Japan Private Tour (JPN018) Winter in Tokyo - Akita Annual Snow Hut Festival

Arrive at Narita Airport and meet your team. Head out to explore Tokyo's famous fish market in the morning with a visit to Tsukiji Fish Market, historically known as the world's largest fish market handling over 2,000 tons of seafood daily. The market is divided into two sections: the Outer Market featuring numerous retail stalls and eateries, and the wholesale Inner Market famous for business negotiations and iconic tuna auctions.

Visit Asakusa Temple (Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street), symbolized by its massive red lantern inscribed with the kanji "Kaminari-mon" meaning "Thunder Gate," a beloved highlight for visitors. Senso-ji is Tokyo's oldest temple and is free to enter. You can also make an offering and wish with a go-en (5-yen) coin.

Continue to Hakone Shrine, which dates back to 757 AD. Many visitors come here to pray for victory in competitions, safe journeys, good fortune, and love, as well as to absorb the spiritual energy of this renowned "Power Spot."

Head to Tokyo Skytree, an iconic photo spot where you can enjoy sweeping views of the metropolis. On clear days, Mount Fuji is visibly breathtaking in the distance. The area is surrounded by vibrant shopping malls and engaging museums.

Visit Odaiba Marine Park, a seaside park bordered by tranquil rocky shores where you can stroll along sandy beaches and discover waterfront bars and cafes overlooking the Tokyo skyline.

Odaiba offers a full range of attractions and activities for every style, from scenic viewpoints and relaxing onsen baths to cutting-edge digital museums, entertainment parks, stylish photo spots, and prime shopping destinations such as DiverCity Tokyo Plaza.

Shop in Shibuya and Shinjuku, Tokyo's most vibrant commercial hubs featuring premier department stores like Isetan, Takashimaya, and Marui. On the east side of Shinjuku, you can explore popular discount megastores like Don Quijote and electronics superstores like Yamada Denki.

Explore Harajuku, renowned for its colorful street art, trendsetting fashion boutiques, eclectic vintage shops, and cosplay culture along Takeshita Street.

hotel Overnight Tokyo

Travel to Tokyo DisneySea, a theme park inspired by myths and legends of the sea. Beyond featuring numerous rides and attractions, there are both savory and sweet dining spots. The park is divided into 7 themed ports: Mediterranean Harbor with its Italian style; Mysterious Island, set inside the volcano at the park's center; Mermaid Lagoon, exploring the undersea world of Ariel and her friends; Arabian Coast, themed around the world of Aladdin; Lost River Delta, built amidst ancient pyramid ruins in the American jungle; Port Discovery, featuring a roller coaster, fountains, and the Aquatopia whirlpool ride; and American Waterfront.

Alternatively, you can choose to visit Tokyo Disneyland, Japan's number-one theme park welcoming nearly 20 million visitors each year. The park features 7 main themed areas: World Bazaar, a shopping hub with shops and restaurants designed around 20th-century America; Tomorrowland, designed around futuristic visions; Toontown, home to Mickey and his Disney friends; as well as Fantasyland, Critter Country, Westernland, and Adventureland.

Alternatively, if you prefer not to visit the theme park, you can choose to shop at your leisure: Nakamise Street, where you can browse and buy souvenirs, authentic "Made In Japan" local goods, and plenty of high-quality household items / Akihabara, an electronics hub with everything from small specialty shops to large shopping centers / Ginza, a commercial district where land prices in central Ginza rank among the highest in Japan, renowned as a premier Tokyo destination for designer brands, luxury goods, and dining.

Aeon Narita Mall features up to 150 shops, decorated in a modern Japanese style. Highlights include a great selection of fashion apparel, fresh food, and home goods. Fashion and lifestyle options abound, including MUJI, a 100 yen shop, Sanrio store, Capcom games arcade, and a large supermarket where you can pick up plenty of souvenirs. Several stores offer tax-free shopping for international tourists, which should be cheaper than buying at the airport. With a wide variety of restaurants to choose from, you are free to shop at your leisure.

hotel Overnight Tokyo

We will take you to Mount Fuji, bringing you up close to experience its charm at the 5th Station at an altitude of 2,500 meters (access depends on weather conditions).

Enjoy fun activities at Fujiten Snow Resort, a ski resort situated on the northern side of Mount Fuji. Set in a truly picturesque location, it offers panoramic views of Mount Fuji as a backdrop and Lake Kawaguchi below (tour price does not include snow gear rental).

Visit Fujiyoshida Sengen Shrine, dedicated to Princess Konohanasakuya, the Shinto goddess associated with Mount Fuji.

Admire the scenic beauty of Lake Hamana, which spans Hamamatsu and Kosai cities in Shizuoka Prefecture. It is Japan's longest brackish lake by perimeter and the 10th largest lake in Japan overall. Enjoy your free time capturing wonderful photos at your leisure.

