Maximum Culture 12-Day Tour: Tokyo, Nikko, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Koyasan & Osaka
✨ Highlights
For travellers who want to do things, not just see them: a kintsugi workshop in Tokyo, a tea ceremony in Kanazawa, zazen with monks at a Koyasan temple lodging, a kimono afternoon in Kyoto's Gion. Around those hands-on days sit the great sights — Nikko's gilded shrine, Kenroku-en, Fushimi Inari, Nara's deer park — and the route runs Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen so no day is wasted on the road.
Read moreShow less▾
🎫 Options
🚘 Private Alphard with driver · whole trip
🚘 The price is for the WHOLE private Toyota Alphard (7-seater, up to 6 guests) with driver for all 12 days, 8 hours a day — not per person; 2 or 6 travellers pay the same. Hotels, admission tickets, meals and tolls/parking are charged at cost (we book them on request). A licensed guide can be added on request.
- Refund & cancellation policy →
- Pay online when you book
From¥873,840/car · up to 6 guests
- Capacity
- 1+
- Itinerary
- 12 days · 12 stops
- 15:00
Arrival in Tokyo · 240 min
Airport pickup, check-in, a first dinner in a Shinjuku alley.
- 09:00
Asakusa, Skytree & a kintsugi workshop · 480 min
Senso-ji at opening, the Skytree, then an afternoon repairing a ceramic bowl with gold in a small kintsugi studio — you keep the bowl.
- 07:30
Nikko day trip · 660 min
Toshogu's carved gates, the Shinkyo bridge, Kegon Falls and the drive along Lake Chuzenji; back to Tokyo for dinner.
- 09:00
Shinkansen to Kanazawa, Higashi Chaya at dusk · 480 min
The Hokuriku bullet train through the mountains, Omicho market for lunch, and the gold-leaf teahouses of Higashi Chaya.
- 08:30
Kenroku-en, samurai district & tea ceremony · 480 min
Kenroku-en garden, the Nomura samurai house, a formal tea ceremony in a machiya, and the contemporary art museum.
- 09:00
Kanazawa → Kyoto: Higashiyama by lantern light · 480 min
The Thunderbird limited express to Kyoto, then Kiyomizu-dera and the Sannenzaka slopes in the late afternoon, dinner in Pontocho.
- 08:00
Fushimi Inari, Nishiki market & Gion in kimono · 600 min
The torii tunnels early, Nishiki market for lunch, then dressed in kimono for an afternoon in Gion and a maiko performance in the evening.
- 08:00
Arashiyama & the west temples · 480 min
Bamboo grove before the crowds, Tenryu-ji's garden, Kinkaku-ji, and a zen-garden afternoon at Ryoan-ji.
- 08:30
Nara → Koyasan temple lodging · 600 min
Todai-ji's Great Buddha and the deer of Nara Park, then the winding road up to Koyasan: Okunoin cemetery at dusk, vegetarian shojin dinner, and evening prayers at the temple.
- 06:00
Morning service, Koyasan → Osaka · 600 min
Zazen and the 6 a.m. service with the monks, Kongobu-ji's rock garden, then down to Osaka for Dotonbori's neon and kushikatsu.
- 09:00
Osaka: castle, Kuromon market & Shinsekai · 480 min
Osaka Castle park, street food at Kuromon market, Shinsekai's retro Tsutenkaku tower, and a farewell okonomiyaki dinner.
- 09:00
Departure from Kansai · 180 min
Private transfer to Kansai International Airport.
※ Actual timings vary with road conditions on the day.
🗺️ Route map
Tap a number to see that day
Day 1 — Tokyo
Airport pickup, check-in, a first dinner in a Shinjuku alley.
—
📍 Meeting / pick-up point
⏰ Please arrive at the meeting point 10 minutes before departure — the bus will not wait past the scheduled time.
💰 Price for your group
Per-person split
Same vehicle price whatever the group size — the more of you, the less per person. Groups above 6 add a second vehicle.
✓ Included
- Private Toyota Alphard (up to 6 guests) with professional driver, 12 days × 8 hours
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off every day
- Fuel and the driver's time within the daily 8 hours
- Route planning and WhatsApp/LINE support from OlaChill
✗ Not included (charged at cost)
- Hotels and ryokan (we book them for you on request, charged at cost)
- Admission tickets, meals, Shinkansen/train tickets (at cost)
- Expressway tolls and parking (at cost)
- Driver's lodging on nights away from the base city (quoted before booking)
- Licensed guide — available as an add-on on request
- Extra hours beyond 8/day (charged at the Alphard hourly rate)
How long does this tour last?+
The tour runs 12 days with 12 scheduled stops laid out hour by hour.
Where is the pickup?+
Pickup at Arrival in Tokyo. Once your booking is confirmed we'll email the GPS map plus detailed directions.
What's the minimum group size?+
Min 1 guest. If the minimum isn't reached we'll contact you before departure to suggest an alternate date or issue a full refund.
Which languages is the guide available in?+
Guided packages are currently available in: English. If you need a guide in another language, leave a note when booking and we will check availability (surcharge applies).
Can I cancel or reschedule?+
Cancellation and date-change terms are in the tour's notice section
🗾 Related tours
Evening Wisteria Illumination at Ashikaga Flower Park with Daytime Nemophila Exploration in Ibaraki Prefecture – Spring Journey
¥59,000/car
Sea Sunset, Cherry Blossoms, and Sacred Temples: A Full Day in Hitachi
¥59,000/car
Day Trip to Saiko Iyashi No Sato Nenba Village in the Fuji Five Lakes Region
¥59,000/car
Mt. Fuji & Lake Kawaguchiko Autumn Day Tour — Oishi Park, Lakeside, Momiji Corridor
¥59,000/car
⚠️ Must-read4 items · tap to read▾
- •Tours are guided mainly in English.
- •In severe weather (typhoon, heavy snow…), a cancellation decision is made by 15:00 the day before departure and sent to your registered email/contact; weather cancellations are fully refunded.
- •Please be on time at the meeting point and every gathering point — the bus does not wait for latecomers; missed portions due to personal reasons are non-refundable.
- •The itinerary and time at each stop may be adjusted for traffic, weather or facility maintenance; in force-majeure cases a stop may be replaced with a comparable alternative.
📌 Other notes5 items · tap to read▾
- •One carry-on bag per guest on the bus; please store large luggage at your hotel or a locker near the meeting point.
- •Infants aged 0–2 without a seat join free; max one infant per adult; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- •Pregnant guests and those with medical conditions should consider carefully: long bus rides, and immediate medical care may not be available on some legs.
- •Lunch is not included unless the tour states otherwise — bring your own or eat at the stops.
- •Change/cancellation terms vary by tour — see the cancellation policy on each tour page before booking. If the tour itself is cancelled for weather/force majeure, you receive a full refund.