Icons of Japan for solo travellers

Icons of Japan for solo travellers

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Icons of Japan for solo travellers

10 Days Starting in osaka and ending in Tokyo, Japan

Visiting: Osaka, Kyoto, Mount Fuji, Tokyo, Kamakura, United Kingdom

Tour operator:

Riviera Travel

Tour code:

1JA

Specialist Group:

Singles Solo

Guide Type:

Fully Guided

Group size:

25 - 35

Physical rating:

Low

Age range:

18-99

Special diets catered:

Vegetarians

Tour operated in:

English

This tour is no longer available

Tour Overview

Discover ultra-modern cities filled with skyscrapers, hi-tech industry and futuristic technology alongside ancient architecture and beautifully preserved tradition; from golden temples and Shinto shrines to zen gardens and feudal castles, there's rich and interesting history to uncover throughout this vast land. Escape the cities to find a natural wonderland of snow-capped mountains, glistening lakes and verdant gardens and parkland. 

This tour is the perfect introduction to Japan, created for solo travellers visiting for the first time who want to see, hear and taste everything this ancient-yet-modern culture has to offer. 

Highlights

  • See the famous sights of Tokyo including the Imperial Palace, Shibuya Crossing and Sensoji

  • Enjoy astonishing views of Mount Fuji from Lake Yamanaka and Lake Kawaguchi

  • Travel at 200mph on the high-speed bullet train

  • Explore Kyoto on a guided tour including Kinkakuji, an incredible golden temple, Honmaru Gardens and the famous rock garden of Ryoan-ji

  • Visit the charming coastal town of Kamakura home to a great Buddhist statue, temple and gardens

Itinerary

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Day 1 : Flight

Location: Osaka

Accommodation: Overnight Flight

Arrive at the airport for your overnight indirect flight to Osaka, Japan.

Day 2 : Arrive In Kyoto

Location: Kyoto

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: The Hotel Higashiyama

Meals Included: Dinner, Welcome

We’ll arrive in Osaka and transfer to the neighbouring city of Kyoto, where we’ll stay for two nights. Our four-star hotel is situated in the Higashiyama district, famous for its traditional wooden buildings and merchant shops. Take a short walk-through picturesque streets and alleyways during free time before a delicious welcome dinner to get to know your fellow explorers (may change to day 3, time depending). 

Day 3 : Kyoto

Location: Kyoto

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: The Hotel Higashiyama

Meals Included: Breakfast

After a leisurely morning acclimatising and exploring the hotel's facilities, including a private spa, we’ll spend the afternoon in the company of a local expert for a tour of the city. 

 

The former capital city of Japan and its cultural heart, Kyoto attracts millions of visitors every year looking for a taste of traditional Japanese culture. Our tour starts with Kinkakuji, an incredible golden temple that glistens in the sun from its picturesque lakeside perch, before heading to Nijo Castle. Built in 1603, this impressive complex takes us back to the dominance of the Shogun, showcasing some of the famed architectural styles. We also enjoy the nearby Honmaru Gardens, created for the visit of Emperor Meiji in 1896. The zen garden was designed, in part, by the emperor, who had a full view of the garden from the top floor of Honmaru-Goten Palace. While we're there, walk along the garden's winding pathways and vast lawns and go up to the foundations of the castle-keep to enjoy the view. 

 

We’ll continue to the famous rock garden at Ryōan-ji, a piece of Japanese cultural heritage. During the Heian Period, the temple was an aristocrat's villa but was converted into a zen temple in 1450 by a top-ranking warlord in the Ashikaga Shogunate. The temple's deceptively simple garden consists of fifteen rocks spread out on white sand in 248 square metres. These rocks are arranged so that at least one cannot be seen from any angle. However, who designed it and why remains a mystery. 

 

In the early evening, we’ll join a local guide for a fascinating walk around the Gion district of Kyoto. Gion is regarded as Kyoto's entertainment neighbourhood with modern and traditional theatres, atmospheric tea houses, and so much more.  Lanterns bathe the area in soft light, adding to the magical ambience. You may even spot traditional Geisha as they head to their engagements. 

Day 4 : The Bullet Train

Location: Kyoto, Mount Fuji

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Fujisan Mishima Tokyu Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

This morning we’ll head to southeast Kyoto to the incredible Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine. Dedicated to the Inari, the deity of a good harvest and success in business, the shrine features thousands of bright vermillion and black shrine gates, known as tori. The shrine sits at the base of Mount Inari, and it's designed to draw guests through forest, pagodas and koi ponds. 

