Discover Japan - 21 Aug 2021

Upon arrival into Narita, Japan, you will be met and transferred to your Hotel for check in.

The remainder of you day will be at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel.

09:00   Meet with your guide in the hotel lobby for a departure a tour of Tokyo.

Begin your exploration of Tokyo with a visit to Meiji Shrine, a shrine dedicated to the deified spirit of Emperor Meiji and a popular place for traditional Japanese weddings.

After visiting the shrine, we will pass by private coach through the adjacent Omotesando shopping street, a broad tree lined avenue home to the flagship stores of the world’s top fashion brands.

Next, your guide will take you to the Roppongi ward by private coach where we will visit the Roppongi Hills Observation Deck.

The 238 meters tall Mori Tower is the centerpiece of the Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo’s Roppongi district. The tower houses the entrance to the excellent Mori Art Museum and the Tokyo City View observation deck. On a clear day, you can see Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree and even as far as Mt. Fuji!

After visiting Roppongi head across town to Asakusa.

12:30   Lunch at local restaurant. (Tempura+Sashimi )

Asakusa, Tokyo’s old town where you can soak up the atmosphere of what Tokyo must have been like hundreds of years ago. Visit Sensoji, also known as Asakusa Kannon and Tokyo’s oldest temple. The Broadway leading up to the Temple is called Nakamise and this shopping street has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and souvenirs for centuries.

A private coach will take you back to your hotel.

16:30   Arrive Hotel.

Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel.

08:30   Meet with your guide in the hotel lobby for a departure to Kamakura by private coach.

Our first stop will be the Kotokuin temple to see the Great Buddha of Kamakura. This statue of Amida Buddha was cast in 1252 and was originally located inside a temple until a tidal wave destroyed the surrounding structure in 1495.

A private coach will take you to Yokohama.

12:30   Lunch at local restaurant.(Western menu)

After lunch, your guide will take you to Yokohama's most attractive spots l on foot. Start with Yamashita Park, a public park that stretches about 750 meters along Yokohama's waterfront. The park is about a hundred meters wide and consists mostly of open green space. Strolling through Yamashita Park, it is hard to miss the massive ocean liner in the water beside the promenade. And you can find the ship is called the Hikawamaru and was first put into service in 1930 along the Yokohama-Vancouver/Seattle line. Near the Hikawamaru, and also hard to miss, is the Yokohama Marine Tower. Recently renovated, the Marine Tower is located just beside the park and extends 106 meters into the air. The guide will take you to the Marine Tower's observatory, which has a 360degree view, located 100 meters above ground.

After visiting Yokohama, a private coach will take you back to Tokyo.         

17:30   Arrive Hotel

Enjoy breakfast and check-out.

09:15   Meet with your assistant at the hotel for a departure to Tokyo Station by private coach.

10:20   At Tokyo station you will board a high-speed bullet train bound for Kyoto.

**Luggage will be transferred to the hotel in Kyoto separately**

*There will be no guide/assistant to accompany on board

12:31   Upon arriving at Kyoto station, meet with your guide and a private coach will be waiting to take you to Higashiyama. NOZOMI #223

13:45   You will experience the Japanese tea ceremony.

The best quality tea powder is used and seasonal sweets from a traditional sweet maker will be provided. The tea ceremony teacher will instruct you on how to eat the sweets and how to drink the tea.

After the tea ceremony follow your guide through the narrow alleyways and cobbled streets of the Gion district, Kyoto's most famous geisha district, filled with shops, restaurants and teahouses, where geiko and maiko entertain.

A private coach will take you back to your hotel.

17:00   Arrive Hotel

Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel.

08:30   Meet with your guide at the hotel for a departure to Fushimi Inari by private coach.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds.

After visiting Fushimi Inari a private coach will take you to the nearby town of Arashiyama.

First stop in Arashiyama is Tenryuji temple.  Ranked among Kyoto's five great Zen temples

Tenryuji is the largest and most impressive temple in Arashiyama. Founded in 1339 at the start of the Muromachi Period, the temple is now considered important cultural property and ranked by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In addition to its temple buildings, there are beautiful gardens with walking paths. 

Your path will lead you through Arashiyama’s famous bamboo groves, which are unlike any other place in Japan. The bamboo has been used to manufacture various products, such as baskets, cups, boxes and mats at local workshops for centurie

13:00   Lunch at local restaurant. (French meun)

After Arashiyama, your guide will take you to Kinkakuji by private coach.

Kinkakuji, also known as the Golden Pavilion, was originally built as a retirement villa for the Shogun. After the death of Shogun Yoshimitsu it became a Buddhist Temple at his request, and is now one of Kyoto’s most famous temples, with its top two floors completely covered in gold-leaf.

A private coach will take you back to your hotel.

16:30   Arrive at the hotel.

18:15   A private coach will take you to a local restaurant with guide for Dinner with Maiko Performance (Japanese Kaiseki menu)

You will enjoy a sumptuous dinner with an hour of private maiko entertainment consisting of conversation and dancing. You will also have a chance to ask questions about the geisha/maiko and their world. This is a special night of food, drink, traditional entertainment, and great photo opportunities. (Drinks for own account)

20:30   After dinner, a private coach will take you to your hotel

Breakfast at hotel and check out.

