From Tokyo: Matsumoto, Wasabi Farm & Narai-juku Tour

Head deeper into the Japan Alps – a fully guided private day through Nagano's castle country, wasabi farms, and Edo-period streets – a full day's reach from Tokyo, and worth every kilometre.

This private tour is designed for one family or group of up to 6 guests, with pickup and drop-off at your hotel or address within Tokyo's 23 wards.

Your guided day begins at Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's five National Treasure castles and the oldest surviving five-story castle keep in the country. Walk the grounds with your guide, cross the red bridge over the moat with the black "Crow Castle" behind you, and climb the original 400-year-old wooden interior to the top floor for Alps views. Your guide brings the samurai history to life floor by floor.

Because the tour is private, your group may request a stop at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art, known for its Yayoi Kusama collection. The museum stop is optional and subject to opening hours and the day's timing. Museum admission is not included in the tour price; each customer must purchase their own ticket separately.

At lunchtime, your guide introduces you to Shinshu soba – Nagano's famous buckwheat noodles, considered Japan's best (halal and vegetarian options arranged on request).

Next, walk with your guide through Daio Wasabi Farm in Azumino, Japan's largest wasabi farm, where crystal-clear Alps spring water flows through endless green wasabi beds. Learn how real wasabi grows (nothing like the paste in sushi shops), walk past the famous wooden waterwheels, and taste it fresh – from wasabi soft-serve ice cream to fresh-grated wasabi if you dare.

In the afternoon, step 400 years back in time at Narai-juku, a perfectly preserved post town on the old Nakasendo samurai road in the Kiso Valley. Walk the kilometer-long street of dark wooden inns and craft shops with your guide, hear how travelers crossed these mountains on foot in the Edo period, and take photos that look like historical Japan without the crowds.

Small, personal, and fully hosted from Tokyo pickup to Tokyo drop-off – this is the Japan Alps, guided.

What you pay is what you pay

The price you see is the full price for your whole group. Matsumoto Castle admission, transport, fuel, expressway tolls, parking and your private guide for the whole day are all included. There are no per-person supplements, no booking fees and nothing extra to pay your guide on the day. Only your own lunch, and the art museum ticket if you choose that optional stop, are separate.

Flexible day

This is your private tour, so the day is flexible. If you want to skip a stop, stay longer somewhere or add a place nearby, write it in the booking notes or tell your driver-guide on the day and we will adjust the route where time allows.