Japan Cultural Adventure by Rail
16-Day Fusion of Ancient & Modern Japan
Leave the travel cliche’s behind on this 16-day solo travellers’ trip, and come explore Japan’s remote Northern region. Leaping far from the usual tourist trail, your trip starts in Sapporo on the northern wilderness island of Hokkaido – where mountainous and wild-coast views leave anyone who visits, catching their breath.
Travelling by train (because nobody does trains like Japan!) you’ll cross under the Tsugaru Strait and meander south, exploring some of Japan’s best-preserved historic towns where your expert guide makes stories of the Shogun, Samurai and Edo Period come alive. On the home stretch, you’ll come to rest in Kyoto for an immersive soul-recharging experience that will tick all the ‘Zensory’ boxes. All-in-all, this is a surreal journey in the company of no more than 12 in your group that you shouldn’t miss!
Highlights
Trip Details
Trip Breakdown
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Length
16 days / 15 nights
Details
- 2-week cooling-off period applies
- Lifetime Deposit. If you need to cancel, your deposit is transferable to other trips
- Private room of your own, every time
Please refer to our payment terms in the FAQs.
Arrival
Dormy Inn Premium, Sapporo
Departure
Hotel Metropolitan Edmont, Tokyo
Group Size
12
Included
- Meals: 15 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 8 dinners
- Private room of your own, every time
- Private arrival transfers
- All trains and private road transfers as listed
- 15 nights of comfortable 3-star accommodation
- 4 x Luggage transfers (1 large case pp) on days 3, 6, 11 and 14 – see more details in FAQs
- A top-rated and English-speaking Tour Leader
- All listed activities and more!
Not Included
- International flights
- Travel insurance (compulsory)
- Late check-out at hotels
- Meals and drinks not mentioned in the itinerary
- Drinks with included lunches and dinners
- Tip kitty (See FAQs for more information)
- Personal expenditure
Accommodation
Your Fencox accommodation means having a private room, all to yourself – every single time.
Accommodation Preview
Hotel Resol, Hakodate
Hotel Metropolitan, Akita
Onyado Nono Shichijo, Kyoto
Day 1: Welcome to Sapporo, Hokkaido
Kon’nichiwa and welcome to Sapporo! One of our friendly team members will meet you at the airport and whisk you directly to your hotel. After check-in, rest-up… or maybe take a stroll down to the Sapporo Beer Museum for a look-see, and a cheeky tasting or two. But don’t lose track of time, because by day’s end you’ll be bonding over dinner with your guide and your new Fencox Crew!
Accommodation: Dormy Inn Premium (or similar), Sapporo
Included: Dinner
Day 2: Sapporo – Not Just Famous for Beer!
Pop on your comfy shoes this morning, because after breakfast you’ll be exploring Sapporo with your guide on foot. Wander the stalls of Nijo Market, and get a blessing at the Hokkaido Shrine. This temple has the oldest guardian dog statues in Sapporo, which are said to bring good luck for childbirth.
This afternoon is for doing as you please! You might feel like tracking down a bowl of steaming miso ramen for dinner – being a Sapporo specialty, it’s easily found and your guide can point you in the direction of a restaurant just near your hotel.
Accommodation: Dormy Inn Premium (or similar), Sapporo
Included: Breakfast
Day 3: Hakodate
Wave goodbye to your suitcase this morning – it’s on a journey of its own by courier. You’ll be reunited in Hirosaki on Day 4. When you step on the train to Hakodate with your lightweight overnight bag, you’ll be wondering why nowhere else in the world has caught onto this liberating travel style!
Two and a half hours by train will slip by too quickly. After soaking in Hokkaido’s rural inland, your ride will gently track to the West and sidle on up to the coastline – and Pacific Ocean vistas wherever you look. Your only distraction will be the neat compartments of deliciousness in your bento box that’s served for lunch along the way.
Before the day’s end (and if the weather gods are kind to us) you’ll be treated to a different type of view – of Hakodate city stretching out on the narrow peninsula arm below you – thanks to a ride on Mt Hakodate’s Ropeway.
Accommodation: Hotel Resol (or similar), Hakodate
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4: Goryokaku Fortress
Rise and shine early this morning because you don’t want to miss out on eating like the locals. You’ll head to the Morning Market for some delicious breakfast– the choices may sound all too lunch-like for you, but hey; when in Rome… or in this case, when in Japan… and the options are almost endless!
Once you’re fuelled up, its off to Goryokaku Fortress, a star-shaped, Edo period citadel that became a public park in the 1910s. There are more than 1000 trees planted around the moat!
