Japan is a perfect destination for both family trips and couples throughout the year. With its diverse landscapes, rich culture, and various attractions, there is something for everyone to enjoy in every season. Asia Highlights offers a wide range of private Japan vacation packages at the most competitive rates, ensuring a time-efficient and worry-free vacation for you and your loved ones.
Popular vacation packages for traveling Japan
The following itineraries have been designed to cover most highlights of Japan's unique culture. The best duration for a first tour of Japan is 9-11 days, allowing sufficient time to appreciate the country's most illustrious cities, Tokyo and Kyoto and Osaka.
* Every spring, Japan is veiled in a cloak of light pink as the cherry trees burst into bloom. From the last week of March through the middle of April, many travelers rush to Kyoto and Tokyo to see Japan during its most vibrant season. If you would like to take a cherry blossom tour to see the gorgeous flowers and spectacular sights of Japan, we recommend making your booking before the end of December. Based on our experience, it is very difficult to book a cherry blossom tour in January or later because most of the guides and vans are often fully booked 3- 4 months in advance due to the high demand.
9-Day Japan Highlights Tour
- A time-smart choice
- Japan's Golden Triangle with Hakone Pass & Deers in Nara
11-Day Traditional Japan Tour
- Discovery-seeker choice
- Japan's traditional highlights from the West to the East
5-Day Tokyo Highlights Tour
- First-timers' choice
- Modern & old Tokyo with Tea Ceremony and Edo Crafts Experience
5-Day Tokyo High-Life Experience — Authentic Luxury
- Premium travelers' choice
- Japan Discovery with private helicopter ride to Mt. Fuji from Tokyo
98.8% Positive Customer reviews among 10,000+
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Wonderful tour in Hangzhou
We had a wonderful time in Hangzhou thanks to China Highlights and especially to our guide Derek! He has done a great job making us confortable! He is very professional and friendly and he taught us a lot of stories and traditions about China!! We highly recommend him for your future visit in Hangzhou More
Giulia F,
Aug 2023
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Der Partner für eine individuelle China Reise
Die Agency (in unserem Fall vertreten durch Tutu Sun) hat für uns eine perfekte Reise organisiert. Sehr gute Kommunikation im Vorfeld der Reise und vor Ort. Zu 100% verl?sslich, immer pünktlich und an jedem Ort sehr freundliche und engagierte Guides. Wir k?nnen eine Buchung bei diesem Unternehmen absolut und uneingeschr?nkt empfehlen. In Beijing hatten wir mit Herrn Chen 3 interessante Tage inklusive einer sehr spannenden individuellen Wanderung auf der grossen Mauer. More
Jeanne K,
Aug 2023
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China Highlights & Roger Li great service
The company and Roger Li in particular have been very responsive to customizing our China trip. They provided us clear instructions, full information and helpful links to facilitate the planning of the trip. More
Linda Folsom,
Aug 2023
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Fantastic private tour
We had an excellent trip; we did the 3 day (4 nights) tour and our guide Wendy made it an exceptional experience. She was so informative and planned our itinerary so well - even though the attractions are very busy in the summer season, Wendy made sure that we did our best to avoid the crowds. The sights are beautiful and it is absolutely worth travelling from the bigger cities. Tianmen mountain was the highlight of the trip! We are so glad we booked a private tour. Hotel was also excellent. More
Ailin C,
Aug 2023
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Beijing Tour
Bruce was an amazing guide and very knowledgeable. He got me past ALOT of long lines fast and knew all the best places to go to take pictures! Also provided good recommendations for additional activities! If you get Bruce you’re in good hands! More
Anthony L,
Aug 2023
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Excellent service- heart warming experience
