11-Day Self-Launched Central Japan Explorer: Alps, Snow Monkeys & Old Post Towns

Land at Narita or Haneda and take the Keisei Skyliner (£13) or the cheaper limousine/airport bus (£8) into the city. Check into a hostel dorm in Asakusa or Akihabara — the same neighbourhood as the tour's Dormy Inn but at backpacker prices. Spend the afternoon wandering Senso-ji temple and the Nakamise shopping street, then cross the river to Akihabara's electronics and anime arcades. Get a Suica/Pasmo IC card at the airport or station (£1.50 deposit, top up as you go) — it works on nearly every train, bus and convenience store in Japan.

🚌Airport train/bus into Tokyo ~£8-13; walk + metro locally

🛏Hostel dorm in Asakusa/Akihabara (e.g. Unplan Kagurazaka or similar), ~£20

• →Senso-ji temple & Nakamise street
• →Akihabara electronics district
• →Buy Suica IC card

Take the JR Chuo Line or the Fuji Excursion limited express from Shinjuku to Otsuki/Kawaguchiko (~£22, 2-2.5 hrs). Base yourself at a hostel in Kawaguchiko. Do the tour's day trip solo: bus to Oshino Hakkai's spring-fed ponds, on to the Narusawa Hyoketsu ice cave (£3 entry), and finish at Arakurayama Sengen Park for the classic five-storey Chureito Pagoda shot over Fuji (best light is late afternoon; go early in peak season to avoid crowds). Local Fujikyu buses link the sites — a one-day pass costs around £12.

🚌Train Tokyo–Kawaguchiko ~£22; Fujikyu local buses with day pass ~£12

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Kawaguchiko, ~£22

• →Oshino Hakkai springs
• →Narusawa Hyoketsu ice cave (£3)
• →Arakurayama Sengen Park & Chureito Pagoda
• →West Lake (Saiko) village

Travel by train from Kawaguchiko down to Otsuki, then the JR Chuo Line to Okaya and on to Suwa (~£20, around 3 hrs with changes). Drop your bag at a guesthouse in Nagano or the hot-spring village of Yudanaka (best base for the monkeys — the tour stays in Nagano, but Yudanaka saves you 45 minutes each way). Take a local train to Suwa Lake for a lakeside walk and the Suwa Taisha shrine, then return and soak in a public onsen (£4-5).

🚌JR trains ~£20; local trains/buses ~£6

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Nagano/Yudanaka, ~£22

• →Suwa Lake walk
• →Suwa Taisha shrine
• →Local onsen (£4-5)

Catch an early bus to Kanbayashi Onsen and walk 30 minutes through the forest to Jigokudani Monkey Park (£4 entry, ~£12 return bus) to see the snow monkeys bathing in their hot spring — quietest before 10am. Back via Nagano, visit the vast Zenko-ji temple and its morning-market lane, then take the JR Shinonoi Line to Matsumoto (~£9, 50 mins) to see the black-and-white 'crow castle' from the outside (exterior and grounds are free) and wander the Nakamachi merchant quarter. Overnight in Matsumoto — cheaper than the tour's Takayama hotel and perfectly positioned for tomorrow.

🚌Local bus + JR trains ~£15

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Matsumoto, ~£26

• →Jigokudani Monkey Park (£4)
• →Zenko-ji temple
• →Matsumoto Castle exterior & Nakamachi district

Take the JR Takayama Line, or the cheaper Nohi bus direct from Matsumoto to Takayama (~£19, 2.5 hrs — the train route via Toyama is scenic but longer and pricier). Check into a backpacker hostel in Takayama's Sannomachi old town. Visit the Takayama Jinya, the Edo-era government house (£5.50), stroll the preserved merchant streets with their sake breweries and morning market, and taste Hida beef skewers for dinner. The tour stays in Takayama tonight; you'll do Shirakawa-go as a day trip tomorrow.

🚌Nohi highway bus Matsumoto–Takayama ~£19; walking locally

🛏Backpacker hostel in Takayama, ~£24

• →Takayama Jinya (£5.50)
• →Sannomachi old town & morning market
• →Hida beef & sake tasting

Take the early Nohi bus from Takayama to Shirakawa-go (~£12, 50 mins) and spend 3-4 hours in the thatched gassho-zukuri village — climb to the Shiroyama viewpoint, visit the Wada-ke house (£4) and eat a simple soba lunch. Then catch the hourly Nohi bus on to Kanazawa (~£17, 75 mins). Evening in Kanazawa: Higashi Chaya geisha district at dusk and a bowl of Kanazawa seafood at Omicho market.

