We would like to go to Japan in the spring of 2026. Any suggestions for a small-group tour company that we could utilize? We travel extensively on our own in Europe, but for Japan, I 'd like to go on a tour. Again, small-group. I already have spoken with OAT so no need to suggest it.
Thank you.
Deb
Just curious, we’re leaving at the end of this month for Vietnam with OAT. We did an African safari with them 2 1/2 years ago, and had signed up for a trip to the Middle East at the end of last year, before they canceled it due to attacks in, and around Israel.
So after talking with them, are you considering an OAT Japan trip? Or is your question part of a plan to now go with somebody else, and avoid OAT?
Haven’t used them, but there’s Road Scholar tours.
Enjoy Japan, however you go!
Try trafalgar and their various subsidiaries that provide various size groups and levels of service...
Odysseys Unlimited has a small group tour of Japan.
EF Go Ahead tours also has a Japan tour. We have traveled with that company and like it.
We usually travel independently but for Japan we booked a tour with Odysseys Unlimited. It was excellent and we would book with Odysseys again.
I have seen multiple recommendations here on the forum for Inside Japan. We are also contemplating a trip and they seem to offer a lot of variations of tours. I have explored their Self Guided Adventures a bit. Here's the link to their small group tours:
https://www.insidejapantours.com/us/japan-small-group-tours/
How small a group is “small?” And what kind of experience are you looking for—-an overview visiting a number of cities, staying in Western hotels, or a slower, more cultural-focused pace, staying in small inns and ryokans as well as Western-style hotels?
I ask because we really liked the adventure travel company MT Sobek for our first trip to Japan (2019). The trip includes some moderate hiking, on the historic Nakasendo Trail, as well as time in Kyoto and Tokyo. Also historic Nara, and the Buddhist temple complex of Koya-san (Mt. Koya), where we spent the night in temple lodgings. In Tokyo and Kyoto, we stayed in very nice Western-styl hotels, but for the rest we staying in charming mountain inns and ryokan, in lovely tatami rooms with futons for bedding. Nice onsen soaking areas, separate for men and women. The meals were amazing—-a beautiful array of small dishes at breakfast and dinner. Our group totaled 7 people, plus our guide Ryoko-san, who gave us wonderful little lectures on Japanese history, religion, art, and more.
https://www.mtsobek.com/trips/asia/japan/japan-kyoto-to-tokyo-walking/
I would highly recommend a trip like this if you truly want to experience the beauty, comfort, and cultural riches of Japan.
We enjoyed that trip so much that even though we felt capable of traveling independently in Japan, we shoe another MT Sobek trip (the Kumano Kodo) for our trip last November. This one too was wonderful, with 10 people and 2 guides. The hiking was more difficult that the Nakasendo trip, and I would not recommend it for a first trip to Japan.
