Get ready for an incredible 14 days exploring the best of Japan. Touch down in Tokyo and head to your hostel, where this evening you will meet your group with a Japanese feast welcome dinner. Then head out to explore the iconic Tokyo Senso-ji Temple by night.

Accommodation: Sakura Hotel Nippori – Twin Bunks (or similar) | Tokyo
Meals Included: Dinner

Start the morning with a brief Japan Orientation, where you can learn simple phrases that will help you navigate the country. Hit up Harajuku, the birthplace of Japanese pop culture, before heading to Yoyogi Park where you’ll find the beautiful Meiji Shrine. Later on, visit the electric town of Akihabara where you’ll be greeted by neon lights and crazy shops. Play in the arcades and check out the famous Maid Cafes and grab a few beers in the local tiny bars.

Accommodation: Sakura Hotel Nippori – Twin Bunks (or similar) | Tokyo
Meals Included: Breakfast

You’re in for a fun morning as you join your own private sushi making class. Enjoy learning the craft of Miso Soup, three types of sushi, and the secrets to a delicious Teriyaki. This evening, spend it exploring the unparalleled skyline of Tokyo in Shinjuku, before checking out Omoide Yokocho alley for dinner. Finally, visit the famous Shibuya Pedestrian crossing, the busiest crossing in the world, and get that iconic vibrant Tokyo shot.

Accommodation: Sakura Hotel Nippori – Twin Bunks (or similar) | Tokyo
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning, hop on the ‘Romance Car’ train to the stunning town of Hakone, home to the iconic Mount Fuji. Once you’ve arrived, spend the day exploring the surrounding areas. Hakone is special for its incredible food, traditional guest houses, stunning nature, and of course being able to enjoy it all with a spectacular view of the mountain. This evening, enjoy a traditional Japanese family Nabe dinner and finish the day playing some games with your group.

Accommodation: Gora Gaku Guesthouse – Twin/Triple Share (or similar) | Hakone
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Today you’ll board the world famous Bullet Train, one of the fastest in existence. Watch as the world zips by as you travel, and make sure to keep your eye on Mount Fuji as you’re leaving Hakone. Arrive in Takayama, a UNESCO World Heritage town, and home for the night. This afternoon go sample some sake in a local brewery and enjoy some famous Hida beef, before staying the night in a gorgeous temple.

Accommodation: Zenkoji Temple – Multi-Share (or similar) | Takayama

Wake up with a walk around the beautiful old town and village of Takayama. Visit the morning markets on the banks of Miyagawa River. Then, travel to the stunning and ancient city of Kyoto by bullet train. Once arrived, enjoy a guided tour of the Gion district, famous for being the Geisha district. Enjoy the sights of traditional wooden houses, cobbled streets, and catch a glimpse of a Geisha roaming in a beautiful kimono.

Accommodation: Ryokan Hostel Gion – Pod Dorms (or similar) | Kyoto

Up and out early today as you travel by subway to the famous Fushimi-Inari Shrine. Arrive early to escape the crowds and make your way through the never ending corridors of red gates. Then, head to Kiyomizu-dera temple and take in the stunning bamboo and wooden complex, sitting high on the mountain side. Finish your visit with a traditional Tea Ceremony and the chance to rent a kimono and learn about the history of the beautiful garment.

Accommodation: Ryokan Hostel Gion – Pod Dorms (or similar) | Kyoto

Today you’ll visit the stunning Golden Pavilion temple, with its shining golden walls reflecting on the lake surrounding it. Explore the complex and the peaceful gardens, before heading to Daitoku-ji, a quiet leafy garden full of ancient temples. This afternoon, treat yourself to an exciting experience as you join a traditional Kendo class to learn the way of this amazing martial art. House in a traditional dojo and taught by an authentic Bushido instructor, a descendant of a Japanese Samurai, this class will be an unforgettable experience for you.

Accommodation: Ryokan Hostel Gion – Pod Dorms (or similar) | Kyoto

Start the day with a visit to the stunning town of Arashiyama, just outside of Kyoto, home to the scenic Bamboo Forest. Surrounded by mountains and a river, this place is a real hidden gem. Take a stroll through the Bamboo Forest, climb the Monkey Park mountain, and enjoy a traditional Japanese boat ride through the valleys. Then it’s time to travel to Osaka and spend the evening exploring the famous Dotonbori district. Referred to as the ‘kitchen of Japan’ expect delicious food and bustling streets,, before ending the day with karaoke and fun times.

Accommodation: Hotel WBF Namba Motomachi – Twin Share (or similar) | Osaka
Meals Included: Dinner

Enjoy one last breakfast with your travel group before waving goodbye to this incredible country and the amazing people you’ve shared these experiences with.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Cancellation & Refund Policy: Refunds will be processed according to the following time frames:

Cancellations within 28 Days of the start date incur a 100.00% fee.
Between 28 Days and 365 Days incur a $300.00 fee.

