Tours & experiences

Tours in Japan

Small-group tours, day trips, cooking classes and multi-day adventures. Every tour vetted for traveller reviews first.

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Get to know the secret of Asakusa! Shrine and Temple Tour

★ 4.9 (8)

🛕 Culture & History

Japan

Get to know the secret of Asakusa! Shrine and Temple Tour

When Alex from our BugBitten team ran this Asakusa shrine and temple tour, we discovered there's far more to the neighbourhood than the crowded Sensoji. Over five and a half hours, you'll visit seven different shrines across what was once the heart of Edo's everyday culture—a side of Tokyo most visitors miss. The tour takes you through quieter backstreets lined with older wooden buildings and local shops, mixing well-known stops with genuinely peaceful corners where you can actually breathe. It's a private tour, so your guide moves at your pace and can explain the history and customs properly.

5h 30mfrom AUD $144

Do You Want to Try Skywalk? A New Way of Enjoying Hakone!

★ 4.9 (8)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Do You Want to Try Skywalk? A New Way of Enjoying Hakone!

When Sarah from our team tried this Hakone tour, we headed west to Mishima — the lesser-known side of the region that most visitors skip. It's a 7.5-hour outing that swaps the predictable Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji views for newer, developed lookout spots that've opened up in recent years. You're still in Hakone, just 20 minutes by bus from the main strip, but the crowds thin out noticeably. The tour pairs a private guide with plenty of legwork, so it suits a second-day deep dive when you've already ticked the famous boxes.

Half Day Walking Tour Takayama’s Hidden Gems and Temple Walk

When Alex from our BugBitten team walked through Takayama, we got the sense of a city that's actually kept its bones intact—narrow merchant streets, temple grounds, the whole landscape shaped by centuries of craftwork and feudal order. This four-hour guided walk threads you through the Takayama Museum and the Higashiyama Walking Course, hitting the main cultural beats without rushing. The Japanese Alps backdrop adds real weight to the experience, and you're mostly walking alongside other travellers who've shown up for the same reason: to see what old Japan actually looked like, not just read about it.

Private Ueno Park Architecture Walking Tour

When Alex from our BugBitten team walked Ueno Park with a private guide, we expected cherry blossoms and museums — what we got was a 3.5-hour masterclass in Japanese architectural design across a century. The park sits in central Tokyo as a serious cultural hub: museums, galleries, a zoo, concert halls, and constant foot traffic. But most visitors miss the real story written into the buildings themselves. This tour threads you through works by Le Corbusier, Kunio Maekawa, Tadao Ando, and Yoshio Taniguchi, reading the park as an open-air design timeline. Tokyo National Museum entry is included; the guide is yours alone.

Sake Tasting: Educational Tour of Six Takayama Breweries

When Mia from our BugBitten team ran this Takayama sake tasting, we walked through the old town hitting six different breweries over two hours with a guide who actually works in production. The real draw is learning what shapes each sake's flavour — from how they're brewed to how they're finished — rather than just knocking back samples and moving on. Takayama's got that preserved merchant-town vibe, narrow streets and wooden shopfronts, and you're weaving between actual working breweries, not tourist theme parks. By the end you've got a solid sense of what styles suit your palate and how to spot them on a bottle.

2 hoursfrom AUD $118

Noto Full Day Driving Tour (Private Car)

★ 4.9 (8)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Noto Full Day Driving Tour (Private Car)

When Alex from our team drove the Noto Peninsula full day tour, we got a genuine sense of why this region stays off most tourist radars — it's genuinely quiet and strikingly beautiful. The private car setup meant we could stop whenever something caught our eye, and our driver-guide knew the area inside out. Nine hours lets you cover the peninsula's coastal stretches, mountain views, and small towns without feeling rushed. It's the kind of day where you realise Japan has plenty of corners that aren't packed with crowds.

Osaka Night Tour with a Local – Private Bars, Drinks & Culture

When Tom from our BugBitten team took the Osaka Night Tour with a Local, he got the kind of evening that feels both genuine and tailored — a local host matched to his vibe, steering him through the city's buzzing districts after dark. The tour spans 3–4 hours and weaves through famous spots like Namba or Dotonbori, or dives into the smaller backstreet izakayas and sake bars where Osaka's real nightlife lives. You'll knock back two drinks with your host, who shapes the route on the fly based on what you're actually keen on — no script, no rushing through tourist checkboxes.