 

In the afternoon, we’ll continue our journey west to Mount Fuji on another Japanese icon: the Bullet Train. The two-hour train ride is an interesting experience; watch the Japanese countryside fly by as you cruise at up 200 mph. 

Day 5 : Mount Fuji

Location: Mount Fuji

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Fujisan Mishima Tokyu Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

We’ll spend the day around Mount Fuji. We start our day with a visit to Lake Yamanaka, the largest of the five lakes surrounding Fuji. Encompassed by pretty parkland, the views of the mountain are incredible if you wish to take photos. We continue to Lake Kawaguchi. Smaller but equally beautiful, you may even be lucky enough to see a perfect reflection of the mountain on a calm day. 

 

Nearby, at the Ichiku Kubota Museum, we’ll discover more about the national dress of Japan, the Kimono. The vibrant colours and patterns are synonymous with Japanese culture, and you may even decide to treat yourself to a keepsake to take home. 

 

Finally, we’ll ascend the Kachi Kachi Ropeway in a cable car to the summit of Mount Tenjo, 400 metres over the lake shore. The observation deck at the top of Mount Tenjo offers unparalleled views of the lake and mountain. 

 

In the evening, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the hotel, including the open top-floor bathing pools. 

Day 6 : Kamakura

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Location: Tokyo, Kamakura

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Shiba Park Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

We’ll arrive in Kamakura along the coast of Sagai Bay. The charming small town has a selection of shops specialising in local arts and crafts as well as delicious traditional foods. Enjoy free time to visit the Great Buddha, or Kotoku-in, that dominates the town's Buddhist temple or explore the gardens of Hasedera, known as the Hydrangea Temple. Wander through this stunning garden passing pools and shrines on the ascent up the hillside to appreciate the views out to sea. 

 

We’ll continue to Toyko later in the afternoon and check in to a hotel located just a short walk from Tokyo Tower and the nearby Shogun's Zojoji Temple.

Day 7 : Tokyo

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Location: Tokyo

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Shiba Park Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Spend the day exploring one of the largest cities in the world, Tokyo. We begin our day with a tour of some of the city's highlights, including The Imperial Palace - the residence of the Emperor of Japan. At times, the palace feels more like a park than a residence, the grounds help tell the story of Tokyo from a 17th-century former castle to the current seat of the Imperial family. 

 

We’ll visit Shibuya's iconic zebra crossing, rumoured to be the busiest crossing in the world. Up to 2.4 million people cross this four-way crossing per day; watch the orderly spectacle as hundreds of pedestrians patiently wait for the lights to go green before crossing in a number of directions. As we continue our tour, we’ll pass a statue dedicated to Japan's most loved dog, Hachiko, whose loyalty to his owner is celebrated outside the nearby station. 

 

Our last stop of the day is to Sensoji in Asakusa, the oldest temple in the city. This vibrant red Buddhist temple is neighboured by the iconic five-roofed temple, the Kaminarimon Gate and Nakamise shopping street, Tokyo's biggest souvenir market. 

Day 8 : Free Day In Tokyo

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Location: Tokyo

Accommodation: Hotel

Accommodation Name: Shiba Park Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Today, you can explore the city at your leisure.



Enjoy a slower pace with a visit to Shinjuku's national gardens, take a stroll through Yoyogi Park to watch the artists at work, sword jugglers practising, or dance troupes honing their skills or visit Tokyo's National Museum and see the wealth of artefacts that celebrate Japanese culture, heritage and traditions.



For those who want to seek new heights, there are a number of panoramic viewpoints throughout the city. From the government building in Shinjuku, which is free to enter, to Tokyo Tower and the latest addition, the Skytree. Your dedicated Tour Manager can recommend lots of places to visit.



For everything from the latest technology, cameras and computers, Akihabara, or Electric Town, is a sensory treat for lovers of all things electronic. Browse the shops as they vie for your attention with bright neon signs.



Food lovers will enjoy a visit to the Golden Gai, a network of narrow streets teeming with tiny restaurants with open kitchens – many specialising in just one or two traditional Japanese dishes.

Day 9 : Return Flight

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Location: Tokyo, United Kingdom

Accommodation: Overnight Flight

Meals Included: Breakfast

We’ll transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Day 10 : Arrive Home

Location: United Kingdom

Arrive back in the UK after an incredible once-in-a-lifetime tour.