One Life Adventure tours cater to individuals between the ages of 18 and 45. The majority of guests are between 21 and 35 years old and seek to immerse themselves in the adventurous flashpacking travel style. These tours provide an ideal opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to connect and share travel experiences with like-minded fellow travellers.

This tour requires a reasonable level of fitness due to the amount of walking involved. There will be some days where you will be walking more than approximately 8-10km. Please bring appropriate footwear for this!

No, this tour must be booked in advance either online or with a travel agent. This tour is considered a different tour to the 10 Day trip so must be booked as an alternative option and not in conjunction with the 10 Day Tour.

Yes, lots of existing guests extend their stay after the 10 days and head to Hiroshima on their own. This new tour option was born out of demand. However, please note that the 14 Day Tour must be booked in advance of arriving in Japan and cannot be tagged onto the end of the 10 Day Tour.

While there is free time allocated during your time in Tokyo to explore each area a little further, there isn’t enough free time for bigger activities unless you miss some of the inclusions. If you’d like to do the Mario Kart racing for example, we recommend you arrive earlier than day 1 to give yourself some extra time in Tokyo.

We would highly recommend bringing no more than 15kg on this trip, and bringing a backpack instead of a suitcase if you can. You won’t need to carry your luggage around during daily excursions, but you will need to transport your luggage between each accommodation so we recommend packing as lightly as possible.

The luggage limit on the Shinkansen (bullet train) is very strict. Bags over 160cm (height x width x length) need an advance reservation and bags over 251cm cannot be accommodated even with a reservation.

You will need to transport your luggage between accommodations, but during the day when out and about you can leave your luggage safely stored away at the hostel.

Arriving at 21:00 is not a problem at all, but you will miss the welcome dinner and night walk at Senso-ji Temple. Just be mindful that all public transport into the city stops running around midnight so keep this in mind if any of your flights are delayed. If this is the case, there will be information in your welcome email about how to get into the city after midnight.

You can fly into Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda International Airport (HND). It doesn’t matter which one you fly into. Airport pick ups aren’t available on this tour but included in your welcome pack will be detailed information on how to get to the hostel from both airports.

On days 1, 2, 3 you will be in twin rooms in a hotel, On day 4 you will be staying in multi-share accommodation in the mountain town of Hakone, day 5 in a multi-share accommodation in a temple. In Kyoto on days 6,7,8 you will have your own pod in a capsule Ryokan and in Osaka you will either be in twins or triples.

You’ll be staying in a temple for 1 night in the stunning town of Takayama. It is breathtaking and truly a once in a lifetime experience. You’ll sleep on traditional tatami mats in multi-share accommodation (up to 9 people in 1 room) with a view of a Japanese garden and provide a mattress, sheet and pillow for all guests. The temple has excellent shared facilities and is centrally located.

While there isn’t an onsen experience included in this package, there are opportunities to do this while on tour. While in Takayama there is some free time during which your tour guide can give you directions on how to reach the onsens in the area.

You’ll have a couple of hours to explore the area before your tour guide takes the metro back to the accommodation, however you can always stay on longer in an area if you want to and your guide will give you clear instructions on using the public transport on your own.

The itinerary in Tokyo is fairly packed, but you can always stay in an area for longer and return to the accommodation on your own if you would like to explore more. There’s some free time in Takayama to take advantage of the optional activities like archery or visiting an onsen. While there’s not much free time in Hakone or Osaka, in Kyoto you will have a half day free to explore on your own.

The Japan Rail Pass is not included and you don’t need to purchase one as transport is taken care of for you. Your tour providers try to use local transport for a more authentic experience.

Due to the nature of cuisine in Japan, strict dietary requirements may be difficult to accommodate in some areas. Many of the broths/stocks which flavour much of Japanese food are not vegetarian/vegan friendly, and many meals contain either meat, fish, or egg elements. We recommend downloading the app “Happy Cow” and asking your tour guide for advice throughout the tour. You may also bring some snacks/supplements with you if necessary, but please note that Japanese customs can be very strict with medication so ensure you double check everything you bring.

For those wishing to return to Tokyo after the tour finishes in Osaka/Hiroshima there is the option to include the train cost in the ticket price. This is bookable at the time of booking – just reach out to add this option on. Those guests who wish to book their return train journey whilst on the tour will need to arrange this as soon as possible as it does sell out, so we would recommend arranging this before you arrive.

As Japan is a developed country, Wi-Fi and data access is excellent. All the hostels that you stay in have strong and consistent Wi-Fi. If you’d like to stay connected whilst on the road you can pick up a tourist sim card at the airport, these will cost you anywhere between $20-$40 for 2 weeks worth of data.

We would advise $600 AUD for the duration of the 10 day tour. This is a safe amount to cover lots on the tour, however you will have lots of opportunities to withdraw more cash throughout the trip.

Whilst on the tour the longest travel time is around 4 hours. There will be a day where you will be on the train for 2-3 hours twice in one day with a 30 minute change.