Japan - The Far East – NEW FOR 2027!

Land of the Rising Sun with cherry blossom beauty

27th March – 9th April

What's to get excited about!

An essential background in Japanese cartoons, comics and movies, and representing a new start—seeing pink and white sakura (cherry blossoms) are on everyone’s Japan bucket-list. With Go Beyond’s first trip to Japan, we’re excited to visit 7 cities across the main island of Honshu in search of flowering cherry trees.

After arriving in Tokyo, we’ll rest up for an exciting day in the big city the next morning. Asakusa’s Senso-ji temple and views of Tokyo Sky Tree are impossible to miss, and you can receive a fortune at the temple. Then, you’ll lose yourself in sparkling art of teamLab Planets, where sight and touch come together to boggle the mind.

On day 5, we will head to neighboring Yamanashi Prefecture to see cherry blossoms from the Arakura-yama Sengen Park overlook. This viewpoint comprises over 600 cherry blossom trees with a beautiful red and green pagoda and, weather permitting, a stunning view of the iconic Mount Fuji.

From Tokyo, we’ll travel to Hiroshima by shinkansen, Japanese bullet train, at speeds reaching up to 300 km/h! The city’s Atom Bomb Dome, Peace Park and Memorial Museum are a moving and solemn reminder of World War II. We will then visit Miyajima Island, home to the floating red torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine, as well as wild roaming deer.

After that, we head to the ancient capital of Kyoto to wander the Nishiki Market shopping district, where traditional and modern storefronts compete for your attention. The next day, we’ll take a local train to Nara to see the giant Buddha statue, more sakura, and more roaming deer.

Finally, we’ll spend our last day in the vibrant city of Osaka, enjoying more cherry blossoms at the foot of its famous white and green castle.

Where you'll be staying...

All of the hotels were chosen with careful consideration to location and conveniently located near major train stations for ease of access.

Food, glorious food!

Japan has some of the best, and most unusual, foods around the world, and each region takes great pride in their local specialties. While in Tokyo, we’ll visit a traditional izakaya-style restaurant for dinner together, and of course, some sakura-flavored treats while out and about. The sushi that we know today originated in Tokyo during the Edo period (1603-1868), so Tokyo can claim this as its local food!

Hiroshima and Osaka are both famous for their unique yet different okonomiyaki styles—in Hiroshima, a thin, egg-based batter is topped with shredded cabbage, noodles, and other toppings, while Osaka’s version is a thicker, pancake-like dish, with everything mixed and then cooked together. Osaka is also known for takoyaki, a round dumpling with a piece of octopus inside, topped with a sweet-salty sauce, mayonnaise, and fish flakes.

Kyoto and Nara will offer you authentic matcha flavours, but be aware, real matcha is thick, bitter, and doesn’t have ice, sweetener or milk added!

Most afternoons we will grab a quick bite to eat at family restaurants or at convenience stores, which are ubiquitous across Japan and a cultural experience of their own. Egg-salad sandwiches and fried chicken are an essential snack for travellers, while iconic vending machines offer a variety of both hot and cold drinks at the push of a button.

*Unfortunately for our gluten-free guests, we cannot guarantee against gluten-free options or preventing cross-contamination, and we highly suggest you bring your own meals and snacks. While vegetarian options are sometimes available, it may not be possible to accommodate all food preferences.)

Travel

Fly from London to Tokyo with a stopover of 2 hours in Beijing. We will fly back from Osaka to London again with a 2 hour stopover in Beijing. We will be using public transport and a private hire minibus to get around in Japan.

Itineray

Day 1 – Fly out of Gatwick to Tokyo, with a 2-hour stopover in Beijing.

Day 2 – Arrive in Tokyo at 8 pm, check into hotel and rest.

Day 3 – Visit Asakusa and the Senso-ji Temple

Day 4 – teamLab Planets interactive art museum

Day 5 – Arakura-yama Sengen Park in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture.

Day 6 – Travel by bullet train to Hiroshima

Day 7 – Visit the Memorial Museum, the Peace Park and the Atom Dome Memorial.

Day 8 – Travel to Miyajima Island to visit Itsukushima Shrine and make traditional rice ladles

Day 9 – Travel to Kyoto by bullet train, visit the Nishiki Marketplace

Day 10 – Visit Nara Park and the Giant Buddha

Day 11 – Travel to Osaka, visit the castle

Day 12 – Travel back to the UK.

*Please note that activities may not be in the above order

Your holiday will include the following:

• 11 night accommodation and all meals provided
• All entrance fees to all activities and sites including the shows
• Airport transfers and transport in and around London and Japan
• Return flights from London to Japan, accompanied and supported by our Go Beyond team.
• A ratio of 2 guests to 1 Go Beyond support staff member.
• Support from our Go Beyond team during the holiday.

Accessiblility and Inclusion

Inclusion is important to us so we strive, whenever possible, to make our holidays accessible to all.

If you wish to discuss your specific access requirement for any of our holidays, please contact us at your earliest convenience and we will do everything we can to welcome you to the Go Beyond Holidays experience.