Snow festivals, steaming onsen and quiet winter towns, with 8 to 10 guests and a licensed local guide beside you.
A Journey to the East Japan winter tour takes you north to some of the country’s most spectacular destinations: the ice sculptures of the Sapporo Snow Festival, drift ice off the Shiretoko coast, red-crowned cranes dancing in the Kushiro marshes, and a Christmas Eve spent under the lights of Hakodate. Groups are 6 to 10 guests and every itinerary is handmade by our own teams in Australia and Japan.
- Groups of 10 guests on the Snow Spectacular, a maximum of 8 on the White Christmas tour
- Sapporo Snow Festival, Shiretoko drift ice and Kushiro’s red-crowned cranes on one 12-day itinerary
- Ryokan and onsen stays, domestic flights, most meals and a licensed local guide included
- Handmade by our own staff in Australia and Japan, never subcontracted
- 13+ years, 472+ tours run, rated 4.9 out of 5 by guests
Enquire now | Call Journey to the East on +61 7 3368 1966
Why travel to Japan in winter?
Winter is Japan’s quietest season and, in the north, its most dramatic. Tokyo and Kyoto sit around 10°C by day under clear, dry skies, while Hokkaido and the Japan Alps are under deep snow from late December to March. Empty temple gardens in the south, snow-roofed villages in the mountains, and a different country again once you fly north.
It is also the festival season. The Sapporo Snow Festival fills Odori Park with building-sized snow sculptures in early February, drift ice from the Sea of Okhotsk reaches Shiretoko from late January, red-crowned cranes gather in the Kushiro wetlands through the coldest weeks, and Christmas and New Year bring illuminations, markets and the first shrine visit of the year. Our winter tours are built around those moments. They work as a standalone trip or as the cultural half of a holiday that also takes in the ski fields.
How booking a Japan winter tour works
Choose your winter tour
Fancy spending Christmas somewhere new? Our White Christmas Tour of Japan takes no more than 8 guests from Tokyo’s festive lights to the Christmas markets of Hokkaido. Rather wait for the Sapporo Snow Festival? The Snow Spectacular tour gets you there.
Enquire or book online
Click Book Now beside the departure date on the tour page, send an enquiry through our contact page, or call our Australian office on +61 7 3368 1966
Confirm with a deposit
A non-refundable deposit holds your place, and final payment is due 90 days before departure. Every traveller is assigned to a dedicated Client Support Officer who you’ll have available to contact until your winter tour completes.
We meet you in Japan
A Journey to the East guide meets you in arrivals at Narita, Haneda or the regional airport your tour starts from. From then until your final airport transfer, you are with us.
Tour Type
Signature
Our Signature tours offer the most comprehensive cultural exposure.
Discovery
Our Discovery tours provide up-and-close encounters with traditional life and natural landscapes into the more remote regions of Japan.
Comfort
With a focus on comfort and ease, our Comfort tours deliver an authentic experience with a few extra creature comforts to make for a more relaxed and supported trip.
Seasons
More about japan
What a winter tour includes
- All accommodation of a variety of styles, from a lakeside ryokan under Mount Fuji to a snow resort at Tomamu and a small onsen inn at Kushiro
- All breakfasts plus most lunches and dinners, including a welcome seafood dinner in Hakodate and a group Christmas dinner on the White Christmas tour
- Domestic flights within the itinerary, all local transport by train and private minibus, and luggage transfers on the White Christmas tour
- Airport meet and greet on arrival and a transfer to the airport on your final day by public transport
- Entry fees and activities in the itinerary, including snowshoeing, the Ainu museum and the drift ice walk
International flights and travel insurance are not included. We are a tour operator rather than a travel agent, so we do not sell flights, but we will advise on routings and connections from wherever you are flying.
How much does a Japan winter tour cost?
Prices are per person, twin share, with a single supplement for solo travellers, and they cover everything in the list above. All prices are listed within the specific tours above and a deposit holds your place. Select your desired tour from the grid above and navigate to the “Dates & Prices” tab for all price information.
