Friday, April 5 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO NARITA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the departure lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures for our flight to Narita International Airport. A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight.
Saturday, April 6 (Day 02)
NARITA - TOKYO (D)
We’ll arrive at Narita Airport in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Tokyo by chartered motorcoach. A dinner is planned for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL
Sunday, April 7 (Day 03)TOKYO (B)(L)
Enjoy a full day of sightseeing in this exciting metropolitan city, visiting the Asakusa Kannon Temple - also known as Senso-ji, built for the goddess of Kannon. Adjacent to the temple is Nakamise-dori - a lively shopping street with many shops offering a wide selection of typical Japanese souvenirs and traditional local snacks. A delicious tempura lunch will be provided for you today. A tour of the Edo-Tokyo Museum provides interesting exhibits, photos, and artifacts relating to the historical heritage of Edo-Tokyo. Divided into three major sections, the entrance of the museum features a replica of the famous Nihonbashi Bridge. We’ll drive through the main street of Ginza to give you a glimpse of this exclusive entertainment and shopping district with its upscale shops and restaurants. Enjoy an exciting adventure 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, dinner will be on your own to try some of the local specialties at one of the restaurants in the shopping mall located adjacent to our hotel.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL
Monday, April 8 (Day 04)
TOKYO - HAKONE - FUJI FIVE LAKES - LAKE YAMANAKA (B)(D)
We’ll travel to Hakone - a region that is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and noted as one of Japan’s most popular hot spring resort, famous for its volcanic hot springs and natural beauty. Weather permitting, we’ll enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on scenic Lake Ashino-ko - a beautiful crater lake formed in the caldera of Mount Hakone. The serene lake, with a view of Japan’s most sacred mountain Mt. Fuji in the background, is the symbol of Hakone. Hakone used to be an important checkpoint for the Old Tokaido Highway - the old road that linked the ancient capital of Kyoto to Edo (now known as Tokyo) during the Edo period. We’ll visit the Mt. Fuji Visitor Center to view an interesting video presentation explaining the history of Mt. Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes. Relax and enjoy the hot springs at our beautiful hotel overlooking Lake Yamanaka - the largest of the Fuji Five Lakes - offering a breathtaking view of this sacred mountain (weather permitting). Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at HOTEL MT. FUJI or similar
Tuesday, April 9 (Day 05)LAKE YAMANAKA - MT. FUJI - SHIZUOKA - NAGOYA (B)(D)
Weather permitting, we’ll drive up the Subaru Line, the toll road leading up the slopes of Mt. Fuji to the ‘go-go-me’ (Fifth Station), one of the major rest stops utilized by mountain hikers. Enjoy a breathtaking view of this sacred mountain and its surrounding valleys. We’ll continue on to visit Shiraito-no-taki (White Thread Waterfall), a picturesque waterfall located just inside of the Yamanashi border on the lower slopes of Mt. Fuji. The falls are particularly attractive at this time of the year as the snows of the mountain melt and strengthen the flow. We’ll continue our drive along the Pacific Coast through Shizuoka prefecture, the largest tea producing region in Japan and once home to the first Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasu. Enjoy a tour of Greenpia Makinohara as We’ll learn about the process of tea production and get a close-up view of the tea plants growing in the fields. The scenery of Shizuoka prefecture offers a beautiful view of the Southern Japan Alps, a breathtaking view of Fuji-san, and miles of scenic coastline as we drive along Suruga Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy picking and eating delicious fresh strawberries off the vines in covered greenhouses at a local orchard. We’ll continue on to the castle town of Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture, to spend the night. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at NAGOYA WESTIN HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, April 10 (Day 06)
NAGOYA - TOYOTA CITY - BULLET TRAIN - KYOTO (B)(L)
This morning, 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 watch workmen and robots assemble components to new cars on a moving assembly line. We’ll return to the Nagoya Train Station to experience a ride on the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. A delicious obento (box lunch) will be provided for you to enjoy on board the train. On arrival at the Kyoto Station, we’ll transfer by foot to our hotel located across the station to check-in for two nights. In the mid-afternoon, we’ll re-board our chartered motorcoach to visit Heian-jingu, an imperial Shinto shrine listed as an important cultural property of Japan. The scenic garden features a stepping-stone path crossing a large pond, a Chinese-inspired bridge and is famous for its weeping cherry blossoms. Enjoy a shopping adventure at the Kyoto Handicraft Center, a five-story complex offering a wide variety of Japanese souvenirs, craft ware, kimonos, toys, jewelry and more. Dinner will be on your own this evening.
