Cherry blossom in spring. Photo: Zion C on Unsplash.
Who Plans the Best Luxury Family Trips to Japan? Six Companies Compared on Ages, Pace and Price
By Richard Jasinski·Updated 22 October 2026
Extraordinary Journeys is the company this page features for a family trip to Japan: its Japan private family tour runs 13 days through Tokyo, Kanazawa and Kyoto, from $16,000 per person. It is written for families with primary-school-age children. Its Japan specialist, Chris Craigo, puts the best age at seven and over. Five other luxury operators publish a priced family trip to Japan, from $7,595 per person for 14 days (Audley Travel) to $30,500 for nine (Remote Lands); InsideJapan Tours prices for the whole family. This page gives no score. Each company is shown with what its own website says and the date it was read.
Who is on this page and why
A company is on this page if it is one of the twelve luxury tour operators on this site’s Japan operators page and its own website publishes a priced trip to Japan made for families; six of the twelve do. The other six were read and do not meet it today: Artisans of Leisure has a Family Tour of Japan with the price on request; Jacada Travel’s family trip shows no price; Boutique Japan has a family planning guide and per-day price tiers but no family trip; Windows to Japan lists a nine-day manga tour for children with no price; Walk Japan does not take children under 12 on its scheduled tours; Wendy Wu Tours lists no family tour among its Japan tours. All twelve were read on 23 October 2026. Extraordinary Journeys is shown first because its itinerary and its Japan specialist’s advice are the ones this page features; the other five follow in alphabetical order.
How to read a card. Prices are each company’s own, as printed on 23 October 2026, in the currency its page showed; nothing is converted. A from-price is the lowest the company prints. Most are per person; InsideJapan Tours prices each family trip for a family of four; the card says so. Reviews are shown per platform and never added together. “Not stated” means the page was read and the fact is not there.
How much does a luxury family trip to Japan cost?
Published family trips to Japan run from $7,595 per person for 14 days (Audley Travel) to $30,500 per person for nine days (Remote Lands); Extraordinary Journeys’ 13-day family tour is from $16,000 per person. Each company’s lowest printed price for its Japan family trip, read on 23 October 2026, lowest first:
- Audley Travel: Japan family adventure, 14 days, from $7,595 per person, priced for two adults and two children; international flights extra.
- Scott Dunn: Japan with Kids, 7 nights, from $8,100; Family Fun in Japan, 11 nights, from $9,300 per person, double occupancy, international flights excluded (US site).
- InsideJapan Tours: Japan Highlights for Families, 9 nights, from US$12,240 for the whole family (two adults and two children under 16), self-guided, flights extra; its family trips run to US$24,408 per family.
- Extraordinary Journeys: Japan private family tour, 13 days, from $16,000 per person. No sharing basis, child price or inclusions list printed.
- Black Tomato: Tokyo & Kyoto: A Japan family holiday, 10 nights, from £13,750 per person excluding flights, two sharing, off-peak.
- Remote Lands: Japan with Kids, 9 days, from $30,500 per person. No inclusions printed.
For a family of four, none of the per-person prices above comes with a published child rate, so the honest sum is four times the per-person figure: about $30,380 with Audley Travel, $37,200 for Scott Dunn’s Family Fun in Japan, $64,000 for Extraordinary Journeys’ 13 days and $122,000 for Remote Lands’ nine. InsideJapan Tours is the one company here that prints a whole-family price. Ask each company for the price for your children’s ages and what it covers before setting one beside another.
Japan with children, as Chris Craigo plans it
Chris Craigo, Destination Specialist for Japan at Extraordinary Journeys, puts the best age for Japan at seven and over and keeps a family trip to a few places at a relaxed pace. He names over-ambition as the mistake families make when they plan it themselves. He answered five questions in writing for this page, through Extraordinary Journeys, in October 2026. His answers are summarised below; nothing has been added to them. His company profile lists him as a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist.
Which ages does Japan work best for? Is any age too young?
Seven and over is the sweet spot, he says. Younger children can go, but pushchairs are hard to manage on trains. Children who walk comfortably on their own get much further and are old enough to notice how different Japan is.
