7-Day Japan Delight: Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto by Intertrips

Mount Fuji is the big visual promise here, but this is a sampler tour, not a mountain climb. You ride the Komagatake Ropeway above Hakone, cruise Lake Ashi, then continue through Shizuoka to Kyoto. I like that the route combines a few classic sights with free days, and I like the chance to try Japan’s high-speed train on the return to Tokyo.

The trade-off is that the advertised price covers a fairly light set of services: six breakfasts, hotels and selected transport, but no flights, airport transfers or guided city tours. Several appealing excursions cost extra, and the Tokyo hotel may be well outside the city center. Check what is included on your departure before you book.

Key points to know before booking

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• Lake Ashi brings the Fuji view: The ropeway and boat cruise are included, but a clear view of Mount Fuji is never guaranteed.
• City sightseeing is partly optional: Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka excursions cost extra, and each requires at least 10 participants.
• You get free time: Two days in Kyoto and one in Tokyo are open for independent exploring if you skip the add-ons.
• The hotel location matters: The Tokyo stay is listed as APA Hotel & Resort Tokyo Bay Makuhari or similar, not necessarily central Tokyo.
• The Shinkansen costs extra: The train cuts the Kyoto-to-Tokyo journey from about seven or eight hours by coach to about two and a half.
• Expect a group of 15 to 32: The trip is low intensity and English-guided on selected parts, not a guide-led tour every day.

👉 See our pick of the 25 Best Guided Tours In Tokyo

A sampler route, with a few strings attached

This seven-day trip is built for people who want Japan’s main names in one week: Tokyo, Mount Fuji country, Kyoto, and optional visits to Nara and Osaka. It does not try to show you every corner of Japan. Instead, it takes care of some long-distance travel and leaves room for you to choose how much sightseeing you want to add.

That flexibility can be useful. You can spend a free day finding your own Tokyo neighborhood or Kyoto temple, or pay for a guided outing that bundles several major stops together. The drawback is that the low starting price does not include those outings. If you want a guide for most city sightseeing, add their prices to your budget before comparing this tour with a more fully guided package.

The tour has an experienced English-speaking guide, but it is described as partially guided. In practice, that means you should not expect a guide to accompany the group on every free day or handle every independent outing. Past trips have had guides named Mary and Sumi, among others, but your guide will depend on your departure. A strong guide can make a group tour much easier, but a particular guide is not something you can count on when booking.

Day 1: Arriving in Tokyo, or somewhere nearby

Your first job is to get to the hotel and recover from the flight. The hotel may be in Narita or near Tokyo Bay, depending on the final accommodation assignment. APA Hotel & Resort Tokyo Bay Makuhari is listed, but similar hotels may be used, and accommodation details can change until several weeks before departure.

Do not assume that the hotel is in central Tokyo or that a transfer is included. The tour information describes a free hotel bus if your accommodation is in Narita, or an Airport Limousine Bus at your own expense for a Tokyo Bay hotel. Arrival instructions can depend on the hotel, so confirm the exact property and route in your final documents. One past visitor found a hotel far from central Tokyo inconvenient, a useful reminder to check the location rather than relying on the word Tokyo in the hotel name.

The rest of the day is free. That is sensible after a long flight, especially if you are crossing time zones. You have three nights in the Tokyo-area hotel, but one full day is set aside for independent exploring or the optional city tour.

Day 2: Tokyo at your own pace, or with a paid tour

Tokyo is too large to cover in one day, so treat this as a first taste, not a definitive tour of the city. You can plan your own route or pay $99 for the Tokyo Discovery Tour, which requires at least 10 participants. It combines Tsukiji’s surrounding food stalls and shops, Odaiba Seaside Park, Sensoji Temple in Asakusa and Kabukicho in Shinjuku.

Each stop gives you a different face of the city. Tsukiji’s famous inner wholesale market moved elsewhere in 2018, but the surrounding businesses remain a handy place to browse food and snack shops. Odaiba offers waterfront views toward Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge, plus photo stops by a small Statue of Liberty replica and a full-size Gundam robot. Sensoji brings you to one of Tokyo’s best-known Buddhist temples, approached along a shop-lined street. Kabukicho is an entertainment district, so it is a more adult, neon-lit change of scene from the temple grounds.

The tour’s breadth is convenient, but it means short visits and travel between far-flung neighborhoods. If you prefer to linger, use the free day to choose two areas and move between them by train. The group outing may help you get oriented, but the city is also a good place to start learning the transit system for your own later explorations.

Day 3: Hakone’s ropeway and Lake Ashi

The group leaves Tokyo by coach for Hakone. Lunch is not included, but the itinerary plans a stop at a highway service area. These stops are more than a fuel break: you can buy food and snacks, and they offer a practical glimpse of everyday Japanese road travel. Still, allow for the fact that you choose and pay for your own meal.

The included highlights are a ride on the Komagatake Ropeway and a cruise on Lake Ashi. From the aerial tram, you get a bird’s-eye view of the Hakone area and the lake. The boat gives you another angle on the scenery, with Mount Fuji sometimes visible in the distance. The mountain is a UNESCO World Heritage site, but this is a viewing day, not a climb, and clear weather is not promised.

Afterward, the coach continues to Shizuoka or, depending on traffic and arrangements, Aichi. The listed overnight hotel is in Hamamatsu, in the Shizuoka area. Shizuoka is associated with tea production, but the schedule does not include a tea visit, so think of this as a route stop and overnight rather than a full local experience. The coach journey also makes this a long day, with limited time to explore after arrival.

Day 4: Kyoto, with temples available as an add-on

After breakfast, you travel by coach to Kyoto. Once Japan’s capital for more than a thousand years, the city has an unusually high concentration of temples, shrines, gardens and traditional streets. The trip gives you two nights here, but the guided sightseeing is optional.

