Embark on an unforgettable journey through Japan’s vibrant cities and historic treasures!
Begin in Tokyo, where you’ll explore futuristic skyscrapers, serene temples, and world-class shopping districts. Next, travel to Kyoto, the heart of traditional Japan, with its stunning temples, exquisite gardens, and the iconic Fushimi Inari Shrine. Continue to Nara, renowned for its friendly deer and ancient temple housing the Great Buddha. Then move to Osaka, a city famed for its culinary delights, lively entertainment districts, and the majestic Osaka Castle. Next, visit Odawara and Himeji, with one-of-a-kind garden and castles. Return to Tokyo for the final day of the trip.
This tour offers a perfect blend of modernity, history, and culture, providing a rich and diverse experience of Japan.
Details
- Nov 17 2024 – Nov 25 2024
- Fee: $3,800 from Tokyo
- Deposit: $800
- Single Supplement: $800
- Breakfast included
- Limit: 10 participants
- Promotion: $500 off if you book this tour and photo workshop “Fuji Visions and Tokyo Nights“!
- Spaces remaining: 7
Itinerary
Day 1: Tokyo, meet and greet
Touch down at one of Tokyo’s major airports (Narita or Haneda). Haneda airport is much closer to the downtown Tokyo, but Narita is larger and serves more airlines (and tickets are usually a bit cheaper). Transfer smoothly to your hotel, conveniently located near a major station, ensuring easy access and minimal hassle with luggage. Settle in and enjoy a warm welcome at the hotel, meeting fellow travelers and your tour guide.
In the evening, of on a leisurely stroll around Tokyo. Explore vibrant neighborhoods, soak in the city’s electric atmosphere, and perhaps discover local dining gems or iconic landmarks illuminated at night.
Day 2. Getting acquainted with Tokyo
After a great breakfast at the hotel, we will spend our day getting familiar with both eclectic and ancient sides of Tokyo. We shall start our day in Meiji Jingu shrine, then continue to walk around Harajuku district and eventually cover many Japanese cultural treasures of the West side of Tokyo (Shinjuku, Roppongi, and Shibuya districts). After dark we might stop by Golden Gai, a small piece of pre-war Tokyo that survived the WW2, with its tiny bars and narrow alleys.
Day 3: Tokyo, with day trip to Kamakura and Yokohama
After a breakfast at the hotel, we’ll go to Kamakura, the former capital of Japan (1198-1333). We’ll get acquainted with Japanese traditions and religion. Some shrines and temples that we’ll see are Hase-dera, Hatiman-gu and Kook-in, which are placed close to a gigantic Buddha statue, one of the largest in the world.
After lunch we’re going to Yokohama. It is the second largest city in whole Japan, with its own spectacular downtown and attractions.
In the evening, we return to our Tokyo hotel and rest after a long day.
Day 4: Tokyo to Kyoto – East Side
After included breakfast we’ll spend the morning enjoying Momiji-gari – the Japanese autumn colors – in one of many superb Tokyo parks. Beautiful foliage and many photo opportunities – what could possibly be better?
Before lunch time, we grab a bento (lunch box) and head out to Shinkansen – the bullet train, which is one of main symbols of Japan, along with karate, ikebana and Fujiyama. We take Shinkansen to Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan.
After two hours on the bullet train, having consumed our lunch and maybe having caught a glimpse of Fuji-san in the window, we arrive to Kyoto and check into a hotel. Immediately after, we set out to explore the Eastern side of Kyoto with its mind-boggling number of holy and ancient places. We’ll see several temples and close the day by trying to climb the stairs with thousand red gates – the Fushimi Inari Taisha, a shrine of the Goddess of Rice.
After a dinner, we head to our hotel (unless our plans change and we decide to do a bar crawl).
Day 5. Kyoto – West Side
This day will be spent getting acquainted with the West Side of Kyoto. We’ll see the famous Bamboo Grove, have a street food breakfast, visit the Golden Pavilion and several temples nearby. After lunch, we’ll have some cultural entertainment and spend evening on a famous Ponto-cho street.
Day 6. Nara
Next day we’ll spend in Nara – one of the most famous historic capitals of Japan. We’ll see the gigantic Todai-ji temple with the largest indoor Buddha in the world, Kasuga-taisha shrine, and end the day in Osaka, in a famous Dotonbori district – culinary and entertainment center of Osaka.
Day 7. Osaka
We’ll see Osaka Castle, one of the largest preserved castles in Japan, visit museums and various attractions, some funny and some spooky. We’ll watch the sunset from the tallest building in Osaka and spend the evening in the Shin-sekai district, with its shops, food, arcades and quintessential Japanese bingo parlors. After that, we return to our hotel in Dotonbori.
Day 8. Osaka, Okayama and Himeji – the day of gardens and castles
There are three famous castles in Kansai area: Osaka Castle, Himeji Castle and Okayama castle. We shall ride Shinkansen bulls train to Okayama, then to Nimeji and then back to Osaka. Also we shall visit one of the three famous gardens (Koraku-en) in Okayama.
Day 9. Osaka to Tokyo – East Side
After breakfast, we catch Shinkansen back to Tokyo. After checking into a hotel, we explore the historic district of Asakusa, with its food, temples, souvenirs and bustling city life. We shall watch the sunset from one of the highest restaurants in the world, 1000 ft above the ground, and after that we explore the neon lights of Akihabara district.
After that, we check into a hotel near one of major stations in Tokyo, where our tour ends.
Cost
Tour Cost: $3,800. Includes all lodgings (double room occupancy) in 3-4 star hotels, all breakfasts, all group ground transportation, all entrance fees, all donations to temples and shrines.
Single supplement: $800.
Not included: Flight to/from Japan, alcoholic beverages, travel health insurance, lunches and dinners, items of personal nature, tips to local guides.