The Wild Side of Japan: The Alpine Route Unveiled 15th May 2025

Japan is traditionally seen as a glowing city with lights, cherry blossom trees, and historic temples, but this May 2025 tour with Citibond offers so much more. Departing London on the 15th of May, the adventure starts in Tokyo, where the mixture of neon and heritage starts.

We shall learn more about this tour on the following page. One moment, the chic futurism of Tokyo Skytree; the next, the scent of incense at Senso-ji Temple. A boat ride down the Sumida River is a serene antidote, a reminder that Japan is going a many different speeds.

There's one exception, however, and that is the Alpine Route. This is not the typical postcard of Japan. It is the raw, unbridled side of the country that most tourists never experience. The road along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is just stunning. It's a mosaic of tunnels, cableways, and curvy mountain highways that open views so panoramic, they leave you gasping for air. Skyscraper-high walls of snow, twisted cliffs, and ravines carved into the face of the mountains, you can't help but feel both small and privileged to witness it.

In the wake of the mountains, the tour returns to the reassuring familiarity of culture: the neatness of Kenroku-en's gardens, Kyoto's ancient temples, and Osaka's hectic streets. But for the majority, the Alpine Route will be the one that will most stay with them in memory proof that Japan's heart beats strongest where history, nature, and reserved grandeur meet.