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Day 01 |
Osaka Kansai
Airport
|
| Welcome to Osaka! Our tour guide will
greet you and escort you to the hotel. |
|
Hotel:
Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport or similar class
|
|
Hotel:
Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka or similar class (NOTE
1) |
| NOTE 1: If you wish
to stay in the center of Osaka for the first
night, we can
arrange for you to stay at Sheraton Miyako
Hotel Osaka instead of Hotel
Nikko Kansai Airport for an additional $50
per person. In this case, airport
transfer is not included but we will provide
you directions to get to your
hotel in advance. |
| NOTE 2: If you wish to stay
extra nights before the tour starts, please
contact
us to book hotel accommodations.
|
| |
|
|
Day 02 |
Nara
(Todaiji Temple
/ Deer Park), Kyoto (Kiyomizu
Temple /
Nishijin Kimono Show / Golden Pavilion / Gion)
|
| Meals: Breakfast / Lunch
|
| In the morning we will travel to
Nara, the oldest capital city of Japan.
We will visit Todaiji Temple, the largest
wooden building in Japan. The
temple also houses the largest bronze statue
of Buddha at 16.3 meters high,
and the surrounding park is filled with over
1,000 Sika deer. Then, we
will continue on to Kyoto, a historical city
that was spared from air raids
and atomic bomb for its cultural and
historical value during World War
II. First is a vivit to the famous Kiyomizu
Temple, best known for its
wooden stage that juts out from its main
hall, 13 meters above the hillside
below. The stage affords visitors a nice
view of the numerous cherry and
maple trees below that erupt in a sea of
color in spring and fall, as well
as of the city of Kyoto in the distance.
Then proceed to the Nishijin Textile
Center where you can view displays of
kimonos and even watch a kimono fashion
show. Next, visit the Kinkakuji Temple
(Golden Pavilion) covered with 18
carat gold leaf. This three story structure
was originally built by the
Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397 and was
rebuilt and restored over the
years. Its history inspired the fiction
book, The Temple of the Golden
Pavilion, by Yukio Mishima. Lastly, we will
tour Gion (the old Geisha Quarter)
and Pontocho. These districts are known for
the preservation of traditional
architecture and entertainment. |
| Hotel: Grand Prince
Hotel Kyoto or similar class |
| |
|
|
Day 03 |
Kanazawa
(Kenrokuen
Garden / Seisonkaku Villa / Tea Ceramony at
Gyokusenen), Yudanaka
|
| Meals: Breakfast / Lunch /
Dinner |
| This morning our coach will depart to
Kanazawa to visit Kenrokuen Garden,
one of three most beautiful strolling
gardens of Japan. The name Kenrokuen
literally means a garden combining the 6
attributes of a perfect landscape:
spaciousness, seclusion, artifice,
antiquity, water features, and panoramas.
Here, you'll find the oldest fountain in
Japan and Kotoji-toro, the two-legged
stone lantern that is the icon of Kenrokuen
and Kanazawa. Next to Kenrokuen
Garden is the beautiful Seisonkaku Villa,
which was built in the last years
of the Edo Period by a Maeda lord for his
mother. It is one of the most
elegant, remaining samurai villas in Japan.
Kanazawa is also a cultural
centre of Japan. Here, we have the
opportunity to experience a traditional
Japanese tea ceremony. Then, from Kanazawa
we cross the Japan sea coast
to Yudanaka. Tonight, we will stay at an
onsen ryokan, a tradtional Japanese
inn where you can soak in the therapeutic
waters of a spa bath and feast
on a traditional Japanese Kaiseki banquet
dinner. |
| Hotel: Hotel
Shirogane or similar class
|
| |
|
|
Day 04 |
Yadanaka Onsen
(Snow Monkey), Matsumoto
(Matsumoto Castle), Mt
Fuji
|
| Meals:
Breakfast / Lunch /
Dinner |
| This morning in Yudanaka gives us the
chance to see the famous snow monkeys
as they enjoy hot spring baths. From
Yudanaka, our coach departs for Matsumoto
where we will visit Matsumoto Castle. This
castle is also known as "Crow
Castle" because of its black exterior.
Inside the castle, we can see
the best example of wooden construction of a
traditional Japanese style
castle. This is a classical
"flatland" castle surrounded by a
still intact defense moat. From Matsumoto,
we will travel to Mt. Fuji on
our private luxury coach. Along the way,
enjoy the changing scenery, from
thick vegetation to lowlands to rolling
clouds. We will stop at Mt. Fuji
5th station (depending on weather) to admire
the world famous peak. |
| Hotel: FIT Resort
Club or similar
class |
| |
|
| Day 05 |
Kawazu (Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival /
Nanadaru Falls), Atami (Atami Plum
Festival)
|
| Meals: Breakfast /
Lunch /
Dinner |
| After enjoying Japanese breakfast at
the ryokan, we will travel to Kawazu
to enjoy its famous Kawazu Cherry Blossoms
Festival. Kawazu cherry blossoms
are known as one of the earliest to bloon in
Honshu region. They are different
from Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms (the most
common kind of sakura in Japan)
in that Kawazu cherry blossoms are pink and
last longer in full bloom.
