Sakura season is the hardest week of the year to do Japan independently: hotels sell out a year ahead, trains are full and the famous parks are packed. That is why we run this as a group. The departure leaves Dubai on the night of 26 March 2027 and returns on 5 April, with a maximum of 20 travellers, so the group moves easily through stations and temple gates. Kevin D'Souza, our Japan and Asia tour leader, flies with you from Dubai and stays with the group throughout, working alongside licensed local guides in each city.
The route follows the blossom south and west. In Tokyo the trees usually peak in the last week of March, so we spend the first three days there: Ueno Park, the Sumida River, Shinjuku Gyoen and the lantern-lit moat at Chidorigafuchi. We then travel by private coach to Hakone for one night in a ryokan with hot spring baths and a kaiseki dinner, with Mt Fuji views from Lake Ashi if the sky is clear. From Odawara the bullet train takes you to Kyoto, where four nights cover Gion, the Philosopher's Path, Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari, plus a day in Nara with its deer and the giant Buddha. The last night is in Osaka, ending with a farewell dinner in Dotonbori.
An honest word on timing: blossom dates move by up to ten days from year to year depending on the winter. We set the dates using thirty years of bloom records, and the route gives two chances, Tokyo first and Kyoto later, but nobody can guarantee full bloom on a given day. Even a few days either side, you will see trees in flower, and the temples and food are reason enough.
The pace is moderate, with 12,000 to 18,000 steps a day, and Kevin keeps afternoons partly free. Expect 8 to 17 degrees, so bring layers. Your suitcase is forwarded from Tokyo to Kyoto, so you travel with an overnight bag. Halal and vegetarian meals are pre-ordered for the group dinners.
Highlights
- Escorted from Dubai by tour leader Kevin D'Souza, maximum 20 travellers
- Hanami picnic in Ueno Park and the illuminated moat at Chidorigafuchi
- One night in a Hakone ryokan with hot spring baths and a kaiseki dinner
- Reserved bullet train from Odawara to Kyoto
- Blossom walks on the Philosopher's Path and along the Shirakawa canal in Gion
- Nara's deer park and the giant Buddha of Todai-ji
Day by day
Day 1Arrive in Tokyo, welcome dinner in Shinjuku
The group's overnight flight from Dubai, about 9.5 hours, lands in Tokyo in the late afternoon of 27 March. Kevin leads you through immigration to the coach, and the transfer to your Shinjuku hotel takes around an hour. After check-in, the group walks to Omoide Yokocho, a lane of tiny smoky bars and grills beside the railway, for a welcome dinner with halal and vegetarian dishes pre-ordered. Kevin briefs the group on the days ahead. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 2Ueno Park hanami, Asakusa and a Sumida River cruise
We start at Ueno Park, where more than a thousand cherry trees line the main avenue and Tokyo families picnic on blue sheets beneath them. Your local guide explains hanami customs before the short coach ride to Asakusa and Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, and the snack stalls of Nakamise. After lunch at your leisure, a river boat takes you down the Sumida, past blossom-lined banks. In the evening, walk the illuminated moat at Chidorigafuchi, one of the city's loveliest sakura sights. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 3Meiji Jingu, Shinjuku Gyoen and a free evening
A morning visit to Meiji Jingu, a shrine in a forest of 100,000 trees, then a walk through Harajuku and Omotesando. Late morning is in Shinjuku Gyoen, the former imperial garden with early and late flowering varieties, which often means blossom even when other parks have passed their peak. The afternoon is free: Kevin suggests Shibuya Crossing, the department store food halls or the free observation deck at the Metropolitan Government Building. Dinner is at your leisure. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 4Hakone: Lake Ashi, Owakudani and a ryokan night
Your suitcase is collected this morning and forwarded to Kyoto; bring an overnight bag. The coach reaches Hakone in about two hours. Cruise across Lake Ashi, where Mt Fuji appears behind the red torii gate on clear days, then ride the ropeway over the steaming volcanic valley of Owakudani to taste eggs boiled black in the springs. Check into the ryokan, change into a yukata, try the hot spring baths and gather for a multi-course kaiseki dinner. Overnight in Hakone.