Check out: 11:00

Free until departure.

12:00   Meet with your assistant at the hotel for a departure to Kyoto Station by private coach.

12:49   At Kyoto station you will board a high-speed bullet train bound for Hiroshima. NOZOMI#25

**Luggage will be transferred to the hotel in Kyoto separately**

*There will be no guide/assistant to accompany on board

14:26   Upon arriving at Hiroshima station, meet your assistant and make your way to the Hotel on foot.

15:00  Arrive at the Hotel and Check in. The remainder of the day will be at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel.

08:30   Meet with your guide for a departure to Miyajima guchi port by private coach where we will board a ferry to Miyajima Island.

Miyajima is small sacred island located in the Inland Sea. It has been a holy place of Shintoism since the earliest times. Here you will find perhaps the most photographed site in Japan; The Floating Torii Gate which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered one of Japan's '3 Most Beautiful Views'. *The floating torii gate will undergo construction from June 2019.  The view of the torii gate will be limited due to scaffolding that is expected to cover the gate during this period.  The shrine aims to complete all works in the second half of 2020.

You can enjoy marvelous views from Shishiiwa Observatory, which is great view points of “Setouchi” , taking Ropeway.

12:30   Lunch at local restaurant (Okonomiyaki )

A private coach will take you back to Hiroshima city center.

Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park takes up over 120,000 square meters and is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in history to suffer a nuclear attack. Before the atomic bomb, the area where the Peace Park now stands used to be the political and commercial heart of the city, and for this reason it was chosen as the pilot's target during World War II. It was decided that the area was not to be redeveloped, but instead devoted to peace memorial facilities.

The park's main attraction is the Peace Memorial Museum. The museum covers the history of Hiroshima and the advent of the nuclear bomb. It provides visitors an opportunity to hear eyewitness testimonies and learn about the devastating effects the A-bomb had on the city of Hiroshima and its people.

17:00   Arrive back at the Hotel.

**Please prepare overnight bag for 1 night in Kumamoto**

Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel

Check out: 10:00

Free until departure.

12:00   Meet with your guide in the hotel lobby for a departure to Hiroshima Station on foot.

12:47   At Hiroshima station you will board a high-speed bullet train bound for Kumamoto SAKURA#553

**Luggage will be transferred to the hotel in Kyoto separately**

*There will be no guide/assistant to accompany on board

14:34   Upon arriving at Kumamoto station, meet with your assistant and a private coach will be waiting to take you to your hotel.

Upon arrival at the hotel check in and the remainder of the day will be at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel and check out.

09:00   Meet with your guide at the hotel lobby for a departure to Kumamoto castle by private coach

Kumamoto Castle is one of the most impressive castles in Japan. With large castle grounds and a variety of buildings, Kumamoto Castle offers its visitors one of the most complete castle experiences in Japan. The castle has suffered damage during the quake that shook Kumamoto in 2016, however the castle grounds are still visible and the outside of the castle can still be admired.

IMPORTANT NOTICE :

earthquote of April 2016

Next, Suizenji Garden is a spacious, Japanese style landscape garden in Kumamoto, best enjoyed by strolling along a circular path. It was built by the Hosokawa family in the 17th century.

12:30   Lunch at local restaurant.

Transfer to Kumamoto station by coach or on foot (depend on the restaurant location)

14:35  At Kumamoto station you will board a high-speed bullet train bound for Hakata. SAKURA#558

*There will be no guide/assistant to accompany on board

15:13   Upon arriving at Hakata station, meet your assistant and make your way to the Hotel on foot.

The remainder of your day will be at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel.

08:30   Meet with your guide at the hotel lobby for a departure to Ohori Park by private coach

Ohori Park is a pleasant city park in central Fukuoka with a large pond at its center.  Ohori is Japanese for moat, and the pond at the center of the park once served as part of the moat system of the neighboring Fukuoka Castle.

Proceed to take a half day trip to charming Dazaifu, just 30 minutes outside of Fukuoka.      

Dazaifu was established in the late 7th century and served as the administrative center of the entire island of Kyushu for over 500 years. The city was built slightly inland from Hakata, whose port was one of the main points of interaction between Japan and mainland Asia. Although the imperial court ruled the country from the Kansai Region, Dazaifu was pivotal for Japan's diplomatic relations and organizing the country's defenses.

Among the hundreds of Tenmangu Shrines throughout Japan, Dazaifu's is the most important. It is dedicated to the spirit of Sugawara Michizane, a scholar and politician of the Heian Period. Because of his great learning, Michizane has been associated with Tenjin, a Shinto deity of education, and is popular among students.

12:30   Lunch at local restaurant.

Transfer back to Hakata by private coach.        

Visit Hakata Machiya Furusatokan, an open-air museum about the history of Hakata (Fukuoka’s old name)

15:30   Arrive at the hotel and the remainder of the day will be at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel and check out.

Meet with your assistant in the hotel lobby for a transfer to Fukuoka International Airport by private coach. (30 miuntes)