Local Living Tours & Trips in Honshu

Take the Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway up to the observatory at Lake Kawaguchi and, if you're there in spring, check out the Fuji Shibazakura Festival with its pink moss against Mount Fuji's backdrop. Catch the bullet train from Kyoto to see UNESCO-listed Himeji Castle and climb the 6-story watch tower.

Stay overnight at a traditional mountain temple in Koyasan, participating in meditation and having vegetarian Buddhist cuisine prepared by monks. Take a ropeway cable car through Hakone's mountains then cruise Lake Ashi by pirate ship, learn sushi-making from Osaka chefs, and practice samurai sword techniques.

See the UNESCO-listed gassho-zukuri thatched-roof houses in Shirakawa-go village set against mountain landscapes and walk through the steaming volcanic vents at Owakudani in Hakone. Take a cruise across Lake Ashi with potential views of Mount Fuji and check out Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan's most celebrated gardens in Kanazawa. Wander the historic Higashi Chaya District's narrow Edo-period streets and browse specialist kitchenware shops along Kappabashi Dori near Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo.

Travel through the Japanese Alps on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Takayama and stay in a traditional ryokan with authentic mountain architecture. See Todaiji Temple and wild deer at UNESCO-listed Nara Park, walk through Arashiyama's bamboo groves, and check out Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Stay at Byaku Narai, exclusive restored historic houses in the preserved post town of Narai along the Edo-period Nakasendo Trail. Have farm-to-table dining with organic vegetable harvesting in rural Amanohashidate and meet farmers who practice centuries-old sustainable methods.

Try Yuzen kimono dyeing in Kyoto and join a cooking class where you'll prepare teriyaki chicken and sushi rolls with local chefs. Walk through Hiroshima's 400-year-old Shukkei-en Garden with its miniature landscapes showing off Japanese artistry, then take part in a tea ceremony at Meiji Shrine.

Stay overnight at a traditional ryokan in Kawaguchiko with tatami rooms and onsen baths, then check out Iyashi no Sato Nenba's reconstructed village with traditional houses and cultural exhibits. Visit Fuji Sengen Shrine where pilgrims start their Mount Fuji climbs and have dinner in Shinjuku district.

Make washi paper in Gokayama's UNESCO-listed farmhouses and create copper souvenirs in Takaoka's workshops, then stay at a ryokan with private onsen baths in Hirayu Onsen. Dress in kimonos for a tea ceremony at Kyoto's temples and make sushi with local chefs in Tokyo.