Central Japan tour: Tokyo, Kyoto & the Japanese Alps

Your guide will meet you today in the hotel lobby for a day of guiding. Firstly they will run through your trip and offer any local advice to you so you can enjoy the country with confidence. In the first section, the guide will explain your itinerary in more detail and answer any questions you might have. They can also assist with validating your Japan Rail Pass if you require. This can take up to two hours, so afterwards, head out with your guide to see some of the city's highlights. A good way of getting a different perspective of the capital is by taking the ferry from Hamarikyu Gardens — beautiful traditional landscaped gardens with a teahouse — up to the district of Asakusa to see the Buddhist temple of Sensoji.

Another day at leisure in Tokyo. We suggest actually using this day to get out of the city and make a day trip to the seaside town of Kamakura. The train journey takes an hour and a quarter and trains leave regularly. At Kamakura, visit the temples and shrines speckled throughout the town, perhaps hiking up to see the 'daibutsu' (Great Buddha) via an intriguing shrine where locals come to wash money.

Leave Tokyo and make the two-and-a-half to three-hour journey to Matsumoto in the Japanese Alps. Here, you can explore the famous Matsumoto Castle independently with its black and white exterior, and wander around the city's characterful old merchant district. There's also the excellent Ukiyo-e Museum housing thousands of woodblock print work belonging to the wealthy Sakai family.

Make your way to the train station to catch a train to Tsumago, a traditional post town. The journey lasts one to two hours. After arriving in Tsumago, we recommend you go for a hike on the Nakasendo Highway, an ancient route that tradesmen and samurai used to take in the 8th century. Pass sleepy villages, cedar forests and paddy fields. The walk can be done unaccompanied and lasts around four hours.

Travel by local bus and then bullet train to Kyoto, Japan's cultural heart. The journey takes around three and a half hours. In the afternoon, we can arrange for you to take part in a private cultural activity at Kyoto's Women's Association. With the help of experienced English-speaking practitioners, you can have an introduction to Japanese culture by trying origami, a tea ceremony and wearing a traditional Japanese kimono. After the class, spend the afternoon at leisure in Kyoto.

A full day at leisure to explore more of Kyoto's highlights. You could visit Nishiki Market with its hundreds of artisan shops and restaurants. We recommend that you visit some of the sights in the northwest of the city, including the Golden Pavilion or 'Kinkakuji' and 'Ryoanji', famed for its beautiful zen gardens. In the evening your local private guide and Geisha expert, Duncan, will collect you for a tour of the Geisha district of Gion. As you walk around this traditional entertainment district, your guide will help you spot these elusive ladies.

A day at leisure. Our recommendation is to take the train to nearby Nara, Japan's ancient capital, celebrated for the Giant Buddha and Todaiji Temple. The journey takes just under an hour. Return to Kyoto via Fushimi Inari Shrine for its stunning 'tunnels' of red torii gates that dot the hillside. Try to visit this shrine in the evening — it's quieter and more atmospheric.

After a leisurely morning, return to Tokyo (a one-and-a-quarter-hour train journey) for a final night in the capital. We suggest using your last few hours in the city to explore a new corner of it. Visit the Imperial Palace Gardens, the man-made island of Odaiba, trendy Shinjuku or the peaceful landscaped Hamarikyu Gardens.

You will be picked up and taken by shared transfer to the airport for your return flights home. Your return flight will arrive the same day.