3 hours – 4 hoursfrom AUD $190

★ 4.9 (8)

🛕 Culture & History

Japan

Tokyo: neon lights Shinjuku and Shibuya

When Lily from our BugBitten team did this walking tour, she found herself weaving through two of Tokyo's most electric districts as darkness fell. Shibuya and Shinjuku are sensory overload in the best way — neon bleeding across every surface, pachinko parlours humming, salarymen spilling out of izakaya, and foot traffic that moves like a living organism. The tour is 2.5 hours of pavement-pounding through the crowds with a guide who knows the backstreets and can explain what you're actually looking at beyond the Instagram shots. It's urban Japan at its loudest and brightest.

Mt. Inunaki Trekking and Goma Prayer Experience in Osaka

When Em from our BugBitten team tackled Mt. Inunaki, we were after the full spiritual package: a forest hike up a sacred mountain to catch Goma Prayer at Shipporyujii temple, followed by a soak in the natural hot springs below. The mountain sits about an hour outside Osaka and has long been a training ground for Yamabushi Buddhist monks — you're hiking through forest that's seen centuries of contemplative footfalls. The 7-hour experience feels unhurried, with the prayer ceremony itself happening mid-afternoon at the temple. It's the kind of outing that mixes genuine physical effort with something genuinely meditative.

7 hoursfrom AUD $204

From Tokyo: Mt. Fuji 6 Attractions: Lake Kawaguchi, Oshino Hakkai

★ 4.9 (8)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

From Tokyo: Mt. Fuji 6 Attractions: Lake Kawaguchi, Oshino Hakkai

When Lily from our BugBitten team ran this Mt. Fuji day trip from Tokyo, it hit six solid stops in 10–11 hours: Lake Yamanaka, Oshino Hakkai's spring-fed ponds, Kawaguchiko Ohishi Park's seasonal flowers, Arakurayama Sengen Park's famous pagoda view, the photogenic Lawson petrol station shot, and Hikawa Clock Shop's retro street vibe. You're bundled into a coach with other travellers and shuttled between postcard-worthy viewpoints, with transport and parking sorted. It's a well-oiled tourist circuit—picture-heavy, low-hassle, and best on a clear day when the mountain actually shows up.

10 hours – 11 hoursfrom AUD $81

Private Tour to Mt. Fuji and Hakone (Fully Licensed Operator)

★ 4.9 (2,822)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Private Tour to Mt. Fuji and Hakone (Fully Licensed Operator)

When Noah from our team booked this private Mt Fuji and Hakone tour, we got a straightforward day trip with a licensed driver-guide, hotel pickup, and the freedom to chase either the volcanic peaks or the lakeside route depending on weather and mood. It's a 10-hour loop from Tokyo accommodations that hits the famous 5th Station viewpoint, crater scenery at Owakudani, a pirate boat cruise on Lake Ashi, or alternatively the pagoda and lake views around Kawaguchiko — your call. Private means no tour bus shuffle, just you and your crew in a commercial vehicle with proper insurance and a bilingual guide who knows the roads.

10 hoursfrom AUD $710

Private Tokyo Tour: Local Guide, Custom Stops & Hidden Gems

★ 4.9 (1,251)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Private Tokyo Tour: Local Guide, Custom Stops & Hidden Gems

When Lily from our team booked this private Tokyo tour, she wasn't handed a laminated itinerary—instead, a local host met her beforehand to figure out what actually interested her, then shaped the day around that. It's a walking experience (2–7 hours, your call) through neighbourhoods and everyday Tokyo, moving at a pace that lets you chat, ask questions, and dig into what makes the city tick rather than sprinting between postcards. You'll use public transport or taxis to hop between spots, and you pay for food and entry fees as you go. Best suited to travellers who'd rather understand one corner deeply than tick 15 boxes.

2 hours – 7 hoursfrom AUD $148

Tsukiji Fish Market: Behind the Scenes & 10 Seafood Tastings

★ 4.9 (952)

🍜 Food & Cooking

Japan

Tsukiji Fish Market: Behind the Scenes & 10 Seafood Tastings

When Jake from our BugBitten team did this Tsukiji Fish Market tour, it was worlds apart from the standard shuffle-through crowds affair. You start inside a 60-year-old local restaurant watching chefs prep for service — proper behind-the-curtain stuff — then move into the market to taste your way through premium tuna cuts, sea urchin, salmon roe, and street food while learning how everything gets from boat to table. The market itself is loud, heaving with traders and Tokyo locals, and the whole experience runs about 2.5 hours. It's less sightseeing, more a crash course in how Japanese food culture actually works.