Accommodations at KYOTO RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Thursday, April 11 (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 - a fertile valley where members of the Yamato clan rose to power as the original emperors of Japan. 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 it that those who pass through the opening will find their way to an afterlife of paradise. We’ll return to Kyoto to visit more highlights of this traditional city. We’ll visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), an impressive Zen Buddhist temple, designated as a National Special Historic Site. This magnificent golden structure sits serenely on a lake, providing a beautiful reflection in the calm waters. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at KYOTO RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Friday, April 12 (Day 08)
KYOTO - KOBE - AWAJI ISLAND - TOKUSHIMA (B)(D)
We’ll continue on to the cosmopolitan port city of Kobe and visit the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum, located inside a former brewery featuring traditional tools, exhibits and videos to explain the sake making process. Samples of some of their delicious products will be provided for you to enjoy at the end of the tour. We’ll continue on to cross the Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi, a bridge connecting Honshu to Awaji Island - the inland sea’s largest island. On arrival, we’ll 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. Our travel continues on, crossing 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 form uzushio (whirlpools) of various sizes and we may be able to see some as we drive on the bridge. We’ll spend the night in the city of Tokushima on Shikoku Island, home of the 88 Temples Pilgrimage. In the evening, enjoy a lively performance of the famous Awa Odori, the pride of Tokushima at the Awa Odori Kaikan. Learn to dance and participate with the special ‘Awanokaze’ dancers accompanied by the sounds of shamisen (three stringed guitars), taiko (drums) and fue (flutes). A delicious dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at AWA KANKO HOTEL or similar
Saturday, April 13 (Day 09)
TOKUSHIMA - TAKAMATSU - IMABARI (B)(D)
This morning, we’ll travel to the castle town of Takamatsu and enjoy a stroll through beautiful Ritsurin-koen (chestnut grove garden), the city’s main attraction. Known as one of the most famous historical gardens in Japan, this was 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 including the ‘borrowed scenery’ of Mount Shuin in the background. Experience making your own fan to take home as a souvenir at the Uchiwa Minato Museum, specializing in uchiwa (rounded paper fans). These fans are made with a decorated paper stretched 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 hot springs of our elegant hotel this evening.
Accommodations at IMABARI KOKUSAI HOTEL or similar
Sunday, April 14 (Day 10)
IMABARI - SHIMANAMI KAIDO - HIROSHIMA (B)(D)
We’ll depart Shikoku Island via the scenic Shimanami Kaido - an expressway which links Shikoku to Japan’s main island of Honshu though a series of bridges connecting the many small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Our scenic drive will take us from Imabari in Ehime prefecture to Onomichi in Hiroshima prefecture, arriving in the city of Hiroshima to check-in for two exciting nights. The afternoon is at your leisure to visit Hiroshima Castle, shop at the department stores, shops or the arcade, all located within walking distance of our hotel. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL HIROSHIMA or similar
Monday, April 15 (Day 11)HIROSHIMA - MIYAJIMA - IWAKUNI - HIROSHIMA (B)
We’ll proceed to the pier at Miyajimaguchi and board a ferry to Miyajima Island, famed for its scenic Itsukushima-jinja, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring a torii gate extending into the sea. The landscape - including the shrine - is one of the most photographed tourist attraction and with the island’s Mt. Misen-san as a backdrop, is classified as one of Japan’s three most beautiful sights. We’ll return to the main island by ferry, then continue on to Iwakuni, visiting the city’s major attraction - Kintai-kyo (Brocade Sash Bridge). Its five linked wooden arches are built without nails and form a span across the serene Nishiki river. This afternoon, we’ll return to the city of 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 memorial in the Peace Memorial Park is the Children’s Peace Memorial, inspired by leukemia victim Sadako Sasaki. Thousands of colorful paper cranes brought by school children, various clubs and groups are displayed there. Dinner will be on your own this evening. Try some delicious Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, the specialty of Hiroshima at one of the local restaurants around the hotel or at the Okonomiyaki Village - a special building with floors of small okonomiyaki shops.
Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL HOTEL HIROSHIMA or similar
Tuesday, April 16 (Day 12)
HIROSHIMA - KURASHIKI - OKAYAMA - OSAKA (B)(D)
We’ll travel to visit the quaint little town of Kurashiki in Okayama prefecture. Enjoy strolling through the streets of Bikan Chiku, a historical area featuring many old traditional buildings, storehouses and small shops located along the picturesque willow-lined canal. We’ll continue on to Okayama city, visiting its most famous attraction - Koraku-en - a beautiful Japanese garden, ranked as one of Japan’s three best landscaped gardens along with Kairaku-en in Mito and Kenroku-en in Kanazawa. A large pond, walking paths, pavilions, a crane aviary, and groves of plum and cherry trees are contained in this scenic garden. Weather permitting, the cherry blossoms should be in bloom at this time of the year. Okayama also serves as the locale for the popular fairy tale - Momotaro (Peach Boy). 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 OSAKA HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, April 17 (Day 13)
OSAKA - ITAMI TO NARITA TO HONOLULU (B)
The morning is at your leisure to relax until our mid-day departure to the Itami Airport to check-in for our afternoon flight to Narita International Airport. On arrival, we’ll transfer to board our evening 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.