HONOLULU TO NARITA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines lobby at the airport for check in procedures. We will depart Honolulu on Japan Airlines for Narita International Airport. Lunch and a snack will be served on board the flight.
Sunday, March 14 (Day 02)
ARRIVE NARITA - TOKYO (D)
We will arrive Narita Airport in the mid afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Tokyo for a two night stay. A welcome dinner is planned for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL or similar
Monday, March 15 (Day 03)
TOKYO (B)(L)
After breakfast, we’ll embark on a full day of sightseeing in this exciting metropolitan city. We’ll travel to Asakusa - located in the center of shitamachi (old downtown). The highlight of this area is Sensoji - also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple - Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple built for the goddess of Kannon. Located adjacent to the temple is Nakamise-dori - a shopping street with many shops offering typical Japanese souvenirs and traditional local snacks. We’ll drive by Ginza, the most exclusive entertainment and shopping district in Japan with many upscale shops and restaurants. Enjoy shopping at Ameyokocho, a lively shopping area with many indoor and outdoor vendors offering a variety of food products and various merchandise at discounted prices. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the city (weather permitting) from the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, also referred to as Tokyo City Hall located in Shinjuku. This evening, enjoy dinner on your own at one of the restaurants in the shopping mall adjacent to our hotel.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, March 16 (Day 04)
TOKYO - HAKONE - MT. FUJI - YAMANAKA-KO (B)(D)
We’ll travel on to Hakone - part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and famous for its volcanic hot springs and natural beauty. Enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on scenic Lake Ashino-ko with a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji - Japan’s highest and most sacred mountain. (weather permitting) Hakone used to be an important checkpoint for the ‘Old Tokaido Highway’, the old road that linked the ancient capital - Kyoto to Edo (now known as Tokyo) during the Edo period. Enjoy a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji from the observation deck of the Mt. Fuji Visitor Center. A video presentation explains the history of Mt. Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes. We’ll spend the night at a beautiful hotel overlooking Lake Yamanaka, the largest of the Fuji Five Lakes, offering a breathtaking view of the mountain. (weather permitting) Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel this evening.
Accommodations at HOTEL MT. FUJI or similar
Wednesday, March 17 (Day 05)
YAMANAKA-KO - SHIZUOKA - NAGOYA (B)
This morning we’ll make a photo stop to view the beautiful Shiraito-no-taki - named the white thread fall. Thousands of small streams trickle in a large arch from the rocks between the main flows, creating a vast white cascade. We’ll continue on along the Pacific Coast through Shizuoka prefecture, the largest tea producing region in Japan. The most noted history of this prefecture is that it was once home to the first Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasu. The scenery of Shizuoka prefecture provides a view of the Southern Japan Alps, a breathtaking view of Fuji-san and miles of scenic coastline along Suruga Bay and the Pacific Ocean. We’ll enjoy picking and eating some delicious strawberries at one of the local orchards before we continue on to spend the night in the castle town of Nagoya - capital of Aichi prefecture. This evening, enjoy dinner on your own at one of the restaurants located in the underground mall near our hotel.
Accommodations at HOTEL CASTLE PLAZA or similar
Thursday, March 18 (Day 06)
NAGOYA - TOYOTA CITY - BULLET TRAIN - KYOTO (B)(D)
Early this morning, enjoy a stroll through the interesting ichiba (morning market) located along the back streets near our hotel with many indoor and outdoor vendors offering a variety of fresh and dried food products and other merchandise. We’ll travel to Toyota city to enjoy a guided tour of a Toyota Car Factory. Observe the fascinating process of automobile manufacturing as we watch components being assembled to new cars on a moving assembly line. We’ll return to the Nagoya Train Station to board the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. A delicious obento will be provided for you to enjoy on board the train. On arrival at the Kyoto Station, we’ll transfer to our hotel and check in for three nights. The rest of the day is at your leisure to stroll through some of the shops at the train station located near the hotel. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Friday, March 19 (Day 07)
KYOTO (B)
Enjoy a leisure stroll through the serene Heian-jingu, a spacious landscape garden with a large pond and Chinese-inspired bridge - representing the kind of garden popular in the Heian period. We’ll visit Nijo-jo - a castle built as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. The castle is known for its ‘nightingale’ floors (floors that sing and squeak at every move) as a safeguard against intruders. We’ll visit the Nishijin Textile Center - famous for weaving the superb Nishijin silk. A large selection of silk related products are on display and available for purchase. Time permitting, we may have an opportunity to enjoy an elegant kimono fashion show with beautiful ladies modeling some of the most fashionable silk kimonos. Dinner will be on your own tonight. Try some of the Kyoto style cuisine at one of the local restaurants in the city or at the train station located near our hotel.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Saturday, March 20 (Day 08)
KYOTO - NARA - KYOTO (B)(D)
This morning we’ll travel to Nara, an ancient city located at the northern end of the Yamato plain, a fertile valley where members of the Yamato clan rose to power as the original emperors of Japan. We’ll visit the Todai-ji Temple Complex, a magnificent Buddhist temple in Nara Koen, a park that is home for many sacred deer roaming freely about. The Daibutsu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha) is considered the largest wooden structure in the world and home to the Daibutsu - an enormous bronze statue of Buddha, perhaps the most famous sight in Nara. Within the hall is a large wooden pillar with a hole at its base and local tradition has it that those who pass through the opening will find their way to an afterlife paradise. We’ll visit Kasuga Taisha, a shrine designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site with hundreds of lanterns lined on the approach way to the shrine. In the afternoon, we’ll return to the city of Kyoto to visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), a magnificent golden structure sitting on a lake providing a beautiful reflection in the calm waters. Enjoy shopping at the Kyoto Handicraft Center - a shopping complex offering a wide selection of Japanese souvenirs, handicrafts, works of art and more. Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel this evening.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Sunday, March 21 (Day 09)
KYOTO - KANSAI TO HONOLULU (B)
After breakfast, we’ll transfer to the Kansai Airport to check-in for our evening flight home to Honolulu. We will arrive on the same day due to the crossing of the International Dateline. A meal will be served on board the flight.