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April 7 - 13, 2011 (7 Days & 5 Nights)
$100 EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT
(deposit must be made by 08/16/2010)
Kansai, Kyoto (4 nights), Kiyomizu-dera, Maruyama Park, Gion Corner, Miyako Odori, Arashiyama, Misora Hibari Museum, Sagano Bamboo Forest, Nishijin Textile Center, Nijo-jo, Nishiki Market , Kyoto Handicraft Center, Philosopher’s Path, Takarazuka Revue, Arima Onsen (1 night), Osaka, Aqua-Liner, Dotonbori, Kaiyukan, Kansai
TWIN RATE:
$ 3,350 per person |
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT:
$ 495 per person |
LAND ONLY:
$ 2,600 per person |
(Individual arrangements to meet group are not included)
Thursday, April 7 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO OSAKA/KANSAI
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines departure lobby #5 at the airport for check-in procedures for our flight to Kansai International Airport. A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight.
Friday, April 8 (Day 02)
KANSAI - KYOTO (D)
We’ll arrive at Kansai Airport in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to Kyoto by chartered motorcoach. A late dinner will be provided for you on arrival at the hotel.
Accommodations at KYOTO NEW MIYAKO HOTEL
Saturday, April 9 (Day 03)
KYOTO (B)(L)(D)
We’ll embark on a full day of sightseeing in the traditional city of Kyoto. We’ll visit Kiyomizu-dera, an independent Buddhist temple that is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Constructed in 1633, Kiyomizu means clear or pure water and takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Lunch will be provided for you at a local restaurant serving some delicious shabu shabu dishes. Weather permitting, we’ll visit Maruyama-koen, one of Kyoto’s most popular cherry blossom viewing sites featuring its star attraction - a tall weeping cherry tree (shidarezakura). Located in the center of the park, it’s beautifully lit-up in the evenings. Gion and Pontocho are Kyoto’s traditional nightlife districts where you may be able to see a geiko (women skilled in dance and music) or a maiko (an apprentice) still carry-out their traditional annual dances during the height of the cherry blossom season in April. We’ll take a stroll through the narrow streets of this area to enjoy an atmosphere of old Kyoto with many old buildings, restaurants and traditional teahouses. Enjoy a performance of the Miyako Odori (Cherry Blossom Dance) at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theater at Gion Corner. After the performance, we’ll dine at a local restaurant to enjoy a special kaiseki meal.
Accommodations at KYOTO NEW MIYAKO HOTEL
Sunday, April 10 (Day 04)
KYOTO (B)(L)(D)
We’ll travel to Arashiyama, a pleasant district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, particularly beautiful during the cherry blossom season. Its landmark is Togetsukyo Bridge with forested Mount Arashiyama as a backdrop. We’ll enjoy a visit to the Sagano Bamboo Forest - noted as one of the most beautiful bamboo forests in Japan. The sound of the wind in this bamboo forest has been voted as one of “one-hundred-must-be-preserved-sounds-of-Japan” by the Japanese government. The late Misora Hibari was an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress and is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of all time. We’ll visit a museum dedicated to her - the Misora Hibari Museum in Arashiyama - tracing the history of her life and career. We’ll return to Kyoto to visit the Nishijin Textile Center, best known for weaving and producing the superb Nishijin silk. Subject to availability, we may have an opportunity to enjoy an elegant kimono fashion show with elegant young ladies modeling some of the most fashionable silk kimonos. Lunch will be provided for us at the Nishijin Hall. Nijo-jo is a flatland castle built as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. We’ll enjoy a visit of one of the main buildings - Ninomaru Palace. One of the features of the palace are the nightingale floors in the corridors that squeak like birds - built as a safeguard against intruders. Enjoy a stroll through the Ninomaru Garden located adjacent to the palace. Dinner this evening will be at a local restaurant serving delicious sukiyaki dishes.
Accommodations at KYOTO NEW MIYAKO HOTEL
Monday, April 11 (Day 05)
KYOTO (B)(L)(D)
Nishiki Market - also known as ‘Kyoto’s Kitchen’ is a famous narrow shopping street in downtown Kyoto lined with more than a hundred shops. Rich with history and tradition, this marketplace is renowned as the place to purchase many of Kyoto’s local specialties. Enjoy shopping at the Kyoto Handicraft Center - a five-story shopping complex offering a nice selection of souvenirs, jewelry, handicrafts, kimonos, toys, and more. Lunch will be provided for you at a local restaurant. Enjoy a stroll through Philosopher’s Path (Tetsugaku no michi), a pleasant stone path following a canal lined by hundreds of cherry trees. The path is named after Nishida Kitaro, one of Japan’s most famous philosophers, who was said to practice meditation while walking this route on his daily commute to Kyoto University. Weather permitting, the trees along this path explode with color, making this one of the city’s most popular hanami (cherry blossom viewing) spots. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at KYOTO NEW MIYAKO HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, April 12 (Day 06)
KYOTO - OSAKA - TAKARAZUKA - ARIMA ONSEN (B)(L)(D)
Our journey continues on to the industrial city of Osaka to enjoy some sightseeing in this exciting city. Enjoy a tour of the ‘Water Metropolis’ on the Aqua-Liner - a long flat boat. This one hour cruise on the river covers most of Osaka’s major sightseeing spots, including a view of Osaka Castle, the Osaka Business Park, and the Osaka Amenity Park. This afternoon, we’ll stroll through the famous Dotonbori to enjoy delicious naniwa udon for lunch at a local restaurant. Dotonbori, an exciting and busy street in the Namba ward of Osaka, is known for its many shops and restaurants all lit up in the evenings with bright neon lights. We’ll drive to Takarazuka city in Hyogo prefecture to enjoy the Takarazuka Revue - a Japanese all-female musical performance. Women play both male and female roles in lavish Broadway-style productions. We’ll continue on to spend the night at Arima Onsen in Kobe city. One of Japan’s oldest hot spring resort with beautiful natural surroundings, Arima Onsen is known for two kinds of hot springs - kinsen (gold spring) which has yellow-brown water from iron and salt and the other is ginsen (silver spring) which is colorless and contains radium and carbonate. Enjoy dinner and relax in the soothing hot spring bath this evening.
Accommodations at ARIMA GRAND HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, April 13 (Day 07)
ARIMA - OSAKA KAIYUKAN - KANSAI - HONOLULU (B)
En route to the Kansai International Airport, we’ll drive to the city of Osaka to visit the famous aquarium ‘Kaiyukan’ - one of the largest public aquariums in the world. This walk-through aquarium features 16 tanks with displays of a variety of marine life including manta rays and a pair of whale sharks. We’ll continue on to the Kansai International Airport to check-in for our evening flight home to Honolulu. We’ll arrive in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line. A late meal will be served on board the flight.
The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 20 passengers. Fare adjustment may apply for groups of 20 or less. The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 6/01/10. Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase, fuel surcharge increase and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency. In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.
Land portion based on 95 Yen = $1.00 U.S.
2010 General Conditions (Japan/International)
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