Responsible tourism in Japan
Our Japan Vacations
Japan small group vacation, Japan unmasked
Whistlestop Japan highlights with an expert tour leader
Japan golden route vacation
9 night classic Japan trip: Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto
Japan self guided trekking vacation, Nakasendo Trail
Self-guided walking along Japan’s ancient Nakasendo trail
Japan rural cultural tour
- The Culture of Rural Japan, including Osaka and Kyoto
Wheelchair accessible vacation to Japan
Wheelchair-friendly version of Japan's highlights
Hidden Japan vacation
Get beneath the surface into the heart of Japan
Nakasendo self guided walking tour
The Nakasendo Trail and Kamikochi -or extend to Nikko
Japan activity vacation, bike, hike and kayak
Multi activity vacation in Japan
Japan tailor made tour on a shoestring
Japan's classic sights on a shoestring!
Nakasendo Trail walking tour, Japan
Village-to-village walking on the historic Nakasendo trail
Nikko and Yumoto Onsen walking tour, Japan
Explore Nikko and hike in the beautiful Oku Nikko plains.
Honshu hiking vacation in Japan
A challenging walking and hiking vacation in Japan.
Japan classic tour by rail
A visually striking railway journey through Japan
Kumano Kodo trail self guided trekking vacation, Japan
Self guided trekking on the Kumano Kodo Trail
Shikoku Pilgrimage self guided walking tour, Japan
Shikoku 88 Pilgimage route self-guided walking
Japan honeymoon tour on a shoestring
Simple hotels, rustic ryokan, unforgettable honeymoon.
Japan small group tour, in the shadow of mountains
Western Honshu's coasts - Japan Sea and Inland Sea
Luxury Japan vacation, tailor made
Beautiful country that offers beauty, tradition and history
Hokkaido vacation in Japan
Explore the mountains and tranquil lakes of Northern Japan.
Japan gastronomic vacation
A foodies' dream: a culinary journey across Japan.
Japan vacation, ancient and modern
Explore the attractions of this vibrant nation
Japan small group vacation by bullet train
Japan's must-see cities and beautiful, rural countryside
Kumano Kodo trekking vacation, Japan
Village to village walking in the sacred Kii Peninsula
Southern Japan small group vacation
Off the beaten track in Kyoto, Nara & Kyushu
Japan trekking vacation, North from Tokyo
A walking journey, rich in spirituality and tradition
Japan discovery tour, 14 days
Discover authentic Japan in one incredible itinerary
Japan family vacation
Throw yourself into the whirl of Japan
Japan culture tour, Shoguns & Samurai
Ultra-modern Tokyo to Imperial Kyoto
Japan ancient capitals self guided walking tour
Ancient Capitals, historic trails and cultural treasures.
Japan cultural small group vacation
A journey along the ancient Tokaido highway
Wildlife & environment
If you want to gain a greater understanding of cruelty against cetaceans, then the award winning documentary film, The Cove, is a must. Watch it for free on Top Documentary Films.
With regards to dolphins in captivity, according to animal welfare charity Care for the Wild International, captive dolphins have increased by 23% in Japan over the last ten years, and they still haven’t gotten to grips with the international realisation that, on so many levels, this is just wrong. We recently launched a worldwide campaign which involved a petition to the travel and tourism industry in partnership with the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) Captivity Working Group to put a stop to orca whales being captured for tourism purposes, and to remove trips to such dolphinariums on their vacation itineraries. Read more about the campaign, entitled 'Say No to Orca Circuses’. Japan has around a hundred dolphinariums, about half of which use dolphins caught in the Taiji hunts.
As for eating whale meat, Japan is one of a few countries, including Norway and Iceland, which still hunts whales for eating, despite an international moratorium. In fact, Japan is the only market for fin whales caught in Iceland, which are all exported. However, the good news, according to research from Associated Press, is that demand for this once cheap food, is now falling in Japan, and “stockpiles of whale meat have doubled over the last 10 years; more than 2,300 minke whales worth of meat sits in freezers”. Despite this, it continues to be served in schools and Japan is still going to flout the ruling by the International Court of Justice in March 2014, to stop all whale hunting in the Antarctic, which Japan says is for ‘scientific research purposes’, and continue hunting the more common minke whale from next year. See BBC for more details.>br/>
In July 2019, a commercial whaling fleet was sent out on the hunt for the first time in nearly 30 years. Even though it’s unlikely to boost demand for whale meat in Japan or otherwise, it’s still a step in the wrong direction.