Ride the Kachi Kachi Ropeway (Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway), spanning 400 meters to connect the eastern shore of Lake Kawaguchiko with the observation deck near the summit of Mount Tenjo.

Oshino Hakkai Village is a village located near Mount Fuji in the Lake Yamanakako area. In 2013, Mount Fuji was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site, and this area features more than 8 crystal-clear ponds fed by melted snow from Mount Fuji filtered over 1,200 years. Enjoy free time to take photos or shop for local specialties, such as fragrant grilled mochi and assorted pickled vegetables.

If desired, head to Gotemba Premium Outlets, Japan's largest outlet mall featuring Japanese brands and renowned international designer labels, with more than 200 brand-name stores all in one place.

hotel Overnight Tokyo

Fly from Haneda Airport (HND) to Akita (approx. 1h 5m). We will pick you up at the airport, take you for breakfast, and then introduce you to another side of Akita at Kakunodate Samurai Village. Recognized as one of Japan's beautifully preserved cultural treasures, its traditions have been maintained through generations, allowing visitors to experience its distinctive charm.

We begin on Bukeyashiki Street, lined with a samurai residential quarter that once housed samurai warriors. Although samurai no longer exist today, the historical ambiance remains palpable thanks to the well-preserved ancient samurai residences dating back centuries. Even today, descendants of samurai families still reside in some of Kakunodate's historic houses.

Next, an essential experience when visiting this town is getting a taste of local Akita life at Kamado Farmstay by making "kiritanpo" (toasted skewered rice cakes), a celebrated local specialty. Akita is famed for its delicious rice; the kiritanpo is simmered in chicken broth to create "kiritanpo nabe" hot pot. Visiting Akita without tasting this dish is like never having visited at all!

hotel Overnight Semboku area

Visit the Akita Folklore and Performing Arts Center to watch a demonstration of the Japanese lantern-balancing performance from the Kanto Festival (Kanto Festival Performance), an iconic tradition unique to Akita and renowned throughout Japan. In addition, Kanto Matsuri features a "challenge corner" where visitors can try their hand at balancing a kanto lantern pole themselves.

Head to lunch at Akita Maiko Theater MATSUSHITA, where you can watch a Maiko Show and savor a distinctive lunch with drinks. Housed in a renovated traditional Japanese restaurant now transformed into an attractive cultural destination, Matsushita features the Akita Maiko Theater where maiko perform traditional Japanese dances and tea ceremonies, offering you and your family a rich taste of culture.

Then travel 40 km north to Oga to visit the Namahage Museum, a colorful and engaging folklore museum (https://namahage.co.jp/namahagekan/en/) that feels like stepping back in time through the folklore of the Namahage. Visitors sit inside an authentic traditional house and witness the living tradition deeply rooted in Oga, where you and your family can experience the mystery and rich history brought to life by realistic performers.

(Recommended: Oga Kanko Hotel features "Ishiyama-no-yu," an outdoor stone onsen bath where you can immerse yourself in Oga's seasonal atmosphere throughout all four seasons, admire beautiful blooming flowers, and fully enjoy scenic views from the open-air bath that change with each season.)

hotel Overnight Oga

We take you to visit Shinzan Shrine, a sacred shrine nestled in the "Oyama" sanctuary in northern Oga and closely associated with "Namahage"—the giant masked spirits often revered as mountain deities. The shrine is also home to the famous "Namahage Shiba Light Festival" (Namahage Sedo Festival).

Continue on to enjoy the gondola lift at Mount Moriyoshi, where you can take in panoramic mountain vistas from above. Mount Moriyoshi is also a fantastic destination for skiing amidst the snow and famous frost-covered ice monsters.

Recommended stay: Ani Ski Resort area (Mt. Moriyoshi)

We take you to visit the Yokote Masuda Manga Museum, showcasing comic illustrations by Japanese and international artists, along with over 230,000 original manga manuscripts by celebrated creators. The museum features a Permanent Exhibition Room on manga history, a Manga Library housing more than 25,000 volumes, and a manga-themed cafe.

Next, head to Akita Furusato Village, which offers numerous activities such as souvenir shopping for Akita specialties and hands-on workshops like crafting Odate Magewappa woodcrafts or making grilled kiritanpo rice skewers.

In the evening, take you to experience the Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival, held every year on February 15-16. Kamakura are snow domes illuminated with warm orange lantern light that casts a magical glow across the snowfields. Inside each kamakura, children dressed in traditional attire warmly welcome visitors, saying "Hai, haittetanse" (Please come inside!).

Upon entering the kamakura, visitors make an offering at an altar dedicated to the Shinto water deity. The children then serve warm amazake (sweet fermented rice drink) and grilled yaki-mochi rice cakes. You can warm your hands over a hibachi charcoal brazier and spend delightful moments with the children.

hotel Overnight Yokote or Akita area

In the morning or at the scheduled time, transfer to Akita Airport for your flight to Haneda Airport, then connect to your flight back to Bangkok safely.