Top 26 Japan Travel Experiences for 2025

We are a Japan-only package tour operator in business for more than 10 years.   Over that time our on-the-ground local management, staff and guides have found highlights and hidden gems for our customers.  These include unique culture, great food, scenery, arts, and mechanical marvels.  A great guided tour of Japan is made up of magical moments in time and place.  Shared experiences that bond a family and memories to be enjoyed for years.   

Here’s our list of the top 26.  Most experiences have a direct link.  We think it’s a wonderful list of travel options to do outside the current crowds.  Our categories this year are dining, stay, shopping, and active travel experiences.   With our private guides we offer even more selective and real time options like underground sushi in Tokyo. 

Dining 

1. Tempura – Endo Yasaka Gion – Kyoto. Kyoto style tempura – preparation is like an art form.  Set in one of the wooden houses of Gion  http://www.gion-endo.com/english/
2. Yakitori – at Harumi-dori. Grilled chicken on a skewer is a great meal on the run.  Match with a cold drink and take a well-deserved break from busy Tokyo.  When you have had your full, don’t ignore the nearby Izakaya choices in Shimbashi. https://www.artisanpacifictravel.com/2015/02/eat-in-tokyo-like-a-local-salaryman-in-shimbashi/ 
3. Sapporo Beer Garden, Sapporo – all you can eat, great beer, good food, and a lot of fun.   – https://www.sapporo-bier-garten.jp/global/english.html 
4. Tonkatsu – Danki – Asakusa Tokyo – There are a lot of good tonkatsu restaurants in Asakusa. Danki with its 15 seats on the sidewalk and old school preparation, is a marvelous place to take a respite from the Tokyo hubbub. 
5. 24 Hour Sushi – Sushi Zanmai – Tokyo – Yes, it’s a chain. We prefer restaurant location # 1 in Tsukiji for the ambience of the outer fish market.  A great benchmark for the rest of your culinary adventure.  Eating here is one of the silver linings from jet lag.  Click here to see map. 
6. Japanese Baseball – Hanshin Tigers (Osaka) or Yakult Swallows (Tokyo).  Two great stadiums, and like a food fair when it comes to street cuisine.    Truly a great experience of spectacle, people watching, food, and unmistakably modern Japanese culture.  https://www.artisanpacifictravel.com/2017/12/fun-facts-japanese-baseball-travel-to-japan/ 
7. Sumo Grand Basho 2025.  Plan well to see one of the only six Grand Sumo Basho (tournaments) in Japan this year.  Experience this very in demand event and then dine like a Sumo wrestler at a local and fun Chanko-nabe restaurants following. https://www.artisanpacifictravel.com/2015/01/how-best-to-see-sumo-while-in-tokyo/

Stays

1. The Gate Hotel, Tokyo.  Modern hotel in Ginza with a variety of outdoor spaces to relax and reflect.   https://www.gate-hotel.jp/en/tokyo/ 
2. Kurakawa Ryokan Sanga –   Traditional Japanese accommodations done flawlessly.  Be sure to visit Takachiho Gorge. https://www.sanga-ryokan.com/en/ 
3. Daikon no Hana Onsen, Zao.  The kind of quiet and peacefulness that you imagine when thinking of an onsen. https://www.daikon-no-hana.com/en/

Shopping 

1. Morning market – Takayama. Get up early to experience this slice of rural life.  https://www.asaichi.net/language/english.html 
2. Gift Shop, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts.  A great break from the mass-produced trinkets elsewhere.  Like the museum, exquisite art made by local artisans.  https://www.ishikawa-densankan.jp/en/ 
3. Kappabashi District – Tokyo – Any cooking implement that you can imagine, including the ubiquitous plastic models.  High quality cooking knives are popular. https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/390/ 

Active  

1. Hiking – Classic Pilgrimage Routes of Kumano Kodo or Shikoku Henro.  Walk a section of one of the historic routes and enjoy stunning scenery and spiritual grounding.  https://www.japan.travel/en/ca/inspiration/seven-historic-pilgrimages-throughout-japan/ 
2. Hiking – Moderate Routes – Kamikochi and the Alpine Route https://www.artisanpacifictravel.com/2016/01/the-japan-alpine-route-natural-and-man-made-wonders/ 
3. **Hidden Wonder** – Mystical natural hot-springs that appear only with the tide. Mizunashi Kaihin Onsen. The locals call it 幻之温泉, literally translated to be magic hot spring.  This onsen is truly unique. It only appears twice a day during low tide. That’s when ocean water flows into the onsen, creating the perfect temperature (otherwise, it’s too hot).  You’ll need to time your visit carefully, but that’s part of the fun!  Mizunashi Kaihin Onsen 
4. Sapporo Snow Festival 2025.  The snow festival runs from February 4 through February 11.  https://www.artisanpacifictravel.com/2016/02/sapporo-snow-festival-yuki-matsuri-hokkaido/ 
5. Setouchi Triennale.  More than 1 million people are expected to attend the event which is open for 100 days over three sessions (Spring, Summer, and Autumn). Spring session begins April 18.  A great showcase of contemporary art, set among the modern art installations of the Seto islands including Naoshima, Teshima, and Megijma.  https://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/
6. Summer festival if you can handle the crowds, the heat, and the humidity.  Great food, ornate floats, big heads, and colorful fireworks. https://www.artisanpacifictravel.com/2016/08/best-times-view-fireworks-hanabi-japan/ 
7. Pottery making in Arita, Saga Valley, Fukuoka, https://www.aritayaki.or.jp/en/arita 
8. Paper making (Washi) in Gokayama, https://gokayama-info.jp/en/archives/74 
9. Jazz Bar – Salt and Peanuts – Comfortable and an excellent value for a Tokyo Jazz Club https://saltpeanuts.jp 
10. Classic Train trips with scenery – Sangamo – link https://www.sagano-kanko.co.jp/en/ 
11. Meditation – Zen Meditation Experience – Engakuji – Kamakura.  Can also arrange for tea ceremony.  https://www.engakuji.or.jp/en/ 
12. Hida Takayama Matsuri (Festival) – Takayama.  Spring April 14 – 15 – Fall October 9-10. https://www.artisanpacifictravel.com/2016/04/the-hida-takayama-matsuri/ 
13. Sake Tasting – At the JR Station Echigu Yuzawa, Niigata.  Unique tasting room, mechanical pours of over 100 sakes.  https://ponshukan.com/en/yuzawa/ 

For even more resources for your Japan adventure, please see 19 Resources About Japan Destinations for 2025, or Getting Around Japan in 2025. 

Artisan Pacific Travel LLC offers unique Japan travel experiences that discerning travelers and those who have already experienced Japan will not want to miss.  Our unique Japan guided tours and experiences are very well suited for second- or third-time visitors and those who might have come on business but now want to fully embrace and explore Japanese culture.   

For more information about our tour packages, please contact me at chris@artisanpacifictravel.com with your travel dates and a little detail about your group.