Tours & experiences

Tours in Japan

Small-group tours, day trips, cooking classes and multi-day adventures. Every tour vetted for traveller reviews first.

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Any ⏱ Under 1 hour 🕓 1–4 hours 🌞 4 h – 1 day 🗓 Multi-day

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Any Under $50 $50–$100 $100–$200 $200+

315 tours in Japan · 1–4 hours · ★ 4.5 and upClear filters

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Samurai Training Experience KENDO in Osaka

🛕 Culture & History

Samurai Training Experience KENDO in Osaka

Step into a working dojo in central Osaka and train in kendo under qualified instruction. This two-hour session teaches you foundational stance, footwork, and bamboo sword technique whilst dressed in full traditional gear. English-speaking instructors pitch the teaching to absolute beginners, though experienced martial artists can arrange sparring with a certified master. You'll handle authentic equipment, understand the philosophical roots of samurai combat, and leave with photos in proper samurai kit.

2 hoursfrom AUD $177

Private Curated Tour | Get Tokyo’s Must Sees & Unique Insights

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Private Curated Tour | Get Tokyo’s Must Sees & Unique Insights

Explore Tokyo's most vibrant neighbourhoods—Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Odaiba and Akihabara—on a private guided tour tailored to your interests and pace. Your English-speaking guide steers you towards local spots most visitors miss, sharing insights into how ordinary Tokyoites actually live. Choose your start time and duration (2–8 hours), enjoy a traditional Japanese drink and snack along the way, and leave with photos at iconic landmarks. No crowds, no set itinerary—just you, your companions and a guide who knows where the real Tokyo hides.

2 hours – 8 hoursfrom AUD $202

Gyoza Cooking Class in Kyoto: Traditional Japanese Dumplings

🍜 Food & Cooking

Gyoza Cooking Class in Kyoto: Traditional Japanese Dumplings

Spend 90 minutes in a traditional Kyoto townhouse learning to fold and cook gyoza from scratch. Your English-speaking instructor guides you through the techniques that transformed this Chinese-origin dumpling into a Japanese staple, whilst sharing stories of samurai heritage and local food culture. Roll up your sleeves, get your hands floury, and walk away with both a skill and a stomach full of dumplings you've made yourself.

1h 30mfrom AUD $177

Osaka Sake Tasting & Takoyaki Cooking Experience

🍜 Food & Cooking

Osaka Sake Tasting & Takoyaki Cooking Experience

Spend two hours in Osaka learning to craft takoyaki from a sommelier-turned-guide who doubles as a sake expert. You'll shape and fry your own octopus balls using an elevated recipe featuring wagyu and cheese, then taste your way through 10+ sake varieties to understand brewing, history, and how to spot quality bottles at restaurants. By the end, you've cooked a meal and developed a genuine appreciation for sake beyond the tourist experience.

2 hoursfrom AUD $99

Akihabara Tailor-made Private Tour for Anime Fans

🛕 Culture & History

Akihabara Tailor-made Private Tour for Anime Fans

Navigate Akihabara's anime culture with a local otaku guide who knows which shops stock what and where the genuine experiences hide. This 3–4 hour private tour starts at JR Akihabara station and covers the district's most relevant spots for your interests. Your guide has tested every maid café in the area and will take you to an underrated gem most visitors miss. Bring a wishlist of items or locations you're after, and the itinerary flexes to match your priorities.

3 hours – 4 hoursfrom AUD $179

3-Hour Tokyo Private E-Bike Tour Starting from Your Hotel

🏔 Adventure & Sports

3-Hour Tokyo Private E-Bike Tour Starting from Your Hotel

A three-hour private e-bike tour through Tokyo that collects you from your hotel and returns you there at day's end. You'll cover 15–20 kilometres on motorised bikes, moving from dense urban corridors to quieter residential lanes with planned stops for commentary and breathing room. The e-motor handles the legwork on inclines, leaving you free to soak in the city's rhythm at your own pace. Routes adjust to your interests—request specific neighbourhoods when booking.