Okinawa Ishigaki Blue Cave Snorkeling Tour

When Em from our team tried the Blue Cave snorkeling tour off Ishigaki Island, we found ourselves in one of those rare spots where the hype holds up. The 90-minute outing takes you to a limestone cave in the northern reaches of the island where the water genuinely glows—blue reflecting blue—then out to a trench loaded with coral and reef fish. It's a mix of cave exploration and open-water snorkelling that works because both bits feel distinct. The tour's pitched as eco-conscious, which is refreshing in a spot that could easily get hammered by foot traffic. Mostly solo travellers and small groups, with the vibe leaning toward genuine marine interest rather than bucket-list tick-off.

Kyoto: Sumo Entertainment Show with Chicken Hot Pot & Geisha

When Tom from our team caught the Kyoto Sumo Club show, it was a sharp two-hour blend of theatre and spectacle rather than serious wrestling. You get a geisha dance opener in full kimono, live sumo demonstrations with retired wrestlers squaring off in a best-of-three match, plus a shot at stepping into the ring yourself (lottery-pick if it's busy). The whole thing wraps around an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink spread of chanko-nabe and other dishes. The venue's intimate — every seat has a clear view of the action — and it leans family-friendly throughout. It's entertainment first, sport second.

Okinawa Iriomote Mangrove SUP or Canoe Tour

When Mia from our BugBitten team paddled this Iriomote mangrove tour, she found it exactly what it claimed: genuinely beginner-friendly. The waterway's sheltered, narrow channels keep conditions calm even when the open ocean beyond gets rough. Two hours felt right — long enough to paddle into the thick of the mangroves and spot wildlife, short enough that your shoulders don't stage a revolt. The crew handles all the gear, throws in a hot shower after, and hand over the day's photos on a USB stick. It's low-stress eco-tourism that doesn't pretend to be something grander than it is.

English Stand up Comedy Show

When Mia from our BugBitten team caught a show at Tokyo's sole English stand-up comedy club, she found exactly what you'd want from a night out in the city: sharp comedians riffing on everything from adjusting to Japan to the bizarre world of sea cucumbers, all in English. The venue sits just 60 seconds from Shibuya Station, pulls in a mix of Tokyo-based comedians plus the occasional touring act, and keeps the crowd loose with craft beers and snacks. Expect 1–2 hours of the kind of material that lands differently when you're laughing alongside people actually living the joke.

1 hour – 2 hoursfrom AUD $18

Samurai School in Kyoto: Samurai for a Day

★ 4.9 (213)

🛕 Culture & History

Japan

Samurai School in Kyoto: Samurai for a Day

When Ben from our team booked the Samurai for a Day class in Kyoto, he walked into a 90-minute crash course in feudal etiquette and sword work that actually teaches you how to move like the real deal. You'll learn the basics of kenbu—choreographed sword and fan movements—pick up some history on samurai codes, then finish with a costume photo shoot that makes for genuinely good snaps to take home. It's a popular slot for visitors keen on hands-on Japan history, and the vibe is focused and respectful rather than tourist-theatre.

Kanazawa Flavors & Culture Walk: Omicho Market & Geisha District

When Charlie from our team did this Kanazawa walk, we hit the two spots that actually matter: Omicho Market and Higashi Chaya geisha district, both in two hours. Omicho is the real deal — stalls piled with sushi, croquettes, seafood skewers, the lot — and Higashi feels properly atmospheric with its wooden teahouses and narrow lanes. The guide's got local knowledge and AI backup for the language gap, so no awkward silences. Small groups mean you can linger over food or snap photos without feeling rushed. It's a solid taster of what makes Kanazawa tick, especially if you're after food and old-town vibes without the full-day commitment.