This afternoon, you’ll wave goodbye to the gingko trees on Hokkaido Island and head to Japan’s mainland via the Seikan Tunnel. The train ride is so smooth you’ll never know that for more than 23 km you’re travelling below the seabed.
Accommodation: Hotel Resol (or similar), Hirosaki
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5: Hirosaki Castle
Today starts with a visit to the quintessentially Japanese Hirosaki Castle. On clear days, it’s a place to step back and take in the bigger picture, because looming in the background is an unexpected showstopper – Mt Fuji’s little-known look-alike, but equally as imposing, Mt Iwaki.
With your fellow Fencoxers, you’ll then head on to the Neputa Mura Museum. This museum celebrates the Neputa Matsuri festival, which features illuminated floats with large hand-painted screens.
Accommodation: Route Inn (or similar), Hirosaki
Included: Breakfast
Japan’s Joyful Trains
Do you fancy riding a train for the pure enjoyment of riding a train? Then you’re going to love Japan’s ‘Joyful Trains’.
Enjoy sedate rides with musical accompaniments on the inside while coastline drama and countryside orchards pass by on the outside, or dive into the world of kitsch by riding a train celebrating all things Pokémon. Dine out with a view from a fancy-schmancy restaurant train, or test your balance with a ride on a sake-tasting train. There’s even one for cyclists; destined for a bike-friendly tourist spot and fitted with bike racks and a floor to accommodate riding shoes!
Whether you’re enticed by the views on the outside, or the activities on the inside, in Japan there’s a train ride dreamed up for everyone!
Day 6: Geisha Experience
Pack a smaller bag for the night as this morning your luggage will be whisked away to Aizu Wakamatsu, while you hop on an express train to Akita. We won’t spoil too much about the experience you’ll have in Akita this afternoon, but you can expect to bask in the elegance of the maiko (apprentice geisha) and enjoy tea as they dance.
You’re almost a week into your trip now, so dinner tonight with your fellow Fencoxers could be a great opportunity to swap photos from the trip so far!
Accommodation: Metropolitan Akita (or similar), Akita
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7: Samurai Stronghold of Kakunodate
There’ve been so many wow moments on this trip already, but still, you’ll hardly be able to contain yourself this morning. You’ll be boarding the train for a short ride to the town of Kakunodate. As you roam the streets, you may feel like you’ve travelled back in time. This place was home for centuries to military nobility known as The Samurai. Explore it with your guide, inside and out!
Then it’s back on the train – time to kick back and relax. Your destination for the night, Aizu Wakamatsu, is around one and a half hours away. At check-in, you’ll be reunited with your luggage once again!
Accommodation: Hotel Route Inn (or similar), Aizu Wakamatsu
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8: Aizu Wakamatsu
Today, head up to one of the final strongholds of samurai that remained loyal to the shogunate, Tsurugajo Castle. You’ll want to get your cameras out here, trust us! Afterwards, Mount Iimoriyama is calling…
The afternoon is yours to explore Aizu Wakamatsu. The town not only has onsen if you feel like a soak, it’s also famous for a drink – anyone up for a tasting or few at our favourite sake brewery to warm the cockles of your heart?
Accommodation: Route Inn (or similar), Aizu Wakamatsu
Included: Breakfast
Day 9: Old Post Town Ouchi Juku
Your Fencox family will trade the tracks for the road this morning. It’s just one hour to your destination – the old post town of Ouchi Juku. Once a stop on the trade route between your overnight stop and Nikko, it developed out of necessity during the Shogun era, to feed, water and bed down weary traders who travelled the route on foot.
Today, Ouchi Juku is restored to its Edo Period, traditional self. You’ll wander along the unpaved main street, peering at the shops and inns, feeling amazed by the immaculacy of their trimmed, thatched roofs. By now you’ll have come to realise that each day on this trip is like a leap from one magic-filled storybook to the next.
Continue on to Nikko this afternoon, where you’ll visit a local sake brewery. Cheers!
Accommodation: Nikko Station Hotel Classic (or similar), Nikko
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10: Lake Chuzenjiko and Kegon falls
Today you’re swapping the train for a bus up to Lake Chuzenji, the country’s highest natural lake, and the almost 100 meter tall Kegon Waterfall that flows from it. You’ll also explore the Toshogu Shrine complex, with it’s ornate wood carvings and large amounts of gold leaf– unusual for Japan. Also unusual is the temple’s mix of both Shinto and Buddhist elements!