Day 5Bullet train to Kyoto, Gion by evening
After a Japanese breakfast, the coach takes you to Odawara for the bullet train, about two hours to Kyoto with reserved seats together as a group. After lunch near the station and hotel check-in, your suitcase is waiting. In the late afternoon, walk with your guide through Gion, along the Shirakawa canal where weeping cherries hang over the water, to Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park, Kyoto's busiest hanami spot, glowing under lanterns after dark. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 6Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera
An early start, leaving at 7 am, beats the crowds at Fushimi Inari, where thousands of vermilion torii gates climb the hillside. Walk as far as the Yotsutsuji viewpoint, about 45 minutes up. Then visit Kiyomizu-dera, its wooden stage overlooking a slope of blossom, and stroll down the stone lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, ideal for pottery and matcha sweets. The afternoon is free. Group dinner tonight is Kyoto obanzai home cooking. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 7Arashiyama bamboo grove and the Philosopher's Path
The coach heads west to Arashiyama for the bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji's Zen garden and the Togetsukyo bridge framed by blossom along the Katsura River. After lunch, cross the city, about 40 minutes, to Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, then walk the Philosopher's Path, a 2-kilometre canal-side path under an arch of cherry trees, ending near Nanzen-ji. Kevin times this walk for the late afternoon light. The evening is free to explore Pontocho or Nishiki Market. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 8Day trip to Nara
A 45-minute train ride brings the group to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital. Walk through Nara Park, where more than a thousand freely roaming deer bow for crackers, to Todai-ji, whose Great Buddha Hall is among the largest wooden buildings in the world. Continue to Kasuga Taisha, with its thousands of stone and bronze lanterns. Return to Kyoto by mid-afternoon for free time, perhaps a tea ceremony or a last look at the blossom by the Kamo River. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 9Osaka Castle and farewell dinner in Dotonbori
The coach reaches Osaka in about an hour. Osaka Castle's grounds hold around 3,000 cherry trees and in early April they are usually still in flower, with the white keep rising above them. After lunch and check-in, the afternoon is free for the Kuromon market or shopping in Shinsaibashi. In the evening the group meets for a farewell dinner, then walks the neon canal of Dotonbori, Osaka's food street, with Kevin. Overnight in Osaka.
Day 10Fly home from Osaka
Breakfast at the hotel and time to pack. The coach leaves for Kansai International Airport, about an hour away, in time for the group's flight back to Dubai, arriving the same evening of 5 April. Kevin checks the group in and travels home with you. Our operations team in Dubai tracks the flight. A few travellers each year extend on their own in Japan or stop over on the way home; let us know at booking and we rearrange your return.
Hotels by tier
Choose the tier in the price box; the difference is priced per adult for the whole stay.
Named hotels or similar of the same standard if one is full; we tell you before you pay the balance.
What is included
Included
- Return flights from Dubai, Economy, 30 kg baggage, into Tokyo and out of Osaka
- 9 nights in your chosen tier with daily breakfast
- Tour leader Kevin D'Souza from Dubai throughout, plus licensed local English-speaking guides
- Private air-conditioned coach for all touring and transfers
- Japan Rail: reserved bullet train seats Odawara to Kyoto, and rail to Nara
- Five group dinners, including kaiseki in Hakone and a farewell dinner in Osaka
- Entrance fees for all listed sights, Lake Ashi cruise and the Hakone ropeway
- Suitcase forwarding from Tokyo to Kyoto
- Pre-departure briefing evening in Dubai with the group
- Pocket wifi device, one per room
Not included
- Japan visa fee, where required for your nationality
- Lunches and the four dinners not listed
- Tips for local guides and the coach driver, around AED 150 per person suggested
- Travel insurance, required for all group members (we can arrange it)
- Personal spending and optional evening activities
Departures and prices
Price per adult, twin share, standard hotels. Seats are held with our airline and hotel partners.
| Dates | Departure | Seats left | Per adult | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 24 Mar to Fri 2 Apr 2027 | Group, with tour leader | 1 | AED 12,900 | |
| Tue 6 Apr to Thu 15 Apr 2027 | Group, with tour leader | 11 | AED 13,300 |
Tour leader, Japan and Asia groups
Where it is
Questions about this holiday
Will the cherry blossom be in full bloom?
Do UAE residents need a visa for Japan?
I am travelling alone. Can I join?
Is halal food available?
How fit do I need to be?
Can I extend my stay in Japan?
Travellers on this holiday
Well run trip and the blossom in Tokyo was perfect. Hotel rooms in Tokyo are tiny, as we were warned, but two of us with large suitcases found it a real squeeze. The deer in Nara and Kinkaku-ji glowing in the afternoon light were highlights.
Nine nights with a group of eighteen and the sakura timing was spot on: full bloom along the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto. The tour leader handled rail passes and luggage forwarding so we travelled light. Hana ran a WhatsApp group before departure with packing tips and a currency guide.
A group of friends from Abu Dhabi, mostly first-timers in Asia. Bullet train to Kyoto, Fushimi Inari early before the crowds, a tea ceremony in Gion. Hana arranged a private kaiseki dinner for our final night that we still talk about on our group chat.
Indian ladies' group, eleven of us and all over fifty. Food was our big worry, but Hana had found vegetarian restaurants in every city and printed cards in Japanese explaining what we could eat. Hanami picnic in Ueno Park, the Hiroshima peace memorial and Miyajima at sunset.
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