Thursday, October 25 (Day 01)
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. A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight.
Friday, October 26 (Day 02)
ARRIVE NARITA - TOKYO (D)
We’ll arrive Narita Airport in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs procedures, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Tokyo to spend two nights. A dinner is planned for you at the hotel this evening.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL or similar
Saturday, October 27 (Day 03)
TOKYO (B)(L)
After breakfast, we’ll embark on a full day of sightseeing in this exciting metropolitan city. We’ll visit Sensoji - also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple - Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple built for the goddess of Kannon. Enjoy browsing through the souvenir shops of Nakamise-dori, a shopping street with various vendors offering typical Japanese souvenirs and traditional local snacks located adjacent to the temple. We’ll take a tour of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, showcasing exhibits and artifacts relating to the historical heritage of Edo-Tokyo. The museum is split into three interesting sections, the Edo Zone, the Tokyo Zone, and the History Zone. At the entrance is a replica of the famous ‘Nihonbashi Bridge’. We’ll drive by Ginza, the most exclusive entertainment and shopping district in Japan with its 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. This evening, enjoy dinner on your own at one of the restaurants in the shopping mall located adjacent to the hotel.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL or similar
Sunday, October 28 (Day 04)
TOKYO - HAKONE - FUJI FIVE LAKES – LAKE YAMANAKA (B)(D)
This morning we’ll travel to Hakone - a region that is 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, a crater lake that lies along the caldera of Mount Hakone and known for its breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji, Japan’s most sacred mountain. Hakone was once an important checkpoint for the Old Tokaido Highway, the old road that linked Kyoto to Edo (now known as Tokyo) during the Edo period. We’ll continue on to the scenic Fuji Five Lake region (Fuji-go-ko), located at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Yamanashi prefecture. We’ll spend the night at a beautiful hotel overlooking Lake Yamanaka, the largest of the Fuji Five Lakes. Weather permitting, a breathtaking view of the mountain can be seen from the grounds of the hotel. Enjoy dinner and relax in the hot springs this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at MT. FUJI HOTEL or similar
Monday, October 29 (Day 05)
LAKE YAMANAKA - MT. FUJI - SHIZUOKA - NAGOYA (B)(D)
Enjoy a visit of the Mt. Fuji Visitor Center located at the entrance of the Subaru Line - the toll road leading up to the slopes of Mt. Fuji Japan’s highest and most sacred mountain. An interesting video presentation explains the formation and ecology of Mt. Fuji and the history of the Fuji Five Lakes. We’ll visit Shira-ito-no-taki (White Thread Falls), a picturesque waterfall with streams of water trickling down from the rocks in a large arch, creating a vast white cascade. We’ll continue our drive along the Pacific Coast through Shizuoka prefecture, the largest tea producing region in Japan. Enjoy a tour of Greenpia Makinohara - a tea factory to learn about the tea-making process through a video presentation and a tour of its facility. We’ll also be able to get a close-up view of the tea plants growing in the fields. Our drive through Shizuoka prefecture provides a beautiful 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 spend the night in Nagoya, Japan’s fourth largest city and capital of Aichi prefecture. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at WESTIN NAGOYA CASTLE or similar
Tuesday, October 30 (Day 06)
NAGOYA - BULLET TRAIN - KYOTO (B)(L)
We’ll travel to Toyota City to visit one of the factories of the automobile giant - Toyota Motor Corporation. Observe the fascinating process of automobile manufacturing on a guided tour as we observe workers assemble components to new cars on a moving assembly line. We’ll return to the Nagoya Train Station and board the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. A delicious box lunch will be provided for you to enjoy on board the train. On arrival in Kyoto, we’ll transfer to check into our hotel for the next two nights. The afternoon is free to explore this traditional city at your leisure. As an option, you may want to shop at the Kyoto Handicraft Center - a five story facility offering a wide selection of Japanese goods, souvenirs, handicrafts, works of art and more. Dinner will be on your own this evening. Try some of the Kyoto-style cuisine at one of the local restaurants in downtown Kyoto or at the train station located near our hotel.