The $89 Kyoto Discovery Tour visits Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, and Fushimi Inari Shrine. Kinkakuji is famous for the gold leaf covering its upper floors and its setting beside a pond. Fushimi Inari is known for its long paths lined with vermilion torii gates. Both are major sights, and seeing them with transport arranged can save planning time. The tour requires at least 10 people, so confirm that it is running before building your plans around it.

If you skip the add-on, you still have time to choose your own Kyoto sights, but you will need to arrange transport and meals yourself. The location of the listed Kyoto hotel, Ariston Hotel Kyoto Jujo or similar, is worth checking against the places you most want to visit. Kyoto’s sights are spread around the city, so a convenient base can save time over two short days.

Day 5: Free Kyoto, or a long day in Nara and Osaka

Your second Kyoto day is open, or you can join the $130 full-day Nara and Osaka tour, which includes lunch and requires at least 10 participants. It visits Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Nara Park, then continues to Osaka Castle Park, Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi.

Nara Park is known for its free-roaming deer. You can buy shika senbei, special crackers, to feed them, but keep a close eye on your snacks and follow local signs. Kasuga Taisha adds a shrine visit and a quieter forested setting. In Osaka, the itinerary shifts from historic grounds to city life: the castle park offers open space, while Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi are the places to browse shops and sample street food.

This is a lot for one day, and the coach makes it possible without arranging several train journeys yourself. The cost is the loss of time in Kyoto, where you may prefer a slower day among temples, lanes and gardens. If Kyoto is your main reason for taking the trip, keep the day free. If you want a quick introduction to two nearby cities, the outing offers a practical shortcut.

Day 6: The return trip, by coach or Shinkansen

The standard return to Tokyo is by coach via the Tomei Expressway, taking about seven to eight hours, with lunch purchased at a service area. That is a substantial chunk of the day. You can instead choose the Shinkansen Bullet Train for $180, reducing the journey to about two and a half hours.

I would give the upgrade serious thought if you value time or want to experience Japan’s high-speed rail. The faster trip leaves more time in Kyoto or Tokyo, and the train itself is a notable part of modern Japanese travel. The upgrade is not included in the starting price, so compare the final tour cost with what you would pay for a package that already includes rail travel. One practical detail from a past trip: luggage was sent separately to the Tokyo hotel, which made boarding the train easier. Confirm whether luggage handling is included for your departure rather than assuming it will be.

Hotels, meals and the real cost

The package includes six buffet breakfasts and six hotel nights: three in the Tokyo area, one around Hamamatsu and two in Kyoto. The listed properties are described as 3.5- to 4-star hotels, but names and locations are subject to change. The reviews are mixed on accommodation: the category rating is the strongest of the tour’s category scores at 4.1 out of 5, yet one unhappy customer described two hotels as dated, with uncomfortable beds and pillows. Another liked the Tokyo hotel’s breakfast but found its location far from the city center.

That gap between hotel rating and personal expectations is worth taking seriously. If you are particular about bed comfort, quiet or central location, ask for the confirmed hotel details before departure. The tour’s accommodation may be perfectly workable for a busy sightseeing week, but deluxe should not be read as a promise of a central, high-end property.

At a starting price of $1,499, the tour can be good value if you want the hotels, long-distance coach travel and Hakone activities handled for you. But the optional tours add up quickly: $99 for Tokyo, $89 for Kyoto, $130 for Nara and Osaka, and $180 for the Shinkansen. Taking all four adds $498 before flights, airport transfers, most lunches and dinners, insurance, and personal spending. The advertised base price is a starting point, not the likely total for someone who wants every listed activity.

Who should book this Japan trip?

This trip suits first-time visitors who want a guided framework, several major destinations and room to explore independently. It can also work for families and mixed-age groups: the stated age range is all ages, and the physical rating is low intensity. You should still be comfortable with coach journeys, changing hotels and making your own plans on free days.

I would not choose it if you expect a guide beside you throughout the week, airport transfers included, centrally located hotels guaranteed or every headline excursion covered by the base price. The average rating is 3.7 out of 5, with particularly sharp differences in opinions about value and service. The most positive experiences praised helpful guides and smooth trip organization; the most critical focused on hotel standards, extra charges and the amount of support provided. Those are exactly the points to settle before paying.

Book it if you want an affordable, structured first pass through Japan and are happy to pay extra for the outings that matter most to you. Look elsewhere if you want a fully guided tour with more included meals, guaranteed central hotels and less independent logistics. Before booking, request the exact hotels, confirm which optional tours are operating, and compare the coach and Shinkansen versions of Day 6.

FAQ

Are flights included in the tour price?

No. This is a land-only package, so you arrange and pay for your flights separately.

Are airport transfers included?

No airport transfer is included in the package details. The arrival instructions describe a hotel bus if available in Narita or an Airport Limousine Bus at your own expense for a Tokyo Bay hotel. The departure bus is also at your own expense.

Is Mount Fuji climbing part of the trip?

No. The tour includes the Komagatake Ropeway and a Lake Ashi cruise, where you may see Mount Fuji in the distance. It does not include a climb.

Which meals are included?

Six hotel buffet breakfasts are included. The Nara and Osaka optional tour includes lunch, but other lunches and dinners are generally at your own expense. Vegetarian food can be requested.

How much do the optional tours cost?

The Tokyo Discovery Tour is $99, the Kyoto Discovery Tour is $89, the Nara and Osaka day tour with lunch is $130, and the Shinkansen experience is $180 per person. The sightseeing tours require at least 10 participants.

How long does the Kyoto-to-Tokyo journey take?

The coach takes about seven to eight hours. The optional Shinkansen journey takes about two and a half hours.