This 14-day winter vacation takes advantage of the Japan Rail pass to whisk you across the country. It can include either moderate or first-class accommodations and is perfect for travellers wanting to explore Japan's spectacular winter at their own pace.
Your trip to Japan begins in Tokyo, the nation’s capital and largest city. There are futuristic cities and then there is Tokyo, a mind-blowing showcase of state-of-the-art technology, world-class transit, and looming skyscrapers all next to ancient temples and remnants of the imperial past. You’ll have two full days in Tokyo to explore the city and see its collection of landmarks, from grand temples like Senso-ji and the Meiji Shrine to the futuristic landscapes of Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Akihabara “Electric Town,” where manga, video games, and pop culture reign supreme. A half-day tour will help you get settled and hit some of the best sights. After that, Tokyo is endlessly diverse with new discoveries in every neighbourhood, so enjoy a day and a half on your own to get the most out of it.
Head to Nagano, a city that truly shows off the best of Japan in winter. Boasting the highest mountain ranges in the country, this is a ski town through and through, but it also offers spectacular cultural sights like Zenko-ji temple. With any luck, you'll have snow, showing off the temple at its most serene. Then if you choose, take an afternoon trip to Matsumoto, famous for its namesake castle, which comes alive after dark with its winter light show. The following day, a tour takes you to see the best of Nagano and the town of Obuse. The highlight however is seeing Japanese snow monkeys relaxing in the area's natural springs.
From Nagano, hop the train into the Japanese Alps and the Hida region where you’ll find the small town of Takayama, one of the loveliest spots in all of Japan. Visit the Yatai Kaikan Museum to see the festival floats that are the highlight of the spring festival each year, and head down Kami Sannomachi Street to see the old wooden houses and sake breweries that define the town. Head into the beautiful Shirakawago region with your guide and see the 'praying hands' farmhouses, where you'll get a taste of what country life in Japan used to be. The following day, enjoy some quintessential Japanese winter relaxation at Gero Onsen, a popular Japanese spa town surrounded by mountains.
Leave the hot springs behind (sorry!) and journey to Kyoto, the former imperial capital and arguably Japan’s most beautiful city. A morning tour gives you a taste of its many temples and imperial sights, from Nijo Castle and the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the golden pavilion of Kinkaku-ji. Your afternoon is at leisure, so consider taking in the view from Kiyamizu-dera, or hiking the trail under the thousand orange-red torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine, which climbs a mountain in the city’s east. Chilly in winter, but beautiful!
While based in Kyoto, you’ll head on a day trip to nearby Nara, the nation’s first permanent capital and a historical gem with several UNESCO World Heritage Sites within its very walkable city core. See the statue of the Giant Buddha at Todai-ji Temple before strolling through Nara Park to befriend the partially-domesticated deer that have lived there for over a millennium.
Your journey continues to Hiroshima, the city forever linked to the catastrophe of the atomic bomb. In the morning, visit Itshukushima, the small island to the city’s south more popularly known as Miyajima, where you’ll see the nation’s most famous red torii gate, which is partially submerged by the tide each day. In the afternoon, visit the Atom Bomb Dome and the Peace Park to pay tribute to the victims of the atom bomb that detonated over the city in 1945. Turn back northeast and ride the train back to Tokyo, stopping off at the white-walled wonder of Himeji Castle along the way. In Tokyo, you’ll have one final night before returning back home the following day.
