The Japan you’ve never seen
Take clients beyond Tokyo and Kyoto to the places they never knew to ask for.
Your trusted Japan partner
Since 2000, InsideJapan (part of Inside Travel) has been delighting travellers across Australia and New Zealand with once-in-a-lifetime cultural adventures.
Based in Brisbane, our team of Japan destination specialists bring unrivalled expertise to each and every itinerary, applying their first-hand experience living, working and travelling across the country.
We partner closely with our valued Australian and New Zealand agency partners to book world-class, tailormade holidays and small group tours that take clients beneath the surface – providing a glimpse into everyday local life and culture.
Supported by our 24/7 on-the-ground customer experience team who make things easy, it’s no surprise that thousands of advisors’ trust InsideJapan as their go-to Japan specialist.
Karla Pitts, Japan Specialist
This is the Japan your clients never knew to ask for
You’ve seen the headlines. International arrivals to Japan have climbed from 4.76 million in 2000 to 36.8 million in 2024 – and they’re still rising.
But there is more to Japan than these two cities. In the following pages, we’ll introduce four destinations that have yet to be discovered by the guidebooks.
Clients come for the sushi counters, the shrines, the ceremony. Tokyo and Kyoto remain the anchors of most itineraries. And rightly so.
They go beyond the must-see sights of Tokyo and Kyoto, while still offering a deep immersion into Japan’s rich culture. Places where hands-on cultural experiences and slices of everyday local life go hand in hand.
This is Toyama, Nagasaki, Nagoya and Aomori.
TOYA
Japan adventures perfected by people
Our team have turned their obsessions into their professions, shaped by years of living and working in Japan. They craft cultural adventures entirely around your clients.
What’s your client’s next “cultural adventure”?
Quiet contemplation in a Kyoto temple garden; a street food safari in Siem Reap; a kerbside haircut and hot-towel shave in Hanoi; trekking with conservationists through Borneo’s jungles. Maybe a K-pop dance class in Seoul is more their thing. Or a Christmas Day round of golf in Thailand, with a local caddy offering them a running commentary on their game. That’s cultural adventure at Inside Travel. Designed around the people, stories and moments that get beneath the surface of a place, we’ll combine your client’s unmissable sights with hands-on cultural experiences and a slice of everyday local life – delivering a trip that’s hassle-free, genuinely memorable and, above all, fun.
Every cultural adventure includes:
Their unmissable signts
The famous, the ancient, the iconic. We’ll make sure clients experience their highlights, the places that excite them most.
Hands-on cultural experiences
These shared moments with guides, artists, chefs, or families open a window into their world.
A
slice of everyday local life
Things which are so normal to locals but entirely new to your clients.
Alastair Donnelly Founder & CEO
Simon King Founder & COO
Our story
When we founded Inside Travel in 2000, we looked beyond traditional tourism and instead gave people a true “get beneath the surface” experience of Japanese life. We showcased everyday local culture and included the fun experiences we enjoyed in the years we’d spent living in Japan. We call it “Cultural Adventure” – and this is the spirit that runs through everything we do.
Today we operate across Asia, combining everything great about travel –meeting people from different cultures, developing new perspectives, experiencing different ways of life, seeing the world in all its beauty and diversity – whist delivering positive impact both at home and in our destinations.
Travel done the right way improves lives, whilst also protecting valuable cultural and natural heritage. By rooting travel in cultural experience and community, we guarantee you’ll have a more immersive, meaningful, and enjoyable trip.
Alastair Donnelly Founder & CEO Simon King Founder & COO
The “Inside Travel” guarantee
We guarantee that you’ll have our support every step of the way: in planning and preparation, and while you’re travelling –including on the ground, 24/7, if something unexpected happens or you want to make a change. Whether it’s a medical emergency, a lost phone, or a last-minute restaurant booking, we never pass the buck or dodge responsibility. We’ll be there to help, and we’ll make it right.
Introducing Toyama
Just two and a half hours from Tokyo by bullet train lies a place you’ve probably never heard of: Toyama. Its name means “rich with mountains,” and it’s everything you could want rural Japan to be.
Set on the northern coast of Honshu, Toyama City is the capital – and it’s surrounded by nature on a grand, cinematic scale.
Over a third of the prefecture is covered in national parks. Emerald rivers rush through gorges, mirror lakes reflect mountain peaks, and the sushi is among the freshest in Japan. It’s home to Japan’s tallest dam (the one from Godzilla). In Toyama’s Kurobe alpine route, you’ll find walls of snow towering higher than a double-decker bus.
