The Best of Japan

DAY 1: TOKYO
Arrival at Narita Airport, reception and private transfer to the hotel for accommodation for 3 nights, with breakfast.


DAY 2: TOKYO
Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day public transport tour with an English-speaking guide in Tokyo. Visit Sensoji Temple, also known as Asakusa Temple, and walk through Nakamise, one of the oldest shopping streets in Tokyo.

Then, board a water bus on the Sumidagawa River to visit Hamarikyu Garden, a Japanese garden from the Edo period that contrasts with the futuristic skyscrapers of the Shiodome district. Stop at a tea house to have a cup of matcha and feast on Japanese pastries.

After lunch (not included), visit the Meiji Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and a popular venue for traditional Japanese weddings. Finally, walk along the Omotesando shopping street, which houses the world's leading fashion designer stores and buildings that express modern Japanese architecture.


DAY 3: TOKYO
Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with an English-speaking guide at Tsukiji Honganji Temple for a half-day gastronomic tour on foot and by public transport.

Visit the Tsukiji Market, the largest fish market in the world, where it will be possible to explore and sample some delicious samples. Then take off by bus for a cooking class with a Japanese chef. At the end of the class, you can enjoy the sushi prepared by yourself.

Note: Tsukiji Market is closed on Sundays and Wednesdays. An alternative itinerary will be suggested on those days.


DAY 4: Tokyo - HAKONE
Breakfast and check-out at the hotel. Private transfer to Tokyo station to board a bullet train (shinkansen) for a trip of about 2 hours to Odawara station. Arrival and private transfer to the hotel in Hakone. Accommodation for 1 night in a traditional Japanese ryokan, with half board.

Free day to enjoy tours around the region with the Hakone Free Pass. You can take advantage of the extensive local transportation network to explore the region (without a guide), with trains, cable cars, buses, and even a pirate ship that sails across Lake Ashi, with a view of Mount Fuji.

At dusk, return to the ryokan and free time to enjoy the onsen, a hot bath with hot springs, and enjoy traditional Japanese dinner.


DAY 5: HAKONE - TAKAYAMA
Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Private transfer to Odawara station and board a bullet train (shinkansen) for a trip of about 2 hours to Nagoya station. Arrival and boarding by express train for a scenic journey of about 2.5 hours to Takayama. Arrival and transfer on your own to the hotel in Takayama for accommodation for 2 nights, with breakfast.

Optional activity suggestion (not included):

• Visit one of the city's sake breweries to sample the local drink.
  
  
  

DAY 6: TAKAYAMA
Breakfast at the hotel. Free day for independent activities.

Suggested optional activities (not included):

• Miyagawa morning market tour, where you can find fresh food, spices, traditional dishes, handicrafts, and even clothing;
• Tour to the folk village of Hida (Hida no Sato), an open-air museum with about 30 traditional rural houses that illustrate the architectural style of Japan's mountainous regions;
• Visit the Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan, an exhibition hall with traditional floats used at Takayama's annual festivals.
  
  
  

DAY 7: TAKAYAMA - SHIRAKAWA-GO -
KANAZAWA Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Transfer for a fee to Takayama bus station to board a bus for a trip of about an hour and a half to Shirakawa-go.

Arrival and time to explore the village of Shirakawa-go on your own, famous for its traditional rural “gassho-zukuri” buildings over 250 years old.

Then, travel by road bus of about 1 hour to Kanazawa. Arrival at the station and private transfer to the hotel. Accommodation for 2 nights, including breakfast.


DAY 8: KANAZAWA
Breakfast at the hotel and free day for independent activities.

Suggested optional activities (not included):

• Visit to Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle;
• Visit to Nagamachi, former samurai district;
• Visit the Yuzen Silk Center to learn about the silk printing technique used in kimonos;
• Visit Nomura Samurai House, a residence with a traditional indoor garden that houses items from the Edo period.

DAY 9: KANAZAWA - HIROSHIMA
After breakfast and check-out at the hotel, private transfer to Kanazawa Station. Take a train for a trip of about 4 hours to Hiroshima, with a train change at Shin Osaka. Arrival and private transfer from Hiroshima Station to the hotel.

Accommodation for 2 nights, with breakfast. Free afternoon for independent activities.


DAY 10: HIROSHIMA - MIYAJIMA - HIROSHIMA Breakfast at the hotel
. Full day public transport tour of Hiroshima city with an English-speaking guide. Visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, which tells the tragic story of the atomic bomb in the 1945 attack.

Then, board a ferry to visit Miyajima Island, a small sacred island, from where you can see Japan's famous and most photographed floating red portal (torii). Time to explore the island, its shrines and temples, including the Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, before returning to the hotel.


DAY 11: HIROSHIMA - Kyoto
After breakfast and check-out at the hotel, private transfer to Hiroshima Station. Take a bullet train (shinkansen) for about a 2-hour ride to Kyoto Station. Arrival and private transfer to the hotel. Accommodation for 3 nights, with breakfast.

In the afternoon, cooking class (transfers not included) to learn about the Kappo cooking style, which means cutting and cooking, traditional in Kyoto. Restaurants that adopt the Kappo style of cuisine generally emphasize the proximity between customers and the chef in a more informal setting, cooking face to face.


DAY 12: Kyoto
Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day public transportation tour of Kyoto city's main sights with an English-speaking guide. Visit the Golden Temple (Kinkakuji Temple), the most famous temple in Kyoto and the city's postcard, and visit Nijo Castle, an ornamental castle surrounded by enchanting gardens that was built by the shogun (military commander) of the Edo era to be his residence in Kyoto.

Next, tour the Nishiki Market, located on a narrow street about 5 blocks long with more than 100 stores and restaurants. The market houses a variety of fresh and preserved foods, typical dishes, spices and condiments, kitchen utensils, grocery items, etc.

Finally, after the market tour, you can choose between visiting the Kiyomizu Temple or the Sanjusanendo Temple.


DAY 13: KYOTO - NARA - KYOTO
Breakfast and full-day public transport tour of the main tourist attractions of Nara with an English-speaking guide. Visit the Todaji Temple, the largest wooden building and home of the largest Buddha in Japan, and the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, known for its thousands of bronze and stone lanterns that adorn the building.

Then, visit Nara Park, also known as deer park. Stop at a sake production to learn about the processes and taste some doses. Finally, visit the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine, with its thousands of red “toriis” (gates) that mark the path to the hill where the sanctuary is located.


Day 14: KYOTO
Breakfast and check-out at the hotel. Private transfer to Kansai Airport in Osaka.

Note: For flights departing from Narita or Haneda airports in Tokyo, you will need to board a train for a journey of about 4 hours.