Why Tokyo, Kanazawa and Kyoto over 13 days? What goes on a shorter trip?
The route keeps the number of places low on purpose, so the pace stays relaxed. It moves in an easy line west that takes in many of Japan’s highlights. For a shorter trip, Kanazawa is the one to drop: build the trip around Tokyo and Kyoto, with day trips.
Which months would he choose? Which would he avoid?
Spring, for mild weather and cherry blossom. December and February are also very good, with fewer crowds and weather that is cool rather than cold. June to August often brings heat and rain, though a summer trip can still work with careful, flexible planning.
What do families get wrong when they plan Japan themselves?
Trying to do too much and misjudging what is realistic in a day. Balance and pacing matter, he says. With younger children, the rest built into the days is what makes or breaks the trip.
What should every parent know before booking?
Japan is different. It can overwhelm even adventurous children. A slower pace and a balance of activities pay off, with room for things children enjoy, such as making plastic food samples in Osaka or learning samurai sword moves in Kanazawa.
“Chris curated a set of experiences around our food-loving family that matched our preference for more authentic and local activities both cultural and culinary.”
A family trip to Japan planned by Chris, from Extraordinary Journeys’ client evaluations
The itinerary we feature: Japan private family tour
Five nights at Fairmont Tokyo, three in Kanazawa and four at Six Senses Kyoto, with a private ramen class, a swordsmith’s workshop, a kendo lesson and a day off at the hotel’s kids club: 13 days, from $16,000 per person. That is the price on Extraordinary Journeys’ itinerary page, read 23 October 2026. The page states no sharing basis, child price or inclusions list, so ask for all three in writing. The day plan below is summarised from that page; the hotels named are the ones it names.
Japan private family tourExtraordinary Journeys · 13 days · from $16,000 per person
- Day 1
- Tokyo, Fairmont Tokyo. Met in the arrivals hall and taken to the hotel by private transfer. The page chose it for its pool and for suites with separate sleeping areas or connecting rooms.
- Day 2
- Tokyo. Meiji Shrine in the morning, where families write wishes on wooden ema plaques, then teamLab Borderless in the afternoon.
- Day 3
- Mount Takao. A private driver to the mountain for forest trails or the cable car, with Mount Fuji in view on clear days.
- Day 4
- Tokyo. A neighbourhood market and ramen made from scratch in Junko Hayashi’s home kitchen in Omori, then daifuku sweets. The afternoon is left free.
- Day 5
- Saitama. By Shinkansen Green Car to a master swordsmith’s workshop to watch a katana being forged, then the Railway Museum and its train simulator.
- Days 6 to 8
- Kanazawa. By bullet train. A gold-leaf lacquer tray made at Nosaku Makie, a lacquerware workshop the page dates back 350 years, then the Higashi Chaya geisha district; a kendo lesson in armour and the Nomura samurai house; a day in the Japanese Alps at Shirakawa-go, with a guide and e-bikes.
- Day 9
- Kyoto, Six Senses Kyoto. By bullet train. A rickshaw through the Arashiyama bamboo forest, Tenryu-ji, the monkey park, wagashi sweets with a confectioner and the Nintendo Museum. Four nights at the hotel.
- Day 10
- Osaka. A private plastic food model workshop on Doguyasuji, the kitchenware street, then street food in Dotonbori.
- Day 11
- A day at the hotel. The supervised kids club (origami, paper collage, an indoor playground), with the spa and bar for parents.
- Day 12
- Nara. Todai-ji and its bronze Buddha, the lantern paths of Kasuga Taisha and the deer.
- Day 13
- Home. A private driver to Kansai International Airport for a domestic connection ahead of the flight home.
- Who it is for
- In the company’s words, “families with grade-schoolers who want to experience the real Japan, together”.
- Make it yours
- The page suggests a kimono artisan workshop, the CupNoodles Museum or the Ghibli Museum.
Enquire about this itinerary. Extraordinary Journeys built this route and will price it for your dates, your children’s ages and your party. Ask for Chris Craigo by name. Contact Extraordinary Journeys.