3 hoursfrom AUD $217

Kyoto: Zen Garden, Zen Mind (Private)

🛕 Culture & History

Kyoto: Zen Garden, Zen Mind (Private)

Walk through three temple gardens within Nanzen-ji Monastery with a landscape designer who spent 15 years studying Japanese garden philosophy. Rather than treating these spaces as backdrop, you'll learn to read the deliberate choices—stone placement, water flow, borrowed scenery—that transform gardens into three-dimensional poems. By the end of this 3.5-hour tour, you'll understand the logic beneath what first appears as peaceful chaos, giving you a framework to appreciate every garden you encounter in Kyoto.

3h 30mfrom AUD $540

Become a Samurai Movie Star in Kyoto by Filming with a Real Actor

🏔 Adventure & Sports

Become a Samurai Movie Star in Kyoto by Filming with a Real Actor

Learn sword techniques from a working samurai actor at Myokaku-ji Temple in Kyoto, then film your own action sequence. This 70-minute session has you dressed in period costume, drilling genuine kata alongside your instructor, then performing choreographed moves while a professional cameras roll. The temple grounds—where warlord Oda Nobunaga once walked—provide an atmospheric backdrop. You'll leave with digital footage of yourself as the lead in your own samurai film.

1h 10mfrom AUD $177

Kamakura Walking Tour - The City of Shogun

🛕 Culture & History

Kamakura Walking Tour - The City of Shogun

This 3.5-hour guided walk traces Kamakura's medieval power through its most significant temples and shrines. You'll stand before the Great Buddha, explore the atmospheric grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and Hasedera Temple, and piece together how this former shogun capital shaped Japan's spiritual landscape. Small groups mean your guide can linger on details that catch your interest, whether that's the craftsmanship in a temple's woodwork or the view across Sagami Bay. Local food stops punctuate the route—authentic rather than tourist-focused.

3h 30mfrom AUD $50

Ramen & Dumpling Cooking in Tokyo with Chef/Vegan possible

🍜 Food & Cooking

Ramen & Dumpling Cooking in Tokyo with Chef/Vegan possible

Learn to hand-roll dumplings and build ramen broth from scratch in Tokyo with a chef trained across Japan's most celebrated ramen regions. This two-hour class covers authentic Utsunomiya-style gyoza folding—the craft behind Japan's dumpling heartland—plus the layered technique of constructing a proper bowl of ramen. You'll cook, taste what you've made, and hear stories from someone who's worked kitchens across continents. Vegan adaptations available.

2 hoursfrom AUD $139

Tokyo: Make Your Own Chopsticks Shibuya

🍜 Food & Cooking

Tokyo: Make Your Own Chopsticks Shibuya

Craft a pair of wooden chopsticks from scratch in a Shibuya workshop, a short walk from the Scramble Crossing. Over one hour, you'll select timber, shape and sand your sticks under expert guidance, then finish them to take home. No prior skill needed. Choose from standard or premium woods, and add engraving for a personalised touch—ideal for keeping or gifting.

1 hourfrom AUD $32

Samurai Experience - Learn Bushido through Kendo, in Tokyo

🛕 Culture & History

Samurai Experience - Learn Bushido through Kendo, in Tokyo

This two-hour Tokyo session teaches you kendo—the martial art that preserved samurai values through centuries. Rather than sport mechanics, you'll explore Bushido philosophy by holding a bamboo sword, understanding discipline through stance and breath. A guide walks you through proper form and the mental focus that made kendo essential to samurai culture. You'll leave with rental gear worn, a souvenir carried, and a felt sense of why this practice still matters in modern Japan.

2 hoursfrom AUD $179

Chill Out in Tokyo: Personalized Private Tours with Local Friends

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Chill Out in Tokyo: Personalized Private Tours with Local Friends

Explore Tokyo on foot with a local guide who knows the city inside out. This 2–4 hour private walking tour adapts to your interests, whether you're after hidden neighbourhoods, specific districts, or spots that don't make the guidebooks. Your guide meets you at a location of your choice and uses public transport where it makes sense, revealing Tokyo as locals actually experience it rather than as a packaged attraction.