We contacted China Highlights on a private tour trip to Yunnan , China. Since this is our first time to Yunnan, we also contacted a few other travel agencies. Not all replied but Amber Zhao from China Highlights was one of them. She replied ( on Whatsapp/emails) within a few hours after I sent my inquiry. After a few correspondences, she proposed a very detailed itinerary- thoroughly professional. However, after reviewing all the proposed itineraries/costs from those who replied, we decided to go with a Yunnan-based agency. We informed Amber of our decision, expecting that she will be upset but to our surprise, her reply was very professional & supportive. Part of her reply: “Thank you for getting back to me. I completely understand your decision to proceed with a local Yunnan travel agency for your upcoming trip. Yunnan is a beautiful province with a rich cultural heritage, and having a local guide can greatly enrich your experience there..... I hope you have a wonderful time in Yunnan. Wishing you and your family a safe, pleasant, and meaningful trip filled with lasting memories. May you have fair weather, smooth travels, and find warm hospitality everywhere you go” We will definitely contact Amber/ China Highlights for our next China trip on another province. Thanks so much, Amber. More
EL N,
Aug 2023
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Another excellent trip with China Highlights
Another wonderful four-day section of our tailor-made three week China Highlights trip, this time in the region around Guilin, Yangshuo and in the Longji rice terraces with our friendly guide Chase. The 4-hour Li river cruise on a 4-star boat, the bamboo rafting - which our guide kindly got us by queueing from 4am onwards - hike to Moon Hill, bicycle river trip and Liu San Jie light show were all excellent, so was the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat hotel. The hike in the Longji rice terraces from Ping’an to another village, bamboo rice cooking experience and Baike Boutique Hotel with its great views were also all wonderful. We wished we could have stayed longer! More
Axel R,
Aug 2023
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One day trip to Shanghai with Martin
I liked beautiful riverfront with skyscrapers, especially in the evening. The garden is very nice, lots of walkways makes it feel really big. Thanks to the guide the schedule was very flexible. Instead of waiting in a huge queue for the tv tower we went to nearby skyscraper, we also were able to meet with our friends who also visited Shanghai on the same day. More
Dmitry,
Aug 2023
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Jasmine B
Quelle expérience inoubliable avons-nous vécue à Xian accompagné admirablement par Fanny ! Par la visite du quartier musulman, armée des soldats en terre cuite, la ville et ses remparts, un spectacle grandiose, etc., Fanny à toujours su nous emmener aux endroits parfaits pour notre famille. Avant d’arriver, j’avais peur que cette ville soit sans intérêt pour mon plus jeune enfant, mais Fanny et China Highlights ont proposé des activités variées pour toute la famille et Fanny savait comment naviguer dans les foules avec notre poussette et fut d’une aide précieuse avec les enfants ! Elle nous a aussi beaucoup aidé à mieux comprendre la ville et son histoire. C'était toujours intéressant de l'écouter. Le logement à Somerset Xindicheng était parfait aussi ! Merci pour tout ! Nous en garderons un mémorable souvenir. More
Jasmine B,
Aug 2023
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Ms Yeliz Wong acted as a very…
Ms Yeliz Wong acted as a very professional agent. All my questions were answered in short time. I am very fond of her More
Konorti Derazon,
Aug 2023
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Bucket list item achieved
In case you didn't know, ALL foreigners MUST be on an organized tour to visit Tibet. However, what was great about this China Highlights tour was that we were givenq the choice of what kind of hotel to stay in (3 or 4 stars), and though the days were planned, our tour guide gave us a lot of flexibility (on day seven he let us decide as group if we wanted to see another monastery... we had had our full by then!) and the evevings were always free. The culture, the scenery and the people of Tibet are almost indescribable, and I was moved so many times and in multiple places. That said, what really made my time traveling aacoss Tibet so fulfiling was our tour guide, E. Ten Zin. He dealt with seven different personalities with professional ease, communicated clearly what was happening at all times (there are multiple check points, so he needed to take our passports frequently), had an answer for every question and topic, and quickly learned what each of us liked and gave us more of that... I was quietly fascinated by some farmland, and E. Ten Zin took me aside, took my camera and said "you need a photo here". And when we arrived at Everest and she was hiding behind some clouds, he sat down, patted the ground beside him for us to join him and told us "just wait. You will see"... half an hour later, he was right, and Everest was spectacular. This was not my first time with China Highlights, and it won't be my last. Highly highly recommended. More
Simon Shikongo,
Aug 2023
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We had an amazing trip with China Highlights!