The company this page features
Extraordinary Journeys is featured first because the itinerary above is its route and the advice is its Japan specialist’s; its facts were read the same way as everyone else’s.
Extraordinary JourneysTailor-made Africa and Asia, New York · Partner
- Best for
- A private, slow-paced trip for primary-school-age children
- Family trip and price
- Japan private family tour, 13 days, from $16,000 per person: Tokyo, Kanazawa and Kyoto, with day trips to Mount Takao, Saitama, Shirakawa-go, Osaka and Nara. No sharing basis, child price or inclusions printed.
- Hotels
- Fairmont Tokyo (five nights) and Six Senses Kyoto (four nights, with a supervised kids club). The Kanazawa hotel is not named.
- Other Japan trips
- Its Japan page lists eight priced itineraries, this one among them, from $16,000 to $33,000 per person, all private and tailor-made, with government-credentialed interpreter-guides.
- Who plans Japan
- Chris Craigo, Destination Specialist, Japan, based in Louisiana; his profile lists him as a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist.
- Reviews
- Trustpilot: profile claimed, no reviews (read 23 October 2026). Google 5.0 from 182 reviews (read 12 October 2026).
- Your money
- Extraordinary Journeys says client payments are held in a separate account from its operating funds (stated to Uncompromised Travel, October 2026). Its terms say deposits are non-refundable.
- Ask for
- Chris Craigo by name; the price for your children’s ages; what the $16,000 covers; dates 12 months ahead if you want cherry blossom or October.
- Not the fit if
- You want to compare published child prices or inclusions: its family tour page prints neither.
Alternatives to Extraordinary Journeys for a family trip to Japan
Five other companies meet the rule at the top of the page; they follow in alphabetical order, each with its own published family trip and price.
Audley TravelTailor-made trips
- Best for
- Two weeks with Hiroshima and Hakone
- Family trip and price
- Japan family adventure, 14 days, from $7,595 per person, priced for two adults and two children. In-destination transfers, the activities listed, family-friendly hotels and 24-hour support are in the price; international flights are extra.
- Route and hotels
- Tokyo five nights (The Gate Hotel Kaminarimon), Hiroshima two (Sheraton Hiroshima), Kyoto four, Hakone and Mount Fuji two; Park Hyatt Shinjuku is listed among the alternatives in Tokyo.
- For children
- A private taiko drumming lesson, a manga drawing class, a bento cookery lesson, a ninja experience and kayaking around the shrine gate at Itsukushima.
- Reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.9 from 5,069 reviews.
- Ask for
- The price with five-star hotels throughout, if you want them; the child price for your children’s ages.
- Not the fit if
- You want the top hotels as standard: the suggested set includes the Sheraton in Hiroshima and the Park Hotel in Tokyo.
Black TomatoTailor-made, London
- Best for
- The Peninsula Tokyo and Four Seasons Kyoto
- Family trip and price
- Tokyo & Kyoto: A Japan family holiday, 10 nights, from £13,750 per person excluding flights, two sharing, off-peak; the page says peak season may cost more.
- Route and hotels
- Four nights at The Peninsula Tokyo, two at Ginyu Hakone, then Kyoto at the Four Seasons.
- For children
- A sumo stable visit with a former wrestler, a ninja lesson, a private ramen class and candy-making. Best months on the page: March to May, October and November.
- Reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.6 from 308 reviews.
- Ask for
- The peak-season price and the price in dollars if you book from the US; the nights in Kyoto, which the page does not state.
- Not the fit if
- You want a dollar price with flights included: the page prices in pounds, flights extra.
InsideJapan ToursJapan only, self-guided and guided
- Best for
- A whole-family price and the widest choice of routes
- Family trip and price
- Japan Highlights for Families, 9 nights, from US$12,240 per family, priced for two adults and two children under 16. Breakfast, transport between cities, airport transfers, half-day private guides in Tokyo and Kyoto, a tea ceremony and a pocket WiFi device are listed as included; international flights, local transport and most entrance fees are not.
- Other family trips
- Six family trips in all, up to From Shogun to Shinkansen, 12 nights, from US$24,408 per family (two adults and two teenagers aged 12 to 16), which ends at Palace Tokyo.