It’s Day 10 and your group is already bonding like old friends and finding excuses to extend dinnertime into post-meal night caps!
Accommodation: Nikko Station Hotel Classic (or similar), Nikko
Included: Breakfast
Day 11: Bullet Train to Kyoto
Today is a travel day, so pack that book, just in case you want to drift off to another world for a time, while your group transfers to Kyoto via Tokyo (oh… did you notice that Kyoto is an anagram of Tokyo?!). The whole trip will take about five-and-a-half hours but the last bit is on the Bullet Train, which is absolutely thrilling!
Your luggage will be waiting for you in Kyoto, so pop on your party-best (if it goes with your sensible walking shoes)! You will get to know Gion, Kyoto’s most famous district, on a walking tour with your guide before dinner tonight. With the lanterns lit for the evening, there is an atmospheric glow in town. Keep an eye out for geisha girls flitting about the streets like fireflies. This is a new side of Japan that’s just now unveiling itself to you, so take it all in and enjoy!
Accommodation: Onyado Nono Shichijo (or similar), Kyoto
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12: Tea in Kyoto
Good morning! You just finished your first sleep of four in your premium Kyoto Hotel. Now is that time in your trip where it’s oh-so-nice to change the pace, unpack and make yourself feel truly at home.
Today, your guide will show you Kyoto’s premier must-see list. Touristy or not, the Old Town is still going to knock your socks off, and when you walk through the orange colonnade of the Torii Gates, you’ll be pinching yourself that you’re doing it!
With a few other ‘A-lister’ experiences to sneak in, including a private tea ceremony, you’ll be back at your hotel by the late afternoon. Tonight is yours for the making – go out on the town or stay in – whatever you choose, now is an excellent time to mention your hotel has his and hers hot springs baths onsite!
Accommodation: Onyado Nono Shichijo (or similar), Kyoto
Included: Breakfast
Day 13: Miyama Village
Today is a special one! Once you’ve been there and it’s weaved its magic on you, when you hear the word Miyama, all that will follow is a sigh of content – guaranteed. Welcoming. Unique. Heartfelt. Just a few words to express this place when you break up into groups of four for your in-home lunch experience. An experience to fill both your belly and your soul!
Accommodation: Onyado Nono Shichijo (or similar), Kyoto
Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 14: Nara Park
All aboard the Aoniyoshi Train to Nara! Today you’ll head off to visit the beautiful Nara Park, at the foot of Mt. Wakakusaand. After you stroll amongst the trees and take some pictures of the famously friendly deer, you’ll pop over to the Todaiji Temple. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world!
There are no set plans for dinner tonight, but can you hear your Fencox Crew calling anyway?
Accommodation: Onyado Nono Shichijo (or similar), Kyoto
Included: Breakfast
Day 15: Tokyo Bound
It’s time to say goodbye to Kyoto – Tokyo is beckoning! Let’s jump aboard the bullet train one more time. In a little over three hours, you’ll be staring up at those never-ending high-rise clusters of central Tokyo. Life is at a different pace in Japan’s capital and biggest city. It’s high time you experienced it!
After a spell at the hotel, you’ll regroup for an evening guided walk around Shinjuku. This neighbourhood is not only one of Tokyo’s largest entertainment and shopping areas, it’s also home to the world’s busiest train station! That sounds like a perfect spot for your farewell dinner – together you’ll celebrate the adventures you’ve had and friendships you’ve made.
Accommodation: Hotel Metropolitan Edmont (or similar), Tokyo
Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16: Farewell
Has it really been sixteen days? You’ve experienced so much and it’s hard to fathom how the time went by so fast. Grab your nearest Fencox friend for a hearty hug. This may be your last breakfast together for now, but surely not forever – the only question left is: where to next?!
Included: Breakfast
Trip Map
Frequently Asked Questions
Prior to the payment of your full balance, the final price may change if there is a significant variation in the AUD:JPY exchange rate. Our trip pricing is determined by what the exchange rates are at the time of publishing the trip.
The pricing on this trip is based on an exchange rate of 1 AUD:100.3 JPY
A deposit of 25% of the total trip price is required to secure your spot. Payment can be made by credit card (fees apply) or bank deposit.
There is a cooling-off period of 2 weeks. (Applicable to all bookings made at least 120 days before trip departure.)
We have implemented a ‘lifetime deposit’ guarantee. Deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable at any time, right up until the first day of the trip.
The final balance of the trip is required 120 days in advance of the departure date. Our suppliers require upfront payment well in advance to guarantee availability.
