Thursday, April 12 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO OSAKA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the airport check-in lobby for baggage check-in procedures for our flight to Osaka. A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight.
Friday, April 13 (Day 02)
OSAKA - KYOTO
We’ll arrive Osaka in the late afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer by chartered motor coach to Kyoto, formerly the imperial capital of Japan. We’ll check-in to our hotel for four wonderful nights.
Accommodations at KYOTO NEW MIYAKO HOTEL
Saturday, April 14 (Day 03)
KYOTO (B)(L)(D)
Enjoy 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. Kiyomizu means clear or pure water and takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. The main hall has a large veranda and offers impressive views of the city. Beneath the main hall is the Otowa waterfall, where three channels of water fall into a pond. You can catch and drink the water, believed to have therapeutic powers. We’ll make a photo stop at Maruyama Park, one of Kyoto’s most popular cherry blossom viewing sites featuring a tall weeping cherry tree (shidarezakura). Located in the center of the park, this tree is beautifully lit up in the evenings. You will also be able to see the statue of Sakamoto Ryoma. Gion, noted as Kyoto’s traditional nightlife district, was the setting for much of Arthur Golden’s novel ’Memoirs of a Geisha’. You may be able to see a geisha (geiko) - a professional entertainer or a maiko - an apprentice walking through the streets of Gion. During the height of the cherry blossom season, their specialty is to perform traditional singing and dancing, and to play a traditional instrument at select locations. Enjoy an atmosphere of old Kyoto as we stroll through Hanami-koji, a street lined with preserved machiya houses, many of which are now functioning as restaurants and teahouses. This afternoon, we’ll enjoy a spectacular performance of the Miyako Odori (cherry blossom dance) at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theater. After the performance, we’ll enjoy a beautiful view of weeping willow trees and delicate cherry blossoms in bloom along the Kamo River.
Accommodations at KYOTO NEW MIYAKO HOTEL
Sunday, April 15 (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 and fall season. Its well-known landmark is Togetsukyo Bridge with forested Mount Arashiyama as a backdrop. Attractions in the area include Tenryuji Temple (Heavenly Dragon Temple), the most important Zen temple in Kyoto. Ranked first among the ‘Five Great Zen Temples’, Tenryuji is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its landscaped garden blends the elegance of an imperial court garden with a Zen garden design and the magnificent scenery of two hills - Kameyama and Arashiyama form part of the 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 (Kazue Kato) was an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress and is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of all time. At the Misora Hibari Museum, we’ll trace the history of her life, career, and her outstanding contribution to Japan’s entertainment world. We’ll visit Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), an impressive Zen Buddhist temple designated as a National Special Historic Site. This magnificent golden structure overlooks a serene pond, providing a beautiful reflection in the calm waters.
Accommodations at KYOTO NEW MIYAKO HOTEL
Monday, April 16 (Day 05)
KYOTO (B)(L)(D)
We’ll proceed to the southern district of Kyoto to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, an important Shinto Shrine, dedicated to Inari - the Shinto god of rice. It is famous for its thousands of vermillion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails leading into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari. 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 ohanami (cherry blossom viewing) spots. We’ll have lunch in the hall at the Nishijin Textile Center, best known for weaving and producing the superb Nishijin silk. Subject to availability, we may have an opportunity to enjoy a kimono fashion show with elegant young ladies modeling some of the most fashionable silk kimonos. 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 beautiful Ninomaru Garden located adjacent to the palace. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at KYOTO NEW MIYAKO HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, April 17 (Day 06)
KYOTO - TAKARAZUKA - ARIMA ONSEN (B(D)
Our journey continues on 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 proceed to spend the night at Arima Onsen, 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 18 (Day 07)
ARIMA ONSEN - OSAKA (B)(L)(D)
We’ll continue on to spend the night in the commercial city of Osaka. On arrival, we’ll enjoy a tour of this ‘Water Metropolis’ on the Aqua-Liner - a one-hour river cruise, covering most of Osaka’s major sightseeing spots. Weather permitting, enjoy the view of beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom along the river banks. We’ll visit Osaka Castle, a symbol of Osaka and one of Japan’s most famous castle built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, featuring structures and buildings designated as important cultural assets. Dotombori is an exciting and busy street running alongside the Dotombori canal between the Dotomboribashi Bridge and Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba ward of Osaka. Known for its many shops and restaurants, the street is lit up in the evenings with bright neon lights. Located next to Dotombori Street is Hozenji Yokocho, a narrow, stone-paved lane famous for its moss-covered Fudo-myo statue, known as Mizukake Fudo. These beautiful stone-paved pathways and the moss-covered Buddhist figure represent the cultural aspects of Osaka. Enjoy a stroll through the interesting Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street, a street lined with specialty shops selling all kinds of cooking utensils and kitchen items. As Osaka is called the “Kitchen of the World”, these shops stock special kitchen tools to accommodate professional chefs. We’ll spend the night at an elegant hotel in Osaka.
Accommodations at SWISSOTEL NANKAI OSAKA or similar
Thursday, April 19 (Day 08)
OSAKA - KANSAI AIRPORT - HONOLULU (B)
The morning is free to relax or shop at the underground shopping mall or the department store located nearby the hotel. We’ll depart for Kansai International Airport in the afternoon for our evening flight home to Honolulu. We will 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.