Highlights of Japan

The group flight to Tokyo departs from London today.

Day 2

Those on the group flight to Tokyo will be met on arrival at the airport by
your tour leader and transfer to the hotel. Later in the afternoon there will
be a group welcome meeting, followed by an optional group dinner and casual
tour around Shinjuku, the famous nightlife district of Tokyo.

Day 3

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.

Day 4

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. 

Day 5

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!

Day 6

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.

Day 7

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.

Day 8

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. 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 colourful 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!

Day 9

Those on the group flight will be transferred (on the group flight departure
transfer) to Kansai (KIX) airport by taxi and limousine bus for your flight
back to London. Group flights usually depart in the late morning arriving
back to London later that same day.