Monday, May 7 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO TOKYO
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the airport check-in lobby for baggage check-in procedures for our flight to Tokyo. A meal will be served on board the flight.
Tuesday, May 8 (Day 02)
TOKYO
We’ll arrive Narita International Airport in the late afternoon and after completing entry and customs procedures, we’ll transfer by chartered motor coach to our hotel in Tokyo to check-in for two nights. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at HOTEL METROPOLITAN TOKYO or similar
Wednesday, May 9 (Day 03)
TOKYO (B)(D)
We’ll embark on a full day of sightseeing in this exciting metropolitan city. Located in Asakusa in the center of shitamachi (old downtown) is Asakusa Kannon Temple - known as Sensoji - Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple built for the goddess of Kannon. Adjacent to the temple is Nakamise-dori, a lively shopping arcade with many shops offering a nice selection of typical Japanese souvenirs and traditional local snacks. We’ll tour the Edo-Tokyo Museum, showcasing interesting exhibits, photos, and artifacts relating to the historical heritage of Edo-Tokyo. The museum is divided into three major sections, the Edo Zone, the Tokyo Zone, and the History Zone. At the entrance of the museum is a replica of the famous Nihonbashi Bridge. We’ll drive through the streets of Ginza, the most exclusive entertainment and shopping district in Japan with its upscale shops and restaurants. Enjoy a shopping adventure at Ameyokocho, a lively shopping area with many indoor and outdoor vendors offering a variety of good products and various merchandise at discounted prices. Time permitting, we’ll visit Takanawa Sengakuji, the grave site and museum of the 47 warriors. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at HOTEL METROPOLITAN TOKYO or similar
Thursday, May 10 (Day 04)
HIGASHI MATSUYAMA * TATEBAYASHI * ASHIKAGA * TAKASAKI (B)(D)
We’ll proceed to Higashi Matsuyama city to visit the Yakyu Inari Shrine and enjoy the beautiful peony flowers in bloom. Enjoy the view of full bloom poppy flowers at the Poppy Happy Square in Kumagaya. We’ll continue on to Tatebayashi, visiting Tsutsujigaoka Park, the largest azalea park in Japan with thousands of azalea plants representing 50 varieties of flowers in bloom around Jonuma Pond. Tatebayashi is a small quiet town in Gunma prefecture with an event they can be proud of - displaying koinobori (carp streamers). The city commemorates the celebration of Children’s Day by flowing thousands of carp streamers along the Tsuruda River to promote sightseeing in the city. One of the best place to view wisteria is at the Ashikaga Flower Park in Ashikaga city, best known for its breathtaking 100-year-old colorful wisteria blooming on a trellis. On the foothills of Mt. Akagi lies the fantastic Gunma Flower Park, an enchanting landscape of a perfect landscaped garden. Enjoy a stroll through the inner gardens of the park, featuring flowers spread out in exciting shapes and colorful patterns centered around the fountain including the intriguing Park Tower. We will proceed to Takasaki city, famous as the hometown of the popular Daruma, a hollow, round, traditional Japanese doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism and regarded as a symbol of perserverance and good luck. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at TAKASAKI VIEW HOTEL
Friday, May 11 (Day 05)
TAKASAKI * CHICHIBU-KOFU (B)(D)
Our tour continues on to Kofu city in Yamanashi prefecture. En route, we’ll enjoy a scenic river cruise on Nagatoro Gorge to view beautiful rock formations and the river banks. The gorge is characterized by exposed crystalline schist terraces. At Chichibu city in Saitama prefecture, we’ll visit the Chichibu Yo-Matsuri Festival Hall featuring floats similar to Yatai and Kasahoko. The Chichibu Night Festival has a long history of over three hundred years. It is a gorgeous traditional festival of the Chichibu Shrine held on December 3rd every year. These floats are noted as the largest in Japan, ranking with those of the Gion Festival in Kyoto and the Takayama Festival in Hida. The floats are pulled along the streets to the accompaniment of the soul-stirring “Chichibu Yatai Music”, which has been officially recognized as one of the intangible cultural properties of Saitama prefecture. We’ll drive through the scenic Chichibu Tama National Park and pass through Karisaki Tunnel, the 3rd longest tunnel in Japan. We’ll arrive Kofu, a city noted for its grapes and other fruits. At Isawa, we’ll visit the farms with its peach flowers in bloom at this time of the year and also view some lily of the valley flowers. We’ll proceed to our hotel by Lake Kawaguchi - one of the Fuji Five Lakes. Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel this evening.
