Why Japan small group tours offer something extra special

Why choose a small group tour in Japan? 

As a seasoned solo traveller, I get a real buzz from exploring new places independently, but Japan was a bridge too far even for me. After considering the effort and cost of a tailor-made itinerary, I decided to book a two-week Discover Japan small group tour with G Adventures instead. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. 

Japan is an extraordinary destination, and the group tour really helped me to understand some of its beautiful, mysterious ways. It offered a perfectly balanced mix of guided group activities and free time, focussed on using public transport, and featured some exceptional cultural experiences that I’ll never forget.

Why choose G Adventures? 

G Adventures run exceptional small group tours over the planet, and they’re particularly brilliant for exploring far-flung destinations that feel a little too challenging to visit independently. India is a great example, as well as China, Madagascar and remote parts of Central or South America. This isn’t solely a matter safety in numbers; it’s also about getting a real understanding of the destination and its communities. 

I would definitely add Japan to this list of ‘perfect destinations for small group tours’, because travelling with a local guide is gold dust for curious travellers in such a fascinating place. The cultural differences and quirky customs inspire a million questions a minute in Japan, so it’s amazing to have someone on hand to ask. Equally, few people speak English in Japan. Signs and menus are rarely written in English, so getting around is a million times easier with a local guide.

Each G Adventures tour has a ‘Ripple Score’ which indicates how much money from the tour stays in the local community and advocates positive change. In Japan, some of the trips include community homestays, most of them involve sustainable rail travel, and all of them take you to local family-run restaurants tucked away within iconic cities.

Discover Japan

I travelled on the classic two-week Discover Japan tour, which begins and ends in Tokyo (making it very easy in terms of flights). From Tokyo, the trip visits Kanazawa, Takayama, Hiroshima (and gorgeous Miyajima Island), Kyoto, and Lake Kawaguchiko, with stunning views of Mount Fuji. It’s a mixture of iconic cities and more traditional towns, with ryokans, onsen hot springs, and local food markets. 

I was particularly drawn to the brilliant pacing of the trip, which offered at least two nights in every destination (except Mount Fuji) and included far more free time than I would ever have expected. This allowed me to follow my own personal interests and plan my own independent time in each destination. There were several special group meals along the way, but many evenings were left free for us to explore as we pleased. Perfect!

A little bit of myth-busting 

It’s a common misconception that small group tours are party trips made for youngsters. This simply isn’t true. The average age of a traveller on a G Adventures ‘Classic’ tour is 43 years old – and the demographic is slowly getting older, rather than younger. G Adventures has two separate tour categories dedicated to younger travellers, so you’re very unlikely to find hedonistic twenty-somethings on a Classic G Adventures tour. 

On my trip, the youngest traveller was 30 years old, and the oldest was 69 years old (but probably the fittest of the group!). The rest of us were mostly in our forties and fifties. It was a mixture of couples, solo travellers, and friends travelling together. Everyone was welcoming, interesting, fun, and respectful. We had a real blast together, but we also highly valued our time to explore alone.

Japan is better with a guide 

Everything about visiting Japan is better with a guide. I truly believe that. The guide isn’t just somewhere who will get you from A to B, he/she is a bottomless source of local knowledge. In each destination, the guide can give you tips about hidden restaurants, tucked-away bars, and interesting places to visit that you won’t find in a guidebook. At the same time, he/she can help you to really understand the history, the local customs and the way of life. 

Our guide, Mutoh, taught us how to make origami paper cranes to offer at the Children’s Peace Memorial in Hiroshima, where millions of cranes are added by visitors as a symbol of peace. It felt so special, and really moving, to leave a crane that I had made myself at the memorial. It wasn’t part of the official itinerary, and it’s now a memory that money simply can’t buy. I’m very grateful that Mutoh had the initiative (and patience!) to teach us how to do it.

Unforgettable journeys in Japan 

Getting around Japan by train, metro, tram, bus and ferry is a wonderful experience. The iconic bullet train journeys were a highlight of my trip, as well as the buzz of the stations and the bento box lunches in transit. I loved it! 