Tokyo Cyberpunk Street Photo Workshop

When Noah from our team ran this Tokyo Cyberpunk Street Photo Workshop, we were led through Shinjuku and Shibuya's neon-soaked backstreets after dark—the kind of places where Tokyo's night economy hums beneath flickering signs and tangled wires. Over three hours, we explored Kabukicho's hidden alleys and Memory Lane before finishing at Shibuya Crossing. The workshop focuses on technical night photography: dialling in settings for low light, composing with reflections and silhouettes, and working the contrast between neon glow and shadow. It's part skill-building, part urban exploration, and the vibe attracts keen photographers keen to move beyond daytime tourist spots.

3 hoursfrom AUD $181

Private Fukuoka Tour with a Local, Highlights & Hidden Gems 100% Personalised

★ 4.9 (175)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Private Fukuoka Tour with a Local, Highlights & Hidden Gems 100% Personalised

When Charlie from our team booked this private Fukuoka tour, what arrived was exactly what we wanted: a walk through the city with someone who actually lives here, not a script read to a crowd. You pick the duration (2 to 8 hours), fill out a quick questionnaire about what grabs you—history, street food, quiet corners, temples—and then your assigned local host rings to lock in an itinerary. We wandered Fukuoka Castle Ruins one moment, ducked into a yatai lantern food stall the next, caught side streets most tourists miss. It's flexible enough to detour if something catches your eye, and your host steers you toward what matters to them too. The city feels less like a checklist and more like a mate showing you around.

2 hours – 8 hoursfrom AUD $90

Highlights & Hidden Gems With Locals: Best of Kyoto Private Tour

★ 4.9 (123)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Highlights & Hidden Gems With Locals: Best of Kyoto Private Tour

When Em from our team ran this private Kyoto tour, we got a proper local's-eye view of the city without the tour-bus crowds. Your guide takes you through the major hits — Gion's geisha district, Kiyomizu Temple, Yasaka-Jinja Shrine — but the real payoff is the quiet corners and neighbourhood stories most visitors miss. It's three hours of walking the actual Kyoto locals know, capped off with a local drink or snack. Small groups only, so you're never shuffling behind 40 other travellers.

Tsukiji Fish Market Food Tour: Seafood, Street Food & Hidden Gems

When Sarah from our team ran the Tsukiji Fish Market food tour, we got a proper sense of old Tokyo's seafood heartbeat without being swamped by the chaos. The 2.5-hour walk threads through the outer market where fishmongers still work the stalls, and you stop at five-plus vendors for real-deal tastings — fatty tuna, pork dumplings, grilled squid, whatever's fresh that morning. It's small-group, hands-on, and pitched at everyone from food nerds to casual eaters who just want to eat their way through one of Japan's most storied food districts.

Shimbashi Hidden Gem Walking Tour

When Noah from our BugBitten team did this Shimbashi walking tour, he found himself in Tokyo's grittiest after-work drinking district—a place where salarymen and locals actually hang out, not tourists. Over three hours, the guide steered us through five food stops: ramen joints, a wagyu counter, sake tastings, and a traditional dessert spot. The area feels lived-in and buzzing, especially as evening sets in. It's a proper circuit through the backstreets where you're eating what locals eat, not posing for Instagram.

3 hoursfrom AUD $314

★ 4.9 (117)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Shirakawago & Kanazawa from Kanazawa

When Mia from our BugBitten team ran this tour from Kanazawa Station, she got a proper taste of rural and urban Japan in one day. You're driven out to Shirakawago, a UNESCO-listed village where steep-roofed farmhouses sit frozen in time, then given space to wander and grab lunch at your own pace. Depending on which option you pick, you'll either loop back via Kenrokuen Garden (one of Japan's three great gardens, all koi ponds and stone bridges) or head into Higashi Chaya, Kanazawa's old geisha quarter with narrow cobbled streets and traditional teahouses. The whole outing runs about eight and a half hours and feels less like a rushed tick-box and more like someone actually thought through the rhythm.

Takayama Half-Day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide

When Em from our team tried this half-day tour, we got a sharp snapshot of Takayama's old-town charm without the usual tourist trudge. You're paired with a government-licensed guide who knows the local history and culture inside out, and the four hours are yours to shape — pick two or three spots from temples, shrines, museums, and galleries tucked into the riverside town's 17th-century street grid. The Meiji-era inns and hillside shrines set a quiet, atmospheric tone, though the twice-yearly festivals pull hundreds of thousands of visitors if you time it badly. It's efficient, walkable, and built around what you actually want to see.