Why choose Journey to the East for winter in Japan
Every itinerary is handmade by our own staff in Australia and Japan and never subcontracted. We have run 472+ tours across Japan over 13+ years, hosted 1,656+ travellers and hold a 4.9 out of 5 guest rating. We are ATAS and CATO accredited and a member of ATIA.
The small group is the real difference in winter. Ten guests fit in one minibus, one ryokan dining room and one snowshoe trail. A coach group of forty does not, which is why large tours spend winter in city hotels and skip the Kushiro inn, the scallop village and the frozen waterfall. All of our small group tours work this way, and winter is where it shows most.
Ready for a winter in Japan beyond the ski fields? Enquire now or call Journey to the East on +61 7 3368 1966.
Frequently Asked Questions
Around 10°C by day in Tokyo and Kyoto, dropping to about 2°C at night, and between -1°C and -8°C in Sapporo in January and February. Shiretoko and Kushiro can be colder with wind. Insulated boots, a proper winter coat, thermals, gloves and a beanie are enough, and heated indoor spaces are everywhere.
Yes. Most of our guests are aged 50 and over, and a good number travel with us in their 60s and 70s. No skiing is involved. Days are built around guided city walks, short snowshoe walks on flat or gently sloping ground and private minibus transfers, and a group of 6 to 10 sets a gentler pace than a coach tour.
The one exception is the optional drift ice walk at Shiretoko, where the operator requires guests to be under 75 and under 110 kg; anyone outside those limits joins an alternative activity instead. You do need to be steady on packed snow and comfortable with station and temple stairs. If you have a question about mobility, call +61 7 3368 1966 and we will tell you plainly which tour suits you.
No. Our winter tours are land-only, starting when you arrive at Haneda or Narita and finishing at the airport on your last morning. International flights and travel insurance are not included. Domestic flights inside the itinerary, accommodation, most meals, local transport, activities and a licensed guide are. We are a tour operator, not a travel agent, so you book your own flights and we advise on routings.
As early as you can. Winter tours are released 15 to 18 months out, and with 8 to 10 places on each, the tours can fill well before the season. Nine to twelve months ahead gives you the best choice of dates and room types, including single occupancy for solo travellers. Closer to departure, ask anyway, because places occasionally open up.
Yes. Tell us your dates and ideal resort and we will suggest whether the extra nights would fit best before or after one of our tours, depending on what tour you are on and where you’d like to go skiing or snowboarding.
Accommodation styles
Ryokans
Ryokans is a Japanese style accommodation, mostly consists of Japanese style rooms with tatami matt floor and futon bedding, and private ensuite. Some ryokans have a western style room with beds. A Japanese style room always has a low table and flat cushions to sit on, but the room may or may not have chairs. Most ryokans have an additional large public bath for guests and includes kaiseki style dinner. Breakfast can be Japanese style (rice, miso soup, fish etc.) or western style buffet.
Western Style Hotels
Size and standard vary from 5-star large international chains to regional small business hotels. Generally, in Japan twin rooms (two single beds) are more common than double rooms (one double bed), and some hotels in regional cities only have twin rooms. Room sizes are generally smaller in cities. Also beds and pillows tend to be firmer than those in western countries.
Minshuku
A minshuku is a type of Japanese guesthouse, often family-run, that offers a more intimate and budget-friendly experience than a traditional ryokan. Accommodations often feature Japanese-style rooms, and bathrooms and toilets are often shared by guests. Staying in a minshuku offers a chance to connect with local families, learn about their way of life, and experience Japanese hospitality.
Shukubo (temple lodging)
The vast majority have Japanese style rooms and shared bathroom although there are limited number of temples with a western bedroom with ensuite. The stay at shukubo includes Buddhist vegetarian dinner and breakfast. Dinners are served early, around 5pm. They are run by monks, and facility and services are basic. Guests can attend morning service in the main hall.
Related articles
Valentine’s Day in Japan
Winter in Hokkaido and Sapporo snow festival