What's Included

  • Accommodation

    7 nights in four-star accommodation

  • Airport Transfers at Destination

  • Fully Guided

    The services of a Riviera Travel tour manager

  • International Travel

    Return flights from/to the UK and checked luggage

  • Meals

    7 breakfasts + welcome dinner

  • All airport/flight taxes

  • All local accommodation taxes

  • Bullet Train ticket

  • Hotel porterage of one item of luggage per person

What's Not Included

  • Insurance

  • Tipping and Gratuity

Check out our Q&As

  • Is there any free time to explore places during the tour?

    As detailed in the itinerary

  • Will there be an escort accompanying this tour?

    Yes

  • Are airport transfers included in this tour?

    Yes

  • Will I know the names and details of all the accommodation before I depart?

    Yes

  • What is the standard of the hotels on this tour?

    As detailed in the itinerary

  • Are all the relevant entry visa’s included in the price of the tour?

    No

  • Are flights included in this tour?

    Return flights from/to the UK are included

  • Is there a supplement for solo travellers?

    No, all our solo tour prices are fully inclusive with no single supplement to be added. Whilst hotels generally charge a little more for single occupancy rooms, we never charge you extra for meals, excursions, flights, rail journeys or transfers.

  • Are children permitted to take part in the tour?

    No, 18 years and above only

  • How long has the tour company been trading?

    For almost 40 years

  • I have reduced mobility; can I still travel?

    We want to ensure you make the correct choice before you book your holiday with us. If you have any concerns regarding the suitability of the holiday due to reduced mobility we would encourage you to contact us to discuss these concerns

  • Do I require travel insurance?

    It is a condition of booking that you carry suitable travel insurance.

  • What is my luggage allowance?

    You will receive details of your luggage allowance with your final travel documents, which are sent approximately 10 days prior to your date of departure.

Reviews of this operator

David Clarke (Google Reviewer)  

This review is for the...

08-Aug-2023

This review is for the italian Lake Como trip Aug 1-8 Wow what a trip. Riviera from start to finish were excellent the booking and help line answering questions were very good and clear. The travel booklet you get is laid out that it is simple to read and follow with step by step info from booking in to flights to meeting the guides. Our guide Matt Purse was just the best guide and real credit to Riviera with his knowledge and straight forward approach to running the trips. Matt kept us informed and told us all the sort of info you want to know without going over the top....This chap should teach other reps ..thank you so much. The coaches they use are all clean and well equipped with usb chargers and have aircon. The places chosen to visit were well researched even down to where coaches park or drop you off. The Bernina Express was the highlight for our family and matts photo tip was welcomed. The only down point was the hotel,a little dated and evening meal in main restuarant was a bit of a let down. I think we were lucky with our room on level 7 and with balcony as the walls are very thin and noise travels. We would book again with riviera

Barbara Shillaker (Google Reviewer)  

I have been on three...

11-Jan-2024

I have been on three trips with Riviera Travel so far, with two more booked during 2024. Highly recommended. Excellent tour guides. Great program of visits. Great hotels used.

Julie Berry (Google Reviewer)  

What a fantastic holiday to...

29-May-2024

What a fantastic holiday to Canada on the Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise. If you are thinking of booking this do it right now. From start to finish everything was great. The hotels, the transport and the cruise. The rep was absolutely fabulous. If you have ‘B’ as your rep you will make a friend. She is so full of knowledge. We went on this trip with strangers and left it as friends.

Mrs Bodnarec (Google Reviewer)  

Thankyou Riviera and all the...

28-Apr-2024

Thankyou Riviera and all the staff on the William Wordsworth Danube River cruise. My husband and i have just travelled on the Danube to celebrate my husbands 60th and we had such a lovely experience. We were younger than most of the travellers but we met so many lovely people so this wasnt a problem. The staff were so lovely and professional. The service we experienced was so high. The boat was beautiful, the food amazing and the excursions were informative and well managed. I would definately recommend riviera as a company. In fact we are now considering their Japan holiday.

Valerie Pascoe  

We would go again in a heartbeat

22-Jan-2022

Oh my goodness, what a relief it was to actually get away! Full marks to all at Riviera for keeping us up to date before our trip and for the help so cheerfully and patiently given with the extra admin that Covid brought our way. We felt totally safe with the measures taken on board, thank you very much for this. Without exception, Staff were fantastic and our every need was attended to. The additional Covid testing ran smoothly, organised by our Riviera Reps. The guided tours were most interesting: the guides very knowledgeable and more importantly, interesting to listen to. We loved this trip and would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you again Riviera, you were FAB!

