Beyond Tokyo

Take a step outside the crowded Tokyo metropolis for a 5-day itinerary that offers our passengers a more local cultural experience than you will find in the big city. Our Beyond Tokyo itineraries take you out into the native delights of the surrounding region; to Mount Fuji, the Izu Peninsula, Matsumoto, Tochigi, Nagano, and more. In springtime, the surrounding countryside offers some of the most picturesque, beautiful scenes imaginable.

Our first itinerary is a special winter photography that takes our guests from the Fuji Five Lakes area all the way to Nagano Prefecture. Fuji Five Lakes is photogenic in every season, but at this time of year the weather is often cold and clear, with excellent opportunities for perfect pictures of Mount Fuji reflected in a beautiful lake. The tour passes through Matsumoto for the opportunity to photograph Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's 12 original castles. We also stop at the Hokusai Museum in Obuse to view the preserved legacy of Hokusai, one of Japan's most famous artists. At last, we make our way to Yudanaka, for a day of photographing the adorable Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani.

Our second itinerary takes you to an early spring in Japan. On the Izu Peninsula, in the small town of Kawazu, The cherry blossoms of the Kawazu cherry tree bloom a full month earlier than any other tree on the mainland. To celebrate, the town comes together for the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival, which includes delicious cherry-flavored sweets and other festival activities under the bright pink flowers. Then, up in Yudanaka, the snow monkeys beckon to curious travelers who come to the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park to watch the Japanese macaque bathe and groom each other.

Our third itinerary will take our guests to three romantic and celebrated floral landscapes of the late spring season. First, to the Hitachi Seaside Park, where millions of baby blue eyes spread over the grassy hills as far as can be seen. Next, in Tochigi, the Great Wisteria spreads its branches over a lovely flower park featuring red, white, and yellow wisteria blooms wound across tall trellises. Then, in the Fuji Five Lakes area, the Fuji Shibazakura Festival attracts visitors to the shores of Lake Motosu, where the phlox moss grows in a colorful quilt of tiny pink, white, and magenta blooms.

These tours explore the culture hidden in the popular sites and museums, the delicious local cuisine, and the spectacular natural splendor in itineraries filled with some of the most unique sights you will find beyond Tokyo.