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Nomad Diaries · Japan & Korea

Beyond the itinerary.

Private journeys through Japan and Korea, designed around the people taking them.

Design your journeyBook an airport transfer

What we believe

The best journeys aren’t planned around destinations. They’re designed around people.

An itinerary can tell you where to be at ten o’clock. It can’t tell you that your father needs a slower morning, that your youngest will want to stay with the deer, or that the quiet temple will matter more than the famous one.

Noticing those things is our work. So before we ask where you’d like to go, we ask who is coming with you.

A hand reaching out to a young deer standing on a stone path in front of a traditional wooden building
Five more minutes with the deer
Three generations of a family, the eldest in a wheelchair, posing on a wooden deck in a Japanese garden while a girl takes their photograph
Everyone in the picture

An example day

Kyoto and Nara: the plan, and what changed on the day.

Your day has a plan, but it can bend. Your driver and agent adjust as you go, within the hours you booked.

  1. 09:00Fushimi Inari

    PlannedWalk up through the torii gates.

    On the dayLola is tired from the flight, so the family stays at the lower gates and skips the climb.

  2. 12:30Lunch in Gion

    PlannedOne hour for lunch.

    On the dayNobody wants to leave, so lunch runs an hour longer and the afternoon is shortened.

  3. 16:00Nara

    PlannedVisit Tōdai-ji temple.

    On the dayThe children only want the deer, so the temple becomes a short look and the park gets forty minutes.

Ways to travel

Three ways to travel. One way of looking after you.

Some travellers want their days taken care of. Others want the whole journey. Choose the depth of planning that suits your trip — the care is the same in all three.
A traveller stepping out of a private car as the driver holds the door
01

Private Car Tours

Explore at your own pace.

Your flights and hotel are booked. We take care of the days: a private vehicle and driver for your group alone, a route planned around who is travelling, and the freedom to stay longer wherever you are happy.

May includeA private vehicle and driver, matched to your group · Day touring across Japan and Korea · Airport and city transfers · A route planned around your pace · Help with strollers and wheelchairs

From US$650 per vehicle, per dayApprox. PHP 40,000. Varies by route, group size and season.

Explore Private Car Tours
Mount Fuji under an orange evening sky, seen through the window of a train
02Our most complete way to travel

Nomad Signature Journey

A journey designed around you.

For travellers who would rather not spend weeks juggling tabs and timetables. We bring the pieces of a multi-day journey together — where to stay, how to move between cities, which days need a car and which suit the train — into one plan, with one team to talk to.

May includeHotels and accommodation · Shinkansen and intercity rail · Private touring days and transfers · Cultural experiences and attractions · Local guides and photographers · Coordination throughout your trip

Planned and priced around your journey

Explore Nomad Signature Journey
A quiet indoor bath of stone and wood beside tall windows filled with soft morning light
03

Nomad Diaries Exclusive

For journeys unlike any other.

Our most individual level of planning, for milestones and for travellers who want every element considered on its own terms — accommodation, experiences, pacing, and the small details in between. Planned privately, with no template underneath.

May includePremium accommodation, chosen individually · Private and specialist experiences, where available · Extended, detailed travel coordination · Discreet, personal planning from first message to final day

By consultation

Explore Nomad Diaries Exclusive

Destinations

Two countries we know closely.

We plan journeys across Japan and Korea — from Tokyo's neighbourhoods to Kyoto's quiet lanes, and from Seoul out to the islands and villages beyond it.
Kyoto at dusk under a pink sky, with Kyoto Tower lit and the five-storey Yasaka pagoda among the rooftops

Japan

Kyoto, at dusk

Five regions, one unhurried pace

From Tokyo's neighbourhoods to the lanes of Kyoto, the lakes beneath Mount Fuji and the villages of the central Alps — planned so the travelling never crowds out the arriving.

Discover Japan
  • Tokyo & KantoTokyo, Yokohama, Nikko
  • Mount Fuji & HakoneLake Kawaguchi, Oshino, Hakone
  • Kyoto & NaraTemples, gardens, Gion, Arashiyama
  • Osaka & KansaiOsaka, Kobe, Universal Studios Japan
  • Central JapanNagoya, Shirakawa-go
The hexagonal Hyangwonjeong Pavilion on its island in a still pond at Gyeongbokgung Palace, framed by bare branches

Korea

Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, Gyeongbokgung, Seoul

Palaces, hanok lanes and long avenues of trees

Seoul's palaces and neighbourhoods, then out to the islands, villages and countryside beyond — with a private car, so the distances stay easy.

Discover Korea
  • SeoulPalaces, Gangnam, markets
  • Nami Island & GyeonggiNami Island, Everland
  • JeonjuHanok Village
  • Incheon & GanghwaCoast, islands, heritage
  • BusanCoast, markets, hillside neighbourhoods
  • JejuCoastline and volcanic landscapes

Experiences

Moments worth making room for.

