Join us on the Japan Tohoku Tour in Spring 2025!
The Tohoku region is in the northern part of Japan’s main island Honshu, and it is famous amongst the locals as one of the best areas for springtime cherry blossom viewing. But that is not all this region has to offer, you will also visit a World Heritage Site, take nature walks, taste delicious traditional local food, and much more. Tohoku’s beautiful mountains, rivers, and forests welcome you! This springtime Japan tour in Tohoku is packed with flowers, natural scenery, traditional architecture, and history. You will visit the 3 BEST cherry blossom spots in Tohoku; Hirosaki, Kitakami, and Kakunodate. There aren’t many travel agencies that offer this tour, so take your chance and reserve your spot on this trip of a lifetime!
Japan Tohoku Tour Overview
1. Visit the 3 best cherry blossom spots in Tohoku
2. Take several amazing nature walks
3. Visit Chuson-ji temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Wifi is available on the private coach.
Special Precautions for group tours and your safety
* We will prepare one mask per person per tour day.
* Before you get on the bus, everyone has to sanitize their hands with sanitizer that will be provided by us.
* There will be a maximum of 20 people on a bus that fits 45, so there will be 2 seats for each person.
* We will provide everyone with one special health drink per day to keep everyone’s immune system up.
* We will provide everyone with one fresh bottle of mineral water per day.
Tour Date and Price
Arrival and departure: Starts in Tokyo and ends in Tokyo
Tour date: 25/April/2025
Tour price: USD 3,480
Single room price: USD 580
Child price (age 4-11): USD 2,240
Japan Tohoku Tour Highlights
Day 1: Arrival (Narita or Haneda) – Hotel Transfer
Day 2: Tokyo – Ichinoseki – Hiraizumi – Kitakami – Morioka
Day 3: Morioka – Lake Towada – Oirase Stream – Hirosaki
Day 4: Hirosaki – Mt Iwaki – Juniko
Day 5: Juniko – Oga – Akita
Day 6: Akita – Kakunodate – Lake Tazawa – Tono
Day 7: Tono – Matsushima – Sendai
Day 8: Sendai- Tokyo
Japan Tohoku Tour Itinerary
Welcome to Tokyo! You will be greeted by an English-speaking assistant at the airport and get a transfer to your hotel. You will have the rest of the day and evening to enjoy Tokyo at your leisure.
Shinagawa Prince Hotel or similar
-/-/-
Departure at 9 am.
Our tour starts with an exciting ride on the Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train). Enjoy a comfortable ride!
We will first visit the UNESCO World Heritage Chusonji and Motsuji temples in Hiraizumi which were built about 800 years ago.
Then we are moving to Kitakami Tenshochi to walk through the famous 1-mile cherry blossom tunnel. This is one of the three best blossom viewing places in Tohoku.
Tonight you will stay at a hotel in Morioka.
Royal Hotel Morioka or similar
B / L /-
Departure at 8 am.
After seeing the rock-breaking cherry tree in Morioka, let’s enjoy the beautiful natural scenes of Tohoku!
We will enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Towada, after which we will enjoy a breathtaking 1-hour riverside walk alongside the Oirase stream.
Finally, we ride to Hirosaki while we pass by a beautiful snow wall mountain road.
Tonight, you will stay at a traditional Japanese ryokan close to Hirosaki Castle. After dinner, let’s take a walk to the castle to see a beautiful night view of the illuminated cherry blossoms.
Ishiba Ryokan or similar
B / L / D
Departure at 8 am.
The highlight of today’s excursion is Hirosaki Castle, one of the most beautiful and famous cherry viewing spots in Japan! The contrast between the castle and the pink cherry blossoms creates amazing photo opportunities.
We will also visit the foot of Mt Iwaki to see the roadside cherry trees in the area.
Then, we will drive to the Juniko (12 ponds) close to Shirakami Sanchi, a world-famous beech forest that has been designated as a World Heritage site.
Shirakami Umihiko Yamahiko Kan or similar
B / L / D
Departure at 9 am.
Let’s start the day with a 2-hour beech forest walk with a local guide at Juniko and enjoy the fresh air in the forest and the beautiful Aoike (blue pond).
Next on the program is a stop at the Oga Peninsula to meet some local deities called “Namahage” who will roar the following words to you: “Are there any badly behaved kids there? Are you being good to your parents?” It may be a bit scary, but fun at the same time!