As well as embargoing the dolphinariums, you can engage in conversation with Japanese people as you go, spreading the word, politely. This is Japan after all and rocking the whale boat won’t get you anywhere. You can also support the work of leading conservation organisations like Care for the Wild International, the World Cetacean Alliance and Born Free. The good news is that some whaling communities are switching on to sustainability, slowly but surely, and setting up whale watching businesses, the most established being the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association (OWA), operating out of cluster of islands 1000kms off the coast of Tokyo. Still in its nascent stages, the whale watching industry is starting to grow, with the tide turning ever so slowly. Oh, and one more thing - might go without saying, but, don’t eat it.
“It's difficult for us to sell Ogasawara for whale watching as the only access is by a 25 hour ferry journey. Of course when you get there the remoteness makes the culture and ecology amazing - the 'Galapagos of the Orient'. We actually book many more whale watching tours from Kochi and Wakayama on the main islands.”
People & Culture
Bathing is huge here, with bathhouses or sento on every street corner. They are segregated, so no worries on that front, and you do go in stark naked. Just make sure you soap and rinse your body before getting in the bath. In homes, baths are also a big part of the family ritual, with the water being kept hot, and then each family member taking a dip, one by one, in a strict order of course. Guest first, then the oldest male and female of the house and working down in age.
Bowing is also big. And the bigger the bow, the deeper the meaning generally. And, if someone holds a bow to you for more than about three seconds you are expected to bow back again, until the bows become shorter. Many Japanese people will, however, shake your hand. On the subject of hands, look out for trays beside the tills in shops, as these are where you are meant to put your money when paying for goods, and not put it into the till operator’s hand.
Gift giving sums up the generous, polite side of Japanese. And the way they wrap them represents their attention to detail and love of all things pretty. However, they don’t have to be big gifts, with simple fruits often being exchanged between neighbours. It’s a lovely habit to get into. And if you give one, you will always get one back. The most important bit of the gift game is to denigrate the gift you give, and praise the one you receive. For the visitor, it is a daily dose of theatre really. Embrace and enjoy.
The last but definitely not least thing to enjoy is the food. There are so many rules, but generally, if you say itadakimasu before you start, similar to bon appetit, you will hit the ground running. Eat everything on your plate if you can, otherwise you will be given more. Which is fine, if you want more, of course. You can bring your rice or soup bowl up to your mouth to make sure it doesn’t spill, but putting soya sauce onto white rice isn’t cool. Just dip your food into a small bowl of it if you want. And just as you wouldn’t blow your nose in your napkin, don’t wipe your face with the hot towel. In fact, blowing your nose in public, period, won’t win you friends.
Make sure you get all the information you need before traveling in Japan from your tour operator about respecting cultural traditions. Read up before you go, and do try and learn some of the language. Politeness is key in Japan, and learning to say please and thank you in their language goes a long way. But don’t get too uptight about it. The Japanese are very accepting of foreign visitors, and are too polite to be offended by our faux pas. Top movies to catch before you go are Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and Departures, to give you a great sense of duty and honour that trickle, nay gush, through Japanese culture.
“The codification of behaviour in Japanese society is based on very rigid codes which deliver huge advantages to visitors. So, no one is going to pick your pockets, no one is going to mug you, no taxi driver is going to take advantage of you. You couldn’t be overcharged in Japan if you tried. Unless you went into one of more dubious bars in the red light district. So it is a fine line between visitors appreciating the orderliness of everything, but also tolerating this when it goes overboard.”
Ruth Hubbard, Product Manager of one of our suppliers, Inside Japan Tours:
“It is hard to offend someone regarding the complicated culture, as the Japanese know it is complicated and they are quite proud of that.”