The 10 Best Garden Day Trips in Japan

1.Mt. Fuji Day Trip from Tokyo with English Speaking Driver Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 443 reviews Our pick

You’ll travel by private air-conditioned vehicle from Tokyo to the Fuji Five Lakes area for about 10 hours. Your English-speaking driver-guide may be Prem, Jamil, Mani, Prince, Asif, or another team member. Choose scenic lakes, shrines, caves, villages, and photo stops, but expect to select only some locations.

“It was basically a glorified taxi ride. No information about the area during the ride. So quite we fell asleep. Nice guy, but not what I was hoping for”

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2.Mt. Fuji, Cherry Blossom & Shiba Sakura Pvt. Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 326 reviews

Spend about 10 hours touring the Mt. Fuji area by private vehicle from Tokyo. Visit the 5th Station, Chureito Pagoda, Oshino Hakkai, Lake Kawaguchiko, Oishi Park, and a historic shrine. Guides including Rana, Harry, Awais, and Mohsin have provided friendly, flexible service, though guide quality can vary.

“The tour was great! The itinerary hit a lot of great spots with beautiful views of Mt. Fuji. We got very lucky with the weather and got an extremely clear view of Fuji. Our tour guide Awais was friendly, knowledgable about the sites, and flexible with our wishes. We spent an eRead more”

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3.Kanazawa: Samurai, Matcha, Gardens and Geisha Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 75 reviews · from $156

Spend a full day walking Kanazawa with an English-speaking guide, from Nagamachi samurai homes and Oyama Shrine to Kenroku-en and Higashi-chaya. You’ll enjoy matcha with wagashi, enter the historic Shima geisha house, and have free time for lunch and shopping. Guides may include Mike, Akari, Gareth, or Daniel.

“Daniel was a fantastic guide, he did a great job building up and layering the facts throughout the day and was very patient with our children and stops. We got to see so much of the city we would never had been able to do on our own, it was a wonderful day. thank you!”

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4.Mt. Fuji & Hakone Cherry Blossom private One Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 35 reviews

Travel by private air-conditioned vehicle from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji and Hakone, with stops at the Subaru Line 5th Station, Oshino Hakkai, Lake Ashi, Moto Hakone Shrine, Owakudani, and Gotemba Premium Outlets. Driver-guide assignments vary, with Rezi and Hiroyuki Sato named in guest communications.

“Our tour guide was more like a driver and didn’t have much knowledge of Japanese history and culture. He was recklessly driving and we feared for our lives with our two kids in the car. He rushed us and would text us immediately after dropping us off to hurry back. You can Read more”

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5.Discover the Wonders of Sakurajima Half Day Tour in Kagoshima

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · from $95Best value

You will cross Kagoshima Bay by ferry, visit Tsukuyomi Shrine and the Sakurajima Visitor Center, soak your feet in a natural hot spring, make volcanic ash art, and reach Yunohira Lookout. English-speaking guides such as Yuki, Naomi, and Kuni lead the tour, which uses public transport and includes ferry and art fees.

“Awesome tour with Kunihiro and Yuki! Special shout out to Yuki because he had some problems with transportation and she was able to arrange to still meet up with us part way through the tour. Very interesting and memorable! Highly recommend!”

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6.Discover the Wonder of Sakurajima Half Day Tour in Kagoshima

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 24 reviews · from $98

Spend 4.5 hours circling volcanic Sakurajima by ferry and Island View Bus. An English-speaking guide such as Yoshi or Kuni leads you to Yunohira Observatory, the Visitor Center, Nagisa Park’s footbath, and an ash-art workshop. The $98 price includes transport and the art fee, but not lunch.

“It was really very good an we can recommend. Only issue: we booked it and the Max people should be 10. They changed it to the 20 without notice or refund.”

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7.Private Car Full Day Tour of Osaka Temples, Gardens and Kofun Tombs

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews

Spend eight flexible hours with a private guide such as Kevin, Jamie, Hugo, or Levy, traveling by luxury vehicle from Osaka Castle to Sakai’s kofun tombs. You’ll visit temples, shrines, Shinsekai, gardens, and a revolving-sushi restaurant, with hotel pickup and a custom pace.

“A fun day with a knowledgeable and delightful guide. Kevin packed in a full agenda yet allowed us to set our pace. Much more than what we could have accomplished in one day in Osaka.”

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8.Private Car Day Trip to the Kobe Mountains, Gardens and Hot Springs from Osaka

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 16 reviews

Travel from your Osaka hotel in a private vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide such as Kevin or Levi. Ride a vintage Mount Rokko cable car, walk through Kobe Municipal Arboretum, enjoy mountain views, and spend two hours in Arima Onsen. Fees and lunch cost extra.

“This was really a wonderful and informative trip. Kevin was great . I really enjoyed the hot springs ! This was one of my favorite tours. I highly recommend this for anyone who was to see Kobe Mts and one of the best hot springs in the area.”

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9.Tokyo City Attractive One Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews

Spend about nine hours touring Tokyo in a private, air-conditioned vehicle for up to five people. Visit Sensoji, Tokyo Skytree, Tsukiji, Meiji Jingu, Shinjuku Gyoen, Shibuya, Hachiko, and Harajuku, with hotel transfers from Tokyo Station Hotel. Your driver also serves as your guide.

“Luckily for us we arrived at the peak of cherry blossom, rather like a famous comedian once said however this trip had all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order. We saw the highlights of Tokyo and very luckily for us the cherry blosRead more”

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10.1-Day Tour from Okayama: Kurashiki, Gardens & Okayama Castle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 8h 30m · from $153

Meet your English-speaking guide at Okayama Station for a full day of castles, gardens, local food suggestions, and old merchant streets. You’ll visit black Okayama Castle, Korakuen Garden, and Kurashiki Bikan, with public transport, entry fees, and free time in Kurashiki included.

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