During the festival, more than one million
people visit the town to see
cherry trees lined along the Kawazu River in
full bloom. Next is a visit
to the Nanadaru Falls, or Seven Waterfalls,
Kanidaru, Odaru,Kamadaru, Ebidaru,
Hebidaru, Shokeidaru and Deaidaru. The falls
differ in sizes with the smallest
one, Kanidaru, just 3 feet wide and 6 feet
tall. The largest waterfall,
Odaru, is about 20 feet wide and 100 feet
high. In the afternoon, we will
visit the Plum Blossoms Festival in Atami.
Ume (Asian plums) blossoms can
be viewed from late January to March in
Honshu region. White or pink ume
blossoms are beautiful in Baien Park. There
are about 800 plum trees in
the park and various events are held here
during the festival. |
| Hotel: Atami New Akao
Hotel or
similar class |
| |
|
| Day 06 |
Hakone (Hakone
Ropeway /
Owakudani), Kamakura (The Great
Buddha /
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine) |
| Meals: Breakfast /
Lunch |
| After breakfast, we will travel to
Hakone and take a 20 minute ropeway
ride from Togendai to Owakundani. Much of
the area here is considered an
active volcanic zone since its creation from
the eruption of Mount Hakone
some 3,000 years ago. There, you can view
hot springs and hot rivers, where
sulfurous fumes still linger. Owakundani
also has splendid views of Mount
Fuji in good weather. From Hakone we will
proceed to Kamakura on our private
luxury coach. Visit the Kamakura Daibutsu
(The Great Budhha), one of the
most famous icons of Japan. Next, proceed to
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine,
Kamakura's most important Shinto shrine. It
is the venue of many important
festivals, and hosts two museums. At the
left of its stairway stood a 1000-year
old ginkgo tree, which was uprooted by a
storm in March of 2010. The tree's
stump and a section of its trunk were
replanted nearby and have produced
leaves. We then will travel to Tokyo on our
private coach. |
| Hotel: Tokyo Dome
Hotel or similar class |
| |
|
| Day 07 |
Tokyo (Tokyo Tower /
Imperial Palace / Ginza / Sumida River Cruise /
Asakusa
Sensoji Temple / Odaiba)
|
| Meals: Breakfast /
Lunch
|
| In the morning you will be taken to
Tokyo Tower, the world's tallest self
supporting steel tower. At 333 meters high,
Tokyo Tower is 13 meters taller
than its model, the Eiffel Tower. We will go
up 150 meters to the main
observatory deck and get a bird's eye view
of Tokyo. On a clear day you
can see Mount Fuji in the distance. Next is
a visit to the Imperial Palace,
the former site of Edo Castle. In the heart
of the city, you can explore
the park, surrounded by moats and stone
fortifications. Then we will proceed
to Ginza for Tokyo's most famous shopping,
dinning, and entertainment district,
which features designer department stores,
boutiques, art galleries, cafes,
restaurants, and night clubs. In the
afternoon, board a cruise ship at
Hinode Pier for a 40 minute ride along the
Sumida River to Asakusa. At
the Nakamise walkway, you can peruse the
many stores that lead to Tokyo's
oldest and most famous Buddhist Temple,
Sensoji Temple. From there we will
cross the Rainbow Bridge, and be treated to
stunning views of Tokyo Bay.
We will travel to the man made island of
Odaiba and see cutting edge architecture,
including the Fuji TV building, Panasonic
Center, Toyota Mega Web Showroom,
Venus Fort shopping complex, along with the
biggest ferris wheel in Japan. |
| Hotel: Narita Excel
Hotel Tokyu or
similar class |
| Hotel: Tokyo
Dome Hotel or similar class (NOTE 3)
|
| NOTE 3: If you wish to stay in
the center of Tokyo for the last night, we can
arrange for you to stay at Tokyo Dome Hotel
instead of Narita Excel Hotel
Tokyu for an additional $50 per person. In
this case, airport transfer
is not included but your tour guide will
help you with directions to the
airport. |
| |
|
| Day 08 |
Tour End |
|
Meals:
Breakfast |
| After breakfast, our tour officially
ends. Checkout time is 11 am and Narita
Airport can be reached by hotel shuttle bus.
|
|
| NOTE 4: If you would like to
stay longer in Japan, please contact us to book
hotel accommodations. |
|
5 nights Western
style and 2 nights Japanese style
accommodation
