11 Shore Excursions Tours in Japan to Build a Day Around

1.Kyoto private tour (Shore excursion available from Osaka or Kobe port)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 39 reviews · from $237Our pick

Private Kyoto day tour from Osaka or Kobe port with a licensed English guide, top temples, Gion, Fushimi Inari, plus lunch included.

“What an informative tour by Kaori! She was great at explaining so much of Kyoto’s history and even catering the tour to what we preferred to see. Must do the bullet train if you can swing it! We loved our sweet homemade gesture she gave to us at the end of the tour too. Thanks again!”

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2.Shore excursion: Full Day Private Kyoto Tour From Osaka/Kobe Port

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 36 reviews · from $490

Private Kyoto day from Kobe or Osaka port with Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, Nishiki Market, Gion, and Fushimi Inari, plus flexible guide.

“This was an excellent personalized tour. Ahmed was very easy to communicate with and did an excellent job getting everything arranged for us. Kinoshita-san was a very professional and capable driver. He met us at the Kobe port right as we excited our cruise ship and took us to meet our guide Ayako in Kyoto, drove us between locations and then safely returned us to the cruise port in Kobe. The vehicle was very clean and comfortable. (The tour listing was very clear that the driver fee was additional to be worked out once booked, which we did and it was no problem.Some might find it expensive, but for our…”

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3.Private Walking Shore Excursion- Kyoto/Osaka/Nara/Kobe

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 23 reviews · 6 - 8 hours · from $141

A private Kobe shore excursion by train to Kyoto, Osaka, or Nara with an English guide, flexible stops, and easy pacing for 6 to 8 hours.

“My wife and I took the private trip to Kyoto, well organised by Allysa who is a senior guide. She turned up at the right time to collect us at the Kobe port that our cruise ship sailed into. She spoke very good English. Took us by various trains including a bullet train into Kyoto. She explained very well about Japanese history, life , religion and culture. It was very exciting day . She took us to a restaurant where we cooked our own lunch.. On our request she dropped us in the city centre of Osaka and explained to us how to make our way back to the ship.…”

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4.Shore Excursion Full Day Private Kochi Tour from Kochi port

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · from $490

Private Kochi full-day tour from the port with Kochi Castle, Chikurin-ji Temple, Hirome Ichiba, and Makino Botanical Garden. Includes tickets.

“I had an excellent experience here. The atmosphere was great, everything was clean and well maintained, and the staff were friendly. I visited with friends and we had a wonderful time. Would definitely come again!”

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5.Private Shore Excursion Kobe Port – Best of Kobe with a local

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · from $135

Private Kobe shore tour with a native English local, shrines, harbor walks, Motomachi, Chinatown, and optional sake or Kobe beef.

“Michelle was a great tour guide. We met at the JR Motomachi train station and walked to several sites in Kobe. Since a bowl of ramen was on my wish list, she took us to a great place for lunch as well as helped me find a Japanese lipstick reRead more”

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6.Shore Excursion from Hiroshima Port : Private Tour in Hiroshima

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · from $2,000

Private Hiroshima shore tour with a hired van, port pickup, Peace Memorial sights, and a ferry to Miyajima, timed for cruise schedules.

“We had a wonderful day with Akiko, despite the rainy weather. She guided us to beautiful sites such as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and museum. When the rain prompted us to skip Miyajima, Akiko expertly suggested perfect alternRead more”

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7.Kobe private tour from Osaka (Shore excursion available from Osaka or Kobe port)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · from $195

Private Kobe day trip from Osaka or Kobe port with Herb Gardens views, Hakutsuru sake tasting, Harborland, and Kitano western houses.

“We really enjoyed the Herb Garden. The Sake Brewery was very insightul too. Our guide was wonderful and ensured that we had a good time and we got back to our hotel happily exhausted.”

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8.Shizuoka Shore Excursion: Zen, Matcha & Calligraphy Shimizu Port

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $100Best value

Zen meditation, matcha and calligraphy near Shimizu Port, with Seiken-ji Temple and an easy-paced small group tour from Shizuoka.

“We had a delightful day with this tour. The guides provided so much background detail. The meditation experience was very moving and impactful. The calligraphy was a very special unique challenge. Highly recommend this intimate and rewarding experience.”

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9.Kyoto Day Trip from Osaka Port – Private Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $313

Private Kyoto day trip from Osaka Port with a local host, train tickets included, Gion lantern streets, Fushimi sights, and flexible stops.

“It was a fantastic trip. Kyoto and the surrounding areas were stunning. Our tour guide, Khalid, set up a great itinerary for us, and we had a great day out.”

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10.All-Inclusive Ishigaki Island Shore Excursion with English Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $123

English-guided, all-inclusive Ishigaki Island shore tour with drinks, snacks, lunch, and key sights. Small group up to 8, cruise-ready.

“For a concise & comprehensive tour of Ishigaki Island with an English speaking guide, I could not have picked a better tour. Sander, our guide was very knowledgeable and thoughtful. You could tell he was trying to show as much of Ishigaki Read more”

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11.Nara private tour (Shore excursion available from Osaka or Kobe port)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $235

Nara private tour from Osaka or Kobe with port pickup, lunch, deer park, Todai-ji and Kasuga shrine, plus Naramachi old town.

“We had an excellent private tour of Nara with our guide, Ichiro (Ichi). He met us right at Osaka Port soon after our ship arrived - early and ready to go - which made the start of our day smooth and stress-free. He expertly guided us through Read more”

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