Japan with SideQuests Travel (Gay Group Trip!)

Name: Japan with SideQuests Travel (Gay Group Trip!)
Start: 2026-03-01T16:00:00+09:00
End: 2026-03-07T18:00:00+09:00
Location: Tokyo Japan

Schedule

Sun, 01 Mar, 2026 at 04:00 pm to Sat, 07 Mar, 2026 at 06:00 pm

UTC+09:00

Location

Tokyo Japan | Minato, TY

Embark on a 7-day, 6-night excursion through Tokyo, and Kyoto navigating the heart of Japan's cultural, historical, and culinary landscapes. This trip is all about self-discovery, exploration, and making some lifelong friends and memories!
https://trovatrip.com/trip/asia/japan/japan-with-matthew-schueller-mar-2026
We are staying in the HEART of Tokyo at Hotel Groove, Shinjuku. A gorgeous newly opened high-rise hotel in the famous Kabukicho neighborhood, walking distance from the infamous party-district Golden Gai, and the well known LGBTQ+ district, Shinjuku Ni-chōme (home to over 400 gay bars)!
Begin in Tokyo with serene visits to Meiji Shrine and the fashionable streets of Harajuku, followed by a taste of local cuisine on the Shinjuku street-food tour. Delve into the history at Tsukiji Fish Market and craft your own sushi in a Nigiri class, then explore the traditional Asakusa area and its iconic Sensoji Temple. From Tokyo, we'll hop on a bullet train and move our adventure to Kyoto. In Kyoto, the journey takes you through the historical Higashiyama Area to the serene Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizu Temple, a UNESCO site, and includes a stroll through "Kyoto's Kitchen," Nishiki Market, capped with a spiritual Japanese Tea Ceremony. Furthering our exploration into the region, we'll feel like we're in a Miyazaki film as we stroll through Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, then hop on the train to visit Nara and feed the famous miniature deer colony. This itinerary blends immersive experiences with the ease of local transit, promising a deep connection to Japan's vibrant culture and flavors. Please note that Japanese cuisine frequently uses ingredients with animal products and/or gluten. For included meals specifically on this itinerary, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free diets CANNOT be accommodated.
I am SO EXCITED to host this trip to Japan, and to have such a great group coming together for it. Japan is one of the first countries Michael and I visited together back in 2017. Like this itinerary, we spent time in Tokyo and Kyoto with a train visit to Nara! Since then, we've been back to Japan twice exploring more of these regions and beyond. We’ll enjoy great food, see some beautiful sights, and dive into discussion on body positivity and self-love.
***WHY I’M HOSTING THIS GROUP TRIP:
Michael and I have traveled the world together over the last 10 years looking for the most fantastic places with vibrant LGBTQ+ communities. What we've found is that our favorite thing about travel is not just seeing amazing new places - but the people we meet along the way. There's something magical about sharing new experiences and building relationships with a group of like-minded individuals while traveling. Some of my core memories are from these experiences abroad... some of the people I've met on group trips have become my lifelong friends, and the experiences have made me into the person I am today. We wanted to find a way to share this type of community-building LGBTQ+ travel... so this last year we've opened trips to Greece, Costa Rica, Thailand, Iceland, Peru, Germany & Austria, Colombia, South Africa... and we've been so pleasantly overwhelmed with the response that we've decided to launch this trip to Japan!
I want you to come and experience the things I love most in life — travel, exploration, and great community. I want to see an incredible part of the world with you, dive deep in growth-centered discussions, make great new friends, and take some awesome photos along the way.
Excited to make this as an experience of a lifetime, and to come out of it with some new amazing friends.
-- As soon as this trip is confirmed, I host a WhatsApp group-chat for every group trip so we have the opportunity to all get to know each other long before we arrive on Day 1. We also hold monthly group Zoom calls as another opportunity to further connect. The community-building doesn't have to wait until we start the trip, it starts right now. :) Welcome to the group!!