To help ease Japan’s increasing issues of overtourism that are bubbling up in certain places, Inside Japan is keen to try and get people travelling at other times of year and to explore different places.
As the specialist operator marks its 25th year of running small group tours in Japan, the operator has lowered off-season pricing by 15% and shoulder season pricing by 7% for good and is encouraging travellers to maximise the benefits of travelling outside of the high seasons.
Inside Travel Group co-founder and director Alastair Donnelly explains: “Cherry blossom and the spring season are by far the most popular time of year to travel to Japan. The autumn months from October through to the end of November are also increasingly popular and for good reason.
“However, it is not necessarily the season that makes Japan special, it is the unique culture that shows itself in the everyday as well as the people and places that make the country so special. This can be experienced throughout the year.”
“There’s never a bad time to visit Japan and our permanent off-season price reduction is not about paying less for second best – far from it. It is a country blessed with magnificent scenery and experiences no matter what time you choose to visit,” Donnelly adds.
Here are Inside Japan’s most popular tours and the price differences you can offer your clients:
For first-timers
The 13-night Classic Japan tour does what it says on the tin, with many highlights covered, from basking in a hot spring bath at the foot of Mount Fiji to having a private audience with a trainee Geisha in Kyoto’s Gion district.
Best value: This tour costs from £5,045pp in June and July. Donnelly says: “June is often overlooked by many as it is classed as ‘tsuyu’ rainy season but in fact is often sunny with intermittent downpours from time-to-time. The summer months are hot, but this tour gets into the cooler mountains of Kamikochi national park.”
Price goes up: The tour cost from £5,930pp during the cooler autumn months from October to November.
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For Japan devotees
Hidden Japan takes your customers away from the main tourist trail and along the road less travelled. They’ll explore Naoshima art island with a local guide and visiting Joge, a rural town rooted in Japanese history. The tour also features the castle town of Matsuyama, the rugged gorges and vine bridges of the Iya Valley and a stay in a temple lodging on Mt Koya – places that not so many people get to see.
Best value: This 12-night tour costs from £4,975pp in May through the summer months. Donnelly says: “May is generally quieter during than spring for visitors, yet the month is quite dry and warm and the gardens are in full bloom.”
Price goes up: From £5,850pp in April.
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For solo travellers
Japan Unmasked is a small group tour travelling from Tokyo through the Japanese Alps to Kanazawa. As an ‘essential tour’ there is no single supplement, with all travellers getting their own room in all Western-style hotels – they may be asked to share with a fellow traveller of the same sex in a small ryokan guesthouse. This tour’s activity rating is classed as ’adventure’ with its cycle tour through rice fields and past temple pagodas in Kurashiki and an overnight stay at a Buddhist pilgrims’ lodging in Nagano.
Best value: From late May through until September, this 13-night tour costs from £3,395pp. Japan’s famous strolling garden in Kanazawa is likely to be in all its glory in May.
Price goes up: The trip cost from £3,990 at peak times – April, October and November.
For luxury lovers
Majestic Japan is InsideJapan’s 14-night superior tour, which includes a stay in a high-end ryokan in the traditional hot spring town of Kinosaki Onsen as well as exploring Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone and Kanazawa. The tour includes all sorts of experiences such as a private audience with a Geisha and visiting the local artisans of the Kyotango Peninsula.
Best value: The tour cost from £7,525 in mid-March. Donnelly says: “Booking late March gives a chance of catching the blossom. Also look at May – one of Japan’s best seasons for seeing the gardens and mountains in full colour – and late summer.”
Price goes up: The tour cost from £8,850pp in peak times such as spring and autumn.
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For peace and quiet…
A Northern Soul, which heads to the northern Tohoku region, is one of Inside Japan’s longest running tours, and reveals some hidden delights that are rarely experienced by outsiders. The region is generally quieter and beautifully rural, with the itinerary featuring natural gorges, relatively quiet Unesco temples and the chance to have a go at taiko drumming in its spiritual home.
Best value: The 14-night tour cost from £5,210pp travelling in the shoulder month of May. Donnelly says: “May is one of Japan’s most pleasant months. It’s quieter, gardens are in bloom and the weather is generally good.”
Price goes up: The tour cost from £6,130pp in early autumn.
insidejapantours.com