Accommodations at FUJI LAKE HOTEL or similar
Saturday, May 12 (Day 06)
LAKE KAWAGUCHI * FUJINOMIYA * MISHIMA * NIRAYAMA * OHHITO ONSEN (B)(D)
We’ll visit to the lakeside of Lake Motosu to view thousands of vivid variations of shibazakura (moss pink fhlox flowers) in bloom at Fuji Shibazakura. These flowers stretch out to create a gorgeous carpet of brilliant pink petals with an awe-inspiring view of Mt. Fuji as a backdrop. At the Fuji International Flower Garden, enjoy a breathtaking display of begonias and a beautiful variety of flowers in bloom as you stroll through the garden. We’ll continue on to visit Shira-ito-no-taki (White Thread Falls), a picturesque waterfall with small streams of water trickling down the rocks in a wide arch, creating a vast white cascade. The water here is from Mt. Fuji, flowing down via the Kaoto River. We’ll proceed to Mishima city, then continue on to Nirayama town to enjoy picking and eating some delicious strawberries at a local orchard. We’ll spend the night in an onsen hotel in Izu Peninsula. Enjoy dinner and relax in the soothing hot spring bath this evening.
Accommodations at HOTEL SUNVALLEY IZU NAGAOKA or similar
Sunday, May 13 (Day 07
OHHITO * HAKONE * ODAWARA * YOKOHAMA (B)(D)
We’ll drive through the Izu Skyline road to Hakone, a region that is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Hakone is one of Japan’s most popular hot spring resort - famous for its volcanic hot springs and natural beauty. Enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on scenic Lake Ashi, a beautiful crater lake formed in the caldera of Mt. Hakone. The lake, with a view of Mt. Fuji - Japan’s most sacred mountain in the background, is the symbol of Hakone. Hakone was once an important checkpoint for the Old Tokaido Highway - the old road that linked the ancient capital of Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo) during the Edo period. We’ll descend the mountain to Odawara city and proceed to Yokohama, the second largest city in Japan to spend the next two nights.
Accommodations at YOKOHAMA BAY SHERATON HOTEL or similar
Monday, May 14 (Day 08)
YOKOHAMA (B)(D)
We’ll embark on a full day of sightseeing in the city, visiting some of the major attractions, including Yokohama Chukagai, Japan’s largest Chinatown. Numerous Chinese shops and restaurants can be found on the narrow and lively streets. Located in the center of Chinatown is a gaudily-colored temple - Kanteibyo - dedicated to the Chinese god of good business and prosperity. Enjoy a stroll through Sankeien, a traditional Japanese style garden featuring ponds and streams. Many historic buildings were transplanted here from all over the Japan, including the three-story pagoda from Kyoto’s old Tomyoji Temple. Built largely on reclaimed land, “Minato Mirai 21’ is a seaside urban area whose name means “harbor of the future”. Located along the waterfront, the buildings form a distinctive skyline of Yokohama with the Landmark Tower as the most recognizable feature. We’ll also visit Yamashita Park facing Yokohama Bay and Minato-no-Mieru Oka, a view from the top of the hill and the famous Foreigner’s Grave Yard (Gaijin Bochi). Enjoy a delicious Chinese dinner this evening.
Accommodations at YOKOHAMA BAY SHERATON HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, May 15 (Day 09)
YOKOHAMA * TOKYO TO HONOLULU (B)
The morning is at your leisure to relax until our departure for the airport. We’ll depart for Narita International Airport for our flight home to Honolulu, arriving 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.