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 Hostel Asakusa – Multi-Share (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 Hostel Asakusa – Multi-Share (or similar) | Tokyo
Meals Included: Breakfast

The morning is free for you to explore Tokyo or join an exciting Sushi Making class. 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 Hostel Asakusa – Multi-Share (or similar) | Tokyo
Meals Included: Breakfast

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

This morning you’ll say goodbye to the beautiful Hakone and 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. After the tour, enjoy a Yakitori (grilled chicken sticks) at a famous restaurant for dinner.

Accommodation: Piece Hostel – Multi-Share (or similar) | Kyoto
Meals Included: Dinner

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: Piece Hostel – Multi-Share (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 an optional traditional Japanese boat ride through the valleys. The afternoon and evening is free for you to enjoy your last night in Kyoto as you please.

Accommodation: Piece Hostel – Multi-Share (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. 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: The Stay Shinsaibashi – Multi-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!

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.

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.

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.

Compared to the 10 and 14 day itineraries, this Japan tour has a lot more free time for you to explore on your own, or with your new friends on tour. While there is still a lot included in the tour, you’ll have a few days where there is more opportunity for free time.

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.

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.

This tour stays in funky hostels around Japan. The dorm rooms are mixed-gender so it is likely you will be staying in a room with other male and female guests.