2 hours – 4 hoursfrom AUD $143

Kyoto Newly Opened Tea Ceremony - Sanjo Chasuian

🛕 Culture & History

Kyoto Newly Opened Tea Ceremony - Sanjo Chasuian

Spend an hour at Sanjo Chasuian, a newly opened tea room in Kyoto's Sanjo district, learning the foundations of matcha preparation. You'll whisk two bowls—one demonstrated by your host, the other crafted by your own hand—whilst savouring a seasonal sweet from a century-old Kyoto confectioner. The intimate space includes a traditional nijiriguchi (crawl-through entrance) designed to mark the boundary between everyday life and the ceremony itself.

1 hourfrom AUD $63

Cozy Tokyo Class: Ramen, Sushi, Sake Pairing & Cultural Exchange

🍜 Food & Cooking

Cozy Tokyo Class: Ramen, Sushi, Sake Pairing & Cultural Exchange

Cook two staple Japanese dishes—ramen from scratch and handmade sushi or gyoza—alongside a Japanese host in a Tokyo kitchen. Over three hours, you'll build each element thoughtfully: noodle dough, broth balance, knife skills for fish or filling prep. Sake pairings arrive between courses with context on why each bottle suits the food. The group stays small enough that conversation flows naturally, and you leave with techniques that actually stick.

3 hoursfrom AUD $179

Harajuku Meiji Shrine Walking Tour in Tokyo

🛕 Culture & History

Harajuku Meiji Shrine Walking Tour in Tokyo

Walk through Tokyo's cultural crossroads on this 2-hour guided tour starting at JR Harajuku Station. You'll visit Meiji Shrine, a tranquil forested sanctuary dedicated to Emperor Meiji, then explore Takeshita Street's fashion-forward energy and the upmarket boutiques of Omotesando. A local guide reveals how this neighbourhood bridges Japan's spiritual heritage with contemporary youth culture, ending near excellent transport links.

2 hoursfrom AUD $36

Coffee on a Kayak with Mt. Fuji - Early Morning

🐠 Water Activities

Coffee on a Kayak with Mt. Fuji - Early Morning

Paddle across Lake Kawaguchiko at dawn with Mt. Fuji as your backdrop. This 90-minute kayak outing pairs early light, glassy water, and views of Japan's iconic peak with a hot beverage of your choice. An English-speaking guide shares local knowledge while you navigate the lake at your own pace—no prior paddling required. The experience suits first-timers and works well for those staying near Kawaguchiko Station, reachable from Tokyo via train or bus.

1h 30mfrom AUD $108

Kyoto Tea Ceremony & Matcha Latte Mastery Experience

🍜 Food & Cooking

Kyoto Tea Ceremony & Matcha Latte Mastery Experience

Spend 80 minutes in a century-old Kyoto townhouse learning to whisk matcha the traditional way, then craft a contemporary matcha latte. You'll taste seasonal Japanese sweets in an intimate setting, handle the full toolkit yourself, and finish with a samurai armour photo opportunity. Small groups keep things personal; the instructor speaks English and guides both newcomers and curious regulars through the fundamentals without fuss.

1h 20mfrom AUD $177

Tokyo Private Tour With Fresh Eyes, Local Guide

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Tokyo Private Tour With Fresh Eyes, Local Guide

A fully customizable private walking tour of Tokyo led by young local guides who share neighbourhood stories and cultural knowledge beyond the usual itineraries. Choose your own pace and focus—historical sites, gardens, bustling districts—and travel by public transport to get a genuine feel for the city. Available from 1 to 8 hours, this tour adapts to whether you're discovering Tokyo for the first time or returning with fresh interests. Hotel pick-up included; meals and entry fees are separate.

