Tour: Japan Classic 10 Day - One Life Adventures by One Life Adventures with 2268 Tour Reviews - TourRadar
When: November 2025
Why I chose this tour:
Japan has always been a bucket list destination for me, and every year, I make an excuse to not go. But then, while travelling, I decided there is no time like the present and booked!
Our Guide:
We had a really great guide, Jordan. He provided great historical background on all the sights we saw. Just enough to not overwhelm you, but he could answer the questions from the group if they wanted to know more. For our free time, he gave us fantastic local tips and recommendations, and sometimes joined us for a beer, dinner, or activities.
Itinerary Highlights
This itinerary strikes a great balance between historical and cultural sights, the food scene, iconic Instagram spots, and hands-on experiences, for example:
- Sushi-making class: This was a very fun and informative experience! We made miso soup, 3 different types of sushi, and a teriyaki salmon. They even had vegetarian/vegan options available for the group that requested that.
- Kendo: We spent an afternoon with a descendant of a Samurai learning the history behind Kendo and how it developed. We then got dressed and tried it ourselves. A cool experience, especially learning the history from a local.
- Osaka food tour: We hit the streets of Osaka, specifically the Dotombori area, where our guide let us try all of the different types of street food. A personal highlight for me! We went for karaoke afterwards, a great group activity that ensured a lot of laughter and bonding.
- Temple stay and meditation workshop: We stayed in a temple for one night that was incredible peaceful and I had such a good sleep in a room with tatami mats. The next morning we could optionally take part in a prayer ceremony and meditation workshop that was lead by the temple’s monk. A wonderful grounding experience, a moment of calm in between the busy travelling.
- Tea ceremony: After we got fitted in our kimonos we had a tea ceremony. We were taught about the tradition of making tea and the ceremony behind it. We then got to make our own matcha.
Accommodation
- On this tour we stayed in a few hostels and a hotel at the end of the trip. They were all nice, you are out and about most of the day so it served more as a place to sleep than spend time in.
- The highlight was when we stayed in a temple in Takayama.
- We shared rooms all through the trip, so I would suggest that if you want your own private room this is not the tour for you.
Transport
- You make use of public transport specifically trains the entire trip.
- The trains are extremely punctual and probably the best network of trains and metros I have been on anywhere.
- Our guide purchases all the necessary tickets for our trains and explained when to use them every day.
- This tour finished in Osaka, but I had a return flight from Tokyo. It was very easy to buy a ticket for the Shinkansen on Klook the day of travel.
Moment
You can check out my video summary of the tour here:
This tour is perfect for a first trip to Japan. You get to see and experience so much, far more than I expected. Yes, this tour can be seen by some as fast-paced since you’re walking a lot, travelling on trains etc, but it is totally worth it. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who has never been to Japan and is thinking about taking the plunge, just go for it!
