Japan Cherry Blossom Tour 2022 (8d/7n)

Welcome to Japan! You will be greeted by an English speaking assistant at the airport. The assistant will get you on the bus to your hotel. Check in : 15:00 ~Note 1: The meet and greet is ONLY available for flights arriving in Terminal 1 & 2 after 08:00 AM to 17:30 PM (Narita and Haneda airport). For guests arriving in Terminal 3, airport pickup is not included.

Note 2 : If you wish to stay extra nights before the tour starts, please contact us to book additional hotel nights. You will spend the night in Tokyo.

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The First visit is Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace is located on the former site of Edo Castle, a large park area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls in the center of Tokyo. It is the residence of the present Emperor and Empress. We stop at Nijubashi-mae to take photos.

We will visit the Sakura Festival in Ueno park, which is famous for its pink sea of cherry blossoms. Many Japanese people enjoy eating, drinking, and singing under the cherry blossoms in full bloom and you will see a lot of people enjoying a Hanami picnic in the park.

We then head to Asakusa, the most popular sightseeing spot in Tokyo which is reminiscent of the Edo period. This district has flourished as a temple town of Senso-ji, the oldest and the largest temple in the district. The Kaminarimon, or Thunder Gate, is the outer gate of the temple that is a very famous landmark of Asakusa for its huge red lantern. Nakamise street is a nice shopping street that is over 200m long, leading to the Senso-ji temple, the best place to buy traditional Japanese souvenirs in Tokyo.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Meiji-shrine, which is dedicated to the deified spirit of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. Located in the forest near the busy shopping area of Harajuku. After that, you can enjoy shopping at Takeshita street which is popular among young teenagers, or Omotesando street for some grown-up luxury (window) shopping.

Of course we’ll pass the Shibuya crossing , which is one of the world’s busiest pedestrian crossings. It is always crowded with people crossing in 5 different directions without bumping into each other.
Meet the statue of the famous loyal dog, Hachiko, which is located in front of Shibuya station. We will then return to the hotel.

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We will take a one-day excursion to Mt. Fuji and the Kawaguchi-ko lake area.

First, we will take the Fuji Subaru line road to Mt. Fuji’s 5th station by bus. Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and listed as a World Heritage Site. This is the place from where many people start climbing Mt. Fuji.

Our lunch today is ‘houtou’, which is Yamanashi Prefecture’s delicious local noodle-type. Houtou is originally the name of the thick and flat noodles made from wheat. It is cooked in miso-based soup with lots of vegetables that are in season such as pumpkins, carrots, radishes, and mushrooms. There are 5 lakes around Mt. Fuji, and Lake Kawaguchi is one of the biggest with various tourist facilities. The Mount Fuji Panoramic Kachi Kachi Yama Ropeway ascends 400 meters from the eastern shore of Lake Kawaguchi to an observation deck near the peak of Mt Tenjo. From the observation deck, which sits more than 1000 meters above sea level, you can see panoramic views of the lake below and of Mount Fuji.

After enjoying a pleasant 20-minute cruise on Lake Kawaguchi by pleasure boat ‘Ensoleille’, we will return to Tokyo.

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Today we start the day by getting on the super-fast shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto.The first visit in Kyoto will be the impressive Fushimi Inari Taisha, which is the head shrine of about 30,000 Inari shrines across Japan. This shrine is especially renowned for its pairs of stone fox statues as well as the thousands of orange torii gates lined up along the pathway to Mt.Inari, each of which bears the name of its donor.

We then proceed to sake (rice wine) brewery. The development of Fushimi as a sake production site began around 4 centuries ago when Fushimi port was developed as a part of the construction work for Fushimi castle. High-quality rice and pure water are essential to make good sake. You will learn about the sake-making process, and of course, get the chance to taste some great sake here.

Then we head to Nara, which was the first permanent capital in Japan. In Nara, we visit the Todaiji temple and Nara Park. Nara Park is located near Todaiji temple and is famous for the many tame deer. You can feed them special crackers called Shika-sembei if you want.

Then we go back to Kyoto and check-in at the hotel.

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First we will go to the Ryoanji temple. This is a Zen temple known for its mysterious-looking Zen stone garden.Kinkakuji temple is located near Ryoanji temple and is the next stop. It is known as the Golden pavilion for its briliant exterior that will surely impress you.

Nishijin textile style is a traditional silk weaving technique in Kyoto used for making kimono, the traditional Japanese garment. We visit the Nishijin textile center to learn more about Nishijin textile weaving. You will also have a chance to enjoy a kimono fashion show and shopping. After lunch, you will experience a tea ceremony. The Japanese tea ceremony is called Chanoyu or Sado in Japan. Try some real matcha tea with Japanese sweets!

The Gion area is Kyoto’s most famous geisha district. It is filled with shops, restaurants and ochaya (tea houses). While walking through a street lined with preserved machiya houses, you might come across real geisha or maiko in the evening. Then it is time to go back to the hotel

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Today we go to Arashiyama where there is a popular but pleasant district in the western outskirts of Kyoto. This area has been a popular destination since the Heian Period (794-1185).

We will then visit the Tenryuji temple. This temple is known for its Japanese landscape garden with various plants and a pond. Enjoy a pleasant walk through the famous bamboo grove nearby. You can also enjoy the many small shops, restaurants you can find around Arashiyama.

The Nishiki Market street is a narrow shopping street lined with more than 100 shops and restaurants. This foodie destination is also known as Kyoto’s Kitchen. The lively market specializes in all things food-related, such as fresh seafood, sushi, Japanese sweets, pickles, cookware, etc. Find your favorite food for lunch here!

Then we will visit Nijo Castle, which was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period (1603-1867). After that, we will head back to the hotel.

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In the morning we proceed to Kyoto station and get on the shinkansen bound for Hiroshima. We will take a ferry to the sacred Miyajima island, where we’ll see the famous Itsukushima Shinto Shrine and elaborate torii gate that seems to float in the sea. Try tasty local foods such as momiji manju (Japanese maple shaped cake with red bean paste), oysters, and okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake).

In the afternoon, we will return to Hiroshima city. Hiroshima is known all over the world as the first city to suffer an A -bomb disaster. It is an impressive experience to visit the Peace Memorial Park and museum, as well as the Atomic Bomb Dome. Although you can’t really see the aftermath of the disaster in Hiroshima anymore today, the museum tells you what really happened here in 1945.

After visiting the museum and Peace Park, we will return to Kyoto by bullet train.

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Now it is already time to go back home with new unforgettable memories and lots of souvenirs. A transfer is not included, but if you would need an airport transfer please contact us before your departure. Thank you very much for coming to Japan and we hope to see you again!

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