Kris was an excellent tour guide in Shanghai and flexible with our travel plans. Mervyn has impressive knowledge of history and culture in Xi'an and did a stellar job navigating the crowds of tourists seeing the Terra-cotta Army. Cactus brings a depth of historical knowledge to the tours that is super interesting, and she has great enthusiasm that makes the tour enjoyable. All our drivers were very good and helped ensure that we got from one destination to the next as safely and quickly as possible. The air conditioning in the comfortable cars during the exceptionally hot summer was appreciated, as well. Our itinerary included Shanghai, Xi'an, and Beijing, plus a few days trips such as a small water town outside Shanghai and the Terra-cotta Army outside Xi'an. We took high speed trains between all our destinations, and the China Highlights team did everything they could remotely to pre-arrange those logistics and also escorted us as far as they were able to at each train station. We traveled first class whenever the tickets were still available, and we stayed in quality hotels that were clean and centrally-located for most tourist activities in each city. It was maybe the greatest culinary trip of our lives. :) More
Brett N,
Aug 2023
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Wonderful Yunnan
The representative (Ms Maggie Jiang) assigned was responsive and customer service oriented. Our trip was well organised with quality tour guides and drivers. My family and I had a wonderful Yunnan experience. More
Molly,
Aug 2023
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We worked with Kimmi Huang at China…
All the drivers and guides in each city were excellent and really enhanced our experience.we had Jennifer in .Beijing, Mervyn in Xi’an, Chase in Guilin and Kris in Shanghai. If we travel in this region again, will definitely use China Highlights, thanks for an unforgettable trip! More
Rita Arment,
Aug 2023
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Wonderful two weeks in China
My mom and I visited China for two weeks using China Highlights and had Jennifer (Beijing), Mervyn (Xi'an), Chase (Guilin / Yangshou County), and Kris (Shanghai) as our guides. Our guides were knowledgeable about their local regions and very friendly. Each guide went above and beyond to make our experience memorable and special! Thank you, China Highlights! More
Annie,
Aug 2023
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Great two weeks in China with China Highlights
The trip included Shanghai where Kris was our amazing guide, Guilin and Yangshuo with Gary who did an amazing job at adjusting the schedule to meet our needs given the incredible heat, Chengdu with Helen who shared her passion for the Pandas with us, had fun in the peoples park with us and introduced us to the local opera which was fascinating and ensured we were able to taste amazing Sizhuan food without burning up! We then moved on to Xian with Jenny who ensured we got to the Terracotta army early enough to get an amazing view, took us to try our hand at making our own warriors, was very knowledgable about the history of Xian which was very interesting and lastly allowed us to try making dumplings which we all loved. Our final stop was Beijing. Ethan was our tour guide and he again did an amazing job ensuring we got to the Great Wall of China early enough to see the amazing wall without too many people and whilst it was still relatively cool, share his great knowledge of the Forbidden City and Summer Palace with us, introduced us to the Beijing Hot Pot and importantly ensured we were able to celebrate our sons 18th birthday in style and with his favourite Chinese food!! Thank you again for making our 2 weeks so special and we will for sure be back very soon. More
Sandra,
Aug 2023
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Kris from China Highlights in Shanghai was wonderful
We toured Shanghai with Kris from China Highlights as our guide, he was friendly, helpful and made the trip a lot of fun! He also went above and beyond when we traveled to my daughter’s birthplace helping to get information and connect with people from the orphanage where my daughter was adopted from.Highly recommend!! More
Rita A,
Aug 2023
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Personalized and very memorable!
Kris with China Highlights was friendly and personable during our trip. He told us the history of Shanghai in an interesting way, and gave us great recommendations to avoid crowds but still see the highlights of Shanghai. He also traveled with us to the city I was born and was very helpful in helping us communicate with locals. He made sure we had a memorable and very special experience. More
Annie A,
Aug 2023
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Another great China Highlights trip
Another wonderful four-day section of our tailor-made three week China Highlights trip, this time in the region around Guilin, Yangshuo and in the Longji rice terraces with our friendly guide Chase. The 4-hour Li river cruise on a 4-star boat, the bamboo rafting - which our guide kindly got us by queueing from 4am onwards - hike to Moon Hill, bicycle river trip and Liu San Jie light show were all excellent, so was the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat hotel. The hike in the Longji rice terraces from Ping’an to another village, bamboo rice cooking experience and Baike Boutique Hotel with its great views were also all wonderful. We wished we could have stayed longer! More
Axel Rudolph,
Aug 2023
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Superb tailored tour in exquisite place!
We were treated to the most amazing, full, tailor-made, unique & personalised tour of Guilin & Yangshuo over 4 days.. Our excellent guide Vincent went the extra mile to give us the best experience and included local, personalised activities & adventures, hidden gems off the beaten track! We had the best time, using every minute tfor both 'wow" & 'local' experiences and with helpful advice always. His helper Karpo was also amazing & helped us a lot, as did our driver Mr Tan. It all flowed effortlessly for us, while they were working hard behind the scenes! ..and also to meet our every need. We are so grateful. Thank you for showing us the best of Guilin & Yangshuo, & for looking after us so well, while also avoiding the crowds in high season. More
teresamk8,
Aug 2023
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Family Experiences in Japan
The following itineraries have been designed to cover the highlights of Japan's unique culture, featuring child-friendly interactions. A duration of around 2 weeks allows for sufficient time to appreciate the country's most illustrious destinations at a relaxed pace.
2-Week Japan Private Family Vacation
- Families' choice
- Top Theme Parks of Japan, experience traditional Japanese ryokan
17-Day Japan Summer Family Vacation
- Summer holiday choice
- Nature, animation sites plus educational museums and activities
11-Day Classic Japan Tour
- Discovery-seeker choice
- Traditional Crafts experiences and discovery of Takayama
Japan Tours by Season
The following itineraries have been designed to cover most highlights of Japan's unique culture. The best duration for a first tour of Japan is 9-11 days, allowing sufficient time to appreciate the country's most illustrious cities, Tokyo and Kyoto, Kanazawa and Osaka.