A few of the things we can help arrange along the way. Each one is optional, arranged on request through trusted local partners, and subject to season and availability.
  • A woman in a pink kimono with flowers in her hair walking away down a quiet, tree-lined street
    01Kimono and old KyotoArashiyama · Gion
  • Hands spooning bright green matcha into a black tea bowl on a tatami mat, a bamboo whisk beside it
    02A tea ceremonyKyoto · Tokyo
  • A bronze lantern capped with snow hanging among the vermilion gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto
    03Shrines and heritageNikko · Nara · Kyoto
  • A steaming bowl of ramen with a soft-boiled egg and dumplings, a spoon resting in the broth
    04Food, markets and night streetsOsaka · Tokyo · Seoul
  • A white Shinkansen bullet train crossing golden fields beneath a snow-capped Mount Fuji
    05Scenic railShinkansen and local lines
  • The Hozu River winding through a gorge of red and gold autumn trees near Arashiyama, Kyoto
    06Autumn colour and blossomNikko · Nami Island · Kyoto
  • A mother and two young daughters smiling and pointing at something out of frame on a sunny riverside walk
    07Family days outAquariums · parks · zoos
  • Steam rising from a turquoise hot spring pool edged with clipped green shrubs
    08Hot springs and slow morningsHakone · Kawaguchiko
  • A young girl laughing with an ice cream on a carousel horse, a woman riding beside her
    09Theme park daysTokyo · Osaka · Seoul
  • A white golf bag of clubs and a few golf balls resting on bright green grass, seen from above
    10Golf at first lightJapan
All experiences
The long white nose of a Shinkansen bullet train waiting beside an empty platform
Shinkansen, waiting at the platform.

The Nomad difference

Travelling with family is beautiful. It’s also luggage, a stroller, and a train that leaves in four minutes.

We plan for the trip you are actually taking. That starts with the questions most itineraries never ask.

  1. 01

    People who reply

    Real people plan your trip and answer your messages. Not a booking engine, not a script.

  2. 02

    Planned around who is coming

    Children, grandparents, mobility, naps, diets — we ask first, then plan the days around the answers.

  3. 03

    A pace that leaves room

    Fewer stops, done well, with time to linger wherever you are happy.

  4. 04

    Local partners we trust

    Drivers, vehicles and experiences arranged through partners we know and brief on your group.

  5. 05

    Clear before you commit

    A written plan and a clear quotation, so nothing arrives as a surprise.

  6. 06

    Someone looking after the details

    While you travel, a dedicated agent follows your trip and is a message away — Monday to Saturday 7am – 11pm, Sunday 10am – 6pm.

Reviews

In our guests’ own words.

Google
5.0 out of 5from 11 reviews · read them on Google (opens in a new tab)
Facebook
100%recommend us, from 26 reviews · read them on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

Figures as of July 2026. Reviews below are quoted word for word.

1–3 of 6

  • “Best decision to book from Nomad diaries for our airport transfers in Tokyo specially with a toddler, seniors and 7 luggages. Booking was a breeze.”

    Joy FormantesAirport transfers · Tokyo · December 2024

  • “We were a group of 6 adults and 3 kids and we loved every second of our trip because of them. My kids keep on insisting to get them again for the next Japan trip.”

    Kristina EntendezFamily group of nine · January 2025

  • “Our driver Zai was amazing. He made it easy and comfortable our entire trip… He took videos and photos to capture our memories. This trip was a very special one for me and my family.”

    Stephanie Antonio MartePrivate day tour · November 2025

  • “Communication was smooth and responses were quick… our driver, Kuya Rein, arrived right on time. The van was spacious and comfortable.”

    Kate KarimNikko day tour · December 2025

  • “Thank you for making our Mount Fuji tour (and our engagement) so memorable!!! … they are very accommodating with all our requests, and they give the best itinerary for us.”

    Jane TimbenganMt. Fuji tour · December 2023

  • “We did the Tokyo tour and Kyoto/Nara tour. It was a very enjoyable experience! I would highly recommend Nomad Diaries Travel to my family and friends.”

    Susan DowdTokyo and Kyoto/Nara tours · March 2026

How it works

It begins with a conversation.

  1. 01

    Tell us about the trip

    Where you'd like to go, who's coming, and how you like to travel. Rough dates are fine, and so is “we're not sure yet.” A real person reads every message.

  2. 02

    We shape it with you

    A draft plan, the arrangements that suit your group, and a clear quotation. Change anything until it feels right.

  3. 03

    Confirm, then travel

    Nothing is booked until you've approved the plan and we've confirmed it in writing. Then we stay in touch for the whole trip.

No obligation and no payment to start. A real person replies, usually straight away during our reply hours: Monday to Saturday 7am – 11pm, Sunday 10am – 6pm, Philippine time.

Start planning

The Journal

Notes before you go.

Practical, honest guides to the questions our travellers ask us most.
All articles

Plan your journey

Where would you like to begin?

Tell us where you’d love to go and who’s coming with you. We’ll shape the rest around them.

Start planning

Or message us on Viber or WhatsApp: +63 917 713 7789

Shima Onsen, Gunma, evening