On the way to our stay in Akita City, please enjoy the beautiful contrast between the pink cherry blossoms and the yellow rapeseed blossoms along the road.
Akita Castle Hotel or similar
B / L / D
Departure at 8 am.
After leaving Akita, we will visit a Japanese sake brewery. Akita produces the highest quality rice in Japan, so let’s enjoy tasting some very good sake!
Then, we will move to Kakunodate, which is also known as “Little Kyoto in Tohoku”. Kakunodate is also one of the best blossom viewing places in Japan, with cherry blossoms against a backdrop of the black walls of former Samurai residences.
After making a stop at Lake Tazawa (the deepest lake in Japan), we will continue driving to Tono that is famous for its mysterious folktales.
Aeria Tono or similar
B / L / D
Departure at 8 am.
Staying in Tono means that you are taken into the world of mysterious folktales. You will see tasteful old-style houses among mountains and rice paddies.
At the Cherry Blossoms Festival, we will watch the procession of the Tono clan (feudal lord family). Local men wear traditional samurai formal clothes and ladies wear beautiful kimono. It reminds us of the bygone era of the samurai.
At the end of the day we will drive to Matsushima. From this famous viewing spot, you will see the Pacific Ocean from where a very large tsunami came in March 2011. Matsushima’s small offshore islands have been designated as one of the three most beautiful scenic places in Japan.
In the evening we drive to Sendai, where we will stay for the night.
Library Hotel Higashi Nibancho or similar
B / L / –
Departure at 9 am.
Today is the last day of the tour, and it is time to get back home with unforgettable memories and lots of souvenirs. You will return by air to Narita Airport or by shinkansen to Tokyo. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you again! If you’d like to extend your trip, please contact us for options.
B / – / –
INCLUDED
6 nights Western-style accommodation, 1 night Japanese-style accommodation
Meet and greet upon arrival at Narita or Haneda Airport
Airport transfers on arrival and departure
Private coach transfers between destinations in Japan
Comprehensive escort of our licensed professional English-speaking tour guide as described in the itinerary
Meals as described in the itinerary (17 meals)
Admission fees to sites, gardens, and museums as listed in the itinerary
EXCLUDED
International airfares
Meals that are not included in the itinerary
Travel insurance
Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
Personal expenses such as telephone and laundry bills
Gratuities
EXTENDED PLAN
You can extend your vacation before/after the tour in Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka, or other areas. We can provide you with an extension of your stay in the same hotel as during the tour for an extra 15,000 yen ~ per night, per person. Please contact us for more details.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Transport: Travel by air-conditioned private coach, baggage handling free
Arrival/Departure Airports: For arrivals at Narita or Haneda airport, this tour starts in Tokyo and ends in Osaka.
Meal Requests: Vegetarian, halal or special meals can be arranged
Meet and Greet: Please note that the meet and greet and airport transfer to the first hotel is ONLY available on the first day of the tour after 10 AM. If you plan to stay extra nights before the start of the tour, please arrange your own hotel transfer
Please note that the tour schedule and prices are subject to change without notice
CANCELLATION POLICY
46 days or more prior to arrival date in Japan: no penalty
45-31 days prior to arrival date in Japan: 10% of the tour fee
30-15 days prior to arrival date in Japan: 20% of the tour fee
14- 8 days prior to arrival date in Japan: 30% of the tour fee
7 – 3 days prior to arrival date in Japan: 50% of the tour fee
Less than 3 days prior to arrival date in Japan: 100% of the tour fee
Feedback from Clients
Daniel M. – 2019 Spring –
The guide was helpful and friendly
The highlight of this tour was definitely the impressive Giant Buddha, the Golden Pavillion was also breathtaking. We only had good food during the tour, and the guide was so nice that he is the main reason I will recommend this tour to my family and friends.
Jenna S. – 2019 Spring –
Everything was wonderful except for the weather
The hotels were all centrally located with many restaurants nearby. I appreciated that there were also usually Western food options as I’m not the most adventurous eater. The guide was amazing, and the only thing I would change if I could would be the subpar weather.
Mei A. – 2020 Spring –
The sakura festival in Ueno was our highlight
It was a wonderful tour, the guide was especially excellent and we liked the sights that were included. It was very nice to be able to experience the vibrance of the sakura festival in Ueno, amazing. We were amazed by the cleanliness in Japan.