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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511 tours in Japan · ★ 4.0 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

Mt Fuji Area Private Guided Tours in English-Nature up close, quiet, personal

🌿 Nature & Wildlife

Mt Fuji Area Private Guided Tours in English-Nature up close, quiet, personal

A private 5–6 hour tour of Mt Fuji's surrounds led by a long-time English-speaking local. Travel by van and on foot through the volcanic landscape around Lakes Kawaguchiko and Saiko, exploring moss-draped forest trails, tucked-away shrines, and waterfalls. Your guide knows the quiet corners and lesser-trodden paths, moving at a pace that lets you absorb the detail: the texture of ancient lava rock, the mist rising off the water, the rhythm of the place rather than ticking boxes.

5 hours – 6 hoursfrom AUD $455

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

Private Tea Ceremony and Sake Tasting in Kyoto Samurai House

🛕 Culture & History

Private Tea Ceremony and Sake Tasting in Kyoto Samurai House

Step into a three-century-old samurai residence in Kyoto for a 50-minute tea ceremony and sake tasting. You'll have the entire historic house to yourself, learning to prepare organic matcha in a traditional tea room whilst sampling locally-brewed sake. The experience sits just eight minutes' walk from Kyoto station, so it slots neatly into any itinerary without requiring transport faffing.

50 minfrom AUD $143

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

Private car tour in Kyoto (up to 4)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Private car tour in Kyoto (up to 4)

Spend seven hours exploring Kyoto in a private air-conditioned vehicle with local driver Kosuke, who tailors the route to your interests. You'll navigate the city at your own pace, stopping where you choose—whether that's temple districts, traditional neighbourhoods, or lesser-known corners. The vehicle and parking are included; you arrange meals and pay entry fees separately. Best booked as a two-day experience to properly see what matters to you.

7 hoursfrom AUD $403

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

Osaka Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide Dotonbori

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Osaka Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide Dotonbori

Beat the queues on this four-hour guided walk through Osaka's essential neighbourhoods. Your English-speaking guide navigates you past Osaka Castle, through the retro arcade alleys of Shinsekai, rounds the stalls at Kuromon Market, and into the neon chaos of Dotonbori. You'll taste authentic street food and learn how the city shifted from feudal stronghold to modern trading hub. Efficient introduction to Osaka's character without the midday tourist crush.

4 hoursfrom AUD $103

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

Experience all of Japanese culture and Japanese food experience classes "origami, udon, Japanese food, green tea, calligraphy" in 4 hours

🍜 Food & Cooking

Experience all of Japanese culture and Japanese food experience classes "origami, udon, Japanese food, green tea, calligraphy" in 4 hours

Spend four hours at a local home learning five pillars of Japanese culture alongside a home-cooked meal. You'll fold origami, hand-roll udon from scratch, prepare sushi and tempura, whisk matcha, and watch your name brushed in calligraphy on coloured paper to take home. Sake, shochu, beer and soft drinks flow throughout. Vegetarian and vegan versions of every dish are available.

4 hoursfrom AUD $125

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

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

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

Near Fushimiinari: Kyoto Home Cooking Class & Supermarket tour

🍜 Food & Cooking

Near Fushimiinari: Kyoto Home Cooking Class & Supermarket tour

Learn to cook four Japanese dishes in a traditional Kyoto home near Fushimi Inari, then eat what you've made. This four-hour class keeps groups small (max six people) so you'll get proper attention from your instructor. Afterwards, you'll tour a neighbourhood supermarket to identify the ingredients and seasonings used, picking up tips for recreating these meals at home. You'll leave with recipes and the confidence to cook Japanese food properly.

4 hoursfrom AUD $161

Explore Kanazawa Half Day Private Tour with Local Guide

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Explore Kanazawa Half Day Private Tour with Local Guide

A bespoke 5–6 hour walking and bus tour of Kanazawa led by a local with two decades of city knowledge. After booking, you'll plan the route together—whether that's Kenrokuen Garden, the castle, Omicho Market, the geisha district, or tucked-away spots most visitors miss. You'll move at a comfortable pace on foot and by local transport, stopping where your interests take you. Your guide is a qualified nurse, so basic medical support is available if needed.

5 hours – 6 hoursfrom AUD $206

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

Half-day Himeji Castle Town Bike Tour with Lunch

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Half-day Himeji Castle Town Bike Tour with Lunch

Cycle through Himeji's castle town on a guided half-day tour that connects landmarks and local flavour. Starting from Himeji Station, you'll visit a 300-year-old sweets maker, climb Shirasagi-jo castle for panoramic views, fuel up with lunch at a neighbourhood restaurant, and finish with tea in the serene Kokoen garden. Your MagicalTrip guide handles logistics whilst you navigate the town by bike, covering roughly 5.5 hours total.

5h 30mfrom AUD $125

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

Kyoto Hiking Tour: The Nature and Legends of Kurama and Kibune

🌿 Nature & Wildlife

Kyoto Hiking Tour: The Nature and Legends of Kurama and Kibune

An 8-hour guided hike across Mount Kurama and down to Kibune village, exploring Kyoto's forested highlands where reiki originated and tengu folklore persists. You'll trek through stands of ancient cedar, visit Kuramadera Temple, and reach the quiet mountain settlement of Kibune. Your guide shares local stories and spiritual history whilst you move at an unhurried pace through terrain that feels genuinely removed from the city's rhythm.

8 hoursfrom AUD $287

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

Private Customizable Walking Tour of Tokyo

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Private Customizable Walking Tour of Tokyo

Explore Tokyo on foot with a guide who knows the city like a resident. Choose your duration from 4 to 8 hours and pick your focus—whether that's architecture, anime, postwar history, street food, or neighbourhood culture. You'll navigate using the subway alongside locals, eat where Tokyoites eat, and discover both famous spots and corners tourists miss. Morning, afternoon or evening departures suit different rhythms. Kids under 11 go free.

4 hours – 8 hoursfrom AUD $287

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

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

Tokyo Early Morning Tour Asakusa Meiji Shrine (Private Opt)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Tokyo Early Morning Tour Asakusa Meiji Shrine (Private Opt)

Start your Tokyo day before dawn to slip through Asakusa, Tsukiji Fish Market, Meiji Jingu Shrine, and Shibuya Crossing whilst the city still feels like itself. This five-hour private tour capitalises on early light and sparse foot traffic—ideal if you're maximising a short Tokyo stay or simply prefer moving through the city without shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. Your guide will orient you to the train network so you can roam freely afterwards.

5 hoursfrom AUD $81

Private car tour in Kyoto (up to 9)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Private car tour in Kyoto (up to 9)

Spend seven hours exploring Kyoto with Kosuke, a local driver who tailors the itinerary to your interests. Travel in a comfortable air-conditioned private vehicle through Japan's cultural heart, stopping at temples, gardens, geisha districts, or neighbourhoods you want to discover. Best experienced over two days to avoid rushing between sites. Groups up to nine welcome.

7 hoursfrom AUD $538

Harajuku Private Tour: Kawaii Fashion & Animal Cafe Included

🛕 Culture & History

Harajuku Private Tour: Kawaii Fashion & Animal Cafe Included

Navigate Harajuku's fashion-forward streets and quirky cafés on this 4-hour guided wander through Tokyo's most colourful neighbourhood. You'll hit Takeshita Street's vintage and designer clusters, stop for a coffee with elaborate latte art, visit an owl café to interact with these striking birds, and finish at an animal sanctuary stocked with hamsters, hedgehogs, and other small creatures. A local guide handles the navigation while you soak in the energy.

4 hoursfrom AUD $161

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

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