden, gold-leaf workshops, and a seafood market lunch. A geisha-district evening with no rush to be anywhere.
Day 5–7
The Kiso Valley
Off the tourist map and onto the Nakasendo, the old samurai road. Walk the cobbled stretch between Magome and Tsumago, stay in a family-run inn, and eat where the chef knows your name by night two.
Day 8–9
Hakone & the mountains
Onsen country. Soak in open-air baths with a view of Fuji on a clear day, ride the ropeway over the valley, and slow down completely.
Day 10–11
Tokyo, on your terms
Bullet train to Tokyo. A guided morning through the backstreets of Yanaka, then two days to follow your own nose — we just point you at the good stuff.
Day 12
Farewell
A last breakfast together and an airport transfer whenever your flight calls. Most travelers leave already plotting the next one.
What’s included
- 11 nights in hand-picked inns & machiya stays
- All rail passes and inter-city transfers
- A local trip leader for the whole journey
- Tea ceremony, garden & temple entries
- Daily breakfast & six standout dinners
Good to know
- International flights are not included
- Moderate fitness — a few walking days
- Private departures available year-round
- Single rooms on request (supplement)
- Deposit just $400 to hold your place
Want this trip — your way?
We run private departures on your dates, and we’ll happily bend the route. Tell us what you’re thinking.