13 Days in Japan. The Land of The Rising Sun in Cherry Blossom Season

Today we will meet at the airport and board our overnight  flight to Tokyo to set off on our incredible adventure.

Upon our arrival at Tokyo Narita airport we will transfer to our hotel where we will be staying for 4 nights. We will be able to check in and have the evening to relax. Throughout the tour we will be staying in twin rooms but there is an option to have a room to yourself for the trip. If you wish to have a room to yourself for the 12 nights the supplement will be £425.

After breakfast we will embark on a full day tour on public transport  with our English speaking guide.

We will visit the Meji Jingu Shrine, one of the Shinto Shrines set in the vast forest lands in the middle of the “Megacity of Tokyo. We will wander through the forest until we reach the shrine of the Emperor who began Japan’s transformation from feudal to modern society in the early 20th century.

After that, it’s Harajuku, Tokyo’s fashion district, to see the fruits of the transformation started by Meiji. French maids, punks, goths, lolitas, technicolour hair – anything goes in Harajuku. Stand back and watch or grab some hair dye and get involved!

Enjoy  the unique Omotesando Street ( known as the Champs-Elysees of Tokyo) and Shibuya, with the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world , which is also known as Shibuya Scramble Crossing.

We will end the day with a Sushi Making class.

Meals Included Breakfast, Dinner.

Today we visit the Imperial Palace and the Asakusa Sensoji Temple..

A traditional lunch of Chanko Nabi hotpot is included.

This afternoon we will visit the Tokyo Skyline ( lower observatory) and Akihabara – Japan’s “electric town” and hub of Anime and Manga, and also home to Japan’s most famous J-pop group, AKB48.

You might even fancy popping into a maid cafe… I have to say for the group of Travel Buddies that went to Japan last time I can honestly say it was one of the most surreal and strange experiences of our lives 🙂 I have never seen anything like it since!

Maid cafes are cosplay-themed restaurants where guests are served by waitresses who are typically dressed as French maids. In addition to serving food, the maids engage in conversation and games with the customers.

Meals Included Breakfast,Lunch.

This morning we will board our coach for a full day tour to the Hakone Open Air Museum,  Hakone Ropeway, Owakudani Valley and a Boat cruise on Lake Ashi.

If the skies are clear we should be able to see the great mount Fuji  and even get to try some Black eggs. Eating one black egg is said to add seven years to your life!

Meals Included Breakfast,Lunch.

Today upon check out we need to ensure we have packed a smaller bag that has everything that we will need for the next 2 days. Our main  luggage will be transported to our hotel in Kyoto. (maximum 1 suitcase per person)

This morning we head to Tokyo station to take a Bullet train to Takayama station. There will be one change at Nagoya.

Upon arrival we will be able to leave our overnight bags securely at the hotel before enjoying a walking tour with our guide of the Takayama Jinya and Sammachi Street before enjoying a Sake tasting at Funasaka Shuzo Brewery.

Overnight at our hotel in Takayama

Meals Included Breakfast.

Today we take a full day tour in a private coach to Shirakawago  and Kanazawa.

The World heritage village  at Shirakawago welcomes visitors from all over the world  and will enlighten us as to how some families lived many years ago in these areas.

Nestled in a remote valley and flanked by the mountains of Gifu, Shirakawa-go is the type of place where it’s very easy to forget the rest of the world exists. Mountainous forests occupy almost 96% of the historic village’s area, and while it’s a stunning place to be, it’s easy to imagine that life here—especially generations ago—would be difficult. But it’s a life you are  soon to discover that was made possible by a powerful philosophy which the locals call ‘yui’.

In Kanazawa  we visit the Nomura Samurai Residence :The family successively held executive posts from generation to generation under the rule of the Maeda family.

The house has a coffered ceiling totally made of Japanese cypress and fusuma-e (paintings on sliding-door panels) created by the Maeda family’s personal painter. The garden inside the residence has a Japanese bayberry over 400 years old and a meandering stream surrounded by ancient and strangely shaped rocks.

Overnight at our hotel in Kanazawa. 

Meals Included Breakfast, Lunch

Our morning guided walking tour this morning takes us to Omicho Market Omicho Market which has been Kanazawa’s largest fresh food market since the Edo Period (1603-1868),  Kenrokuen Garden and Higashi Chayagai Street before we board our afternoon bullet train to Kyoto.

Upon arrival in Kyoto we will check in to our hotel where we will be staying for 4 nights

Meals Included Breakfast,

After breakfast at the hotel we head out for a full day tour of the Arashiyama Area including the Bamboo Forest and the Togetsukyo Bridge.

Then put your creative skills to the test with a class in the ancient Japanese art of Calligraphy.

Afternoon visits to the Kiyomizudera Temple and the Gion Area.

Gion is Kyoto’s geisha district, with hostesses in colorful kimonos often sighted on the wooden Tatsumi Bridge, or amid upscale Japanese restaurants and boutiques on Hanamikoji Street. Gion Corner hosts traditional Kyomai dances, while Kennin-ji Temple is known for its Zen garden and Yasaka Shrine has seasonal festivals in a lantern-lit courtyard. Nightlife ranges from quiet sake bars to buzzing, pub-like izakayas

Arrival at the hotel in the evening.

Meals Included Breakfast,

Today is a completely free day. You may wish to spend the day at a more relaxing pace or get up and out early to visit more attractions…. The choice is totally yours.

Meals Included Breakfast,

Our full day tour today starts with a visit to the Samurai Museum in Kyoto. The samurai were a warrior class in Japan who served from the 12th century until the late 1870s. They were highly trained soldiers who were skilled with the sword and bow. The samurai were a key part of Japanese armies during the medieval period. They followed a strict moral code called bushido, which emphasized loyalty, self-discipline, and ethical behavior.

~We then continue to Nara and visit the Todaiji Temple, Nara Deer Park and the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.

Overnight at our hotel in Kyoto

Meals Included Breakfast.

Once again  we need to ensure we have packed an overnight bag that has everything that we will need for the next day. Our main  luggage will be transported to our hotel in Osaka. (maximum 1 suitcase per person)

We will take the walk to the station and onwards to Hiroshima today. Highlights of the guided day tour include Miyajima, Itsukushima Shrine, the Peace Memorial Park and museum and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

Overnight at our hotel in Hiroshima.

Meals Included Breakfast.

Today we take our final bullet train to Osaka and have a full afternoon tour exploring the highlights of the city, the Umeda sky building observation deck, Osaka Castle and the Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi Areas.

Meals Included Breakfast.

This morning we have an early check  and take our private transfer to the Airport for our flight back to the UK.