A quick google could tell you all that. But we want to show you what makes Toyama truly magical.
Refusing to allow rural depopulation to erode its artisanal heritage, Western Toyama is having a renaissance. The initiatives you’ll find here are born of dynamic people, and they are so very Japanese: existing at the intersection of tradition and innovation, nature, and community.
Whole streets are alive with the rhythm of wood carving and metalwork. Workshops open straight onto the street, sunlight spilling in as artisans hammer, cut, and shape. Eleven traditional crafts – like washi papermaking and bronze bell casting – are protected here. Not because they belong in museums, but because people still live by them.
It’s a place where regeneration is powered by creativity, and tourism isn’t about ticking sights off a list – it’s about being part of something meaningful.
While 99% of international tourists never set foot here, with Inside Travel, your clients very easily could.
TOYAMA EXPERIENCES
The places we recommend
Carver’s Street
The main street of Inami is lined with woodcarving studios and shops, where visitors can observe artisans at work and purchase exquisite hand-carved items. This street is a living gallery of the town’s artistic legacy.
Inami’s woodcarving tradition dates back to the 14th century when artisans were commissioned to create intricate carvings for the nearby Zuisen-ji Temple, a Soto Zen Buddhist temple. Today, Inami woodcarving is recognized as one of the most significant traditional crafts in Japan.
Masuda sake brewery
Ryuichiro Masuda, fifth-generation owner of the Masuda Sake Company (established in 1893), has played a key role in revitalising the historic Iwase district.
Today, one street alone is home to six Michelin-listed restaurants, transforming the area into one of Toyama’s most exciting food neighbourhoods.
Home to one of the gasshozukuri farmhouse villages, it’s a perfect place to appreciate the natural side of Toyama.
Gokayama
Our best itinerary for Toyama:
Hidden Zen
15 days / 14 nights
Four to five-star
From A$13,140*
*Excluding flights. Price per person, based on twin share.
Explore Toyama, a lesser seen part of Japan, using the newly extended Shinkansen bullet train. Experience some moments of “Zen” after an adventure through the big cities, learn zen meditation, stay in an authentic ryokan, and culminate in a picture-perfect farmhouse laden with Japanese artwork.
Trip highlights
• Race across Japan on the legendary Shinkansen (bullet train)
• Enjoy days of personalised guiding in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kanazawa, shaped entirely by your clients
• Experience deep flavours during multi-course feasts at traditional ryokan inn stays
• Soak up Japanese bathing culture in an onsen (hot spring) town
• Escape the tourist trail and immerse clients in Toyama’s cultural heritage
Take clients to the Japanese Alps
Hidden Zen
Accommodation highlight
Rakudo-An
(TOYAMA PREFECTURE)
Located amongst rice paddies and farms, Rakudo-An’s 120-year-old farmhouse has been loving restored and updated to serve as a high-end inn with only three guest rooms. The rooms have been furnished with crafts from well-known Japanese artisans and spacious decks that look out on the surrounding houses and countryside.
There is on-site dining that uses local ingredients to make Italian-influenced dinners and hearty breakfasts. Aside from the spacious rooms and cozy common areas, a highlight of staying here is the community walks where guests can enjoy a taste of Japanese scattered village farmhouse living.
Rakudo-An offers a variety of local experiences that allow guests to engage with the community and experience Japanese culture firsthand.
Nagasaki
Dejima – the open-air museum
Introducing Nagasaki
Only those the Shogunate permitted could trade, visit or leave. All trading ports closed – except Nagasaki. The city was one of Japan’s few cultural and commercial exchange points for over two centuries.
Today, as a result, it’s one of the most culturally rich places in Japan – in a way that makes it more “foreign” than other cities, while still feeling deeply Japanese.
It’s because of this history that Nagasaki is one of the most interesting and multi-cultural Japanese cities to visit. And in the country where Tokyo is the capital, that’s saying a lot.
Walking through Nagasaki’s city streets, you’ll spot downtown izakaya next to bold, red Chinese temples, and catholic churches alongside Dutch boat festival floats; all characterising a city that comprises a true “melting pot” of cultures.
It’s beautiful, too, overlooked by 360-metre-high Mount Kompira. The Nakashima and Urakami flow to join Nagasaki Bay, and you’ll find rolling tea hills and views over the East China Sea. Heading up the Mount Inasa ropeway at night, you’ll see one of Japan’s top three-night views – the urban Nagasaki lights flicking on at twilight.
