JAPAN ENCOMPASSED TOUR
Highlights | Sample Itinerary
Highlights
17 DAYS
JAPAN ENCOMPASSED TOUR
Sample Itinerary
DAY 1: TOKYO ARRIVAL
Meet your assistant at Narita Airport and transfer to your hotel. Relax at the hotel before walking out for dinner at Japanese-style restaurants in the nearby area.
DAY 2: TOKYO (ASAKUSA & HARAJUKU)
Wake up to a tasty breakfast before beginning your adventure. Journey to Hamarikyu garden, the former private garden of an Edo Period Lord. Stopover for sampling Japanese green tea, followed by a short cruise along the Sumida River. Later, travel to Asakusa for a visit to the renowned Sensoji!
In the afternoon, we will visit the magnificent Meiji Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji. Continue the journey to Harajuku and Omotesando. This tree-lined avenue features a multitude of dazzling architecturally ambitious buildings of global haute couture brands. Finish the day with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's tallest and most distinctive skyscrapers for a panoramic view of the city if time permits.
DAY 3: EXPLORE TOKYO YOUR OWN WAY!
Let's make your own way exploring the metropolitan. Going back to visiting fascinating valleys for an insight? Use our information packet to discover new places. A visit to Tsukiji Fish Market and surrounding restaurants in Tsukishima is strongly recommended.
Interested in Japanese technology? Odaiba - a unique island of gaming and multimedia - is perfect for you! If traditional art is your interest, come to the Kabukiza Theatre in Ginza and watch a performance. Akihabara is recommended for electronic gadget lovers.
Travel further from Tokyo? An optional one-day trip to admire the giant Buddha statue is available. Tell us what's your plan?
DAY 4: NIKKO
Embark on the Shinkansen to Nikko National Park, where you can enjoy lakes, mountains, hot springs, and nature trails. Today is a self-guided day. You can visit sake brewery, Tosho-gu, and Kanmangafuchi abyss at your own speed.
DAY 5: NIKKO
Enjoy meals at traditional restaurants going back hundreds of years, try the famous onsen hot springs, and on the second day of your tour, take some time to hike the many trails that lead through the park, beautiful and accessible year-round, but especially popular during the autumn. If you visit Lake Chuzenji, you may also view the Kegon Waterfalls, a 96-meter flow that crashes dramatically into the river below.
DAY 6: NIKKO – KYOTO
Today, after breakfast, take a taxi to the train station and then transfer on a bullet train to Kyoto. The customer service assistant to meet you at the train station and transfer you to your hotel using public transport. Free evening to enjoy at your leisure to walk through Gion, where you may get a glimpse of Geisha, walking through the narrow alley.
DAY 7: KYOTO
We start with the sprawling, breathtaking Nijo Castle, followed by Ryoanji - the UNESCO World Heritage zen temple with a famous rock garden. Afterward, visit Kinkakuji, the shining pavilion completely covered by gold leaf that was originally built as a shogun's summer house.
Transfer to the outskirts of Kyoto for a gentle walk through Sagano's lush bamboo groove. Head to Tenryuji temple, which survived centuries maintaining its original design. Then continue to Jojakkoji Temple nestled in the quiet and understated wooded hill. Crossing over the iconic landmark Togetsukyo Bridge for stunning views of the adjacent cherry forest.
DAY 8: KYOTO - NARA (OPTIONAL)
Today's morning, you will participate in a tea ceremony at the traditional Japanese house called “machiya". The restored traditional wooden house is typical of Kyoto and many parts of Japan. If you wish, combine this experience with a kimono fitting! The traditional dress comes with many colors, ranging from colorful style to quite plain and simple.
In the afternoon, you may wish to visit Nara, a city is second only to Kyoto as the richest collection of cultural sites in Japan. This 8th-century town is filled with quiet boulevards that lead from shrine to shrine. Journey to the dazzling Todaiji, the iconic landmark of Nara City. The temple claims to be the largest wooden building in the world, despite being rebuilt in 1692 at only two-thirds of the original size. Nara's most celebrated Shinto shrine - Kasuga Taisha is not to be missed, if you want to meet the friendly semi-wild deer.
