Japan · Kyoto, Kanazawa & Tokyo · 2028 future departure
Japanese Gardens in Autumn 2028
An autumn garden journey through Japan — the temple gardens of Kyoto and Nara, Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, old Takayama, Kamakura and the gardens of Tokyo, timed for the maples in their autumn colour.
Priority list open
Join the priority list for first notice
Register your interest and we will offer you the full itinerary, dates and pricing before this future GardenTours.com departure is announced more widely.
There is no obligation to book. This simply lets us know that you would like to be considered when the tour is scheduled.
The gardens of Japan in autumn
Few garden experiences compare with Japan in autumn, when the maples of temple gardens turn scarlet, orange and gold against moss, raked gravel, old pines and still water. Over centuries, Japanese gardeners have refined an art of composition in which every stone, tree and view is placed with intent.
This future GardenTours.com departure follows the route of our earlier autumn tours of Japan. It begins in Kyoto, with the moss garden of Saihō-ji, the Silver and Golden Pavilions, the Zen garden of Ryōan-ji and the bamboo groves of Arashiyama, and continues to Nara, to Kenroku-en in Kanazawa — one of Japan’s three great gardens — and to the old town of Takayama.
The journey ends in and around Tokyo, with the temples of Kamakura, the city’s landscape gardens and bonsai, and a day at Lake Kawaguchi beneath Mount Fuji. Travel is by private coach and train, with a tour leader throughout.
Dates, prices and the full itinerary will be sent to the priority list first, before the departure is announced more widely.
The gardens we expect to visit
Saihō-ji, the Moss Temple
A fourteenth-century garden carpeted with many kinds of moss beneath maples — visited by advance permission only.
Ginkaku-ji and Kinkaku-ji
Kyoto’s Silver and Golden Pavilions, with the sculpted sand garden of Ginkaku-ji and the mirror pond of Kinkaku-ji.
Ryōan-ji
The supreme abstract Zen garden: fifteen stones in a rectangle of raked gravel.
Arashiyama
The bamboo groves of Sagano and a boat journey through the autumn colours of the Hozu river gorge.
Kenroku-en, Kanazawa
One of Japan’s three great gardens, with its ponds, old pines and the rope supports that protect the trees from snow.
Nara and Kamakura
Great temples and shrines set in parkland and forest, from Tōdai-ji and Kasuga to the temples of Kamakura.
Tokyo gardens and bonsai
Landscape gardens of the city, the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and a celebrated bonsai collection.
Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi
Autumn colour around the lake beneath Mount Fuji, with the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum and its garden.
The provisional shape of the tour
- Arrival in Osaka and welcome gathering
- Kyoto: the moss garden of Saihō-ji and the Kyoto Botanical Gardens
- Kyoto: Ginkaku-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Ryōan-ji, the Hozu river and the bamboo groves of Sagano
- Nara: Tōdai-ji, the deer park and Kasuga, with an evening visit to Kōdai-ji
- Kyoto to Kanazawa: Heian Shrine and Nanzen-ji
- Kanazawa and Kenroku-en, continuing to Takayama
- Takayama’s old town and morning market
- Tokyo, with a day in Kamakura
- Tokyo’s gardens, bonsai and the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace
- Lake Kawaguchi and Mount Fuji
- Departure from Tokyo
A garden-focused specialist
- Small groups of 15–20 guests, led with garden-focused commentary throughout
- An itinerary built on GardenTours.com’s earlier autumn tours of Japan
- Timed for the autumn colour in Kyoto’s temple gardens
- Advance arrangements for gardens that need permission to visit
- Priority access to dates, pricing and the full itinerary before public release
A sense of the gardens
Garden guides for this destination
What a tour of this kind would normally include
The full list of inclusions will be published with the confirmed itinerary. A GardenTours.com departure of this kind would normally include hotel accommodation, private coach and train travel, garden and temple admissions, selected meals, tour leadership and garden-focused notes.
Included
- Comfortable hotel accommodation, or similar
- Breakfast daily
- Selected dinners and a welcome gathering
- Private coach and train travel during the tour
- Garden and temple entrance fees listed in the final itinerary
- Services of a tour leader / local guide
Not included
- International flights
- Airport transfers unless specifically arranged
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed as included
- Drinks with meals unless specified
- Personal expenses
- Tips and gratuities
Is this tour right for you?
- Suitable for travellers interested in Japanese garden design, temple gardens and autumn colour.
- Rated Easy, though temple gardens involve steps, gravel paths and some walking each day.
- Autumn colour depends on each season’s weather; the tour is timed for the usual peak.
Register your interest for this future tour
Join the priority list and be among the first to receive dates, pricing and the full itinerary.
Register your interest