CHERRY BLOSSOM

Day 1 - Tokyo

Arrive in Tokyo at Narita Airport where you will travel by Airport Limousine Bus to your hotel in Tokyo. One quarter of all Japanese live in Tokyo or near vicinity and with a population of over 12 million inhabitants, Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world. With its huge skyscrapers, underpasses, overpasses and crowds of pedestrians. For the next 3 nights you will stay at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. With breathtaking views of the city and Tokyo Bay, the Shinagawa Prince Hotel is located at the southern gateway to the Tokyo metropolis with immediate access to the bustling Shinagawa Station.

Breakfast 

Day 2 - Tokyo

Today you will join a full day tour around the fascinating city of Tokyo. The tour includes a visit to the Imperial Palace East Gardens, Tokyo Tower, Meiji Shrine and a stop for lunch in a local restaurant in Ginza. In the afternoon the tour gives you the opportunity to visit Asakusa Kannon Temple and enjoy a 30-minute river cruise around Tokyo Bay. Please note that on Mondays and Fridays when the Imperial Palace East Garden is closed the tour calls at the Imperial Palace Plaza instead.

Breakfast 

Day 3 - Tokyo

Today you will join a coach tour which will take you to the World Heritage town of Nikko for a full exploration of the Toshogu Shrine and the surrounding National park. You will visit Toshogu with the famous ‘See no evil’ monkeys before having an included lunch at a local hotel. In the afternoon you will travel on to Lake Chuzenji and the dramatic Kegon Falls before returning to Tokyo in the early evening (7-8pm).

Breakfast 

Day 4 - Hakone

Today you will be making a full day excursion to Mt Fuji and the Hakone National Park. Your day will get underway with the drive to the 5th Station of Mt. Fuji from where, weather permitting, you will be able to take in the spectacular views before moving to Hakone, where you will board a cruise boat and travel across Lake Ashi Lunch is included. The tour draws to a close in the late afternoon. However, rather than returning to Tokyo you will be dropped off at the Hotel Kowakien in Hakone.

Breakfast 

Day 5 - Hiroshima

After a morning free to explore Hakone, you will need to take a local bus from your hotel to Odawara station to get your train to Hiroshima. Unfortunately, we cannot provide these tickets in advance; you will need to get them on the day. We will give you full instructions on how to do this.

Your package includes the 7 Day Rail Pass (Ordinary Car). The pass entitles you to unlimited travel on any trains in the extensive Japan Railways (JR) network. This includes all of the famous Shinkansen 'Bullet' Trains (with the exception of the Nozomi Shinkansen). You will receive an exchange voucher which must be exchanged for the pass itself after you arrive in Japan. Full details of when and how to do this will be provided with your documents. You can use your rail pass to make seat reservations for no extra charge. However, this cannot be done before you have exchanged the voucher.

This afternoon you will be taking the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) from Odawara to Hiroshima. As there are no direct trains, you will be changing trains in Shin-Osaka. We will provide full details on how to do this.

For your stay in Hiroshima you will spend two nights at the Rihga Royal, a new and beautifully designed western style hotel which is convenient for the peace park and memorial museum.

Breakfast 

Day 6 - Hiroshima

Attractions in Hiroshima include the Museum of Art, Castle, and Baseball Stadium home of the ever popular (and unsuccessful) Hiroshima Carp, Japan’s only non-corporately owned major league team. The Shukkei-en garden is well worth an afternoon stroll with a number of teahouses scattered throughout the grounds. The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art has many pieces inspired by the 1945 bombing. There are also some great views of the city from here.

The local food in Hiroshima is Okonomiyaki which is a kind of Japanese savoury pancake. You decide on the ingredients that you want and then cook the pancake yourself at your table. The local oysters are also especially good.

Breakfast 

Day 7 - Miyajima

Today you will be using your JR Pass to Miyajima-guchi from where the ferry leaves to take you to Miyajima Island. The crossing will take 10 minutes.

Miyajima Island, located just off the coast of Hiroshima, is one of Japan's most famous places to visit with a charming atmosphere to match the beautiful surroundings. The island is perhaps best known for the 'Floating' Torii Gate of Itsukushima Shrine which is commonly held to be one of the three most beautiful views in Japan. In the evening this gate and the shrine behind it (as well as other buildings in the area) are floodlit and the atmosphere is magical. Other things to do on the Island include a cable car, great views of the inland sea, monkeys, deer, an aquarium and some nice walks and temples.

Breakfast & Dinner 

Day 8 - Kyoto

From Miyajima you will need to take the ferry back to the mainland and the local train from Miyajima-guchi back to Hiroshima station.

From Hiroshima you 380 KM journey to Kyoto. It will take around 2 hours and requires you to change trains as there is no direct Shinkansen to Kyoto you can use the rail pass with. A great idea is to break up this journey by turning this transfer into a half day side trip. If you change at Himeji you can spend a few hours at Japan's most impressive castle, Himeji-jo, a must see on any trip to Japan. Afterwards, why not take a stroll through the beautiful Himeji Kokoen, nine traditional-style Japanese gardens. Another great option is to change trains at Okayama, where you can visit Korakuen, one of Japan's top three gardens. A third option is to change trains at Shin-Osaka, where you can sample some of Osaka's famous shopping and food. A short train ride out to Osaka Port will bring you to the famous Osaka Aquarium, one of the largest in the world.

Breakfast 

Day 9 - Kyoto

This morning you will join a coach tour for a busy day of sightseeing with the morning being spent in Kyoto followed by a visit to Nara after lunch. The day begins with a visit to Nijo Castle, the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa era shoguns and perhaps most famous for its 'nightingale floorboards' which were designed to squeak when stood upon to alert the guards to the presence of intruders! You will follow this with perhaps Kyoto’s most famous sight, the Golden Pavilion, a gold-leaf covered structure that houses sacred relics of Buddha. You’ll take a stroll through the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and later watch traditional Japanese artisans work their craft at the Kyoto Handicraft Center where a buffet lunch is included. In the afternoon you will drive to Nara for visits Todaiji, the world’s largest wooden structure and home of the Great Buddha and Kasuga Taisha Shrine with its thousands of stone lanterns. There will of course, be the chance to feed the pesky scared deer that roam freely through the park. The tour concludes when you return to Kyoto in the early evening.

Breakfast 

Day 10 - Kyoto

You have another full day to explore Kyoto or you may like to use the included Japan Rail Pass to make a day trip to another destination. Nara, lying just 40 minutes south east of Kyoto is always a popular choice with the rambling deer park and at its centre, Todai-ji temple housing a huge bronze statue of Buddha. The electric city of Osaka (30 mins), historic castle town of Himeji (1 hour) and Hiroshima (2 hours), now a cosmopolitan and thriving modern city but 60 years ago the victim of the world's first atomic attack, are just some of the enticing day trip options available.

Breakfast 

Day 11 - Tokyo

You will be making the journey from Kyoto to Tokyo by Shinkansen. Journey time is between 2h16 and 2h45. Not long past Shizuoka keep your eyes open for the views of Mt. Fuji from the left side windows of the train.

Breakfast 

Day 12 - Depart

Today sees the end of your time in Japan. We are providing you with vouchers for the limousine bus service direct from the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo to Narita Airport. You need to reserve your place on the bus so please ask at the front desk when you check in and the staff will be able to advise on the best departure for you.