The places we recommend
Nagasaki
Peace
Park
Nagasaki Peace Park commemorates the victims of the atomic bombing on 9th August 1945 and stands close to the hypocentre of the explosion. Today, it serves as both a memorial site and a place for reflection.
The park contains several statues and artworks dedicated to peace, but the most recognisable is the 9.7m Peace Statue at its centre. Its design is rich in symbolism:
• The right hand points to the sky, warning of the threat of nuclear weapons
• The left arm extends horizontally, symbolising peace
• The closed eyes honour the souls lost in the bombing
• The seated posture represents meditation, alongside readiness for action
Glover Garden
Set on a hillside above Nagasaki harbour, Glover Garden is an open-air museum of Western-style residences dating back to the late Edo and early Meiji periods. The preserved mansions and landscaped grounds reflect the city’s long history as one of Japan’s few international ports (and the harbour views are some of the best in Nagasaki!).
The garden is named after Thomas Blake Glover, the Scottish merchant who helped introduce Western technology and industry to Japan during its period of rapid modernisation. His former residence is one of the highlights.
Next door is Oura Church, particularly relevant for clients interested in Nagasaki’s “Kakure Kirishitan” history, the hidden Christian communities who practised their faith in secret when Christianity was banned for over two centuries.
Nagasaki Ikedoki
Join a local tea expert in Higashi-Sonogi, Nagasaki’s best-known tea-growing area, to taste a range of regional specialities. You’ll sample tamaryokucha, a steamed, curly green tea unique to this part of Japan, as well as shiraore, a mild tea made from stems and twigs.
The experience includes a visit to the surrounding tea fields overlooking Omura Bay and time inside a working tea factory, where local farmers prepare their leaves for grading and competition. It’s a hands-on introduction to a side of Nagasaki that most visitors never see.
Our best itinerary for Nagasaki:
Kyushu Adventure
14 days / 13 nights
FULLY CUSTOMISABLE
Three star
From A4,580*
Four to five-star From A$12,950*
*Excluding flights. Price per person, based on twin share.
Naga saki
Kagoshima
Yakushima
Kirishima National Park
Visit
Discover the vibrant cities and impressive natural landscapes of the Kyushu region, from Kurokawa Onsen’s hot springs to the primeval forests of Yakushima, staying in superior accommodation and enjoying some of the finest Japanese cuisine.
Trip highlights
• Step back into Kumamoto Castle’s formidable past
• Then slow the pace in Suizenji’s meticulously crafted gardens
• Immerse yourself in legends of Kagoshima’s historic samurai
• Explore the rugged beauty of Kirishima National Park
• Experience living history as you hike through Yakushima’s ancient cedar forests
the Ikedoki tea fields
FUKUOKA
NAGASAKI
YAKUSHIMA
KAGOSHIMA
KI ISHIMA NA IONA A K
KUMAMO O
Kyushu Adventure Accommodation highlight
Takefue
KUROKAWA ONSEN
Staying at Takefue is a truly unique experience and will most certainly be one of the highlights of your clients trip. Hidden away in a bamboo forest about an hour north of Aso, Takefue is a small collection of Japanese style villas and rooms connected by small pathways taking you into another world.
At night, there is a mystical atmosphere as the bamboo is lit up and you are free to navigate the pathways in your yukata (Japanese-style robe) and geta (wooden clogs), discovering the various secluded outdoor hot spring baths on offer. Each room has its own unique design, fusing both traditional and modern aspects of Japanese design and architecture. A delicious kaiseki dinner will be served to you in your room made from local delicacies and seasonal ingredients.
Osu Kannon Bell Nagoya
Introducing Nagoya
Most visitors to Japan could point out Tokyo and Kyoto blindfolded. But Nagoya? Many speed through on the Shinkansen bullet train without even noticing. Yet this is a city that has shaped Japan’s past and present far more than its modest profile suggests.
Home to Japan’s second Ghibli Park and Legoland, there’s also a vibrant art scene, if you know where to look. The Aichi Triennale transforms the city every three years, and galleries across Nagoya display works ranging from Gustav Klimt’s paintings to Taikan Yokoyama’s scrolls. Venture beyond the city, to Tokoname, and pottery pieces, lining the roads, outnumber people.
When it comes to spirituality, Nagoya’s prefecture (Aichi) has more shrines and temples than any other in Japan – with almost two shrines and one temple per square mile. Within the city’s most revered shrine, Atsuta, rests the sacred sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi – one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan, believed to hold the spirit of sun goddess Amaterasu.
