Private multi-day tour · Multi-day from Tokyo
From Tokyo: 4-Day Kamikatsu Zero-Waste Customizable Tour
Visit Kamikatsu, Japan's first zero-waste town: a guided tour of the Zero Waste Center, mountain rice terraces and the irodori leaf business run by elders.
Private · your group only◆4 days◆Up to 6 guests◆Pickup included
Road-day snapshot
This is your private tour, so the route is flexible: tell us if you want to skip a stop, stay longer somewhere or add a place nearby.
The experience
A private journey, thoughtfully paced
Kamikatsu is a small mountain town in Tokushima, on the island of Shikoku. In 2003 it became the first town in Japan to promise zero waste. Today people here sort their waste into more than 40 kinds, and most of it is reused or recycled.
At the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center, a building shaped like a question mark, a local guide shows you how the system works and lets you try the sorting. The group guided tour fee is included. Next to it is the kuru-kuru shop, where people leave things they no longer need and others take them for free.
Kamikatsu is also known for irodori, a business where older residents grow and pick leaves and flowers that are sold to Japanese restaurants as decorations for food. It gave work and pride to a village of elders. Your guide explains the story, and we visit the hills where the leaves are grown.
We also walk among the stone-walled rice terraces of Kamikatsu, set on steep mountain slopes.
Kamikatsu is about 750 km from Tokyo, so Day 1 and Day 4 are long driving days. You book your own hotel in Kamikatsu or Tokushima.
This is a private tour. Only your group. One family or group of 1 to 6 people per van, never shared with strangers. Your driver-guide speaks English, and also Hindi and Urdu.
If the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center guided tour is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit the Kamikatsu rice terraces and the town's reuse shop and walk the village with your guide.
DAY 1 Early hotel pickup in Tokyo and the long drive to Tokushima.
DAY 2 Kamikatsu rice terraces in the morning, then the guided tour of the Zero Waste Center.
DAY 3 The irodori leaf hills and the story of the leaf business, then start the drive east.
DAY 4 Continue the drive and the drive back to your Tokyo hotel.
Choose with confidence
Is this the right journey for your group?
Excellent fit if
- Guided tour of the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center
- Try sorting waste into more than 40 kinds
- Hear how elders built the irodori leaf business
- Walk the stone-walled rice terraces of Kamikatsu
- See the kuru-kuru free reuse shop
Said plainly
The Zero Waste Center is closed on the first Tuesday of each month and from December 31 to January 2. Guided tours start in the afternoon (14:00 on weekdays, 15:30 on weekends). Day 1 and Day 4 are very long driving days of about 10 hours. If the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center guided tour is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit the Kamikatsu rice terraces and the town's reuse shop and walk the village with your guide. Dietary needs can be added in the booking form.
Your day
Suggested itinerary
Times are approximate. Your driver-guide adjusts the order for traffic, weather, opening hours and the best light.
Guided tour of the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center
Try sorting waste into more than 40 kinds
Hear how elders built the irodori leaf business
Walk the stone-walled rice terraces of Kamikatsu
See the kuru-kuru free reuse shop
What is covered
What you see is what you pay
Ours — included
- Private van and English-speaking driver-guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Tokyo
- All parking, fuel and road tolls
- Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center guided group tour
Yours — paid on the day
- Hotel accommodation (you book your own hotel in Kamikatsu or Tokushima)
- Meals and drinks unless listed as included
- Gratuities, which are never expected in Japan
- Optional craft beer at RISE & WIN brewery
- Optional souvenirs
Good to know
Before you book
Languages
English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi
Pickup
Pickup and drop-off at your Tokyo hotel or accommodation (23 wards).
Group and vehicle
Private for up to 6 guests. Enter adults, children, infants and child seats separately at booking.
Dietary and mobility needs
Halal, vegetarian, allergy, walking or other practical requests go in your booking notes and are planned before the day.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can we change the route on the day?
Yes. It is a private tour in our own van, so your driver-guide can skip, extend or add stops where time allows.
Is the price per person?
No. The price is for your whole private group of up to 6 people, including the van, fuel, tolls, parking and your driver-guide.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for an automatic full refund to the original payment method. Within 24 hours, contact us directly so we can help. If a typhoon or official weather warning stops the trip, we offer a new date or a full refund. For a GetYourGuide booking, the terms shown on that booking apply.
Somewhere else in mind?
Any destination in Japan
If this route is not exactly what you need, tell us the destination, dates and group. We confirm the plan and the exact price before any payment is taken.
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From¥325,000
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