Blooming Japan
Welcome to Land of Rising Sun, one of the oldest civilizations and has a beautiful and diverse history. The stunning, diverse scenery with mountains and breathtaking views, which are much appreciated by the Japanese, offers so many different experiences that attract tourists from all corners of the world.
Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo
Welcome to Tokyo! You will be greeted and escorted to your hotel by our representative. Rest at the hotel and be ready to start your exciting tour tomorrow.
Day 2: Tokyo
Today spend the full day seeing the many sights of this wonderful metropolis.
We will first stop by the Imperial Palace Plaza to get a glimpse of the current Emperor’s home. Next we will head to Tokyo Tower, one of Japan’s prominent landmarks. The orange-red tower stands at 333 meters high and is the second tallest structure, after the Tokyo Sky Tree which was recently built. Visitors can climb up to the main observatory via an elevator and view the city from 150 meters high or the special observatory at 250 meters where you can get a panoramic view of Tokyo
After lunch, we will visit the old town district of Asakusa – shop around the Nakamise Shopping area and pray at the Sensoji Temple. We will also stop by the famous Meiji Shrine located in Shibuya. In the evening, we will probe the stores at Harajuku, the unofficial fashion capital of Japan that offers the latest pop culture and fashion. Returning to our hotel.
Day 3: Tokyo – Mt. Fuji/Hakone
We will start our day heading to Lake Kawaguchi to visit the Atae Yuki Museum (Kawaguchiko Muse Museum). The museum displays the works of Atae Yuki, a famous doll creator whose unique dolls were created out of fabric. The dolls portray children from the 20th century, especially during the wartime when the country was in poverty. The dolls here at the museum are a great depiction of how life was in the 20th century.
We will then continue our journey to Hakone, where we will take a cruise in Lake Ashi. We will then take a ropeway to Owakudani, an active volcanic crater still steaming from its last eruption some 3,000 years ago.
The tour would not be complete without a long relaxing soak in the onsen, hot spring, to rejuvenate you for tomorrow’s adventure. Overnight in a ryokan in Hakone.
Day 4: Hakone - Kyoto
We will begin our morning on the bullet train for a quick ride to Kyoto and check into our Hotel. We will start our tour by visiting the Todaiji Temple. Todaiji Temple holds the World Guinness Record as the largest wooden building. Inside the temple, you will behold the largest Buddha statue in Japan.
Just outside the temple is the Nara Deer Park, where you will be greeted by numerous deer that roam around freely. The deer here at the park are known to be friendly and may even bow at you for a little treat.
After our friendly encounter with the deer, we will head to experience some peaceful green tea ceremony at Kodaiji Temple, built in 1606 in memory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi by his beloved wife, Nene. This beautifully constructed shrine is well balance with nature maintaining a Japanese and Zen Garden with a Bamboo Forest. It is this location overlooking the scenery that you will be taking lessons in Japanese Tea Ceremony. Afterwards, why not try a little sake tasting? We will be heading to a sake brewery to learn how sake is made and try different types of sake.
Our final stop of the day is the Gion Geisha District. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 5: Kyoto
Our first stop of the day will be a trip to the Kiyomizu Temple. The most iconic temple of Japan, Kiyomizu Temple is a wooden structure that overlooks the city of Kyoto. On the base, three canals sprout water representing love, wisdom, and longevity. We will then walk to Ninenzaka, an area of town with streets filled with Kyotoesque shops, perhaps an ideal place for souvenir shopping. We will then head to Sanjusangen-do, a temple in eastern Kyoto famous for its 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy.
Our next stop is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its thousands of red torii gates that lead to the sacred Mt. Inari. After lunch we will head to the Nishijin Textile Center, where you can witness the creation of traditional kimonos.
We will then head to Nijo Castle, where the first shogun of the Edo Period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, resided. Its walls and door panels are heavily decorated with gold and beautiful pictures of nature. The castle was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994 as one of the best examples of castle palace architecture of Japan’s feudal era.
We will end our day with a visit to the Golden Pavilion, or Kinkakuji, a must see attraction where the two upper floors are covered in gold leaf. Overnight in Kyoto.
Day 6: Kyoto - Tokyo
Today we will board our Shinkansen bullet train for our return to Tokyo. The day it leisure to explore Tokyo on you own or do some last minute shopping. Overnight in Tokyo.
