Hanami in Japan: Cherry Blossoms, Onsen & Ancient Kyoto
Join us for Japan's most enchanting season. This 12-day hanami journey immerses you in cherry blossom picnics, ancient temples, onsen relaxation and a tea ceremony with kimono dressing across Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. Crafted for travelers who value atmosphere over checklists.
Highlights
Join us for Japan's most enchanting season. This 12-day hanami journey immerses you in cherry blossom picnics, ancient temples, onsen relaxation and a tea ceremony with kimono dressing across Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. Crafted for travelers who value atmosphere over checklists.
Go deeper Want the full story behind this journey?
Cherry blossom season in Japan is not simply a two-week window on a calendar: it is a mood that settles over the entire country, changing the light, the pace of the streets and the way people gather outdoors after a long winter. This journey has been built around that precise, fleeting moment.
We begin in Tokyo, where spring arrives first in the parks and canals before it reaches anywhere else. Rather than rushing between landmarks, we let the city reveal itself gradually — a picnic under the blossoms of Ueno Park, the glowing canal walk of Nakameguro after dark, quiet mornings in Shinjuku Gyoen, and unhurried afternoons drifting between Omotesando's boutiques and Harajuku's side streets. A walk beneath the cherry trees of Chidorigafuchi, framed by the Imperial moat, closes our time in the capital on an intimate note.
From there, the journey slows further still. We travel by train into Hakone, where sulphur-streaked valleys, a volcanic lake and views toward Mount Fuji (on a clear day) accompany a night in a ryokan with onsen baths and a kaiseki dinner — one of the most restorative experiences of the whole trip.
Kyoto is the emotional centre of this journey, and we give it the time it deserves. Fushimi Inari's thousand torii gates at a considered pace with a private guide, the quiet elegance of the Philosopher's Path, a private kimono tea ceremony, and — if timing allows — an evening of hanami under lantern light in Maruyama Park. Rather than trying to see everything, we allow ourselves to actually be in Kyoto: in its temples, its gardens, its narrow backstreets after sunset.
One day is dedicated to Nara, where sacred deer wander freely beneath blossoming trees and ancient temples emerge from open parkland — a gentler, softer counterpoint to Kyoto. The journey closes in Osaka, a city of a completely different energy: neon-lit streets, izakaya culture and one last shared evening before heading home.
This is not a fast-paced tour of Japan in bloom: it is a carefully curated spring journey designed for travellers who value atmosphere, balance, authenticity and meaningful experiences over checklists and speed.
Included & excluded services
- Breakfast
- Full Insurance
- Handpicked boutiques / cottages / luxury hotels
- Museum/Temple Tickets
- Tour Manager
- Transport
- Airport Transfer at Arrival
- Airport Transfer at Departure
- Dinner
- Flights
- Lunch
Itinerary
Tokyo
Arrival in Tokyo and independent transfer to our hotel in Asakusa. After check-in, we ease gently into Japan with an evening walk along the Sumida River, where the first cherry trees of the season often line the water. A slow first evening — a chance to settle in and let the city's rhythm take over.
Tokyo
Our first full day begins with a proper hanami picnic beneath the blossoms of Ueno Park, followed by a wander through the retro stalls of Ameyoko Street. In the evening, we cross the city to Nakameguro, where the canal is framed by cherry trees and, after dark, soft illuminations — one of Tokyo's most photographed spring scenes, best enjoyed slowly with a drink in hand.
Tokyo
After breakfast, we visit Shinjuku Gyoen, one of the city's most beautiful gardens and a favourite spot for hanami among Tokyoites. From there, a calmer counterpoint at Meiji Shrine, hidden within its own forest at the heart of the city. The afternoon moves toward Takeshita Street and Omotesando, balancing youthful energy with refined boutiques and quiet architecture — with time built in for personal exploration.
Tokyo
A gentler day built around one of Tokyo's most romantic spring traditions: a walk along the Chidorigafuchi Green Way, where a canopy of cherry blossoms lines the Imperial moat — one of the city's most photographed spring scenes. For those who'd like to get out onto the water itself, a guaranteed rowing boat reservation is available as an optional upgrade. Afterward, a walk through the Imperial Palace East Garden, followed by a free afternoon to revisit a favourite corner of the city or simply slow down before we leave Tokyo behind.
Hakone
Awaiting us, a small adventure at the heart of the lake district: a cruise on Lake Ashi, followed by the ropeway climbing above the volcanic vents of Owakudani, with Mount Fuji accompanying the route on clear days. In the evening, a traditional ryokan, an open-air onsen and a kaiseki dinner.
Kyoto
By train, we continue toward Kyoto, the city that becomes the emotional heart of this journey. The first evening is a first immersion in the city's atmosphere: Hanamikoji lane, Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park, and finally Pontocho, the lantern-lit dining alley along the Kamo River.
Kyoto
An early start with our English-speaking guide at Fushimi Inari Taisha, walking beneath its thousands of vermilion torii gates before the crowds arrive. The rest of the day remains flexible, with the option to explore Nishiki Market — Kyoto's atmospheric food street — with a local guide, or simply wander at your own pace.
Kyoto
Today we follow the Philosopher's Path, a quiet canal-side walk that comes into its own in spring, stopping at Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji along the way. The afternoon is left intentionally open — for a return visit somewhere that caught your eye, a quiet café, or simply time to absorb the city.
Nara
We leave Kyoto for the day and travel by train to Nara, where sacred deer wander freely through parks framed by blossoming trees. With our English-speaking guide, we visit Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha, before wandering the old merchant streets of Naramachi. A gentler, softer day than Kyoto, before we return in the late afternoon.
Kyoto
A morning among the towering stalks of the Arashiyama bamboo grove and the gardens of Tenryu-ji, followed by a walk along the Togetsu Bridge and the Katsura River. In the late afternoon, a traditional tea ceremony with kimono dressing, in the heart of Kyoto. If the blossoms allow, we close the day with an evening of hanami under lantern light in Maruyama Park.
Osaka
After a final slow morning in Kyoto, we travel by train to Osaka for the last evening of the journey. Osaka brings a completely different energy: brighter, louder and more playful. We wander between Namba's Yasaka Shrine, the neon lights of Dotonbori, the alleys of Hozenji Yokocho and the shopping streets of Shinsaibashi — a fitting, high-energy finale before heading home.
Osaka
Breakfast and individual departures from Osaka via Kansai International Airport. End of the journey.
