Mount Fuji is easiest to enjoy when you can chase clear views instead of following a fixed bus schedule. This private day trip takes you from Tokyo to the Fuji Five Lakes area, with time for the Chureito Pagoda, Lake Kawaguchiko, Oshino Hakkai, the 5th Station, and several shrines and nature stops. I like two…
Tokyo becomes a little more special when you explore it in a kimono. This experience lets you choose from traditional and modern designs, get dressed by staff, and walk out toward the historic streets and photo spots around Asakusa. The shop is on the fourth floor, reached by elevator or escalator. I like the wide…
The star of this long Nagano day is Jigokudani Monkey Park, where Japanese macaques gather around steaming hot springs in cold mountain weather. Add Zenko-ji Temple, old castle ruins, Shibu Onsen, Obuse, and perhaps Togakushi Shrine, and you get a broad taste of northern Nagano rather than a single sightseeing stop. I like the private…
Tsukiji is best understood as Tokyo’s old fish-market district, not a wholesale auction hall. This morning food tour takes you through its maze of more than 250 stalls, where a guide helps you find seafood, sushi, sashimi, mochi, soup, and other market foods without wasting time at the wrong counter. I like the five or…
Mount Fuji makes a fine escape from Tokyo, but reaching its best viewpoints by public transport can eat up a day. This 10-hour private charter gives you a car, a driver, hotel pickup, and room to shape the route around your group. I like the freedom to adjust the stops, and I like having a…
Tokyo’s famous street-kart experience puts you behind the wheel of a tiny car and sends you into the city traffic. You drive past ordinary Japanese buildings, neon-lit streets, and major sights around Asakusa, Ueno, and Akihabara, with a guide leading the group. I like the personal touch: the staff take photos and videos during the…
At 4:30 or 4:45 in the morning, Tokyo is still quiet. Inside Toyosu Market, the mood changes fast as giant tuna move through the auction area and buyers inspect the catch. This private tour gives you a guide beside you to explain what you are seeing, then leads you on to old Tsukiji for breakfast…
Tokyo feels very different from the seat of a go-kart. This one-hour street ride takes you from Nishishinjuku toward Shibuya on public roads, giving you a fast-moving look at the city’s architecture, traffic, and famous urban energy. A local guide leads the group and stops to take photographs. I like two things here. First, you…
The tuna auction begins before most of Tokyo wakes up. At Toyosu, huge bluefin tuna move through a serious wholesale operation, while you watch from the visitor viewing area and learn how the trade works. Then you head to Tsukiji Outer Market, where the mood changes from quiet observation to food, shops, and conversation. I…
A tea ceremony at Wasako gives you more than a cup of matcha. You sit in a traditional Japanese-style room, choose a bowl with its own design, watch tea master Ryouko prepare the tea, then whisk your own. The setting is part of the experience, with scrolls, furnishings, sweets, and careful movements all explained along…
Reporting and features on Tokyo and Japan: the politics, the neighbourhoods, the culture, and how to get around it.