15 Historical Tours in Japan Worth the Day

World Heritage Shirakawa-go and Experience Tours from Kanazawa - Morning in Shirakawa-go: the gassho-zukuri houses that look like prayers

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,049 reviews · from $122Our pick

Full-day tour from Kanazawa to UNESCO Shirakawa-go and Kenrokuen Garden, with wagashi sweets, gold leaf craft time, and geisha district stops.

“Yasushi San was very informative and we had a great time with him, Shirakawa is a place taken from a post card, beautiful, early morning was great as not many tourists were visiting. In the afternoon the gardens were amazing and it rained like crazy so we skipped the sweet making but we gather again for the post card and walk to the geisha neighborhood. Very kind and very interesting all the things we learned.”

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Historical Tours, History Tours in Nara, Matcha & Tea Ceremony Sessions, Nara Tours, Tour Reviews

World Heritage Kyoto & Nara Uji Authentic Matcha Experience

2.World Heritage Kyoto & Nara Uji Authentic Matcha Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,573 reviews · from $129

World Heritage Nara and Uji in one day. Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Byodo-in, and a hands-on matcha lesson, plus lunch option.

“At-Chan is an amazing guide! Very knowledgeable, fun, and sweet. She kept us on pace, and we saw a lot! Nara is very historic and there’s lots to see including the deer. A highlight for me was the stop in Ugi, where we learned how to make matcha. It was such a lovely day, one of the best tours I’ve taken.”

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Kanazawa: World Heritage Shirakawa-go Morning Guided Tour

3.World Heritage Shirakawa-go Morning Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 988 reviews · 5 hours · from $77

Early, guided Shirakawa-go visit from Kanazawa with multilingual audio, local food stops, then a Kenrokuen Garden finish.

“Enjoyed Yasushi as our guide. Most knowledgeable and entertaining. Thank you”

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Tokyo: Imperial Palace Japanese History Walking Tour

4.Imperial Palace Japanese History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 987 reviews · from $32

Walk the Imperial Palace Eastern Gardens with an English-speaking guide, from Edo Castle ruins to shogun ranks and royal koi fish.

“We had Mika as our tour guide and she was amazing! She provided some mosquito spray which was much needed inside the Imperial palace as it's full of nature and also full of mosquito. Mika was very informative during the tour and answered all of our questions!”

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Hiroshima Historical Walking Tour – Why A-Bomb was Dropped

5.Hiroshima Historical Walking Tour – Why A-Bomb was Dropped

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 893 reviews · 2h 30m · from $35

2.5-hour Hiroshima walk explaining why the A-bomb was dropped, with Gokoku Shrine, Hiroshima Castle, Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Park and Museum.

“Thomas was a fantastic guide. He has incredible knowledge und was able to teach us a lot about Hiroshimas history.”

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Hiroshima Peace (Heiwa) Walking Tour at World Heritage Sites

6.Hiroshima Peace (Heiwa) Walking Tour at World Heritage Sites

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 872 reviews · from $94

Walk Hiroshima’s Peace sites with a small group guide, tour the Peace Memorial Museum, see the Atomic Bomb Dome, and enjoy lunch at Orizuru Tower.

“Overall, we learned and saw a lot. But this tour should not have been offered at the end of the year as it was so crowded in the museum, we couldn’t see the main exhibit (the reason we went on this tour) as it would take over an hour. Our guiRead more”

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Historical Tours, History Tours in Tokyo, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Tokyo

Yanaka Walking Tour: Historic and Traditional District of Tokyo

7.Yanaka Walking Tour: Historic and Traditional District of Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 530 reviews · from $72

Walk Yanaka’s Edo-era lanes with an English guide, visit Tennoji and Yanaka Cemetery, and finish on Yanaka Ginza for snacks.

“Charlotte was very friendly and welcoming. It was a beautiful day for a walking tour. This was our last full day in Tokyo, so I am glad we had already had many temple/shrine experiences that were more in depth as far as specific rituals and some of the "rules" around shrines and temples. The walk was interesting and we got to see a lot of home architecture and cemeteries in a neighborhood we probably would not have visited. So we enjoyed it.”