DAY 9: KOYASAN
Enjoy a tasty breakfast before heading to Osaka. Upon arrival, hop on an express train to Koyasan. This scenic journey is not to be missed as the train ascends uphill towards the base of Koyasan. A short cable car journey takes you to Koyasan bus station, from here take a regular city bus to your shukubo (temple lodging). Koyasan is the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important Buddhist sect that was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kobo Daishi - one of Japan's most significant religious figures. Experience your overnight stay at a shukubo, where you can get a taste of a monk's lifestyle, eat vegetarian monk's cuisine (shojin ryori), and attend the morning prayers.
DAY 10: KOYASAN
Enjoy your time in Koyasan for meditation and relaxation, walking through historical trails, admiring the traditional temples, and visiting the treasure rooms. There are more than 5,000 relics in the form of paintings, statutes, scrolls, and charms that have been preserved as icons of high-order Buddhism throughout the ages. You might also climb the nearby mountains, a trail which the monks themselves often took to better appreciate the meaning of life. Your meals will all be taken care of at your lodging.
DAY 11: HIMEJI
The 11th day of your journey will bring you to Himeji in the Hyogo Prefecture. Himeji boasts the most impressive of only 12 surviving castles from the feudal Sengoku Era in all of Japan. Rising high above the city, there are tours available so that you too can get a glimpse of what it might have been like to live as a samurai in a stronghold like this one. The castle has only just been opened to the public after many years of renovations, so enjoy this chance while fresh.
If the time permits, you may wish to visit Kurashiki. The stunning canal town is renowned for its preserved canal area, which were built to allow boats and barges to navigate between the city's storehouses and the nearby port when Kurashi was still a vital rice trading center.
DAY 12: HIROSHIMA
Next, we head over to Hiroshima, a city made world-famous in the aftermath of the Second World War. However, what you'll find the most intriguing is the vibrancy and culture that has regrown itself from the ashes. With the tranquil Peace Park and Museum in the center of the city reminding us of humanity's recent past, you'll find shopping centers, confectionary hubs, teahouses, museums, and sports fields branching out all around. At your leisure, visit the Prefectural Museum of Art, Shukkei-En Gardens, baseball stadium, and eat a style of okonomiyaki unique to the city!
DAY 13: HIROSHIMA – MIYAJIMA
We will begin the day with a visit to the Mazda factory after booking in advance. Then travel to Miyajima - one of the "Three Great Views of Japan" popularized in the Edo Period. The bright, floating red gate is a signature spot on this island. Miyajima is also populated by the friendly deer - they will eat from your hand and follow you around! Wander the temples and hike (or take a cable car) to the top of Misen Mountain to experience the life of monk.
DAY 14: KANAZAWA
Returning in the direction of Tokyo once again, we visit the Kyoto of East Japan. The town used to serve as the home of the second most powerful clan, the Maeda Clan, during the Edo Period. Thereupon, Kanazawa has become the town of great cultural achievements, rivaling Tokyo and Kyoto. In the afternoon, journey to the nation's most celebrated garden Kenrokuen, and perhaps visit the slowly restored Kanazawa Castle if time permits.
The evening will be enjoyed freely, you may wish to travel to the largest one of three regional well-preserved Chaya districts - Higashi Chaya district. Chaya is an exclusive restaurant, where geishas perform songs and dance to entertain patrons. Another signature of Kanazawa is gold leaf handicrafts - from accessories to clothing, housewares, and even food.
DAY 15: GOKAYAMA
Today we will journey to Gokayama, located along the Shogawa River Valley nestled in remote mountains. Declared as UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, the picturesque Gokayama is renowned for its distinctive gassho-zukuri farmhouses. Designed to look like hands in prayer, these farmhouses can withstand heavy snowfalls in the winter and have spacious attics for cultivating silkworms.
In the afternoon, we will visit the traditional paper-making factory. An overnight stay at gassho-zukuri with a hearty dinner from the local family will be an unforgettable memory.
DAY 16: NAGANO - TOKYO
Embark on a short bus followed by a bullet train to return to Tokyo on for your final night. Stroll through the neon-lit streets, multicultural restaurants, mish-mashed with traditional sights still found on the back streets! Enjoy shopping for souvenirs, sampling exotic foods you had been meaning to, and checking the final items off your list of "must-do while in Japan”, all in this exciting area.
DAY 17: TOKYO DEPARTURE
Today you will transfer to Narita airport and board your flight home.
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