Highlights of Japan

The trip starts this afternoon in the futuristic capital of Tokyo. 



Later this afternoon, there will be a group welcome meeting with your tour

leader followed by an optional group dinner in the evening and casual tour

around Shinjuku, the famous nightlife district of Tokyo!

Today we utilise Tokyo's efficient metro system and enjoy a full day tour of

the city. 



We start the day with an early morning visit to Meiji Shrine. Tokyo’s most

famous shrine is dedicated to the spirit of the late Emperor Meiji while the

park that surrounds the shrine is a forest of some 120,000 trees of 365

different species, making you forget that you are in the world’s largest

city.



Outside of Meiji Shrine is Harajuku, the shopping haven for all fashionistas

and the popular meeting place for teenagers who are usually in eccentric

clothing. The landmark of Harajuku is Takeshita Street, a 400-meter long

alley filled with boutiques, shops, and cafes.



Neighbouring Harajuku is Omotesando, commonly referred to as Tokyo’s

Champs-Elysee. This broad, tree-lined avenue features a number of fashion

flagship stores designed by internationally renowned architects like TOD’s

Omotesando, designed by Toyo Ito.



From Omotesando, we can take the metro to Ginza, one of Tokyo’s most famous

upscale shopping, dining, and entertainment districts. It is said that 1sqm

of land in Ginza is worth over 10 million yen (€ 90,000)!



Our last stop Asakusa, is Tokyo’s oldest Geisha district and home to

Senso-ji Temple which is the city’s oldest Buddhist temple. The streets

around Senso-ji feature many traditional shops that sell Japanese crafts and

souvenirs and are a delight to wander through.



Please note that the order of activities and areas visited today in

Tokyo may change depending on the weather conditions and other

factors. Your tour leader will provide full details of the schedule during

the initial trip briefing.

After breakfast we bid farewell to Tokyo and travel by train (approx. 2

hours) to beautiful Nikko, famous for its towering cedar trees and the UNESCO

World Heritage sites such as the Toshogu Shrine.



Upon arrival we set out to visit a few of Nikko's most popular sites. 



The Shinkyo Bridge is one of the most iconic sights and landmarks of Nikko.

This bright, vermillion bridge spans a river on the outskirts of the main

shrine complex, and is, aside from Toshogu Shrine, the most photographed

attraction in Nikko. Often featured in traditional Japanese art prints known

as /ukiyoe/, it is considered to be one of Japan’s top three most beautiful

bridges, and is photogenic in all seasons.



No visit to Nikko would be complete without a visit the the Toshogu

Shrine, which was built as a mausoleum for Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the

Tokugawa Shogunate who ruled Japan for over 250 years. This lavishly

decorated shrine complex consists of more than a dozen Shinto and Buddhist

buildings located in a beautiful forest setting.



We spend the night in Nikko in a traditional style guesthouse. 

Today we set out on a longer journey (approx. 4.5 hours) west to the

historical former capital of Japan, Kyoto by local train and shinkansen. As

we will arrive in Kyoto after 14:00, we can enjoy a bento lunch on the train.



After checking into our hotel, we visit the Nishiki Market, where we embark

on a tour that will delight your senses. Here we walk the narrow, mile-long

Nishiki covered food markets, where you’ll find many interesting food shops

to explore. This is a great opportunity to learn about local Japanese produce

and snap some photos of goods you won’t find back home. Some of the shops

give out or sell samples, so make sure to keep some space in your stomach!



The late afternoon is the best time to visit the Gion District – also known

as the “Geisha District” for being one of the city’s hanamachi (flower

towns) where Geisha live and work. The highlight of the area is Hanami-koji,

the most popular street in Gion where lavish teahouses and machiya (old

houses) are lined up. Usually in the early evening you may have a chance to

catch a glimpse of a Geiko or Maiko in the streets on the way to her

engagement, if you are lucky!

Today, along with your tour leader, enjoy an exploration of the highlights of

Kyoto whilst using the comprehensive bus and metro systems to visit some of

Kyoto’s World Heritage Sites.



The tour starts with an early morning visit to one of the most unusual Shinto

shrines in Japan. Fushimi Inari is composed of thousands of vermilion torii

gates following trails inside the forests of Mt Inari. The Shrine, also

featured in “Memoirs of a Geisha”, is very famous for the impressive

contrast and mystical atmosphere created by the colours of the Torii and

those of the surrounding nature.



Next on our schedule is Arashiyama, one of Kyoto’s richest areas for

sightseeing, Arashiyama contains some of the area’s most stunning scenery.

Starting at Togetsukyo Bridge, one of Arashiyama’s most recognizable

landmarks, we make our way to the bamboo forest path on the west side of the

river before stopping at Nonomiya Shrine.



After a lunch break we continue to the serene Ryoan-ji Temple, which is

famous for its well-maintained rock garden and known to be the Myoshinji

School of the Rinzai Buddhist sect.



Just a short distance from Ryoan-ji is the stunning golden pavilion

collectively known as Kinkaku-ji Temple. The temple grounds are relatively

smaller than that of most temples and shrines found in Kyoto but what is

undoubtedly impressive is the pavilion that is completely covered in handmade

gold leaves.

Following breakfast, we move further west by shinkansen (bullet train) to the

city of Hiroshima (approx. 3 hours). Along the way we will break our journey

for a visit to one of the most beautiful and most famous castles of

Japan, Himeji Castle. Also called “Shirasagi-jo” (the White Heron

Castle) or “Hakuro-jo” (the White Egret Castle) by some of the locals,

Himeji Castle resembles a white bird in flight due to its white exterior and

distinctive roof design.



After visiting the castle, we pick up lunch to enjoy on the train and

continue our way to Hiroshima.



Perhaps more than any city in the world, Hiroshima is famous for one moment

in history; on 6 August 1945, it became the first target of an atomic bomb.

However, Hiroshima has risen phoenix-like from its ashes, and rebuilt itself

as one of Japan's most laid back and vibrant cities, full of wide boulevards

and museums and famous for its great food and friendly, welcoming people.



This afternoon we visit the Peace Memorial Museum for a sobering reminder of

the events of 1945 before experiencing the surrounding Peace Park, where the

atmosphere is one of hope and peace.



Tonight we spend the night in Hiroshima.

This morning, we take a short trip by ferry to Miyajima, a famous wooded

island located in the Inland Sea near Hiroshima. Here you will find perhaps

the most photographed site in Japan - The Floating Torii Gate. Please note,

whilst the ‘floating’ tori of Itsukushima-jinja Shrine is currently

undergoing renovation works, we still recommend a visit to this enchanting

island. Deer are roaming freely on this lovely island where we spend some

time at leisure before we make our way by shinkansen (approx. 2.5 hours) to

our final destination on our tour of Japan, Osaka.



The 2nd largest metropolitan area in Japan, Osaka has a very distinct and

vibrant character, the locals are colourfu. l and lively and are known to

work hard and play hard. Osaka is also known as the shopping, dining and

nightlife capital of Japan. A good place to buy some last souvenirs and enjoy

a last dinner together with your fellow travellers or sing a song in a

karaoke box before heading home!

The tour ends this morning after breakfast for land only clients. 



If you have a late flight or are staying longer, you tour leader will be

happy to give suggestions for your sightseeing plans.