Best of Japan

Tokyo

Your first full day in Japan’s capital is all about shrines and shopping – highlighting the contrasts that this city is all about. Travelling with a local guide on the excellent public transport system, start the day in ‘Tokyo of Old’ in the Asakusa district, home to Sensoji, the city’s oldest temple before walking down the bustling shopping street of Nakamise lined with food stalls and souvenir shops. Take to the water as you cruise down the Sumidagawa River on Tokyo’s water bus, bringing you to the Edo-period Hamarikyu Gardens for a cup of matcha and Japanese sweets. The last stops on today’s agenda are Meiji Shrine, a popular place for weddings, and the tree-lined Omotesando shopping avenue. Please note: if you would prefer to tour the city by private car, please speak to our travel experts.

INCLUDES : Breakfast

Tokyo - Hakone & Mt. Fuji

Swap skyscrapers for outdoor adventure as you leave Tokyo behind and head to Hakone, less than 100 kilometres away and a popular weekend spot. Using your Hakone Pass, you can travel on the area’s extensive transport s system, riding switchback trains, gliding on volcanic lakes aboard a replica pirate ship and taking the cable car to the top of Mt. Owakudani – at the summit, try one of the ‘black eggs’ cooked in the hot springs – doing so is said to add another seven years to your life! This evening stay in a traditional ryokan, where you’ll sleep on futons laid out on tatami mats – delicious evening meal included.

INCLUDES : Breakfast, Dinner

Free Day in Takayama

Today you decide what you’d like to do. You may start with a visit to the Miyagawa morning market – one of the biggest in Japan – stretching from the old town to the Takayama Jinya and selling a variety of local produce and traditional crafts. A short bus ride away is the Hida No Sato Folk Village, an open-air museum with a collection of buildings built during the Edo period and the Hida Takayama Crafts Experience Center where you can take part in a workshop to create your own handicrafts from sarubobo dolls to glass wind chimes – a great souvenir to take back home! Another top suggestion for your free day is a trip to the small but impressive Takayama Festival Floats Museum displaying 17th century floats from the famous Takayama Festival.

INCLUDES : Breakfast

Kanazawa

What will you do on your free day in Kanazawa? The capital of Ishikawa Prefecture on the island of Honshu is home to some of the best preserved historic areas – thanks to its escape from air raids during World War II. Our top pick is Kenrokuen, considered to be one of the three best gardens in Japan and designed to be beautiful in every season. Then explore the preserved Nagamachi Samurai District with its narrow streets, water canals and earthen walls – there are a number of museums that you can visit including a restored samurai residence. You may decide to head to the Kanazawa Castle – rebuilt and restored after many fires – or watch artisans at work at the Saihitsuan Yuzen Silk Center where silk fabrics used to make kimonos are expertly dyed.

INCLUDES : Breakfast

Hiroshima - Miyajima Tour

First up on today’s agenda: a guided tour of Hiroshima, a city notorious as the place where the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped, obliterating most of the city. You’ll be taken to the Peace Memorial Park, a place dedicated to those who lost their lives in the attack, built on the site where the bomb fell. Over the 120,000 square metres you’ll find the A-Bomb Dome, site of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall and one of the few buildings to remain standing, as well as the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims where names of those who died are etched on a stone chest. The second part of the day takes you to Miyajima Island, a sacred Shinto site famed for its Floating Torri Gate, one of the most scenic – and most photographed – sites in the country.

INCLUDES : Breakfast

Kyoto

Explore Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan, on a guided tour. Begin the day at Kinkakuji Temple, more commonly known as the Golden Pavilion thanks to its gold-leaf covered exterior. One of Kyoto’s most famous temples, it houses sacred relics of Buddha and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Continue on to Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site then walk through Nishiki Market where more than 100 restaurants and shops specialising in all things related to cooking line the street. At the end of the day, you have two options: soak up sweeping views of the city from the Kiyomizu Temple or visit Sanjusangendo, the longest wooden structure in Japan.

INCLUDES : Breakfast