Alps & Heritage — 10 Days Tokyo·Kanazawa·Kyoto

Ten days from Tokyo across the Japan Alps to gold-leaf Kanazawa and the thatched village of Shirakawa-go, finishing in imperial Kyoto. The famous route's bones, minus the sakura-season premium.

Duration10 days / 8 nights

CitiesTokyo · Kanazawa · Kyoto

RailHokuriku Arch Pass

Best seasonYear-round — superb in autumn colour and Jan–Feb snow

What's included

Pre-booked hotels in walkable, station-side locations for every night — the star level depends on the level you choose (see the level table above).
The right rail product for your route, chosen honestly — a JR Pass only when it actually saves you money, otherwise point-to-point tickets.
Digital city-guides for each base, in your language.
An eSIM and IC-card starter kit.
Our Visit Japan support line, in your language, on Japan hours.
Access to our curated menu of H.I.S. excursions, bookable in euros on a single invoice.

Not included

International flights to and from Japan.
Travel insurance.
Meals, unless a specific experience or your chosen level includes them.
Airport transfers and seat reservations on the Comfort level — on Comfort you get clear instructions and can add these on; tickets and reservations are included from Select upward.
Included excursions on the Comfort level — signature excursions come included from Select (one) and Prestige (two); on Comfort you book them à la carte from the menu.
Optional à-la-carte excursions and any personal spending beyond what your level includes.

Suggested day by day

Days 1–3 — Tokyo.
Day 4 — Across the Alps by rail to Kanazawa.
Days 4–5 — Kanazawa: Kenroku-en garden and the historical districts; a walking tour.
Day 6 — Shirakawa-go & Kanazawa by bus.
Days 7–9 — Kyoto.
Day 10 — Departure.

A flexible framework — this is self-guided, so you set the pace and swap days around.

How the rail works

The Hokuriku Arch Pass covers exactly this arc at roughly half the price of the nationwide pass — a textbook case of buying the right pass, not the biggest one.

Choose your level

Every level includes hotels, the right rail product, digital city-guides, an eSIM & IC-card kit and our support line. The level you pick decides your hotel class and how much we handle for you — transfers, seat reservations and included excursions. Here is exactly what each level adds, so there are no surprises.

Comfort Budget-friendly

Select Mid-range

Prestige Luxury

3★ station-side business hotels (Toyoko Inn / Sotetsu Fresa / APA class)

4★ hotels (JR-affiliated, Mitsui Garden, Hotel Nikko class)

5★ & design hotels (Hyatt, Marriott, boutique class)

Ordinary class — a JR Pass only where it genuinely saves you money

Ordinary class

Green Car where available

Not included — available as a paid add-on

All long-distance seat reservations booked for you

All reservations booked for you

Not included — we send you step-by-step rail & limousine-bus instructions

Airport rail / limousine-bus tickets included

Private airport transfers

None — you book any excursion you like from the à-la-carte menu

1 signature excursion included, plus the full à-la-carte menu

2 signature excursions included (private where offered), plus the full menu

Digital city-guides in your language, eSIM & IC-card kit, support line on Japan hours

Everything in Comfort, plus a restaurant shortlist for each city

Everything in Select, plus priority support & private options

Prices through the year

Prices change with the season — Japan is busiest and dearest during cherry blossom, Golden Week, mid-August and New Year. Figures below are per person, twin share, land only, and indicative; we confirm the exact price for your dates when you request a quote.

Season	Dates	Comfort3★	Select4★	Prestige5★
Winter	06/01 – 28/02	€720	€1,100	€2,090
Standard season most other dates	—	€810	€1,230	€2,360
Summer	01/06 – 09/08	€840	€1,270	€2,450
Cherry-blossom season	~25/03 – 07/04	€1,070	€1,600	€3,140
Autumn colours	~15/11 – 30/11	€1,000	€1,510	€2,940
Spring holiday (Golden Week) Peak	29/04 – 06/05	€1,290	€1,930	€3,830
Mid-August holiday (Obon) Peak	10/08 – 17/08	€1,020	€1,540	€3,010
New Year Peak	28/12 – 05/01	€930	€1,400	€2,710

Land only, per person on twin share. International flights, travel insurance and optional excursions are not included. Single-room and exact peak-date prices are confirmed on request.

Signature experiences

These are the highlight experiences on this route. How many come included in your price depends on the level you choose — any others are easy add-ons from our excursion menu, booked in euros on the same invoice.

This route's signature experiences

Shirakawa-go & Kanazawa bus tour
Kanazawa historical walking tour

How many are included in the price

Comfort None — you book any excursion you like from the à-la-carte menu

Select 1 signature excursion included, plus the full à-la-carte menu

Prestige 2 signature excursions included (private where offered), plus the full menu