Ramen Craftsman Experience in Osaka

When Lily from our BugBitten team tried this Osaka ramen workshop, she got hands-on in an actual operating ramen shop, closed specially for the session. The owner — who runs the kitchen day-to-day — walks you through assembling and finishing a proper bowl: the broth and noodles are prepped, but you're building flavour by choosing your base and toppings, then plating and eating what you've made. It's intimate, unpretentious, and feels like a genuine slice of how ramen actually comes together. One hour start to finish, and you walk out with lunch in your belly and a bit more respect for the craft.

Authentic Ninja Weapon Forging Experience in Kyoto

When Noah from our team tried this Kyoto experience, he spent two and a half hours actually forging a ninja weapon—shuriken or kunai—under a craftsman's eye. The studio sits in central Kyoto, atmospheric and geared toward the hands-on bit rather than tourist theatre. You're heating steel, hammering it into shape, and filing it down yourself. It's a niche activity, appeals to people genuinely curious about traditional metalwork and ninja history, not just Instagram hunters. Small groups, real sparks, real weight to what you're making.

Osaka Sumo Experience: Live Show, Try Sumo & Hot Pot Meal

When Lily from our team booked this Osaka sumo experience, she got a proper hands-on cultural afternoon that felt nothing like the stiff, formal professional tournaments. You rock up to a converted stable restaurant near Rinku Town, try on a kimono and haori, watch live bouts performed by retired wrestlers (with bilingual commentary on technique and ritual), then actually step onto the dohyō yourself for ring training and a friendly one-on-one match. It's part theatre, part gym class, part dinner theatre — all in about 90 minutes. Families pile in here; kids under 7 go free, and the vibe is interactive rather than reverent.

1 hour – 1h 30mfrom AUD $98

Japanese flower arranging (Ikebana) Experience/Workshop in Tokyo

★ 4.9 (63)

🛕 Culture & History

Japan

Japanese flower arranging (Ikebana) Experience/Workshop in Tokyo

When Charlie from our team tried this Ikebana workshop near Yotsuya Station in Tokyo, we found ourselves in a calm studio space learning to arrange flowers the Japanese way — but without the intimidation factor. You'll wear a traditional haori, pick blooms from a decent selection, and create your own arrangement in 90 minutes. The neighbourhood around here is solid: Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a two-minute walk for post-class wandering, and the Yotsuya area itself has proper character with older cafes, traditional shops, and views toward the Imperial Palace. It's the kind of Tokyo pocket that doesn't feel touristy-crowded.

Elegant Tea Ceremony While Wearing Kimono Experience in Kyoto

When Noah from our team tried this at Nishiki Orizuruya in central Kyoto, we found a genuine cultural setup that doesn't feel like tourist theatre. You rent a kimono (with free styling for women), then spend 90 minutes learning to whisk matcha in a quiet tea room, tasting sweets from a century-old confectioner, and getting hands-on with the ritual. The tea house sits in a lively neighbourhood near shops and shrines; you can extend the experience with calligraphy or a guided walk through Nishiki Market's food stalls and historic lanes. It's compact enough to slot into a busy day but feels unhurried.

Catch a Baseball Game in Tokyo with a Local - Tickets Included

When Charlie from our team caught a baseball game in Tokyo with a local guide, we discovered it's genuinely brilliant whether you know the sport or not. You'll rock up to one of three stadiums—Tokyo Dome, Meiji Jingu, or Yokohama—grab some team kit, then spend 3–4 hours in the home cheering section alongside passionate Japanese fans. The atmosphere is electric: organised chants, standing ovations when your team bats, and a contagious energy that sweeps the whole crowd. Even without baseball nous, you'll be taught the cheers and handed a borrowed jersey, so you fit right in and feel part of something.

3 hours – 4 hoursfrom AUD $167

[60 minutes] Rickshaw tour around Asakusa [Complete Asakusa tour/power spots]

★ 4.9 (45)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

[60 minutes] Rickshaw tour around Asakusa [Complete Asakusa tour/power spots]

When Noah from our team hopped into a rickshaw in Asakusa, we got the kind of tour that actually shows you the neighbourhood instead of just wheeling past it. This is a 60-minute spin through Tokyo's oldest temple district, pulling out from Kaminarimon Gate and threading through the backstreets, power spots, and tucked-away corners most walking tours miss. The pullers are trained tourism pros who know Asakusa inside out — whether you're first-timer or repeat visitor, they'll dig up angles you haven't seen. It's a surprisingly relaxed way to cover ground without melting into the pavement.

