Highlights

• Watch sumo wrestlers train at close quarters during a private morning session in Tokyo, then sit down with the athletes for chanko-nabe, the traditional iron pot stew that forms the core of a wrestler's daily diet, and hear first-hand about life in a sumo stable
• Spend a night at a traditional ryokan in the Fuji-Hakone region, soaking in the mineral-rich waters of a private onsen hot spring bath before a multi-course Kaiseki dinner built around seasonal ingredients and precise Japanese presentation
• Sit with a Zen priest in the private meditation hall of Joju-ji Temple in Kyoto, a working Buddhist temple founded in 810 AD and not open to the general public, for a guided zazen session followed by a vegetarian lunch with the monks
• Meet an atomic bomb survivor in Hiroshima for a private, first-hand account of 6 August 1945, before walking through the Peace Memorial Park and standing before the preserved ruins of the Atomic Bomb Dome
• Visit a working swordsmith's workshop in Hiroshima to watch a master forge a samurai blade and take the hammer yourself, before travelling to Osaka for a farewell dinner of premium Wagyu beef cooked on a teppanyaki grill at the table

Tokyo

Tokyo is one of the most densely packed cities in the world and also one of the most navigable, with a metro system that connects everything and neighbourhoods that each feel entirely distinct. The group spends three nights here, with time covering the sumo experience, the Tsukiji fish market and a sushi lunch, the ancient Senso-ji Temple in the Asakusa district, Shibuya Crossing, the Meiji Shrine and the shopping streets of Ginza. It is a city that covers a lot of ground quickly. Accommodation is at the Hilton Tokyo or similar.

Hakone

Hakone is a mountain resort area about 90 kilometres south-west of Tokyo, set around Lake Ashi in the crater of an ancient volcano with views of Mount Fuji on clear days. The group spends one night here at a traditional ryokan, the Gora Onsen Setsugekka Bettei Suiun or similar. A ryokan is a Japanese inn built around the principles of rest, simplicity and seasonal food. Guests wear cotton yukata robes, soak in communal or private onsen hot spring baths fed by natural mineral water, and eat kaiseki, a formal multi-course meal that changes with the season and is considered one of the highest expressions of Japanese cuisine.

Kyoto

Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital for over a thousand years and remains the country's cultural and spiritual centre. The group spends three nights here with a programme that covers the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine, where thousands of vermilion torii gates form tunnels winding up a forested hillside, the Nijo Castle built in 1603 as the Shogun's Kyoto residence and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a sake tasting and brewery tour, and the private Zen meditation session at Joju-ji Temple. The maiko tea ceremony, led by an apprentice geisha, takes place on arrival from Hakone. Accommodation is at the Dusit Thani Kyoto or similar.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima sits on the south-west coast of Honshu island and is best known internationally for the atomic bomb dropped on the city on 6 August 1945. The city was rebuilt entirely in the decades that followed and is today a modern, functioning city with one of the most significant peace memorials in the world at its centre. The programme includes the private meeting with a bomb survivor, a walk through the Peace Memorial Park, and a day trip to Hagi, a small coastal town about two and a half hours away, where the group visits a G Adventures-supported community for a home-cooked lunch, calligraphy and a welcome ceremony with local families. The okonomiyaki dinner on arrival is a Hiroshima speciality, a layered savoury pancake with noodles, cabbage and egg that is the city's most distinctive dish. Accommodation is at the Hilton Hiroshima or similar.

Osaka

Osaka is Japan's second city and its food capital, a place that takes eating seriously and has the street food, the restaurants and the late-night energy to back it up. The group spends two nights here, with Osaka Castle, the Dotonbori foodie district and a farewell teppanyaki dinner on the programme. Teppanyaki is cooking on a flat iron grill at the table, and the farewell dinner features premium Wagyu beef, a breed of cattle raised to a standard that makes the meat a destination in itself. Accommodation is at the W Osaka Hotel or similar.

What's Included

• Return flights from Dublin to Tokyo and Osaka to Dublin with Lufthansa and ANA via Frankfurt
• Arrival transfer in Tokyo and departure transfer from Osaka
• All transport between destinations including shinkansen bullet train journeys
• 11 nights accommodation: 3 nights at the Hilton Tokyo or similar, 1 night at Gora Onsen Setsugekka Bettei Suiun ryokan or similar, 3 nights at the Dusit Thani Kyoto or similar, 2 nights at the Hilton Hiroshima or similar, 2 nights at the W Osaka Hotel or similar
• All meals as specified in the itinerary
• National Geographic Expedition Leader and Expedition Expert throughout
• All guided tours and site entry fees listed in the itinerary
• Sumo training observation and chanko-nabe lunch with wrestlers
• Private Zen meditation session at Joju-ji Temple with vegetarian monks' lunch
• Maiko tea ceremony, Kyoto
• Sake tasting and brewery tour with seasonal lunch, Kyoto
• Private meeting with an atomic bomb survivor, Hiroshima
• Swordsmith workshop with hands-on experience, Hiroshima
• Day in the Hagi community with home-cooked lunch and calligraphy
• Porterage at hotels and on transport
• Tips for all activities, meals and porterage (excluding the Expedition Leader)

Terms and Conditions

This offer is based on 2 adults sharing throughout. Outbound flights depart Dublin Airport on 2027-03-05 with Lufthansa via Frankfurt. Price is correct at the time of posting (3 June 2026). Offers are subject to change. Price from €13,600 per person

11 Nights from €13,600 per person