15 Morning Tours in Japan Worth Booking

1.Kyoto Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,427 reviews · from $68Our pick

Beat Kyoto’s crowds at Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, and Kinkaku-ji on a small-group early morning tour with local guides.

“Great introduction to the classic sites around Kyoto. We were able to travel all around town with our guide via public transportation. That gave us a better understanding of the city layout and lots of time to chat with our local guide for additional tips for independent site seeing the next day.”

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2.Early Morning Tour with English-Speaking Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,128 reviews · 5h 30m · from $101

See Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, and Kinkakuji before the crowds on a small-group Kyoto tour using trains and buses.

“Aya was a fantastic guide. She was on point with her cheerful n professional attitude. I love that she brings the places we visited to life with the historical information that she is well versed with. The early morning tour is definitely a good idea to escape the crowd. We saw that as we were leaving as a huge crowd descending despite it being a wet n cold morning.”

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3.World Heritage Shirakawa-go Morning Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 988 reviews · 5 hours · from $77

Reach snow-covered Shirakawa-go before the crowds on a guided morning bus tour from Kanazawa, with free time, local food, and Wi-Fi onboard.

“yasushi and Keita were the nicest guides, explaining everthing and makeing a fun and short ride. Thanks for the experience”

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4.Nara Early Morning Tour (Kyoto or Osaka Departure Available)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 676 reviews · from $61

Beat Nara’s crowds on a small-group morning walk to shrines, deer park, and Todaiji’s Great Buddha, with Kyoto or Osaka transport options.

“Had a great experience on this tour, only 4 people signed up, our guide Shin is very knowledgeable about Nara and it's history, I enjoyed spending time with him and the rest of the group, we got to see less crowded areas of the park, and saw the beautiful shrines.”

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5.Sumo Morning Practice Viewing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 570 reviews · 90 minutes - 2 hours · from $81

Watch real sumo wrestlers train inside a Tokyo stable, learn the rituals, and see Japan’s national sport from just a few feet away.

“We loved it so much! We were the first to arrive to the training so we could sit in the front row. Noriko explained the history and rules of sumo to us briefly. The only slight difficulty was finding the meeting point - there could have been a picture uploaded about the exact spot. But we arrived early and so we had enough time to find it. Overall i definitely recommend it!”

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6.Hiroshima in a Nutshell: Morning Bike Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 524 reviews · from $72

Cycle Hiroshima’s Peace Park, Atomic Bomb Dome, castle, and Shukkei-en with an English-speaking guide in a small morning group.

“This was a very thorough and interesting way to quickly cover a lot of ground and history in Hiroshima. Would highly recommend.”

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7.Sumo Morning Training Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 370 reviews · 1 hour · from $77

Watch professional sumo wrestlers train inside a Tokyo stable, learn through close-up action, and take a group photo for $77.

“What a great experience. This was one we will never forget. It was very easy and our guide provide good information on where to meet and when. Watching the sumo’s train will be one of the highlights of our trip.”

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8.Nara Guided Morning Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 335 reviews · 4 hours · from $77

See Nara’s Great Buddha, sacred deer, and Kasuga Taisha on a guided half-day trip from Kyoto with one-way coach travel.

“Thank you Nanami for the tour. Very informative and everything ran like clockwork. Such a great morning - and even got a recommendation for lunch also 👌”

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9.Sumo Morning Practice Tour at Sumida City

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 308 reviews · 2 hours · from $116

Watch sumo wrestlers train from floor level in Tokyo, learn the sport’s rituals, and meet the stable master on this intimate morning tour.

“very interesting experience to get to know the Sumo "Lifestyle"”

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10.Tokyo Sumo Morning Practice Tour at Stable

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 298 reviews · from $83

Watch professional sumo wrestlers train inside a Tokyo stable, learn the rituals and rankings, and see intense practice up close in a small group.

“Amazing experience! Up close, small group. Easy to find. No hokey touristy traps. Definitely recommend!”

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11.Kyoto Morning Tour from Kyoto or Osaka

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 281 reviews · from $87

See Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji, and Kyoto Imperial Palace on a guided half-day bus tour from Kyoto, with transport and entry fees included.

“I found it to be so poorly organised as I booked this excursion with my main aim of visiting the Imperial Palace. I was not notified that we could not view the Palace. When we got on the bus we were taken to the castle which I had seen the day before so a complete waste of time and money”

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12.Tokyo Ryogoku Sumo Morning Practice + Photo Shoot with Wrestlers

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 277 reviews · from $98

Watch authentic sumo practice in Ryogoku, learn about stable life from a local guide, and possibly pose for photos with wrestlers.

“It was really great and very interesting! We did not expect that we would stay the whole session, but were mesmerized by the entire process: the physicality, respect, hierarchy, business aspect, hygiene, etc. Also unbeknownst to us when i bRead more”

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13.Watch Sumo Morning Practice at Stable in Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 268 reviews · from $95

Watch sumo wrestlers train in a Tokyo stable, see ritual and hard contact practice up close, and learn what to expect before you book.

“During the tournament the hours were decreased but non the less, this was a once in a lifetime chance to see sumo wrestlers incredibly clot sely and appreciate their strength. Loved the photos after. It is a bit out of the way so plan extra time to arrive. Loved it.”

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14.A Half-Day Trip Bus Tour in the Morning

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 236 reviews · 4 hours - 270 minutes · from $40Best value

See Tokyo’s Imperial Palace outer garden, Senso-ji, and Tokyo Tower by hybrid bus with an English-speaking guide in about four hours.

“A great guide makes all the difference. Makoto was knowledgeable and fun, A great introduction to Tokyo.”

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15.Half-day Tokyo Morning Tour by Hato Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 220 reviews · from $41

See Tokyo Tower, the Imperial Palace, and Senso-ji Temple in four hours by hybrid bus, with an English guide and Tokyo Station finish.

“The tour bus arrived on time. Sites were great. I loved sensoji temple. The Tour guide was knowledgeable/informative. Bus was roomy and clean. The tour stayed on time. I recommend this tour if you’re in Tokyo, on a layover/stopover. Or, if you have other Escursions in the pm/evening hours.”

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