Japan Walks & Tours

Pummel your senses with food, shopping and people watching in non-stop, neon Tokyo

Marvel at Kyoto’s sublime gardens, temples and traditional architecture

Set your eyes on—or climb!—majestic Mount Fuji

Experience Japanese hospitality in a ryokan family inn

Soak your cares away in an onsen (hot spring) or sento (bath house)

Explore Japan’s ancient temples, palaces and historic sites

See Japanese culture in living colour at one of many matsuri festivals

Play in some of the world’s best powder snow in Hokkaido

Head to Japan’s stunning wilderness areas to hike among the coloured autumn leaves

Picnic under the glorious sakura blossoms in spring

While the night away in tiny drinking houses and karaoke bars

Take the time to enjoy Japan’s traditional tea ceremony

Catch a live kabuki performance, sumo match or karate tournament

Travel like a local on super fast, super efficient bullet trains

Eat your way around the archipelago, exploring one of the world’s great cuisines

Japan’s climatic conditions vary considerably from north to south, owing to the mountainous spine than runs through the islands and the archipelago’s deep latitudinal span. Main moderating influences on Japan’s weather are its mountains, surrounding oceans, proximity to the Asian mainland and the effects of monsoons, in which alternating wet/dry periods are caused by the seasonal reversal of prevailing winds.

Japan’s prevailing summer and winter conditions are the result of interactions between two huge air masses: the moist tropical air mass coming off the Pacific Ocean and the cold continental polar air mass coming mainly from Siberia.

The summer monsoon (April to early September) brings rains and warmer temperatures, often causing cyclones, typhoons and storms in later summer. The winter monsoon (late September to early March) brings cold air that picks up moisture in the Sea of Japan, depositing rain and heavy snow along Japan’s western side and bringing cold, dry winds to the eastern side.

Japan is wettest in the early summer and driest in the winter, with the exception being the Sea of Japan coast, which receives heavy snowfall in winter. East Asia experiences a summer rainy season commonly called the “plum rains”, or baiu in Japanese, bringing hot, humid weather, typhoons and torrential rain during June and July.

Japan has some of the world’s best and heaviest snowfall, and is naturally a haven for skiers and snowboarders. The main island of Honshu receives snow in many parts, but it is the northern-most island of Hokkaido that is world-renowned for heavy powder snow during its ski season of December to March.

As a general rule, the coldest month is January, and the warmest month is August. The transitional seasons of autumn and spring are generally shorter, and temperatures are generally lower, in the north compared to the south.

In Tokyo, average daily temperatures vary from a minimum of 2.5°C (36.5°F) to a maximum of 9.9°C (50°F) in January; to a minimum of 24.5°C (76.1°F) to a maximum of 31.1°C (88°F) in August.

In Sapporo, average daily temperatures vary from a minimum of -7°C (°F) to a maximum of -0.6°C (°F) in January; to a minimum of 19.1°C (°F) to a maximum of 26.4°C (°F) in August.

Japan is +9 hours ahead of UTC/GMT

Japanese is the official national language, spoken as the primary language by almost all of the population. Many different regional dialects exist, however, Standard Japanese (as spoken in Tokyo) is understood nationwide and is the language used for news broadcasting

Written Japanese uses a combination of kanji (Chinese pictogram characters denoting specific words/concepts) and kana (Japanese phonetic characters denoting specific syllables, which form words when grouped together). The Latin/Roman alphabet is also used sometimes to spell Japanese phonetically (called romaji) for those who cannot read written Japanese

Most public and private schools require students to take courses in both Japanese and English, however, few Japanese are able to speak English at a high international standard due to a lack of rigorous English language training, the inherent shyness that is part of Japanese culture, and the difficulty for native Japanese speakers in pronouncing English words, due to the far greater number of different phonemes (syllable sounds) in English compared to Japanese

The unit of currency is the Yen

It is strongly recommended that you buy Yen prior to departure as the rate in your home country is likely to be more favourable than in Japan.

Whilst credit cards (both physical and digital) are now widely accepted in major cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, Japan is still a cash society. Particularly in regional areas.

Our accommodations will not have cashing facilities. Currency other than Yen will not be accepted anywhere in Japan.

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Electricity in Japan is 100 Volts, at 50/60 hertz. The most common pin type is A. (2 flat prong).

Electricity in Japan is 100 Volts, at 50/60 hertz. The most common pin type is A. (2 flat prong).

Your safety is our number one concern. Our safety track record is exemplary thanks to careful management and thorough consultation with local partners. Our industry leading risk management procedures have become a skill that we continue to refine. Our leaders in the field are highly trained and have safety as their number one priority. Expert leaders, risk assessments, quality inclusions and your financial security all come standard when you travel with us.

Please refer to our Travel Advisory page for updates on recent events, travel warnings and advice.

We strongly recommend that all clients take out travel insurance at the time of booking to cover against sickness, accident, loss of baggage, unexpected alterations to travel arrangements and travel disruption, emergency evacuation, cancellations, etc. Insurance information is enclosed with your pre-departure information. Please contact us if you would like to obtain a quote for your trip duration.

We suggest that you consult your doctor, local government inoculation centre or a travel medical specialist in order to get the most current advice regarding vaccination requirements.

Money and valuables should always be stored safely when travelling. Keep your passport with you at all times and do not leave it in your main luggage. You will need it to change money and check into hotels. Where safety deposit boxes are available, we recommend that you use them. Keep jewellery and valuables to a minimum.