1 hour – 8 hoursfrom AUD $27

Shamisen Experience in Kyoto 【Private】

🛕 Culture & History

Shamisen Experience in Kyoto 【Private】

Learn shamisen directly from a 20-year professional in Kyoto's traditional dojo. This 90-minute private session teaches you to play a recognisable Japanese song within the first half-hour, followed by guided practice in an authentic wooden house. You'll wear samue robes, handle a rental instrument, and take home a commemorative souvenir. English instruction makes this rare hands-on experience accessible to non-Japanese speakers.

1h 30mfrom AUD $134

Asakusa Classic Ramen & Crispy Gyoza Cooking Class

🍜 Food & Cooking

Asakusa Classic Ramen & Crispy Gyoza Cooking Class

Learn to hand-pull ramen noodles and fold gyoza in Asakusa, the neighbourhood where Tokyo's ramen culture took root a century ago. This three-hour class at Chagohan Tokyo teaches you to build both dishes from scratch using clean, natural ingredients. You'll leave with recipes and the muscle memory to recreate them at home.

3 hoursfrom AUD $177

Private Osaka Tour from Your Hotel with Local Guide

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Private Osaka Tour from Your Hotel with Local Guide

A customised walking tour of Osaka led by a local English-speaking guide who collects you from your hotel. Over 3–5 hours, you'll navigate the city's contrasts: feudal landmarks like Osaka Castle, the raw energy of Shinsekai's street food stalls, and quiet corners locals favour. Your guide shapes the route around what interests you—whether that's architecture, food, or neighbourhood culture. You'll use public transport between zones.

3 hours – 5 hoursfrom AUD $152

Traditional Japanese Washi Papermaking- Kyoto morning

🍜 Food & Cooking

Traditional Japanese Washi Papermaking- Kyoto morning

Learn kamisuki, the centuries-old technique of hand-pulling Japanese washi paper, in central Kyoto. This 60-minute workshop guides you through forming delicate sheets from natural fibres, then pressing seasonal flowers into the wet surface. You'll leave with handmade paper suited to framing, gifting or repurposing. The studio sits minutes from three metro stations, welcoming all ages and fitness levels with bilingual instruction.

1 hourfrom AUD $45

True Kanazawa: Private Walking tour with a Local guide

🛕 Culture & History

True Kanazawa: Private Walking tour with a Local guide

Walk through Kanazawa's layered past and present on this 3–4 hour private tour with a local guide who speaks English fluently. You'll choose three destinations from the city's roster of cultural sites, gardens, temples, and historical quarters—or let your guide suggest a route shaped by what matters to you. The pace stays manageable, the stops meaningful, and the commentary grounded in lived experience rather than guidebook recitation.

3 hours – 4 hoursfrom AUD $230

Osaka: Hidden Backstreet Foodie Tour

🍜 Food & Cooking

Osaka: Hidden Backstreet Foodie Tour

Slip into Osaka's backstreet lanes and eat your way through Uranamba's hidden food culture with a knowledgeable local guide. This 3-hour evening tour keeps groups small—no more than 9 people—so you'll actually talk to your guide rather than hear a canned speech. You'll taste around 13 dishes, sip two drinks, and hear real stories about the city's food heritage and underground scenes. It's the kind of night where your guide becomes a mate and the streets reveal themselves in ways tourists never see.

3 hoursfrom AUD $117

Ramen and Gyoza Cooking Class in Osaka Dotonbori

🍜 Food & Cooking

Ramen and Gyoza Cooking Class in Osaka Dotonbori

Roll up your sleeves in central Osaka to learn how ramen and gyoza are actually made. Over three hours, you'll knead noodle dough by hand, simmer broth from chicken bones, and dress your bowl with toppings matched to your taste. By the end, you'll have crafted a complete meal and walked away with recipes to recreate it at home. Based in the bustling Dotonbori district, this is a hands-on detour from eating ramen to understanding it.