The train system is highly efficient, but it’s also pretty darn intricate. You need different passes for different routes on the trains, metros and buses. There’s a lot more paperwork involved than I imagined. Equally, every station is a fast-moving labyrinth with no signs in English, so it’s easy to get confused in the urgent flow of the crowd.

Travelling on a group tour meant that I could simply follow the guide without worrying about getting lost, missing the train, or getting on the wrong bus. It allowed me to relax, soak up the amazing surroundings, and enjoy the journey. For me, this was precious, hard-earned holiday time, and I didn’t want it to include even one ounce of stress.

Meals that become memories 

Choosing a group tour also opened the door for some incredible food experiences in Japan. As a group, we ate local specialities in authentic restaurants that I would never have found on my own. I tried everything from gold-leaf ice-cream in Kanazawa to fried octopus balls on Miyajima Island, melt-in-the-mouth Hida beef in Takayama, and strawberry sandwiches on the train!

Hiroshima was my culinary highlight of the trip. We were taken to what looked like the third floor of a shabby shopping centre, only to find a totally hopping series of makeshift Okonomiyaki restaurants with barely a free stool in sight. It was like opening the door into another world! The atmosphere was electric, and there was lots of great interaction between the chefs and the customers.

Okonomiyaki is a speciality of Hiroshima that translates as ‘grilled how you like it’ and is often compared to a ‘Japanese pizza’. It’s a layered dish is cooked on a hot griddle (teppan) directly in front of you, with egg, cabbage, bacon, special okonomiyaki sauce and whatever toppings you choose (I went for prawns, octopus and scallops). On paper, it sounds like an odd mixture, but it’s a life-changing combo! If you’re in Hiroshima, you MUST try it.

We also visited several food markets during the trip, and we were given a bit of time in each one to explore by ourselves. In Takayama, we stopped for a sake tasting at one of the local distilleries, and, after our last meal, we hit the karaoke bars in Tokyo as a group. Mutoh told us which special dishes to try in each destination and suggested places for us to eat on our free evenings.

Priceless cultural experiences 

The tour also included several super enriching and thoughtful cultural experiences. We stayed a local ryokan in Takayama, which had its own onsen and communal baths. We slept in simple rooms on the floor and wore traditional robes around the ryokan. 

On Miyajima Island, a group of lovely local women taught me about the history and continued use of the kimono while intricately dressing me in a kimono of my own. Putting on a kimono is incredibly complicated, with more than ten steps in total, and it’s a quiet female ritual all its own.

Once I was fully dressed, I took part in a traditional tea ceremony, which was a beautiful experience. Afterwards, I learnt how to do some Japanese calligraphy, which is another meditative art that takes a massive amount of skill. The whole afternoon was eye-opening, gentle, and deeply moving in many ways. I really loved talking to the women and learning about their lives.

Plenty of free time 

While I loved all the experiences that we shared as a group, I was also itching to explore some of the destinations we visited alone. Japan had been on my bucket list for decades, so I wanted to squeeze in as much as possible. I chose the tour partly because it featured so much delicious free time. We had at least half a day of free time in every destination on the tour, as well as a full free day in both Tokyo and Kyoto.

In Takayama, I hiked to some hilltop temples and found a beautiful hidden graveyard in the forest. In Kyoto, I found an empty bamboo grove at a little-visited temple, explored the Manga Museum, went to a Sakura light festival at the castle, and spent time at the very heart-warming mini-pig café. Back in Tokyo, I spent the day metro-hopping between districts and went to the incredible teamLab Borderless digital museum. Safe to say, I made the most of every minute! 

If you’re worried that joining a group tour means being herded around on a 24/7 basis – don’t be! This is another travel myth that you can quickly chuck out the window. G Adventures tours include loads of free time for you to follow your own interests or just spend time relaxing with a good book. It’s YOUR holiday, so you can make it work for you.

My thoughts about Japan small group tours 

As a solo female traveller, I’ve been a long-time fan of small group travel. However, I really do believe that a small group tour in Japan is the best way to explore this unique, beautiful, and spiritual country. If you’re on the fence about how to travel in Japan, go and have a look at the options with G Adventures. I promise that you won’t regret it.

Ready to book a small group tour in Japan? 

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