Imperial and Spiritual Japan

Shared transfer airport – hotel in Tokyo (SIC)
On arrival on Narita Airport, you’ll be met by your English speaking assistant and transferred to your hotel by bus. Travel time: 85 minutes

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Full day guided city tour in Tokyo (SIC)
You will meet your guide and we will take a full day tour (from 9:00 to 17:00) using public transport to explore the bustling metropolis of Tokyo.

Visit Tokyo National Museum
Begin your exploration of the city with a visit at Tokyo National Museum. Here you will find a comprehensive collection of art works and antiquities from Japan including ancient pottery, Buddhist sculptures, samurai swords, colourful ukiyo-e (woodblock prints), gorgeous kimonos and much more.

Stroll through Ameyoko Market
Visit the open-air local market, Ameyoko Market, located beneath the Yamanote line tracks. Today, Ameyoko Market is packed with vendors selling everything from a huge range of fresh fish, seafood, spices to clothes and accessories.

Visit Asakusa Kannon Temple
Asakusa Kannon Temple is also known as Senso-ji Temple and is one of Tokyo’s most sacred and spectacular temple complex as it’s enshrines a golden image of Kannon (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy). Visit Senso-ji Temple, admire the red Kaminari-mon (known as Thunder Gate) and the giant red lantern, spot the Five-Story Pagoda and take a stroll to Nakamise Dori, a shopping street of 200 meters where you will find traditional wares, including kimonos, fans, obi sashes, haircombs and dolls.

Take a cruise on Sumida River
Take a cruise on Sumida River to get the best sense of Tokyo’s past and present. Travel along the Sumida River, one of the city’s most famous rivers and admire the amazing views on the city of Tokyo.

Visit Hamarikyu Garden
Hamarikyu Garden is a public garden park in Tokyo and a typical example of the famous gardens of the Edo Period. Relax through this beautiful traditional Japanese Garden and enjoy a teabreak at the teahouse, admiring the view and the pond.

Visit Ginza Shooping Street
Ginza is a luxury fashion centre lined up with upscale department stores, art galleries and exclusive restaurants. Take a stroll through this high-end district, enjoy sightseeing and do some shopping as there are also affordable shops and art galleries.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Free afternoon
The day is free to discover the beauties of the Japanese capital Tokyo on your own.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Your main suitcase will be transferred directly from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Transfer hotel – train station in Tokyo (SIC)
You will be transferred from the hotel to the train station in Tokyo.

Transfer Tokyo – Hakone (SIC)
You will be transferred to Hakone (Odawara) with your guide, by train.

Half day city tour in Hakone (SIC)
Enjoy sightseeing in Hakone and panoramic vistas of Mt.Fuji (weather permitting) accompagnied by your guide, using public transport.

Ropeway ride Owakudani
The Owakudani Valley is a volcanic activity area located near Hakone. Access to Owakudani is done in the main cable car where you can admire (weather permitting) greatness of Mount Fuji. There are lots of landscape spots while on the ropeway. You can see the view of the valley floor spreading under your eyes on the way from Sounzan to Owakuani, and you can enjoy the scenery of Mount Fuji and Lake Ashi on the way to Togendai.

Boat cruise on Lake Ashi
Lake Ashi is at the center of the Hakone area. You will take a boat cruise on Lake Ashi. In clear weather you can admire stunning views of Mount Fuji.

Transfer Hakone – Kyoto (SIC)
You will be transferred to Kyoto (Odawara) from Odawara, by bullet train. The guide will help you to board train. Travel time: 120 minutes.

Transfer train station – hotel in Kyoto (SIC)
Upon arrival at Kyoto Station, you will be met by an English speaking assistant and transferred to your hotel.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Full day guided city tour in Kyoto (SIC)
You will visit the city in a full day guided tour (9:00-17:00) using publis transport, exploring temples, wandering through outlying districts and you will get a sense of the city’s cultural richness.

Visit Golden Pavilion
Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji) was built in 1397 at the order of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It is a three-storey building, of which, the two upper floors are covered with gold leaf. The Pavilion is located in a beautiful Japanese garden.

Visit Ryoanji Temple
Ryoanji is one of the symbols of Kyoto and one of Japan’s better-known sights. Ryoanji prides itself in its stone garden, which is listed as Unesco World Heritage site along with the whole complex.