3 hoursfrom AUD $97

Kyoto Ramen Noodle Making Class

🍜 Food & Cooking

Kyoto Ramen Noodle Making Class

Roll up your sleeves in central Kyoto's Gion district to learn noodle-making from a specialist instructor. You'll operate a traditional ramen machine to shape dough into noodles, then taste your handiwork in a bowl of broth prepared by the restaurant's chef. The one-hour class includes all equipment, a souvenir bandana, and a soft drink. Vegetarian, vegan, and pescetarian options available.

1 hourfrom AUD $76

Okinawa: Kayak Mangroves & Ocean Native-English Private Tour

🐠 Water Activities

Okinawa: Kayak Mangroves & Ocean Native-English Private Tour

Paddle through the Yanbaru region's mangrove channels and coral waters on a private kayak tour led by an English-speaking guide. This 2–3 hour outing adapts to your group's abilities and conditions—you might explore Kouri Island's hidden coves, drift over Nakijin Reef, or navigate the Haneji Inland Sea depending on weather and preference. You'll learn how mangroves thrive in salty environments whilst paddling through their root systems, then venture into open waters where coral and reef life appear below.

2 hours – 3 hoursfrom AUD $125

Tokyo Private Walking Tour Hidden Gems and Icons

🛕 Culture & History

Tokyo Private Walking Tour Hidden Gems and Icons

Shino, a Tokyo native and certified guide, leads you through neighbourhoods beyond the typical tourist trail over 2–4 hours. She'll navigate you towards local spots—cafés, shops, temples—where everyday Tokyo unfolds, and teach you conversational Japanese along the way. Hotel pickup included. This isn't a checklist tour; it's a chance to understand how people actually live here, trade small talk with shopkeepers, and discover places that don't make guidebooks.

2 hours – 4 hoursfrom AUD $72

Kyoto Wagashi(Japanese sweets) Cooking Class near Fushimiinari

🍜 Food & Cooking

Kyoto Wagashi(Japanese sweets) Cooking Class near Fushimiinari

Learn to make three classic Japanese wagashi in a traditional wooden house near Fushimi Inari. This 2.5-hour class welcomes groups of up to six, with an English-speaking instructor guiding you through techniques for confections you might recognise from anime and manga. You'll leave with recipes and the skills to recreate these treats at home. The intimate setting mirrors the Japanese custom of sharing tea and sweets with guests.

2h 30mfrom AUD $108

Discover the Art of Ikebana in Tokyo’s Historic Yanaka District

🛕 Culture & History

Discover the Art of Ikebana in Tokyo’s Historic Yanaka District

Learn ikebana from a master craftsperson in Yanaka, Tokyo's most atmospheric old quarter. You'll spend 90 minutes selecting blooms at a neighbourhood flower shop, then compose your own arrangement under expert guidance with an English-speaking interpreter. The workshop doubles as a genuine connection to local life—you're supporting family-run businesses and meeting residents who drift in during the session.

1h 30mfrom AUD $148

Tokyo Ueno Food Tour Sushi Ramen and Local Favorites

🍜 Food & Cooking

Tokyo Ueno Food Tour Sushi Ramen and Local Favorites

Taste Ueno's four-century culinary heritage across three hours of neighbourhood eating in this small-group tour led by a guide who grew up here. You'll sit down at genuine local restaurants and izakayas—the sort locals queue for—sampling sushi, ramen, yakitori and gyoza at the places that have been doing it right for generations. This is where Tokyo's food story began, and it's written in the dishes you'll eat, not the postcards you'll buy.

3 hoursfrom AUD $121

Kimono experience and Japanese home-cooking lesson Osaka Umeda

🍜 Food & Cooking

Kimono experience and Japanese home-cooking lesson Osaka Umeda

Learn to cook three-hour Osaka home dishes from scratch alongside a Japanese instructor, then dress in silk kimono and obi using heritage techniques. You'll prepare one of four seasonal menus—ginger pork with rice balls and miso soup, takoyaki, kushikatsu, or a bento box—using supermarket ingredients you'll learn to source. Afterwards, slip into formal wear: brides can try the elaborate bridal kimono rarely worn outside ceremonies, while men experience hakama and formal dress. Photography happens in the room's Japanese corner.