- Route and hotels
- Highlights for Families: Tokyo (Mimaru Apartment Hotel), Hakone (Ichinoyu Susukinohara), Kyoto (a machiya townhouse), then Keio Plaza Tokyo; the page grades most of these Moderate.
- Reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.8 from 1,464 reviews.
- Ask for
- A Superior or Deluxe hotel grade throughout; a private guide on more days.
- Not the fit if
- You want a guide every day: these are self-guided trips with guided days in some cities.
Remote LandsAsia only, since 2006
- Best for
- Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with theme-park days
- Family trip and price
- Japan with Kids, 9 days and 8 nights, from $30,500 per person. No sharing basis or inclusions printed.
- Route
- Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, with Nara’s deer; Tokyo Disneyland or Sanrio Puroland offered as a day in place of the plan.
- Why choose them
- The page calls the route an example: “All trips are 100% bespoke.”
- Reviews
- Trustpilot: 3.2 from 1 review, dated 17 April 2024.
- Ask for
- What the $30,500 covers and the sharing basis behind it.
- Not the fit if
- You want a published price you can check against the others: the page prints no inclusions.
Scott DunnTailor-made, London
- Best for
- A private family tour with month-by-month prices
- Family trips and prices
- Family Fun in Japan, 11 nights, from $9,300 per person; Japan with Kids, 7 nights, from $8,100. Double occupancy, international flights excluded (US site); the page calls the price indicative and excludes local taxes. Family Fun is $10,600 in October and November 2026.
- Route and hotels
- Family Fun: Tokyo three nights (The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho), Takayama two (Hanaougi Bettei Iiyama, a ryokan), Kanazawa two (Hyatt Centric Kanazawa), Kyoto four. Japan with Kids: Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto.
- Why choose them
- Private tours with private local guides; the page prints a price and a deposit for every month to September 2027.
- Reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.6 from 280 reviews.
- Ask for
- The child price for your children’s ages; the UK-site price with flights if you fly from London.
- Not the fit if
- You want a price that includes children at a lower rate: both trips are priced per person on two sharing.
When is the best time to take children to Japan?
Spring, for cherry blossom and mild weather, is Chris Craigo’s first choice; December and February are also very good; June to August is hot and often wet. Extraordinary Journeys’ Japan page names spring and autumn as its favourite seasons and puts the peak in October and from late March to early April, worth booking 12 months ahead.
- Late March to May: cherry blossom and mild days; the busiest weeks of spring.
- Early May: Golden Week. Extraordinary Journeys advises against it, as many guides and hotel staff take the week off.
- June to August: hot, humid and often rainy; it can work with flexible planning, Chris Craigo says.
- September to November: autumn; October is peak season. Late November is quieter, with autumn colour.
- December and February: fewer crowds and cool rather than cold weather, Chris Craigo says. Extraordinary Journeys advises against the New Year holiday.
This site’s guide to the best places in Japan with children covers what children pay on the trains and where to base a family.
Who to contact first
Start with the company whose published family trip is closest to yours, then ask one other for a second quote on the same brief.
- For a private, slow-paced trip with primary-school-age children: Extraordinary Journeys; ask for Chris Craigo and for what the $16,000 covers. Enquire.
- For the lowest published price per person, over two weeks: Audley Travel.
- For a whole-family price and self-guided days: InsideJapan Tours.
- For a private tour with a price for every month: Scott Dunn.
- For The Peninsula and the Four Seasons: Black Tomato.
- For a short trip with theme-park days: Remote Lands.
What to ask every company to itemise: the price for each child by age; the hotel and room type for each night; whether connecting rooms are confirmed; which days have a private guide; train class and luggage forwarding; what is not included; the deposit and cancellation terms; how many weeks ahead your month needs booking.
Luxury family trips to Japan: the questions people ask
Who plans the best luxury family trips to Japan?
