LIST: UK TOUR OPERATORS TO JAPAN

ANA World Tours	020 7478 1933	Tour operator division of ANA (All Nippon Airways) offering discovery tours and tailor-made travel. The english version of their website is weak (and that's being generous), so best to deal by phone.
Audley Travel	01993 838 000	Tailormade travel and a small group escorted tour to Tokyo and the temples and shrines of Kyoto & Kamakura. There's a chance to see the great Tori Gate, the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Shirakawago, and Dogo-spa on Miyajima Island. The highlight of the tour is joining in the celebration at the Takayama Festival, deep in the Japanese Alps, around which the entire trip is planned. Accommodation is in international style hotels and classical ryokan inns.
Captain's Choice, The	020 8879 7705	Launched in 1993, The Captain's Choice specialise in small group, ultra-luxury, multi-country/destination tours and tailor-made tours, usually by private aircraft, train or ship. Guests are accompanied by a team of helpers including the tour manager and a doctor. A number of their Asia tour programmes cover Japan.
Dragonfly Tours Japan	01224 289 767	Small company of enthusiastic Japan-lovers and Japanese friends/colleagues operating small group discovery tours with flexible itineraries, tailormade tours and adventure tours.
Emerald Tours	020 7312 1712	Aka eTours-Japan. Longstanding (3+ decades) Japan tour specialist offering fully-escorted tours, semi-escorted tours (guides join on particular days and/or sightseeing locations), and tour itineraries for independent travellers. They also operate schools tours to Japan and special interest tours EG. the Bullet Train, Anime Manga Tours, Onsen (Japanese hot springs), Ryokan (Japanese traditional inns) and Formula 1.
Exodus	0870 240 5550	Exodus have a 15-day small group exploratory tour of Japan visiting Kyoto, Tokyo, Nara, Takayama, Matsumoto, Hiroshima, and the spa town of Yudanaka, a new tour to Mount Fuji and the Japanese Alps, a cycling tour and a combined tour of Japan and South Korea.
Explore Worldwide	01252 760000	13-day small group exploratory tour visiting the major highlights.
Far East Gateways	0161 437 4371	Escorted discovery tours to Kyoto & Tokyo.
Inside Japan Tours	0870 746 1044	Independent specialist tour operator to Japan (launched 2000) with a good selection of tours and tailor-made options including a road journey through the Japan Alps, city visits to Tokyo and Kyoto, discover tours to lesser-known spots such as Hokkaido's wide open expanses and Okinawa’s tropical beaches, as well as trips to the rural north, including Sado Island.
Intrepid Travel	0800 917 6456	Intrepid have a number of small-group cultural tours of Japan icluding a gastronomic tour and a camping tour.
Jaltour	020 7462 5577	(aka Creative Tours) Tour operator division of JAL airline, offering a wide range of discovery tours, scenic tours, adventure tours, cultural tours, etc. Also tailor-made tours.
Japan Travel Centre	020 7255 8283	London-based Japanese travel agency offering tailormade travel arrangements in Japan.
Japan Ski Experience	020 8099 9034	Specialist ski & snowboard tour operator to Japan only. In particular the ski resorts of Hakuba and Myoko in the Alps region of mainland Japan.
JTB UK	020 8237 1605	Longstanding Japan specialists, established in the UK since the 1980s, JTB offer semi-escorted tours, the occasional specialist group departure, and tailor-made trips to Japan, to suit all interests and budgets, from sumo tournaments in Tokyo to trekking in Hokkaido, the Fuji Rock festival or diving in Okinawa.
Oriental Caravan, The	020 7582 0716	Small group escorted adventure tours. TOC have two 2-week tour itineraries in Japan.
Thomas Cook	0870 443 4436	TC has two Japan tours in its Worldwide brochure. The 'a Taste of Japan' 9-day fully escorted tour is designed for first time visitors to Japan taking in Tokyo, the spa town of Hakone with stunning views of Mt. Fuji, a journey on the bullet train and the ancient capital Kyoto. 'The Samurai Experience' 2-week tour explores the culture of samurais and shoguns in Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. There is also an optional bolt-on tour to Japan's subtropical Okinawa islands.
Travelsphere	0844 318 8132	Fully escorted touring holidays ex-UK visiting key sites in Japan. Their 8-day tour covers Tokyo, Nara & Kyoto. They also have a longer 13-day tour visiting both Japan and China.
Voyages Jules Verne	020 7616 1000	Classic 8-day tour to Tokyo and Kyoto.
World Expeditions	020 8870 2600	World Expeditions have a number of cultural tours of Japan 11-days and over, including a gastronomic tour and a tour focusing on Japan's summer festivals.

Notes

• The Japan Ryokan Association is the official association formed by over 1,300 reputable Japanese inns and hotels in Japan. These traditional hotels and inns have Japanese style rooms with tatami mat floors and Shoji (sliding paper wall panels), as well as onsen (thermal baths), yukata (informal kimonos) and other cultural accessories and facilities.
• ReadyClickandGo specialise in customised private guided day trips, sightseeing tours and cultural experiences in Japan, which are pre-bookable online and backed up by a small team of experienced travellers.
• Japan Architecture Tours is a small Australian agency specialising in small group tours visiting sites of traditional and modern architectural note.