The trip agents will want to sell while Japan is booming
This specialist tour operator’s new bullet train-inspired itinerary will take your clients off the beaten track, while not sacrificing time in the classic favourites.
Japan’s tourist numbers have exceeded expectations by rebounding quickly after the pandemic. It seems travellers can’t get enough of the destination’s cuisine and culture, further tempted by the value proposition of a weak yen. In March 2024, the number of visitors to Japan exceeded three million foreign tourists in a single month for the first time ever, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Further to this, specialist operator Inside Japan is reporting an incredibly busy year with record figures every month.
If this Japan-mania sounds familiar to you, and your clients are inspired to explore the Land of the Rising Sun, then take a look at Inside Japan’s new ’Hidden Zen’ itinerary, prompted by the entry into service of Japan’s newest high-speed bullet train. The 14-night tour explores off-the-radar regions along the Hokuriku shinkansen route, which started operating in March.
Kate Samuel, senior product manager of tailormade experiences at InsideJapan Tours, says. “The new bullet train line opens up some incredible places along Japan’s less-visited West Coast. Whilst still visiting key sights such as Tokyo and Kyoto, the new self-guided Hidden Zen trip aims to offer travellers a quieter side of Japan, including the hot spring towns of Kaga Onsen and the ancient temples of Fukui and rural Toyama sitting just north of the line.”
Hidden Zen starts with the bright lights of Tokyo, before moving to the seaside town of Kamakura. Next comes Kyoto, and a visit to a local home for a private tempura cookery class. After that clients will board the Hokuriku shinkansen bullet train to Fukui, where a contemporary take on the traditional temple lodging serves up vegan, Buddhist cuisine. They’ll continue along the train line to Kaga Onsen, gateway to a collection of hot spring towns, where they will bed down for the night in a traditional ryokan. Then onward to Kanazawa, the Samurai town where a traditional machiya wooden townhouse stay provides another authentic experience. Rakudo-An, a farmhouse that has been restored as a boutique guesthouse, set amid rice paddies in rural Toyama, makes for a bucolic escape, before clients loop back to Tokyo again.
Over the course of 14 nights, there are Hidden Zen stays in eight different accommodations, all Japanese owned and operated, with each property an authentic cultural experience in its own right.
Samuel says: “Hidden Zen is an incredible trip – great as an in-depth trip for first-timers or indeed someone who has visited before and wants to get beneath the surface.
“There are so many highlights, but arguably, the stay in a converted 120-year-old traditional farmhouse in rural Tonami will be one. This is part of a community-based initiative in a rural area of Japan and includes the chance to meet with local crafts people, have a community guide and try some incredible locally sourced meals.”
InsideJapan includes a ryokan stay in most trips because the experience is completely Japanese, she explains. Hidden Zen includes a stay in the hot spring area of Kaga Onsen where travellers can submerge themselves into a very Japanese world where they don yukata robes, enjoy onsen baths and are treated to a multi-course traditional kaiseki dinner.
Another of the more unique accommodations is the machiya townhouse, which is a refurbished, traditional home in the backstreets of Kanazawa that will situate your clients in a less touristy area and give them a feel for local neighbourhoods.
Hidden Zen supports a region and people that, despite a lack of damage, have suffered from a lack of tourism since the 2024 New Years’ Day earthquake.
Samuel adds: "This trip is a special one in that we have made a conscious effort to work with locally owned accommodation across Japan and places that are quite different but are very much part of the experience. Supporting tourism in and around the Ishikawa region was also an important factor after the earthquake, and the region is ready to welcome visitors with open arms.”
Book it: The Hidden Zen Self-Guided adventure cost from £6,030pp and includes 14-nights’ accommodation, transport across Japan, some private guiding, a range of cultural experiences and more. InsideJapan can tailor travel to suit timeframes, interests and budgets; insidejapantours.com
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