3 hoursfrom AUD $108

Tokyo Manga Drawing Experience Pro Artist Workshop & MangaHistory

🛕 Culture & History

Tokyo Manga Drawing Experience Pro Artist Workshop & MangaHistory

Learn manga creation from a working professional in this three-hour workshop. You'll move through the complete process—concept, sketch, ink—with hands-on guidance tailored to your level. Whether you want to draw recognisable characters or develop your own, the artist coaches you through each stage. The workshop also covers manga's cultural origins and evolution, giving context to what you're creating rather than treating it as a standalone art class.

3 hoursfrom AUD $114

Calligraphy Workshop in Namba, Dotonbori

🛕 Culture & History

Calligraphy Workshop in Namba, Dotonbori

Learn traditional Japanese brush writing over two hours in central Osaka's bustling Namba district. A qualified instructor guides you through the fundamentals of calligraphy, from brush control to ink preparation, before you write your own name in kanji or katakana on coloured paper. You'll leave with a personalised handwritten keepsake and a genuine understanding of what makes this centuries-old art form tick. The workshop sits within walking distance of Dotonbori's neon-soaked streets and Kuromon Market's food stalls.

2 hoursfrom AUD $67

Kyoto Private Tea Ceremony with Tea Master at Home

🛕 Culture & History

Kyoto Private Tea Ceremony with Tea Master at Home

Step into a traditional Kyoto home for an intimate tea ceremony led by a practised tea master. Over one hour, you'll learn the deliberate gestures and philosophy underpinning this refined art form, prepare two bowls of premium Uji matcha, and taste seasonal wagashi from a heritage Kyoto confectioner. This is genuine practice in an authentic setting—no tourism theatre, no crowds, just you and the ritual.

1 hourfrom AUD $134

Tokyo Keen Japanese Knife and Sashimi Workshop (Tuna Don / Sushi)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Tokyo Keen Japanese Knife and Sashimi Workshop (Tuna Don / Sushi)

Learn to handle Japanese knives and craft either tuna donburi or sushi in a two-hour hands-on workshop in Tokyo. You'll watch a chef demonstrate proper technique, practise knife skills on flour dumplings and real fish, then prepare your own bowl or rolls to eat straightaway. The experience includes sake tasting, a participation certificate, and 10% discount at the on-site shop.

2 hoursfrom AUD $177

Ramen Gyoza Onigiri Japanese Cooking Class in Kyoto

🍜 Food & Cooking

Ramen Gyoza Onigiri Japanese Cooking Class in Kyoto

Learn to craft ramen broths, gyoza parcels, and onigiri alongside English-speaking instructors in central Kyoto. This 90-minute hands-on class teaches traditional techniques for building layered miso and soy sauce broths from scratch, folding dumplings, and shaping rice balls. You'll cook alongside others, then sit down to eat everything you've prepared—proper comfort food made by your own hands.

1h 30mfrom AUD $125

Tokyo Private Customized Walking tours with Local guide

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Tokyo Private Customized Walking tours with Local guide

Walk Tokyo with a local who shapes the route around what interests you—whether that's quiet backstreets, ramen shops, or neighbourhood temples. Tours run 2 to 8 hours, with guides collecting your preferences before you meet. Hotel pickup is included, making it straightforward if you're catching a connecting flight or just arriving. You navigate on foot; public transport fares and meals are separate.

2 hours – 8 hoursfrom AUD $64

Ramen Making from Scratch with Tokyo Mom(Vegan Option Available)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Ramen Making from Scratch with Tokyo Mom(Vegan Option Available)

Learn to craft ramen and gyoza from the ground up in Aki's Tokyo kitchen. This 2.5-hour class walks you through kneading noodle dough, simmering a clean broth without additives, and folding dumplings by hand. Aki, a Japanese mum and former traveller, teaches in English and adjusts recipes for dietary requirements including vegan preferences. You'll leave with techniques, confidence, and a printed recipe to recreate the meal at home.

2h 30mfrom AUD $192

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