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Japan
Japan Alps & Kanazawa
Tokyo → Matsumoto → Takayama → Shirakawa-go → Kanazawa
Best travel months March · April · May · October · November
Overview
Castle towns, thatched gassho villages and Kanazawa's gardens and geisha district, returning on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
- 9 days
- 5 stops
- Rail + road
- 8 nights incl. 2 ryokan
- Private car Takayama → Shirakawa-go
- Kenroku-en and Higashi Chaya guide
- Hokuriku Shinkansen return
- Destinations
- Tokyo, Matsumoto, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa
- Countries
- Japan
- Duration
- 9 days / 8 nights
- Best travel period
- March, April, May, October, November
- Suitable for
- Couples, families and small groups
- Hotel category
- 4-star · 5 stays
- Guiding languages
- English
- Travel style
- Culture, Luxury, Wellness
The route
Day by day
Every component below is a real product in the NNomadic catalogue. Timings are indicative and are confirmed on booking.
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Day1 Welcome to Tokyo Tokyo
Land, settle in, and start gently in Tokyo.
Morning
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10:00
Arrive in Tokyo
Private transfer from the airport and time to settle in.
Afternoon
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14:00
Morning Sumo Practice Viewing in Ryogoku with Interpreter
Sit at the edge of a working sumo stable during morning practice, with an interpreter explaining the hierarchy, the rituals and what is actually happening.
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Evening
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19:00
Tokyo Skytree Fast-Track Tembo Deck and Galleria Ticket
Fast-track admission to the 350 m Tembo Deck and the 450 m Tembo Galleria, skipping the on-the-day ticket queue.
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Tip Buy a rechargeable IC card at the airport — it works on every line and most convenience stores.
Overnight Tokyo · 4-star · 2 nights
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10:00
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Day2 Tokyo highlights Tokyo
A full day in Tokyo.
Morning
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09:00
Asakusa Kimono Rental with Dressing and Photo Walk
A professionally dressed kimono or yukata for four hours in Asakusa, with hair styling and an hour of guided photography around Senso-ji.
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Afternoon
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14:00
Tsukiji Outer Market Food Walk with Tastings and Tamagoyaki
Eleven tastings through the lanes of Tsukiji Outer Market with a guide who buys there — sea urchin, tamagoyaki, grilled scallop, matcha and a knife-shop visit.
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Evening
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19:00
Tokyo Highlights Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Asakusa, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku and Shibuya in one day with a national-licensed guide and a private vehicle for your party only.
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Tip Buy a rechargeable IC card at the airport — it works on every line and most convenience stores.
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09:00
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Day3 Tokyo → Matsumoto Matsumoto
Move on to Matsumoto and see the first of it in the afternoon.
Morning
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09:30
Travel to Matsumoto
Transfer from Tokyo, with your luggage handled.
Evening
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19:00
Evening at leisure
Dinner and the evening free in Matsumoto.
Travel Sector from Tokyo to Matsumoto is included.
Tip Ask your guide about the neighbourhood around the hotel in Matsumoto.
Overnight Matsumoto · 4-star · 2 nights
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09:30
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Day4 Matsumoto highlights Matsumoto
A full day in Matsumoto.
Evening
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19:00
Evening at leisure
Dinner and the evening free in Matsumoto.
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19:00
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Day5 Matsumoto → Takayama Takayama
Move on to Takayama and see the first of it in the afternoon.
Morning
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09:30
Travel to Takayama
Transfer from Matsumoto, with your luggage handled.
Evening
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19:00
Evening at leisure
Dinner and the evening free in Takayama.
Travel Sector from Matsumoto to Takayama is included.
Tip Ask your guide about the neighbourhood around the hotel in Takayama.
Overnight Takayama · 4-star · 2 nights
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09:30
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Day6 Takayama highlights Takayama
A full day in Takayama.
Evening
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19:00
Evening at leisure
Dinner and the evening free in Takayama.
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19:00
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Day7 Takayama → Shirakawa-go Shirakawa-go
Move on to Shirakawa-go and see the first of it in the afternoon.
Morning
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09:30
Travel to Shirakawa-go
Transfer from Takayama, with your luggage handled.
Evening
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19:00
Evening at leisure
Dinner and the evening free in Shirakawa-go.
Travel Sector from Takayama to Shirakawa-go is included.
Tip Ask your guide about the neighbourhood around the hotel in Shirakawa-go.
Overnight Shirakawa-go · 4-star · 1 night
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09:30
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Day8 Shirakawa-go → Kanazawa Kanazawa
Move on to Kanazawa and see the first of it in the afternoon.
Morning
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09:30
Travel to Kanazawa
Transfer from Shirakawa-go, with your luggage handled.
