Ninja Tour

The Kansai region is the most exciting, diverse and vibrant region of Japan. Encompassing the lively city of Osaka, the eternal beauty of Kyoto, mountains, castles, temples, and the finest food in the country, Kansai has the best of Japan in one neat package.

The Ninja Tour traverses the Kansai area taking in the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima while in between we get off the beaten track and get on the ninja trail to visit the old ninja strongholds of Iga and Koka. The tour starts with a ride on the bullet train shooting westwards at 270km/h to Hiroshima and the nearby picturesque island of Miyajima with its preserved forest and UNESCO sites.

From there we spend four days in Kyoto. The city needs little introduction but the 4 nights stay allows us time to see the major sites as well as some of the lesser known but equally beautiful and more relaxed local attractions.

The tour ends in Osaka, the epitome of the modern Japanese city that bursting with neon energy. The tens of thousands of restaurants enjoy a worldwide reputation making it a foodies paradise, and the endless bustling shops makes it ideal for gathering your end of tour souvenirs.

If you would prefer to start and / or finish the tour in Tokyo, just let us know and we will be happy to help with any arrangements for you.

If you wish to split away from the group at anytime we will give you a mobile phone so that if you get too lost, you will have a lifeline to your Tour Leader.

* Ryokan- traditional lodgings, sleeping on futons in rooms floored with tatami mats.

We’d recommend arriving in Japan a day or two before the tour starts to help get yourself acclimatized and overcome any jetlag. We can arrange your hotel for any extra nights and meet you at the airport making your transition run as smooth as possible, giving you any extra information you might require for your warm-up adventures.

We'll meet you at Kansai International Airport (KIX) and transfer with you to your hotel in Namba, the bustling downtown of Osaka.

If you are coming in from Tokyo by bullet train, let us know and we'll meet you at Osaka's bullet train station.

In the evening we'll host a meal at a local restaurant where it'll be a great opportunity for you to feast on a local Osaka specialty while getting to know the other group members.

Later stroll around the famous Dotonbori area with a 'Blade Runner' like backdrop of neon. Enjoy the enchanting atmosphere as the city's nocturnal life awakens.

Take the bullet train to Hiroshima in the morning. Here, visit the A-Bomb Peace Park and Museum. Later we'll head over to the beautiful island of Miyajima where, in the evening we'll have a traditional kaiseki meal at the ryokan with views of the sunset.

In the morning visit the iconic Itsukushima Shrine famed for its 'floating torii' amongst the incredibly tame deer that roam around freely, thought to be messengers of the gods.

As you'll have stayed on the island overnight you'll be able to enjoy its tranquillity before the day-trippers and group-tours arrive from the mainland. By the time they arrive you'll be sitting back comfortably on the cable car going up Mt.Misen taking in the scenery of the protected primeval forests. From the top the best way down is on foot, but you can easily take the cable car back if you prefer.

On the way to Kyoto we'll stop off at Himeji Castle. The cultural treasure of Himeji Castle is how it has been since 1609, not only known for its elegance as it sits peering over the city but also for its complex defence system. Thankfully unlike most castles in Japan it has escaped earthquakes, typhoons, civil conflicts in the fudral times, and even the more recent air bombings (but only just). It is truly is deserving of its place in the World Heritage listings and a definite must see for anyone visiting Japan.

After Himeji castle, we'll hop back on the bullet train for Kyoto where we'll have time to visit Fushimi Inari famed for the thousands of shrine gates meandering up the mountain. You may recognise this from a set in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha.

Today's itinerary starts with a trip to Kiyomizudera temple, perched on the Eastern Mountains. Its stilted wooden structure and commanding views over Kyoto are well known, it's possibly the most visited place in Kyoto, not only does it have magnificent architecture but it's also a great people-watching spot and was also a recent runner up for world wonder status.

From there we'll wind through the ancient streets to Kodaiji, known for its Zen Garden built in honor of one of the most famous and perhaps the most admired of the three unifiers of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Rising from a lowly peasant foot soldier to one of the most powerful and influential men in Japanese history; he's been an inspiration to many both then and now.

Start the day off with the Tea Ceremony. For this we'll go to an authentic tea house for this which has been performing the ceremony for seven generations.

