If Japan has been sitting on your travel wishlist for years, there’s finally a reason to stop just dreaming about it and start planning. IRCTC — the same organisation Indians know for booking train tickets and domestic holiday packages — has rolled out a brand-new international tour called “Land of the Rising Sun,” and it’s built specifically to take the stress out of a Japan trip for first-time visitors.
No juggling visa paperwork. No comparing hotels across five cities. No trying to figure out which JR pass makes sense. IRCTC has packaged the whole thing — flights, stay, meals, sightseeing, and even the visa — into a single booking. Here’s everything worth knowing before you sign up.
What the IRCTC Japan Tour Package Actually Covers
This is a 10-day, 9-night escorted tour departing from New Delhi on September 6, 2026, and returning on September 15, 2026. The itinerary takes travelers through seven cities and towns: Tokyo, Hakone, Hamamatsu, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima — basically a greatest-hits tour of Japan, hitting both its futuristic cities and its centuries-old cultural sites.
What stands out is how much is bundled into the price. The package includes:
- Return economy-class airfare on All Nippon Airways (ANA), flying out of Delhi
- Nine nights in 4-star hotels
- Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Airport transfers and AC coach transport for all local sightseeing
- Entry tickets to attractions on the itinerary
- Japan tourist visa processing and fees
- Travel insurance for travelers under 70
- An English-speaking tour guide throughout
For anyone who has ever tried to plan an international trip solo, that list covers most of the headaches — visa applications, insurance shopping, hunting for reliable hotels, figuring out local transport — all handled on your behalf.
The Places You’ll Actually See
Tokyo kicks things off, and the itinerary leans into both old and new sides of the city. Expect a visit to the historic Asakusa Temple, a stroll down Nakamise Shopping Street, some time in Ueno Park, and a stop at TeamLab Planets, the digital art museum that’s become one of Tokyo’s most talked-about experiences in recent years.
From there, the tour heads to Hakone, a scenic town known for its views of Mt. Fuji, hot springs, and the Owakudani volcanic valley. It’s the kind of place that photos genuinely don’t do justice to — you have to stand there and see Fuji rise over the hills yourself.
The route continues through Hamamatsu before arriving in the Kansai region, where Kyoto and Nara take center stage. Kyoto is home to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, one of the most photographed buildings in the country, along with countless smaller shrines tucked into quiet streets. Nara is a short trip away and famous for its park full of free-roaming deer that bow for snacks — a strange, delightful experience most travelers remember long after the trip ends.
Osaka and Hiroshima round things out. Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and Museum offer a moving, reflective stop that gives real historical weight to the trip, alongside the lighter, livelier energy of Osaka’s food scene and city life.
Riding the Shinkansen: The Bullet Train Everyone Talks About
One of the biggest draws of this package is the ride on Japan’s Shinkansen, the bullet train that regularly hits speeds of 300 km/h and is often described as one of the smoothest, most punctual rail experiences in the world. The itinerary confirms a bullet train segment running from Shin-Osaka Station to Hiroshima — a chance to experience firsthand why Japan’s rail system is considered a benchmark for the rest of the world.
For Indian travelers, something is fitting about this too — IRCTC, the country’s own rail and tourism body, giving people a taste of one of the most advanced train networks on the planet.
How Much Does the IRCTC Japan Tour Cost?
Pricing depends on room occupancy and age:
- Triple occupancy: ₹3,45,999 per person
- Twin sharing: ₹3,49,999 per person
- Single occupancy: ₹4,73,999 per person
- Children (5–11 years) with a bed: ₹2,92,499
- Children (5–11 years) without a bed: ₹2,63,999
Given that the price already folds in return flights, visa costs, insurance, hotels, meals, and a guide, it holds up well against the cost of planning the same trip independently, where visa fees, insurance, and last-minute hotel bookings can quietly add up.
What’s Not Included
To avoid any surprises, it’s worth knowing what falls outside the package price. Excluded items include:
- Any increase in airfare after booking
- Urgent or rushed visa processing charges
- Overseas medical insurance (beyond the standard travel insurance for under-70 travelers)
- Additional airport taxes or fuel surcharges
- Meals outside the set menu
- Room service
- Optional excursions not listed in the fixed itinerary
- Tips for guides and drivers
- Personal expenses such as laundry or drinks outside the standard meal plan
None of these are unusual for a packaged international tour, but it’s smart to budget an extra buffer for optional experiences, souvenirs, and tipping, since those aren’t covered.
Visa and Documents You’ll Need
Since IRCTC handles the visa application process itself, travelers mainly need to supply the right paperwork. That includes:
- A passport valid for at least six months from the return date
- A completed visa application form
- Recent passport-sized photographs
- A covering letter
- Financial and employment documents, which vary depending on whether the applicant is salaried, self-employed, retired, or a student
- A PAN card
Because IRCTC coordinates the filing, travelers don’t need to visit a visa center or courier documents themselves — a genuinely useful convenience for anyone who has dealt with the usual back-and-forth of visa applications.
Why This Package Works Especially Well for First-Timers
Japan has a reputation for being a slightly intimidating country to visit independently — not because people aren’t welcoming, but because of the language barrier, the complexity of the train network for newcomers, and the sheer number of things worth seeing. A guided, all-inclusive tour removes almost all of that friction.
Having an English-speaking guide throughout means there’s no scrambling to translate menus or directions. Fixed hotels mean no last-minute accommodation stress. And because the itinerary is pre-planned across seven locations, travelers get a genuinely well-rounded sense of the country in just over a week — modern Tokyo, traditional Kyoto, the natural beauty of Hakone, and the historical depth of Hiroshima, all in one trip.
It’s also worth noting the timing: a September departure means travelers will likely catch the tail end of summer transitioning into Japan’s early autumn, generally a comfortable period for sightseeing before the colder months set in.
How to Book
Interested travelers can check availability and book directly through IRCTC’s official tourism website. Given the detailed visa documentation required, it’s a good idea to start gathering paperwork — passport, PAN card, proof of funds, and employment documents — well ahead of the departure date to avoid a last-minute rush.
Final Thoughts
Something appealing about a trip is that most of the hard decisions have already been made for you. IRCTC’s Japan package doesn’t just save time — it opens up a country that can otherwise feel logistically complicated to visit on your own. Bullet trains, ancient temples, deer that bow at you in Nara, and the quiet weight of Hiroshima’s memorial sites — packed into ten days, with the visa and insurance sorted before you even land in Tokyo.
For anyone who has always wanted to see Japan but never quite got around to planning it, this might be the nudge worth taking.