Afternoon
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14:00
Kenroku-en Garden and Nagamachi Samurai District Guided Walk
One of Japan's three great gardens, the reconstructed castle gate and the earthen walls of the samurai quarter, walked with a local guide.
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Evening
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19:00
Gold Leaf Workshop in the Higashi Chaya District
Apply gold leaf to a lacquer box or chopsticks in a Higashi Chaya workshop — Kanazawa makes 99% of Japan's gold leaf and has since the 1590s.
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Travel Sector from Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa is included.
Tip Ask your guide about the neighbourhood around the hotel in Kanazawa.
Overnight Kanazawa · 4-star · 1 night
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09:30
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Day9 Departure from Kanazawa Kanazawa
Time for anything left undone, then a private transfer to the airport.
Morning
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09:30
Morning at leisure
Late checkout where the hotel allows it.
Afternoon
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13:00
Airport transfer
Private transfer from your hotel to the airport in Kanazawa.
Travel Departure sector is not included unless stated.
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09:30
What is and is not included
Included
- 8 nights incl. 2 ryokan
- Private car Takayama → Shirakawa-go
- Kenroku-en and Higashi Chaya guide
- Hokuriku Shinkansen return
Not included
- International flights unless stated
- Visa fees and travel insurance
- Meals not listed in the daily plan
- Personal expenses and gratuities
Hotels
- Tokyo 2 nights 4-star
- Matsumoto 2 nights 4-star
- Takayama 2 nights 4-star
- Shirakawa-go 1 night 4-star
- Kanazawa 1 night 4-star
Properties are allocated at the category shown and named on confirmation — the exact hotel depends on availability for your dates, which is why the category rather than the property is published here.
Transfers and sectors
- Day 3Sector from Tokyo to Matsumoto is included.
- Day 5Sector from Matsumoto to Takayama is included.
- Day 7Sector from Takayama to Shirakawa-go is included.
- Day 8Sector from Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa is included.
- Day 9Departure sector is not included unless stated.
Arrival and departure airport transfers are private unless the daily plan says otherwise. Vehicle class is matched to party size at confirmation.
Experiences in this itinerary
7 bookable products from the NNomadic marketplace. Each one opens its own page, with its operator, inclusions and cancellation terms.
- Day 1 Morning Sumo Practice Viewing in Ryogoku with Interpreter
- Day 1 Tokyo Skytree Fast-Track Tembo Deck and Galleria Ticket
- Day 2 Asakusa Kimono Rental with Dressing and Photo Walk
- Day 2 Tsukiji Outer Market Food Walk with Tastings and Tamagoyaki
- Day 2 Tokyo Highlights Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
- Day 8 Kenroku-en Garden and Nagamachi Samurai District Guided Walk
- Day 8 Gold Leaf Workshop in the Higashi Chaya District
Meals
The daily plan includes food as an experience on 1 occasion:
- Day 2Tsukiji Outer Market Food Walk with Tastings and Tamagoyaki
Anything not named in the daily plan above is not included, and is listed under “Not included”. Dietary requirements are passed to every operator at booking.
Destination information
- Tokyo Experiences in Tokyo
- Matsumoto Experiences in Matsumoto
- Takayama Experiences in Takayama
- Shirakawa-go Experiences in Shirakawa-go
- Kanazawa Experiences in Kanazawa
Important information
- Availability On request, subject to confirmation. Nothing on this page is held until a booking is confirmed.
- Operated by 2 contracted suppliers, all verified: Tokyo Experiences Co., Kanazawa Craft Journeys.
- Guiding English. Other languages on request, subject to guide availability in each city.
- Timings The times in the daily plan are indicative. Operator start times are fixed at confirmation and printed on the voucher.
- Pace Couples, families and small groups. Tell us about mobility needs, ages or dietary requirements and the plan is adjusted before it is quoted.
- Documents Visas, passport validity and travel insurance are the traveller’s responsibility. We advise on requirements but do not arrange them.
Cancellation
A multi-day itinerary is a set of separately contracted services, and each one carries its own cancellation terms — a rail sector, a ryokan night and a guided day do not cancel on the same schedule. The terms that apply to your booking are the ones attached to the components on your confirmation, and they are shown in full on the quotation before anything is paid.
Each experience page in the marketplace publishes its own cancellation table. Hotel and transport terms are released with the agent quotation.
Make this journey yours
Try NNomadic AI to customise this itinerary around your travel style.
Tell it what you want changed — an extra night in one city, a gentler pace, more food, less time on trains — and it rebuilds the day-by-day plan from the same catalogue our agents book from.
One complimentary customisation per visitor. No AI provider is connected to this platform yet — the demo rebuilds the itinerary from the real NNomadic catalogue using the same planning engine the agent workspace runs. Nothing on this page is generated by a model.