Six luxury operators on this site’s Japan list publish a priced family trip to Japan: Extraordinary Journeys (a private, slow-paced trip for primary-school-age children), Audley Travel (two weeks with Hiroshima and Hakone), Black Tomato (The Peninsula Tokyo and Four Seasons Kyoto), InsideJapan Tours (a whole-family price and the widest choice of routes), Remote Lands (Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with theme-park days) and Scott Dunn (a private family tour with month-by-month prices). Facts read on each company’s own website on 23 October 2026; no company is scored.
How much does a luxury family trip to Japan cost?
Published from-prices run from $7,595 per person for 14 days (Audley Travel) to $30,500 per person for nine days (Remote Lands). Scott Dunn prints $8,100 for seven nights and $9,300 for eleven; Extraordinary Journeys $16,000 for 13 days; Black Tomato £13,750 for ten nights excluding flights. InsideJapan Tours prices for the whole family, from US$12,240 for nine nights. Read 23 October 2026.
What is the best age to take children to Japan?
Chris Craigo, Japan specialist at Extraordinary Journeys, puts the sweet spot at seven and over. Younger children can go, he says, but pushchairs are hard to manage on trains. Children who walk comfortably on their own get much further and notice more.
How many days do you need in Japan with children?
Extraordinary Journeys calls ten days the bare minimum for Japan and recommends two weeks or more; its family tour is 13 days. For a shorter trip, Chris Craigo would drop Kanazawa and build the trip around Tokyo and Kyoto with day trips.
When is the best time to visit Japan with children?
Spring, for cherry blossom and mild weather, is Chris Craigo’s first choice; December and February are quieter and cool. June to August is hot and often rainy. Extraordinary Journeys advises against Golden Week in early May and the New Year holiday.
Which Japan tour operators publish a price for families?
Six on this site’s Japan list: Audley Travel, Black Tomato, Extraordinary Journeys, InsideJapan Tours, Remote Lands and Scott Dunn. InsideJapan Tours prices for a family of four; the others price per person; none prints a separate child rate. Artisans of Leisure prices its family tour on request. Read 23 October 2026.
Which Japan family trips include Kanazawa?
Extraordinary Journeys’ 13-day family tour spends three nights there, with a kendo lesson, a lacquer workshop and a day trip to Shirakawa-go; Scott Dunn’s Family Fun in Japan spends two nights at Hyatt Centric Kanazawa. InsideJapan Tours’ Made in Japan family trip also stops there.
Is Extraordinary Journeys good for a family trip to Japan?
Its Japan private family tour is 13 days from $16,000 per person, with Fairmont Tokyo and Six Senses Kyoto named. It is written for families with primary-school-age children. Its Japan specialist, Chris Craigo, is listed as a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist. It has no Trustpilot reviews; Google shows 5.0 from 182 reviews. Its page prints no child price or inclusions list.
What are the best alternatives to Extraordinary Journeys for a family trip to Japan?
Audley Travel for two weeks with Hiroshima and Hakone, Black Tomato for The Peninsula Tokyo and Four Seasons Kyoto, InsideJapan Tours for a whole-family price and the widest choice of routes, Remote Lands for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with theme-park days and Scott Dunn for a private family tour with month-by-month prices. Each publishes a priced family trip to Japan.
What do families get wrong when planning Japan?
Trying to do too much, says Chris Craigo of Extraordinary Journeys: families underestimate what is realistic in a day. Balance and pacing matter. With younger children, the rest built into the days makes or breaks the trip.
Read next
This page gives no score and no ranking. Extraordinary Journeys, whose itinerary and Japan specialist’s advice the page features, is shown first; the alternatives are alphabetical. A company is included if it is on this site’s luxury Japan operators list and its own website publishes a priced trip to Japan made for families. Extraordinary Journeys is a paid partner of this site; it is included by the same rule and with its facts read the same way as every other company. Partners pay for labelled placement, never for how their facts read. Chris Craigo’s answers were given in writing to Uncompromised Travel in October 2026; the client’s words are from Extraordinary Journeys’ client evaluations, shared with the traveller’s agreement. Facts read 23 October 2026 from each company’s own website and Trustpilot; the Google figure for Extraordinary Journeys was read 12 October 2026. Photographs: Unsplash photographers as credited; Six Senses Kyoto, supplied by Extraordinary Journeys. How this site earns · How we work.