Please refer to the full terms and conditions for further information.
Australian and New Zealand passport holders do not require a tourist visa for short stays in Japan. All travellers need a passport that is valid for 6 months after departure.
Level 1
So long as you have a general level of health and fitness, you’ll be fine. However, to enjoy this trip, you’ll need to be able to spend time on your feet and regularly walk for 3-4 hours. Daily activities might include walking on uneven and hilly ground, getting on and off various forms of transportation and occasionally climbing some stairs. You may also encounter over-the-bath showers in some of the accommodations.
It will be impossible to enjoy your trip if you’re not able to do a walking tour for a full afternoon. Unfortunately, this tour cannot accommodate people requiring walking aids.
Tipping is not expected in Japan (and tipping in restaurants may even offend), however, if your guide has ensured that your trip is memorable, we encourage a gesture of thanks with a tip at the end of your adventure. As a suggestion, between 8,000 and 12,000 Yen per person would be appropriate, but also feel free to choose a different amount.
Japan’s train system is impressive, and rather than lugging luggage around, locals use couriers to transport it between destinations. We’ll be using the same. So, as well as your usual luggage (single case, please), you’ll need a small backpack or overnight case (with wheels) to pack essentials for a brief overnight stay while your luggage is couriered directly to meet you at the next major destination. This trip has five Luggage transfers that occur on days 3, 5, 8, 10 & 14.
OCTOBER
October is one of the best months to visit Japan, with mild weather and vibrant autumn colours beginning to appear.
In Northern Japan (Hokkaido), average temperatures range from 7°C to 15°C, and it can feel crisp, especially in the mornings and evenings. In Central Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka), temperatures are typically 15°C to 22°C, offering comfortable, mostly dry conditions. October is generally pleasant across the country, making it ideal for outdoor activities and sightseeing.
NOVEMBER
November is one of the best months to visit Japan, as the weather is typically mild and the autumn foliage is stunning.
In Northern Japan (Hokkaido), the average temperatures in November are from 2°C to 10°C. It gets chilly, and snow may start to fall late in the month. In Central Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) temperatures are from 10°C to 17°C. It is cool and pleasant, with minimal rainfall. November is one of the driest months in Japan, making it great for outdoor activities and sightseeing.
Your accommodation will be private; in other words, no room-sharing with anyone, throughout the entire trip.
Most Fencox travellers tend to be in their mid-50s to mid-70s.
Generally, we have no upper age limit for our trips. But, it’s important for you to know that our trips can be physically demanding and we will chat to you about your suitability. We’ll provide you with details of the health and fitness must-haves for our trips; however, we clearly are not medical experts. We will need you to obtain proper and detailed medical advice at least two months before you travel for the latest health requirements, vaccination advice and recommendations for your destination.
Age 75+
Guests over 75 years old at the time of travel, or those with pre-existing health conditions may need to have medical clearance to ensure safe travel, and must have a doctor complete a ‘Certificate of Medical Fitness to Travel’ within 30 days of booking confirmation.
Minimum age
While it doesn’t happen often, we do get younger guests joining our trips! As a general rule, the minimum age is 15 at the time of travel. All travellers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian, or be accompanied by someone over the age of 18 appointed by their legal guardian.
International airfares are not included.
Being tour operators (not travel agents), we are not licensed to sell flights. We recommend contacting your trusted local travel agent to book flights if you’re in need of assistance.
Cathay Pacific and China Airlines have 1-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Sapporo.
TBA
The official currency in Japan is the Japanese Yen (JPY).
In the unlikely event of a health or security-related incident during a trip, we’ve engaged a local partner to assist. From our experience, there is not one framework that fits all, and every incident is unique and requires a different approach. With all trips, your guides are your day-to-day support. While behind the scenes, there is an active line of communication – between your guide, the on-ground support team, and Australian Ops.
Fencox was created because we had so many enquiries from men and women who had heard about our amazing Patch Adventures trips for women-only and wanted the opportunity to travel solo in the same way, only in a mixed group.
Fencox caters to both men and women who are solo travellers, have a genuine sense of adventure, are aged 55+, and are physically active and young at heart. Your fellow travel mates on a Fencox trip are inquisitive about the world and love exploring new travel destinations. Fencox travel mates love meeting new people, enjoy a good chat, and are happy to share a table with fellow travel mates for dinner.
If you’re travelling solo but don’t want to feel alone, this is your opportunity to share your travel experiences with other like-minded people. And best of all …. you’ll never pay a single supplement because everyone is guaranteed their own room!