🚌Nohi buses Shirakawa-go–Kanazawa ~£29 total

🛏Hostel or budget business hotel in Kanazawa, ~£24

• →Shirakawa-go village & Shiroyama viewpoint
• →Wada-ke gassho house (£4)
• →Higashi Chaya district

Morning at Kenrokuen, one of Japan's three great gardens (£2), then the adjoining Kanazawa Castle park (free) and the Nagamachi samurai district with its canals and earthen walls. Optional 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (free main galleries). In the afternoon take the Hokuriku Shinkansen or Thunderbird limited express to Kyoto (~£40-45, 2-2.5 hrs) and check into a hostel near Kyoto Station or in Gion. This is the tour's only included bullet-train leg; on the ground it's a straightforward unreserved seat — book a few days ahead on the SmartEX app.

🚌Thunderbird/Shinkansen Kanazawa–Kyoto ~£42; local buses £2

🛏Hostel in Kyoto (dorm or private twin), ~£25

• →Kenrokuen (£2)
• →Kanazawa Castle park
• →Nagamachi samurai district

A self-launched day with no fixed schedule. Cycle-hire (£8) or take local buses (£1.50 a ride) to what suits you: Kinkaku-ji's golden pavilion (£3), the torii tunnels of Fushimi Inari (free, best at 7am), Arashiyama bamboo grove and the monkey park (£4), or the hillside lanes of Higashiyama and Kiyomizu-dera (£3). Book a tea ceremony in Gion (~£20 via GetYourGuide/Klook) or a Nishiki market food walk. Grab a one-day Kyoto bus pass (£4.50) if you're covering several sights.

🚌Bus/subway day pass ~£4.50

🛏Hostel in Kyoto, ~£25

• →Kinkaku-ji (£3)
• →Optional tea ceremony (~£20)
• →Nishiki market
• →Arashiyama bamboo grove

Start at 7am at Fushimi Inari Taisha before the crowds, then take the JR Nara Line to Uji (£4) for the riverside Byodo-in temple (£5) and a bowl of matcha from a centuries-old tea shop. Continue to Nara (£3) to see Nara Park's bowing deer and the giant bronze Buddha in Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall (£4.50). Evening: JR train to Osaka (£5) and a bed in a hostel in Kitahama or Namba, then a wander through Dotonbori's neon and takoyaki stalls.

🚌JR trains Kyoto–Uji–Nara–Osaka ~£12

🛏Hostel in Osaka, ~£22

• →Fushimi Inari Taisha (free)
• →Byodo-in temple (£5)
• →Nara Park deer
• →Todai-ji Great Buddha (£4.50)

Make it a long day trip by shinkansen, or better value: buy a JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (5 days, ~£90 — worth it if you're also using JR on days 8-11). Take an early Sakura/Nozomi or Hikari shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima (~£65 one-way without a pass, 1h20). Visit the Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum (£1.10). In the afternoon take the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi and the 10-minute ferry (covered by JR Pass) to Miyajima to see Itsukushima Shrine's floating torii (£2). Return to Osaka by shinkansen in the evening, or overnight in a Hiroshima hostel if you'd prefer a slower pace — the tour includes a Hiroshima night here.

🚌Shinkansen Osaka–Hiroshima return ~£65, or ~£90 5-day JR Kansai-Hiroshima Pass; ferry covered

🛏Hostel in Osaka (or optional Hiroshima hostel, ~£22)

• →Atomic Bomb Dome
• →Peace Memorial Park & Museum (£1.10)
• →Miyajima ferry & Itsukushima Shrine (£2)

A last morning for Osaka Castle park (free) or Kuromon Ichiba market breakfast before heading to Kansai Airport (KIX) on the Nankai Rapi:t (£11) or the slower Nankai Express (£7). If you haven't got a flight home yet, Osaka is a great base for extending into Koyasan, Kobe or Himeji on the same JR pass.

🚌Nankai airport train ~£7-11

🛏None (departure day)

• →Osaka Castle park
• →Kuromon Ichiba market