Nagoya may never compete with Kyoto’s temples or Tokyo’s neon for headlines – but that’s its strength. It doesn’t need to. Instead, it’s a proud city where Japan’s modern engines and ancient rituals run in parallel: where the sacred sword rests a train ride away from the Pokémon Center and where visitors can still share a table with locals rather than a crowd.
The places we recommend
Osu and Osu Kannon
A favourite with Nagoya locals, Osu and neighbouring Osu Kannon Temple form one of the city’s most characterful districts. It’s sometimes compared to Akihabara or Den-den Town, but Osu has its own eclectic personality – part traditional temple quarter, part retro electronics hub, part independent shopping arcade.
Within a few blocks you’ll find vintage clothing stores, anime and gaming shops, small craft stalls and long-standing local cafés. It’s the kind of place where clients can browse without a fixed plan and see a more everyday side of the city.
Start at Osu Kannon Temple at the southern end of the arcade, particularly lively during the monthly antiques market, when collectors and curious visitors gather to hunt for ceramics, kimonos and unexpected finds.
Atsuta Shrine
Atsuta Shrine is one of Japan’s most significant Shinto shrines, often mentioned alongside Ise in Mie and Izumo in Shimane. It was established to house the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan.
The sword itself is never displayed, which only adds to the shrine’s sense of quiet importance.
It pairs well with nearby Shirotori Garden, just a short walk away, making this an easy addition to a relaxed half-day in southern Nagoya.
Our best itinerary for Nagoya:
Samurai Footsteps
14 days / 13 nights
Four to five-star
From A$9,500*
*Excluding flights. Price per person, based on twin share.
This trip idea is for anyone curious about Japan’s history – whether you’re a lifelong samurai enthusiast or simply want to explore traditions beyond the usual tourist route. You’ll visit temples once frequented by warriors, eat in local izakaya, and stay in a mountain ryokan inn, much as travellers did centuries ago.
Trip highlights
• Play games with an elusive geisha, during a private audience in Kyoto
• Step inside a Ryogoku sumo stable for exclusive access to their morning training
• Sword dance like a samurai with a katana kenbu experience in Kyoto
• A tour of Tokyo (with a private Insider guide), shaped entirely by your client
Shirotori Koen Bridge
Samurai Footsteps Accommodation highlight
Yamamizuki Urara Tsutaya
(KISO FUKUSHIMA)
A perfect stopping point in Kiso-Fukushima along the old Nakasendo Trail, you can rest your feet at this ryokan’s traditional onsen hotsprings.
Travel back in time to the days when samurai trudged along the Nakasendo Highway with a stay at this traditional ryokan inn, in the town of Kiso Fukushima. In keeping with the traditional atmosphere of this former staging point on the old route between Edo and imperial Kyoto, all rooms are carpeted with tatami mats. The focal point of the ryokan is its excellent onsen (hot spring bath), which is fed by thermal waters from beneath the mountains.
Guest rooms have wonderful views over the surrounding town and forested mountain slopes. Meals are served in the traditional Japanese fashion, either in-room or at the inn’s restaurant, with lots of small, meticulously prepared dishes that are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. Though the lodgings here are simple, this is a real ryokan experience which means impeccable hospitality, attentive staff, superb food and beautiful hot spring baths.
Udo Shrine, Aomori City
Introducing Aomori
Like much of the northerly Tohoku region, Aomori is largely undiscovered by visitors.
Hokkaido – land of snow, skiing and Sapporo beer – just to the north often paints a more visual picture in the mind’s eye but when it comes to Aomori there’s a bit of a collective mental blank.
But in reality, it’s anything but empty: home to original samurai castles and UNESCO World Heritage sites, rambling apple orchards and glassy rice fields, dramatic forest gorges for hiking and beaches for lounging.
There are unique local crafts, and even a mini version of iconic Mount Fuji, the 1,625m Mount Iwate.
And Aomori City, up on the north coast is known for its huge, week-long Nebuta fire festival each August. Although it is only held over a few days, the gigantic bamboo framed lanterns of various forms (including samurai, kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers) are displayed in an exhibition all year round. You can even enjoy its more low-key draws, including nokkedon, a kind of DIY chirashizushi, or “scattered sushi” in the central fish market.
AOMORI EXPERIENCES
The places we recommend
Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada
After a few days in Tokyo or Kyoto, clients often start craving space. Lake Towada is where you send them.
