SUMMER DISCOVER JAPAN

 June 4 - 13, 2012 (10 days and 8 nights)

 (All arrangements to meet the group are not included)

Monday, June 4 (Day 01)

HONOLULU TO NARITA

Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the lobby at the Honolulu Airport for baggage check-in procedures for our flight to Narita International Airport. A meal will be served on board the flight.

 

Tuesday, June 5 (Day 02)

ARRIVE NARITA / TOKYO  (D)

We’ll arrive Narita Airport in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Tokyo to check-in for two nights. A welcome dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel. 

 

Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL or similar

 

Wednesday, June 6 (Day 03)

TOKYO (B)(L)

A full day of sightseeing is in store for us in this exciting metropolitan city. We’ll visit Meiji Jingu, one of Tokyo’s major shrines, dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji - the first emperor of modern Japan. The shrine, located in a wooded forest in Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, was built in the traditional nagarezukuri-style, primarily with Japanese cypress and copper. A large torii stands at the entrance of the temple complex. Located in the center of shitamachi (old downtown) is Asakusa Kannon Temple, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple, built for the goddess of Kannon. Adjacent to the temple is Nakamise-dori - a busy shopping street featuring shops offering typical Japanese souvenirs and traditional local snacks. Enjoy a delicious tempura lunch at a well-known tempura restaurant in Asakusa. We’ll drive through Ginza, the most exclusive entertainment and shopping district in Japan with its upscale shops and restaurants. Enjoy shopping at Ameya-yokocho, a lively shopping area with many indoor and outdoor vendors offering a variety of fresh and dried food products and various other merchandise at discounted prices. This evening, enjoy dinner on your own at one of the restaurants located in the shopping mall adjacent to our hotel.

 

Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL or similar

 

Thursday, June 7 (Day 04)

TOKYO - MT. FUJI - HAKONE - LAKE YAMANAKA (B)(D)

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. En route, we’ll visit the Mt. Fuji Visitor Center located at the entrance of the Subaru Line - the toll road leading up to the slopes of Mt. Fujii - 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 enjoy a relaxing and scenic boat cruise on Ashino-ko - a crater lake formed in the caldera of Mount Hakone after the volcano’s last eruption. Cherries are in season at this time of the year and we’ll enjoy picking and sampling some at a local fruit orchard in Yamanashi prefecture. We’ll spend the night at an elegant hotel overlooking Lake Yamanaka, the largest of the Fuji Five Lakes. Weather permitting, a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji can be seen from the grounds of the hotel. Enjoy dinner and relax in the hot springs this evening. 

 

Accommodations at HOTEL MT. FUJI or similar

 

Friday, June 8  (Day 05)

LAKE YAMANAKA - SHIZUOKA - NAGOYA (B)

We’ll visit Shiraito-no-taki (White Thread Waterfall) - a picturesque waterfall located inside of the Yamanashi border on the lower slopes of Mt. Fuji. Small streams of water trickle down from the rocks, 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 the Greenpia Makinohara Tea Factory as we learn about tea production and get a close-up view of the tea plants growing in the fields. Our drive through Shizuoka prefecture provides a nice view of the Southern Japan Alps, a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji, and miles of scenic coastline along Suruga Bay and the Pacific Ocean. We’ll arrive in the castle town of Nagoya, Japan’s fourth largest city and the capital of Aichi prefecture to spend the night. Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some of the local specialties of Nagoya.

 

Accommodations at HOTELCOM’S NAGOYA or similar

  

Saturday, June 9 (Day 06)

NAGOYA - KYOTO (B)(D)

This morning we’ll travel to Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital, to spend two exciting nights. On arrival, 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. Enjoy shopping at the Kyoto Handicraft Center - a five story complex, offering a nice selection of Japanese souvenirs, handicrafts, Japanese clothing & toys, jewelry, and more. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.

 

Accommodations at KYOTO RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar

 

Sunday, June 10 (Day 07)

KYOTO - NARA - KYOTO (B)

We’ll travel to the ancient city of Nara 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. On arrival, 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. Local tradition has said that those who pass through this opening will find their way to an afterlife of paradise. We’ll return to Kyoto to enjoy more sightseeing in the city. We’ll visit Kiyomizu-dera, an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto and part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Time permitting, enjoy a kimono fashion show featuring elegant young ladies modeling some of the most fashionable silk kimonos at the Nishijin Textile Center - famous for weaving the superb Nishijin silk fabric. Dinner will be on your own this evening.

 

Accommodations at KYOTO RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar

 

Monday, June 11 (Day 08)

KYOTO - BULLET TRAIN - MIYAJIMA ISLAND - HIROSHIMA  (B)(D)

This morning, we’ll transfer by foot to the Kyoto Station and board a shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima. On arrival, we’ll board our motorcoach and proceed to the pier at Miyajima-guchi. Enjoy a short ferry ride to Miyajima Island, famed for its scenic Itsukushima-jinja, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring a floating torii gate extending into the sea. The landscape, including the shrine, is a popular tourist attraction in Japan, and with the island’s Mt. Misen-san as a backdrop, is classified as one of Japan’s three most beautiful sights - Nihon Sankei. We’ll return to the main island by ferry, then continue on to the city of Hiroshima to spend the night. Before checking in at the hotel, we’ll visit the Hiroshima Peace Museum and Park. Photographs and exhibits within the museum relives the history of the atomic bomb and the destruction it brought on Hiroshima and its people. The most poignant memorial in the Peace Memorial Park is the Children’s Peace Memorial - inspired by leukemia victim Sadako Sasaki. Thousand of paper cranes brought by school children, various clubs and groups are displayed there. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

 

Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HIROSHIMA or similar

 

Tuesday, June 12 (Day 09)

HIROSHIMA - KURASHIKI - KORAKU-EN - OSAKA (B)(D)

Our journey continues on to visit the quaint little town of Kurashiki with a preserved canal area that dates back to the Edo period. Enjoy strolling through Bikan-chiku, a historical area with many old traditional buildings, storehouses, and shops lined along the picturesque willow-lined canal. Enjoy a stroll through Koraku-en, a beautiful garden ranked as one of the three best landscaped gardens in Japan. A large pond, walking paths, pavilions, a crane aviary, and groves of plum and cherry trees are contained in this scenic garden. We’ll continue on to the exciting city of Osaka to check-in for the night. Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel this evening.

 

Accommodations at RAMADA OSAKA HOTEL or similar

 

Wednesday, June 13 (Day 10)

OSAKA - HONOLULU (B)

The morning is at leisure to enjoy your own activities until we depart for the airport to check-in for our flight home to Honolulu. We’ll arrive in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line.