Experience Japan with local experts and real-time support.
See Japan in sakura season, late March to mid April. Customised slow travel, traditional ryokans and curated experiences, built around your pace. Perfect for spring break with family or friends.
24/7 support
Chat with an expert in the Catterfly app during your trip.
Slow travel
Every route can be stretched or trimmed to your speed.
Families and seniors
Paced for kids, parents and grandparents.
Local experts
People who live in the destination or have for years.
Find the route that fits your time and budget.
Move the sliders and the routes below update. Every plan is a starting point: our experts change cities, hotels and days until it is yours, and time it for the cherry blossoms.
- Hotels or apartments to your preference
- Tours and private transfers
- Activities and a customised sightseeing plan
- The Catterfly app
- Visa processing and return airfare
- Porterage and personal expenses
- Local accommodation taxes
What should Japan feel like for you?
Pick a mood. We show the guides and experiences on catterfly.com that fit it.
Not sure which mood fits you? Tell us how you like to travel and an expert will suggest a route.
Add a day that nobody else's itinerary has.
Bookable activities from catterfly.com, each led by a local host and added to your plan in the app.
Sake Brewery Tasting Experience
Taste your way through an alpine town's historic sake distilleries.
See experienceMarket Walk and Hands-On Cooking
Shop the stalls, then cook a homestyle meal yourself.
See experienceHakone Round Course with Free Pass
Cable cars, a pirate-ship cruise on Lake Ashi and views of Mt. Fuji.
See experienceThe Okonomimura Challenge
Regional soul food, stall by stall, in Hiroshima's okonomiyaki village.
See experienceTravelling with kids? We can add the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, the Hakone Open-Air Museum or a ninja workshop in Kyoto, at a pace that works for every age.
Want one of these added to your spring trip? We book them with your hotels and trains.
The Japan spring planner, in one PDF.
Everything our travellers ask us before a cherry blossom trip, on four easy pages. Then read the full detail on our blog.
- When the blossoms open in Tokyo, Kyoto and beyond
- Visa and entry basics, and Visit Japan Web
- What really drives the cost of a Japan trip
- JR Pass, IC cards, luggage forwarding and data
- A 14-day sample route and the best spring spots
From the first call until you are home.
You talk to one expert the whole way. They plan it, our local team books it, and the app keeps it all in one place.
Pick your plan
Start from the Grand Japan Odyssey, a single experience, or just tell us what you want Japan to feel like.
Talk to the expert
Your expert looks at your interests, pace and budget, and replies within 24 to 48 hours with a plan and a quote.
We book it all
Hotels and ryokans, Shinkansen seats, transfers, luggage forwarding and guides. Our local team handles every booking.
Get set, go
Day-wise plans, directions and vouchers sit in the Catterfly app, with your expert a message away the whole trip.
Read before you book.
Do I need a visa for Japan?
Who goes visa-free, who applies, and Visit Japan Web.
In the free planner BudgetWhat does a Japan trip really cost?
Hotels, rail passes and the spring premium, explained.
In the free planner LogisticsGetting around without the stress
JR Pass, IC cards, luggage forwarding and data.
Read the guide TimingWhen should I go?
Sakura, summer, autumn colour and snow.
Read the guideWhen is the best time to visit Japan?
LengthJapan itinerary: how many days do you really need?
LogisticsHow to avoid crowds in Japan: smart travel logistics for 2026
ApproachHow to plan an authentic Japan trip
First tripHow to plan an unforgettable trip to Japan
Golden Route FAQIs the JR Pass worth it? Answers on our Japan packages page
Have a question these guides don't answer? Ask a Japan expert directly.
Japan changes with the calendar.
May and September have milder weather and thinner crowds at places like Fushimi Inari.
The parts that trip people up.
Seen on our feed.
All our Japan reels, most watched first. Short, practical and made by the team who plans your trip.
What Catterflyers say about travelling with us.
Families, couples and a college group who explored Japan with us, plus a few words from other Catterfly trips. Different places, the same care for parents, grandparents and plans that change on the road.
"We'd wanted to see Japan in autumn for years but had no idea where to start. Catterfly planned all 12 days for us, from Tokyo to Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka, and every detail was thought through. Our tea ceremony, the Shibuya Sky tickets and the train times were all booked before we landed, so we never wasted a minute in queues or working out connections. Soaking in the onsen in Hakone with views of Mt. Fuji, walking through Arashiyama with the leaves turning red, and a sake tasting in Kyoto are moments we still talk about. It felt like the trip had been made just for the two of us, and that's exactly what it was. If you're thinking about Japan, let Catterfly plan it for you."
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka · Dec 2024
"Planning 17 days in Japan with two kids felt like a lot, so we handed it over to Catterfly and we're so glad we did. They got the balance just right, with a fun day for the children and a special day for us. In Kyoto the kids dressed up as samurai and threw ninja stars, then fed the deer in Nara while we enjoyed a sake tasting. Every timed ticket and train was booked before we arrived, and whenever we had a question, the Catterfly team was just a message away. If you're taking your family to Japan, let Catterfly plan it for you."
Hakone, Kyoto and Tokyo · June 2026
"As a senior couple we were worried about the long train journeys and finding our way around Japan. Catterfly paced all 10 days so we never felt rushed. Someone was waiting at Narita with our name on a sign, and they told us to book all our bullet train seats at the airport, which made the rest of the trip so easy. The Golden Pavilion and the floating torii at Miyajima were even more beautiful than the pictures. If you're travelling to Japan at our age, let Catterfly plan it for you."
Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima · May 2019
"Taking 41 students to Japan for a study tour is not a small job, but Catterfly made it feel easy. A campus visit and talk at Sophia University, a morning at Miraikan and the hands-on Disaster Prevention Park gave our students a real look at how Japan thinks about innovation and preparedness. Then came Asakusa, Mt Fuji, the gates of Fushimi Inari, the deer in Nara and a bullet train to Osaka for an evening in Dotonbori. Every day had clear timings, so a big group never lost time waiting around. If you're planning a college trip to Japan, let Catterfly plan it for you."
Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka · June 2025
"I travelled to Varanasi with 3 senior citizens, all in the 80s. The trip was organized with such precision that included wheel chair access."
Dive in to Divinity, India
"When we said some locations seemed difficult to cover, considering parents' age, they gave some recommendations real time and we were able to change our plans accordingly."
6 days around Switzerland with visiting family
"Very approachable 24/7 inspite of the time zone."
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Ready to plan your own story? Share your dates and we will send a route within 48 hours.
Planned by people who know the route.
Mrigakshi wrote our Japan guides and plans the trips. Nitin leads Catterfly's planning. Behind them is a network of destination experts who live where you travel.
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Meet all our destination experts
Your day-by-day plan in your pocket.
Day-wise details, navigation for every day, all your vouchers, and a chat line to an expert for the last-minute questions.
- Day-wise plan
- Maps and directions
- All vouchers
- Chat with your expert
Tell us how you like to travel. We will build Japan around it.
Share your dates, who is coming and what you want to taste, see and skip. A Japan expert replies with a route.