Afterwards we'll head to Nijojo built by the legendary Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu after finally defeating the Toyotomi Hideyoshi loyalists in the great battle of Sekkigahara. After achieving the supreme rank of shogun, the Tokugawa family remained in power for the next two and a half centuries until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, marking the end of the old ways.

Nijojo was built at great expense displaying the shogunate's power not only to the daimyo of the newly unified Japan, but to the emperor too. Along with this newly gained power, the threat of assassination grew ever greater for Tokugawa, hence the nightingale flooring - which sings as you walk on it. This clever design would draw attention to any intruder who was no doubt unaware of this simple but effective alarm system.

Today we'll visit Uji. But if you'd prefer, as with any day, you are free to do your own thing. Today, by staying on the train you can get to Nara only another half an hours or so away, renowned for Todaiji temple with its enormous Buddha.

Uji is best known to Japanese school kids as one of the settings in the book "The Tale of Genji". It's an epic read many kids dread. Written by Murasaki Shikibu in the 11th century it's of huge cultural, historical and literary importance. Internationally Uji is perhaps better known for its superb tea, and the tea of choice by most macha fanatics (including the tea house we visited yesterday).

Uji is a nice area to stroll around and there are a number of places of interest depending on the season and the flowers in bloom but Byodoin, the temple on the 10 yen coin is a real beauty. Built in 1052 it's a real treasure of humanity and well deserving it's status as a World Heritage site.

Today we'll explore Iga Ueno, an old castle town that is at the heart of ninja history. We'll start by going to a real ninja house dating back over 250 years ago. You'll be shown its secrets including hidden doors and stairways, and compartments for hiding weapons and secret formulas for the production of medicine and bombs. Let your imagination feast on the fascinating exhibits of genuine ninja tools and weapons.

You'll also have the chance to visit the local castle which boasts the tallest moat walls in the whole of Japan. Construction of the original 5-tier castle began (secretly it is said) in 1585 under the orders of Ieyasu Tokugawa. As it neared completion in 1612 it was destroyed by a typhoon. By that time Ieyasu Tokugawa had defeated the Toyotomi Hideyoshi loyalists in the famous battle of Sekigahara, the castle had lost its importance and was not rebuilt. The 3-tiered castle standing there today was built by a local businessman in 1935 and houses some interesting displays. There are also great views from the top floor.

You'll also have the opportunity to visit the unusual octagonal shaped memorial for one of Japan's greatest haiku poets, Matsuo Basho. As a travelling poet during the Edo (Tokugawa) era many believe he was ninja, spying as he traveled. More recent research suggests however that, in fact, it was Basho's assistant who was the ninja.

This morning we continue our ninja quest by stopping off at Koka the legendary, almost mythical, centre of the Koka ninja. It was from here a force of 500 men and women ninja came out to fight under the legendary Hattori Hanzo (that is the real one, not the one in Kill Bill!!) and played an important part in bringing the Tokugawa Shogunate to power and instrumental in preserving the relative stability of the newly unified archipelago.

Here in a ninja village you'll have the opportunity to scale walls, throw shuriken, even float on water if you so wish!

Today we'll venture out to the wooded and mountainous area northwest of Osaka an area still free from the sprawl, to a difficult to find walk along an old disused railway line winding down a river gorge through a series of long tunnels. It's a beautiful walk and at the end, sit down with a nice chilled glass of beer by the river.

Back in Osaka if you'll be able to spend the rest of the day looking around some of the highlights of Osaka or, if you prefer, simply spend the day at your leisure exploring this shopping metropolis, including the longest covered mall in Japan, stretching an eye-straining 2.5 km!

If your departing flight is from Tokyo, getting to Tokyo is an easy trip by bullet train.

Today is the last day of this unique tour opening up the secrets of Japan. When you are ready hop onto the Airport Limousine to KIX, or alternatively, why not stay a few more days? There is so much more to see and do in the area.

We try to keep our tours as flexible as possible, and do they vary occasionally, sometimes due to weather or ongoing events such as festivals which guests may want to see. In addition if there is something else you’d like to do or see on your trip please mention this to your guide and we’ll try our best to ensure you can do it..

The minimum number of customers on the Ninja Tour is two as we believe it’s unfair to cancel tours when larger numbers are not met.

Because the group size is kept to a maximum of 8, unfortunately we have to charge a single supplement of £280 if you are travelling alone. For this you'll be ensured to have a room to yourself for the entirety of the tour.