Accommodations at KYOTO RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, October 31 (Day 07)
KYOTO - NARA - KYOTO (B)(D)
We’ll travel to the ancient city of Nara, located at the northern end of the Yamato Plain. 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 said that those who pass through the opening will find their way to an afterlife of paradise. We’ll visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and noted for the hundreds of stone lanterns that line the approach-way to the shrine. In the afternoon, we’ll return to Kyoto to visit some of the highlights of this traditional city. We’ll visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), a magnificent golden structure sitting at the edge of a lake providing a beautiful reflection in the calm waters. Enjoy a visit to Nijo-jo, a flatland castle built as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. The castle is known for its ‘nightingale’ floors’ (floors that squeak with every step) designed as a safeguard against intruders. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at KYOTO RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Thursday, November 1 (Day 08)
KYOTO - KOBE - AWAJI ISLAND - TOKUSHIMA (B)(D)
We’ll travel to the city of Kobe and visit the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum to observe the traditional sake brewing process with exhibits and videos. At the end of the tour, a taste of one of their delicious products will be provided for you to enjoy. We’ll continue on to cross the Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi to Awaji Island, the inland sea’s largest island. Enjoy a performance of the Awaji Ningyo Joruri (Puppet Play) at the Awaji Puppet Theatre. The separate arts of puppet manipulation, gidayu narration and shamisen accompaniment blend together to present a dramatic performance of a tragic drama. We’ll travel on to cross the Naruto Channel on the Naruto Ohashi, a bridge connecting Awaji Island to Shikoku Island. At each flow of the tide, currents rush through this narrow passage to create uzushio (whirlpools) of various sizes and we may be able to see some as we drive over the bridge. We’ll proceed to the city of Tokushima on Shikoku Island and check into our hotel for the night. This evening after dinner, enjoy a performance of the famous Awa Odori, the pride of Tokushima at the Awa Odori Kaikan. Learn to dance and participate with the Awanokaze dancers accompanied by the sounds of shamisen (three stringed guitars), taiko (drums) and fue (flutes).
Accommodations at AWA KANKO HOTEL or similar
Friday, November 2 (Day 09)
TOKUSHIMA - TAKAMATSU - IMABARI (B)(D)
We’ll travel to the castle town of Takamatsu and enjoy a stroll through the beautiful gardens of Ritsurin-koen, the city’s major landmark. Once the summer retreat for the Lords of the Matsudaira family, this scenic garden follows a classical Japanese design featuring pine trees winding around a series of ponds, bridges and rock formations. Forming a backdrop to the garden is a ‘borrowed scenery’ of Mount Shuin. Experience making your own fan to take home as a souvenir at the Uchiwa Minato Museum, a facility specializing in uchiwa (rounded paper fans). These fans are made with a sheet of decorated paper glued over a thin bamboo frame. We’ll continue on to spend the night in Imabari, the second largest city in Ehime prefecture. Enjoy dinner and relax in the grand bath at our hotel this evening.
Accommodations at IMABARI KOKUSAI HOTEL or similar
Saturday, November 3 (Day 10)
IMABARI - SHIMA NAMI KAIDO - IWAKUNI - HIROSHIMA (B)(D)
We’ll depart Shikoku Island via the scenic Shima Nami Kaido, a set of bridges connecting the many islands of the Seto Inland Sea to Honshu. Our drive will take us from Imabari in Shikoku through Onomichi, arriving in the city of Hiroshima in the early afternoon where we will spend two nights. En route, we’ll visit scenic Kintai-kyo Bridge, a historical wooden arch bridge. The bridge spans the beautiful Nishiki River in a series of five wooden arches and is located on the foot of Mt. Yokoyama. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL HIROSHIMA or similar
Sunday, November 4 (Day 11)
HIROSHIMA - MIYAJIMA - HIROSHIMA (B)
This morning, we’ll proceed to Miyajima-guchi Pier and board a ferry to Miyajima Island, famed for its scenic Itsukushima-jinja, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a floating torii gate extending into the sea. The landscape - including the shrine - is one of the most photographed tourist attraction in Japan and with the island’s Mount Misen-san as a backdrop, is classified as one of Japan’s three most beautiful sights. This afternoon, we’ll return to Hiroshima and visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Park. Exhibits within the museum relive the history of the atomic bomb and the destruction it brought on Hiroshima and its people. The most poignant monument in the Peace Memorial Park is the Children’s Peace Memorial, inspired by leukemia victim Sadako Sasaki. Thousands of paper cranes brought by school children, various clubs and groups are displayed there. Dinner will be on your own this evening. Try some delicious okonomiyaki, the specialty of Hiroshima at one of the local restaurants.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL HIROSHIMA or similar
Monday, November 5 (Day 12)
HIROSHIMA - KURASHIKI - KORAKU-EN - OSAKA (B)(D)
We’ll depart Hiroshima and continue on to make a stop in the quaint little town of Kurashiki, located in Okayama prefecture. Enjoy strolling through the picturesque Bikan-chiku (historic city district) with many old traditional buildings, storehouses and shops located along the willow-lined canal. We’ll visit Koraku-en, a beautiful Japanese garden, ranked as one of Japan’s three best landscape gardens. A large pond, walking paths, pavilions, a crane aviary, and groves of plum and cherry trees are featured in this scenic garden. We’ll continue on to spend the night in the commercial city of Osaka. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at RAMADA HOTEL OSAKA or similar
Tuesday, November 6 (Day 13)
OSAKA - ITAMI TO NARITA TO HONOLULU (B)
The morning is at leisure for your own activities before our departure for the Itami Airport in the late afternoon. We’ll depart for Narita International Airport, then transfer to board 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.