Chris Wilson (Google Reviewer)  

Second escorted tour with this...

25-Jul-2022

Second escorted tour with this company. Did 5 days in Iceland tour. Everything went smoothly, excellent tour guide, Per. Extremely knowledgeable and interesting guy. Very friendly too. Highly recommend. Just let down by the room given at the hotel, but I guess the travel company doesn't have control over this.

Christine Hardy (Google Reviewer)  

Although most people seem to...

10-Mar-2024

Although most people seem to book and pay for their holidays online, because we live close by we prefer to make a personal visit. In my opinion if they are offering this as an option they should be better equipped to accommodate visits in person. We have not been on our river cruise yet, so can't comment on that yet.

Norma Patrick (Google Reviewer)  

Recently went on a tour...

18-May-2024

Recently went on a tour of the Deep South USA plus Texas. Before we set off on the trip we were informed that our trip On the Amtrak train would not be going ahead and we were given a £50 refund each. We were disappointed especially as there was no consultation beforehand and to only receive £50 each in compensation was poor. This was one of the reasons we had chosen Riviera Travel and may have considered another company had we been given the choice. Despite this we had a fabulous holiday, although we thought the tour guide was poor. There was no music played whilst we were traveling on the coach and when asked if more could be played we received a flat ‘no’. If we had relied on the tour guide all the time we wouldn’t have gone anywhere. However we ignored his comments that Nashville was ‘mad’ and went downtown and had the best night. All in all we had a wonderful holiday but it could have been better from Riviera Travel point of view. This is a very expensive tour and we thought the standard of hotels were very poor in some places. Probably would try a different tour company next time.

S BP (Google Reviewer)  

Delayed writing this review as...

16-Jul-2024

Delayed writing this review as I wanted to see if my frustrations dampened but they have not and it gives me no pleasure to write the following. Have travelled with Riviera previously without issue, and in fact loved everything. However on the latest riviera cruise from Budapest the vegetarian food offering was way below par and indeed it was clear there were times they cross contaminated between veggie and meat/fish. Staff on the cruise seemed unable to improve the issues and indeed on occasion the attempt to say they were giving this full attention resulted in even worse food. On return my complaint was dealt with quickly and we were refunded what in effect would be the cost of the food element of the cruise without delay. There was no recognition however that the marketing references to fine dining were in fact misleading. The individual who dealt with the complaint mentioned more than once that she had tried the vegetarian food on another ship Riviera use (it's the same two week rotating menu all season across the fleet) and found it to be good; pleased to hear, that doesn't help me does it! And totally ignored the fact that on a cruise you can't exactly jump ashore to supplement your food if it is poor, which meant there were occasions I went to bed hungry as it was truly that bad or lacking in quantity and food is such an integral part of the trip when you are basically held captive. I even bought my own extras when ashore for the chef to add to my meals like smoked tofu which they had the audacity to present to me at the special chefs dinner as cheese they had sourced! Very poor complaint handling that lacked real empathy, did not address all the points I raised and we all know escalating to the ombudsman is pointless as they are a toothless shark. Pictures shown are a main course for dinner - Pad Thai that was actually rice sticks with carrot and pine nuts, two tiny samosas & lettuce while the non veggies had shrimp skewers that were apparently delicious and roasted vegetable pie that was two mm of chopped veg with an inch of mash in top! The cruise itself was lovely but completely marred by the food and Riviera have now lost my business.

Barbara Parkes (Google Reviewer)  

Presently in Croatia staying at...

22-Sep-2023

Presently in Croatia staying at Arauana Hotel, supposedly a 4 star property, but wouldn't give it any star rating. Rooms are small and dirty. Wallpaper blistering. Meals served in a shed like lean-to. Food like warm, greasy and always self service. Second holiday with Riviera this year and neither at standard advertised. Have travelled with them previously and everything was fine, but standards have really dropped. Have booked a holiday with them next year and now dreading it. Certainly don't provide the standard advertised. We have never stayed in such a hovel and have visited youngsters in back packers accommodation which was far better than this supposedly 4 star accommodation. There are no indoor bars or lounges only a shed as a so called restaurant. Absolutely disgusting. Won't be boking with them again

Book with Confidence

  • Low Deposit

    Riviera Travel requires a minimum deposit of 500 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 75 days before departure.

  • Cancellation Policy

    We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of riviera travel charges.

    Up to 75 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.

    At 74 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.

    At 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 70% of booking price.

    At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.

    At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.

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