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Tokyo: Shinjuku Historical Walking Tour & Secret Backstreets

8.Shinjuku Historical Walking Tour & Secret Backstreets

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 530 reviews · from $25Best value

Discover Shinjuku after dark on foot with a local guide, secret backstreets, photo stops, and food and drink tips for $25.20.

“Great tour! Super informative. Saw a side of Tokyo I would've never seen.. Hannah and Nana did a great job! Thank you, ladies wonderful day.”

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Mt. Fuji Heritage Tour: Traditional Villages, Lakes & Shrine

9.Mt. Fuji Heritage Tour: Traditional Villages, Lakes & Shrine

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 509 reviews · 10 hours · from $50

10-hour Mt. Fuji tour with thatched village photos, shrine and pagoda views, seasonal parks, and Oshino Hakkai ponds from Tokyo.

“We are very grateful to Sia for providing such a well-rounded trip and experience. We are a relatively large group, 11 people, and would not have been able to enjoy Mt Fuji, and its surrounding villages, without the guided experience with Sia. Thanks again and highly recommend!🌸🏔️🇯🇵 We also were able to see Mt Fuji on a clear day, we got very lucky!”

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Miyajima Half-day Trip Historical Walking Tour

10.Miyajima Half-day Trip Historical Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 284 reviews · from $109

Small-group Miyajima walk to Ōtorii and Itsukushima Shrine, plus Daishoin, photos, and an included Hiroshima oyster lunch.

“Hika was our guide. Our family of 5 had a private tour as we were his only group for the day. He was very patient and informative. Lunch was delicious and to top it off we had soft serve ice cream. Overall a wonderful family day trip to Miyajima.”

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Kanazawa: World Heritage Shirakawa-go & Two Local Experience

11.World Heritage Shirakawa-go & Two Local Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 274 reviews · 9 hours · from $116

Guided full day from Kanazawa to UNESCO Shirakawa-go, Kenrokuen Garden, and gold leaf crafts, plus wagashi or Daruma making.

“really amazing tour and fun crafts if you do the full day tour. Aiko was our guide and she was absolutely delightful and well informed! definitely recommend if you are in Kanazawa”

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Hiroshima: History of Hiroshima Group Walking Tour

12.History of Hiroshima Group Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 266 reviews · 2 hours · from $35

A 2-hour English guided walking tour through Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, ending at the Hypocenter and Atomic Bomb Dome.

“The guide Cva was the best guide, we’ve ever had. He was very good at capturing people in the way he explained the history of Hiroshima. He touched us to tears and made us laugh at the same time and had an extensive knowlegde of the subject. The Way he told us about the history was unbaised and very educational.”

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[One-day bus tour departing from Kanazawa Station] Shirakawa-go and Gokayama – Two World Heritage Villages Enjoyable Bus Tour

13.[One-day bus tour departing from Kanazawa Station] Shirakawa-go and Gokayama – Two World Heritage Villages Enjoyable Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 253 reviews · from $88

A guided day trip from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go and Gokayama with English support, tatami lunch, and plenty of walk time.

“Great experience, both tour guides (Japanese speaking and English) very professional and yet personable. Worth the cost of visiting Shirakawago and Gokayama, including Japanese themed lunch. Note- lunch is Japanese style sitting on ‘tatami mat floors’.”

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Nara: Half-Day UNESCO Heritage & Local Culture Walking Tour

14.Half-Day UNESCO Heritage & Local Culture Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 250 reviews · 5 hours · from $102

Half-day Nara walk with an English guide, UNESCO Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha, deer feeding, and a hearty local lunch for $102.

“Very good visit with very interesting guide! I really envoyed my day at Nara. very good meal!”

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From Tokyo: Nikko World Heritage Site Private Full-Day Trip

15.Nikko World Heritage Site Private Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 243 reviews · 1 day · from $483

Private Nikko day trip from Tokyo with a luxury vehicle, English-speaking driver, UNESCO Toshogu Shrine, waterfalls, lakes, and flexible pace.

“Baba was our terrific driver. He was very flexible in driving us to our favorite places: we preferred nature sights. He was also very sweet with our kids.”

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