Up in the mountains of Aomori, Lake Towada’s (Towada-ko) vast crater lake is ringed by forests. The water is intensely blue on a clear day, while autumn offers crimson
red vistas as far as the eye can see.
From the lake, the Oirase Gorge trail begins quietly and then builds into a procession of waterfalls, moss-covered rocks and clear, fast-moving water. Clients simply follow the sound of the water and enjoy the moment when something catches their eye.
Nebuta Wa Rasse Museum
This museum showcases the enormous illuminated floats from Aomori’s most famous export, the Nebuta Festival. Held each August, the festival is known for its vividly coloured washi paper floats and energetic street parades. If clients aren’t visiting during festival season, this is where they can experience it year-round.
The building itself is hard to miss, with its striking red slatted exterior near the harbour. Inside, alongside the full-scale floats, there are occasional dance performances at weekends and during holidays, bringing a taste of the festival atmosphere to the city centre.
Seiryuji Temple
The seated bronze Buddha at Seiryuji Temple is the largest of its kind in Japan. It’s an unexpectedly monumental sight in Aomori, and one that often surprises visitors who don’t associate the region with grand temple architecture.
The wider temple grounds are just as impressive. There’s a five-storey pagoda built from locally sourced Aomori cypress, the fourth tallest in Japan.
Our best itinerary for Aomori:
Japan’s Undiscovered North
12 days / 11 nights
FULLY CUSTOMISABLE
Three to four-star
From A$6380*
*Excluding flights. Price per person, based on twin share.
For travellers who want to discover a Japan that feels more traditional, with landscapes that feel wild, our Japan’s Undiscovered North tour was made for you. Hop on the Shinkansen bullet train and take a tour of the northern Tohoku region – where tourists are few and everyday life feels a little closer to old Japan.
Trip highlights
• From orchard-fresh fruit to lively festivals, immerse in Aomori’s vibrant seasons
• Plunge into the deep samurai heritage of Kakunodate
• Hop between Sendai’s buzzing izakaya bars
• Hike the windswept beauty of the Tanesashi coastline
Hirosaki castle in the spring
Japan’s Undiscovered North
Accommodation
highlight
Oirase Keiryu Hotel By Hoshino Resorts
(LAKE TOWADA)
Oirase Keiryu Hotel is a serene riverside retreat nestled along the banks of the Oirase Stream. Surrounded by lush forest and the soothing sounds of flowing water, the hotel offers direct access to one of Japan’s most scenic walking trails.
You can unwind in open-air hot spring baths overlooking the stream, savor locally inspired cuisine, and relax in elegant guest rooms designed to harmonize with the natural surroundings. Whether enjoying the peaceful rhythm of the river or exploring the nearby waterfalls and forest paths, the Oirase Keiryu Hotel offers a luxurious and restorative stay in the heart of nature.
Our two styles of travel
Tailor-made or small group, two proven styles your clients will love.
Tailormade travel Small Group Tours
Imagine a trip custom built for your client, but designed by an expert with real lived experience of Japan. Where every destination, hotel, day of guiding and experience is tailored just for your client. All built to their pace, their passions, their must-sees. All with room for a few (good!) surprises along the way.
Sociable group travel with itineraries across Japan. Travelling with one of our clued-up, infectiously enthusiastic Insider tour leaders, your clients will be treated to visits of hidden haunts and otherwise inaccessible experiences – with all the logistics handled for them.
(Max group size 14–16 people)
Have a client in mind?
Here’s how to enquire
Step 1 Step 2
Call us on +61 (0)7 3186 8800 or you can just start by telling us all about your clients idea via the link below.
Your personal destination specialist will work with you to learn more about your client. Asking questions and sharing ideas (including many from personal experience)
Step 3
With this at hand, they’ll build a custom proposal, checking the availability of hotels, guides and experiences, before we share a proposal.
Step 4
Finally, they’ll share their hand-built proposal. Every detail will reflect your clients pace, passions and preferences, so it feels like it could only be theirs.
Our itineraries are completely customisable
Client wants to swap city for countryside, reverse the route, or add in something they’ve always wanted to try? No problem – we’ll make it theirs.
Clients looking to extend their trip with a week in Korea or a stop over in Thailand? We’ll make it easy.
an A$40,000 cultural adventure It’s not another boring prize... Or one of 10 FREE small group tour places to Japan!
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Bristol
Inside Travel Group
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United Kingdom
+44 (0)117 244 3380
info@insidejapantours.com
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United States
+1 303 952 0379
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Queensland 4066
Australia
+61 (0)7 3186 8800
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