10-Day Japan Cherry Blossom Mini-Group Tour 2024
- Best time in Spring
- Japan Highlights with Cherry Blossom
- Private service at group rate
8-Day Hokkaido Summer Vacation — Nature & Traditions
- Best view for Summer
- Hokkaido's wildlife & tranditional sites up close
- Fields of flowers which is a landmark of Hokkaido
8-Day West Japan Mountain & Sea Highlights Tour
- Best sites of West Japan
- Zen atmosphere at Koyasan
- Shirarahama Beach — the best beach of Kansai
9-Day Hokkaido Best Winter Tour
- Board an icebreaker ship and explore floating ice
- Observe the wildlife
- Hot-spring hotel near frozen lake
More Asia Tours
16-Day South Korea and Japan Cultural Adventure Tour
16-Day Japan and China Discovery Tour
19-Day Japan, China, Singapore and Bali
17-Day Private tour to Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos
Tour Packages for Other Asian Countries
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.
1. What is the best time to visit Japan?
The best time to visit Japan depends on your preferences and what you want to experience. Here we have listed some factors to consider:
Weather
Japan has four distinct seasons, and each season offers different weather conditions and attractions.
- Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are generally mild and pleasant, with cherry blossoms in spring and colorful foliage in autumn.
- Summer (June to August) can be hot and humid, but it's a great time to enjoy beaches and summer festivals.
- Winter (December to February) can be cold and snowy, but it's a good time for winter sports and hot springs.
Crowds
- Japan is a popular tourist destination, and some attractions can be crowded, especially during peak travel seasons. If you want to avoid crowds, consider traveling during the shoulder seasons (April to May and September to November).
Events and Festivals
- Japan has many cultural events and festivals throughout the year, such as the cherry blossom season in spring, the Gion Festival in Kyoto in July, and the Sapporo Snow Festival in winter. If you want to experience a specific event or festival, plan your trip accordingly.
Check more about Best Times to Visit Japan >>>
2. How much does it cost for Japan tour?
Japan is known for its high consumption level and can be expensive, especially during peak travel seasons. However, there are options for different budgets, and it's possible to find affordable accommodations, food, and transportation.
The cost of a Japan tour can vary widely depending on several factors, including the duration of the tour, the level of luxury, the time of year, and the specific activities and attractions included.
As a rough estimate, a 10-day Japan tour with mid-range accommodations, transportation, and guided tours could cost around USD 3,000 to 5,000 per person, excluding airfare. Luxury tours with high-end accommodations can cost significantly more.
View more at How Much Is a Trip to Japan >>>
3. Are Japan guided tour worth it?
Japan guided tours can be worth it, especially for Westerners who may face language barriers and cultural differences. Here are some potential advantages to consider:
- Convenience: Guided tours often take care of transportation, accommodation, and admission tickets, which can save time and hassle.
- Local expertise: Local guides can provide valuable insights into Japanese culture, history, and customs that you may not learn on your own.
- Language support: Guides can assist with translation and communication, which can be especially helpful for travelers who don't speak Japanese.
- Educational value: Japan guided tours can be educational, especially for families with children, as guides can provide historical and cultural context to the attractions and activities.
- Safety: Having a guide can help ensure that you stay safe and avoid potential scams or dangers.
- Peace of mind: Traveling to a foreign country can be stressful, but having a guide can provide peace of mind and reduce anxiety.
Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)
- Unique experiences tailored to your interests: Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.
- Hassle-free travel and peace of mind: Every aspect of your trip will be carefully planned and organized by your 1:1 travel consultant.
- Experienced and knowledgeable guides: Your guides will be local and love to work for travelers' smiles.
- Japan Weather in January 2024: Quiet Winter Month
- Japan Weather in February 2024, Where to Go & Costs
- Japan Weather in March 2024, Travel Tips (for First-Timers)
- Japan Weather in April 2024: Best for Cherry Blossoms
- Japan Weather in May 2024, Where to Go and Costs
- Japan Weather in June 2023: Coolest Summer Month, Travel Tips
- Japan Weather in July 2023: Best for Festivals, Travel Tips
- Japan Weather in September 2023, Travel Tips (for First-Timers)
- Japan Weather in October 2023, Where to Go & Costs
- Japan Weather in November 2023: Best Autumn Month, Travel Tips
- Japan Weather in December 2023, Travel Tips (for First-Timers)
Get Inspired with Some Popular Itineraries
At Asia Highlights, we create your kind of journey — your dates, your destinations, at your pace. You can have any trip tailor made for your travel.