Japan cultural small group vacation

Environment

We keep our group tours to a maximum of 14 people for many good reasons. Firstly traveling in a small group makes it easy to take advantage of Japan’s excellent public transport system. Of course this is good for environmental reasons, but it also avoids that feeling of being in a “tour bus bubble”, cut off from local Japanese people that we’re sure you’re keen to meet!

Small groups also mean the tour leader can take you to some interesting restaurants and izakaya (Japanese-style pubs). (Please note only one evening meal in Kyoto is included, other meals suggested by the tour leader are optional.) Large groups only fit into big chain restaurants, but we’d much rather show you the interesting, independently owned places.

Japanese culture makes much of the changing of the seasons and the food you’ll eat on this trip is sure to reflect this. The tour leader will be sure to pick restaurants were the menu offers locally grown, seasonal specialities keeping those food miles down and introducing you to the best Japanese cuisine!

Community

Although 10 days is not a long time to spend in Japan, we really pack the cultural learning in to take you beneath the surface Japanese culture. This way you’ll get a great appreciation of the Japanese way of life in both urban areas and rural communities.

In Kyoto we’ll spend the evening with a local guide for a walking tour of the Gion geisha district. The English speaking guide will invite us for a closer look at Geisha culture, explaining the history and traditional arts (tea ceremony, fan dancing, Shamisen) that maiko (apprentice geisha) spend years mastering. These days there are only a handful of geisha working in Kyoto. And yet it is important that they continue in order to pass these traditional arts on to future Japanese generations. As we wander the streets of Gion at dusk, we may even be lucky enough to spot a real geisha scuttling between tea houses.