Visit Kiyomizu Temple
Kiyomizu Temple is a Buddhist temple of the ancient capital of Japan and one of the largest tourist attractions in Kyoto. The temple dates back to 798, but the current buildings are much newer, dating back to 1633. The name is given by the nearby waterfall. It is said that, if you drink from this water, you will have part of health, success and long life. Kiyomizu means, in fact, pure water.

Take a stroll through Gion Area
Take a stroll through Gion’s most atmospheric lanes and discover Kyoto’s best-known geisha quarter. This area is filled with shops, restaurants and ochaya (teahouses), where geiko (Kyoto dialect for geisha) and maiko (geiko apprentices) entertain.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Free day
Today is free to explore Kyoto and its surroundings. You can admire the lush temples and gardens, or relax in typical Japanese cafes and teahouses.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.

Your main suitcase will be transferred directly from Kyoto to Osaka. You will travel with just an overnight bag for your night in Mt.Koya.
Transfer hotel – train station in Kyoto (SIC)
You will be transferred from hotel to the train station in Kyoto.

Transfer Kyoto – Osaka – Mt.Koya (SIC)
You will be transferrd from Kyoto – Osaka – Mt.Koya by local train and cable car with your guide. Travel time: 160 minutes.

Half day guided city tour in Mt.Koya (SIC)
Sightseeing in Mt.Koya, using public transport, will let you get a glimpse of Japanese spiritual life.

Visit Okunoin Temple
One of Japan’s most intensely spiritual site, Okuno-in houses the mausoleum of the founder of the Shingon Buddhism, Kobo Daishi (Kukai). The memorial hall is surrounded by a vast, forested Buddhist cemetery with over 200,000 tombs. Legends say that Kobo Daishi remains in a state of eternal meditation inside the mausoleum.

Visit Kongobuji Temple
Kongobuji Temple is the head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, located on Mount Koya. It was built in 1592 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi while the main gate is the temple’s oldest structure (1593). It is the most famous temple in Koyasan and known for its beautifully painted sliding screen doors (fusuma).

Vist Kondo Temple
Kondo, the main hall of the Garan Temple Complex was first built in 796 and is considered a masterpiece. This large wooden temple hall holds major ceremonies and it enshrines an image of Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine and healing.

Tokugawa Cemetery
Tokugawa Cemetery was built in 1643, by the third shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa, in honor of his grandfather Tokugawa Ieyasu and his father Tokugawa Hidetada. There are two adjoining decorated mausoleums, Tokugawa Ieyasu is on the right and Tokugawa Hidetada on the left. Tokugawa Cemetery is architecturally representative of the Edo Period.

Dinner at temple
Dinner (Shojin Ryori – monk’s dinner) will be served at the temple. Shojin Ryori (devotion cuisine) is a traditional buddist cuisine, with vegetarian dishes served at temples.
Overnight at a Japanese-style accommodations in a historical Buddhist temple. The Japanese-style rooms feature tatami (woven-straw) floors and Japanese futon bedding. Private bathroom and toilet are not available at the temple.

Morning ceremony
Very early in the morning you will participante at the morning ceremony at the temple.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at temple. Traditional Buddhist vegetarian dishes are served for breakfast.

Transfer Mt.Koya – Osaka (SIC)
You will be transferred from Mt.Koya to Osaka cable car and local train, with your guide. Travel time: 120 minutes.

Half day guided city tour in Osaka (SIC)
Upon arrival in Osaka, you will visit several of its famous attractions.

Visit Osaka Castle
The castle is one of Japan’s most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century. It is also an important historic site widely known as an emblem of the power and fortune of Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Stroll through Dotonbori area
Dotonbori Area is one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka, a lively entertainment area with a variety of restaurants and bars and illuminated signboards. In this tour try not to miss the famous Glico.

Admire Umeda area
You will visit also Umeda area, the North part of Osaka, a major commercial, business, shopping and entertainment district, fiiled with office buildings, departament stores and shopping complexes.

Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel’s restaurant.
Late check-out is not included.

Shared transfer hotel – airport in Osaka (SIC)
You’ll be transferred from the hotel to the airport by airport bus for your flight back home. Travel time: 50 minutes