Cherry Blossom Buddha and Mt.Yoshino with Strawberry Picking Tour

When Noah from our team ran this 9.5-hour tour, it ticked three solid boxes: a temple with a cherry blossom Buddha statue, sweeping views across Mount Yoshino's blooms, and hands-on strawberry picking. The trip pulls together a mixed group on an air-conditioned coach through a region that feels busy during peak blossom season—a mix of Japanese families and international travellers keen to catch spring in full flight. You'll also swing by a roadside station for browsing, wrap up with a local bento lunch (if you choose it), and get guided commentary in English throughout. It's a full day with real variety.

Nagano Sake Tasting Walking Tour

When Ben from our team joined this Nagano sake tasting walk, we got a genuine feel for how locals actually drink and eat in this mountain city. Over two hours, you wander through quiet streets near Zenkoji Temple, hit up a sake brewery that's been running for over 300 years, and work through around 10 local brews plus three cups of amazake (the sweet, non-alcoholic rice drink). The vibe is low-key — small groups, an English-speaking guide who actually knows the breweries' stories, and proper sit-down tastings with miso soup and nibbles. It's less about ticking a box and more about understanding what makes Nagano's sake worth talking about.

2 hoursfrom AUD $89

★ 4.9 (31)

🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing

Japan

Private City Kickstart Tour: Tokyo

When Alex from our BugBitten team did this private tour, we got a genuine 90-minute handshake with Tokyo from someone who actually lives there. The guide steered us toward real pockets of the city—Harajuku and the Hachikō Memorial without the walls of selfie sticks—and dropped insider intel on family-run spots and local haunts that don't make the guidebooks. It's the kind of kickstart that saves you from wandering into tourist traps and actually sets you up to explore properly for the rest of your stay. Just you, your guide, and Tokyo revealing itself.

Tokyo Shibuya: Japan Only Limited Ramen – Select from 9 Types

Walk through Shibuya's ramen lanes with a local guide who knows where the best bowls hide. Over 2–3 hours, you'll stop at three established shops and taste half-sized portions of tonkotsu, shoyu, and other regional styles. Each stop includes talk about broth-making, noodle craft, and how ramen became Japan's go-to comfort food. You'll finish knowing what separates a great bowl from an average one.

2 hours – 3 hoursfrom AUD $71

Narita Airport (NRT) To/From Tokyo City Private Transfer

★ 4.9 (30)

✈️ Transfers

Japan

Narita Airport (NRT) To/From Tokyo City Private Transfer

When Em from our BugBitten team used this Narita-to-Tokyo private transfer, it was dead straightforward: a driver meets you at arrivals with a name sign, monitors your flight, and takes you directly to your hotel or vice versa for departures. No mucking about with trains, taxi queues, or dragging luggage through crowded stations—the car's yours alone for roughly 90 minutes. The service handles families, groups, and anyone with a heap of bags, and you can pick vehicle size based on how many of you there are. It's the no-fuss option if you'd rather skip public transport after a long haul.

Zenkoji Tour and Tea Experience with 'Shukubo' Temple Stay

When Noah from our BugBitten team did this two-day temple stay in Nagano, he got a genuine taste of spiritual Japan without the tourist crush. You're based at a working shukubo — a Buddhist temple lodging — where you'll join a guided tour of the sprawling Zenko-ji complex, watch a fire ceremony, learn proper tea ritual, sample local oyaki dumplings, and taste sake. Your guide speaks English, meals are included, and you'll sleep on futon in a traditional Japanese room. It's less 'package holiday' and more 'actually staying somewhere real,' which is the whole point.

Kochi Private Custom Tour with Local Guide

When Sarah from our BugBitten team did this private custom tour in Kochi, she got a proper sense of why the city matters — samurai stronghold turned food destination on Shikoku's coast. You've got six hours with a local English-speaking guide to pick your own route: climb the original wooden castle for city views, hunt katsuo no tataki (seared bonito) at the buzzing Hirome Market, catch the massive Sunday Market if timing works, and dip into quieter spots like Harimayabashi Bridge and the Botanical Garden. It's flexible enough to chase what actually interests you instead of ticking boxes.

6 hoursfrom AUD $272

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