Japan vacation, ancient and modern
Highlights
Osaka | Kyoto | Gion geisha district | Nara | Zen gardens | Hiroshima | Miyajima Island | Peace Memorial Park | Takayama | Hida Mountains | Miyagawa River | Matsumoto | Tsumago | Snow Monkey Park | Hakone | Tokyo | Tsukiji Market |
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this vacation or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
Toll free 1-866-821-6866 Calling from outside the US? rosy@responsibletravel.com
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Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your vacation will help support conservation and local people.
Accommodation & Meals:On this trip we spend some nights in comfortable hotels and others in traditional style ‘ryokans’ (local inns). These are usually family run and locally staffed, which means we are benefiting the smaller businesses instead of some of the huge, multi-national hotels you can find in Japan. Many also have environmental policies like optional sheet and towel washing in order to save water and energy. Locally sourced ingredients will be used where meals are provided; where not provided clients will be eating at local shops and restaurants under the guidance of their tour leader. There are some incredible eating opportunities like the Miyagawa River morning market. This is a great chance for cultural exchange as you will become acquainted with some really unusual agricultural produce.
UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
The Impacts of this Trip
Local Craft & Culture:
Having a largely cultural focus, this tour has many opportunities to learn about the crafts of Japan. Visiting Tsumago post town in Nagano and Hida Folk Museum in Takayama may benefit the locals as well as the preservation of their cultural assets because the group have chance to buy products made in the areas as well as learning about traditional methods and structures of production. There is also a small museum in Nagano devoted to Japan’s best known artist, Hokusai Katsushika. Hokusai is famous for his risqué cartoons and traditional woodblock pictures of Mt. Fuji and you will find these reproduced on souvenirs all over the area.
A Fair Deal:
We work closely with our local operator and ensure that all of our guides are local and that in exchange for their expertise on the wildlife, environment and culture that they are paid and treated fairly. The leaders will give a briefing on Responsible Tourism issues to help you understand how you can help reduce your impact and maximise the benefits to the local community from your visit.
Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.
Accommodation & Meals:On this trip we spend some nights in comfortable hotels and others in traditional style ‘ryokans’ (local inns). These are usually family run and locally staffed, which means we are benefiting the smaller businesses instead of some of the huge, multi-national hotels you can find in Japan. Many also have environmental policies like optional sheet and towel washing in order to save water and energy. Locally sourced ingredients will be used where meals are provided; where not provided clients will be eating at local shops and restaurants under the guidance of their tour leader. There are some incredible eating opportunities like the Miyagawa River morning market. This is a great chance for cultural exchange as you will become acquainted with some really unusual agricultural produce.
UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
The Impacts of this Trip
Local Craft & Culture:
Having a largely cultural focus, this tour has many opportunities to learn about the crafts of Japan. Visiting Tsumago post town in Nagano and Hida Folk Museum in Takayama may benefit the locals as well as the preservation of their cultural assets because the group have chance to buy products made in the areas as well as learning about traditional methods and structures of production. There is also a small museum in Nagano devoted to Japan’s best known artist, Hokusai Katsushika. Hokusai is famous for his risqué cartoons and traditional woodblock pictures of Mt. Fuji and you will find these reproduced on souvenirs all over the area.
A Fair Deal:
We work closely with our local operator and ensure that all of our guides are local and that in exchange for their expertise on the wildlife, environment and culture that they are paid and treated fairly. The leaders will give a briefing on Responsible Tourism issues to help you understand how you can help reduce your impact and maximise the benefits to the local community from your visit.
Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.
5 Reviews of Japan vacation, ancient and modern
Reviewed on 10 Apr 2019 by Wendy Kreppel
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The whole vacation was great and our guide, Mayuko, was fantastic. From the cherry blossoms in Tokyo to the the snow monkeys in the snow to the wonderful gardens and temples of Kyoto - it was all so interesting and varied. We enjoyed traveling by all forms of public transport and experiencing different kinds of food, also staying in ryokans. We felt we learnt a lot about Japanese life and culture.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
We walked many miles which was really good over the two weeks. I would recommend a certain level of fitness. Also, don't take too much luggage as Japanese hotel bedrooms are small and do not have much storage space.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Our guide took us to local markets, eating locally in all kinds of restaurants and cafes so that we could experience the Japanese way of life. We always used public transport and stayed in two different ryokans run by local families. We learnt to always take any rubbish or plastic home with us as the Japanese do.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Absolutely amazing - one of the best vacations we have ever had. Having such a good guide made all the difference as she was so knowledgeable about her country and also was always on hand to give us advice or helpful tips. We also had free days to explore further and see things which we were particularly interested in.
Reviewed on 02 Dec 2019 by Henrietta Curzon
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Day trip to Arashiyama, in Kyoto suburbs. Lovely combo of temples, gardens and shopping
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Always have a pair of socks to hand as you’ll be taking your shoes off a lot!
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We stayed in some local accommodation when we went north
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Vacation was great. The staff in the UK were not so great.
Reviewed on 27 Oct 2017 by Rosie Morgan
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Fabulous people - so welcoming and polite. Loved the Onsens - open air thermal baths where you bathe naked!
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Just do it - Japan is a great place to visit
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Somewhat - it's a very forward society.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Apart from the weather - typhoon - top marks!
Reviewed on 30 Nov 2017 by Allan Wild
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Difficult to pick one experience above all others but probably the visit to the Snow Monkeys was the most enjoyable.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Book your own flight. The group flight was with Emirates and was therefore via their hub in Dubai. This added thousands of miles to the journey compared with a direct flight over Russia; a 30-hour journey at the beginning and end of the vacation is not a good start/finish and can be reduced by at least 10 hours each way.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Certainly the tour supported conservation both directly, by payment to the organisation protecting the Snow Monkeys, and indirectly by using public transport wherever possible. Also we were guided to local suppliers for food and drink, thereby supporting the community and gaining the best of traditional recipes.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Brilliant; the tour leader, Ayaka, went to great lengths to provide a variety of opportunities from morning to night such that we could experience as much of traditional Japanese life as possible.
Reviewed on 13 May 2014 by Ruth Martin
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
All of it - we loved it
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
do some research about the places being visited on the tour beforehand
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes to both
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent
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