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April 9 - 18, 2013 (10 Days & 8 Nights)
$100 EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT
(deposit must be made by 12/01/2012)
Included Features:
Kobe, Heike Monogatari Wax Museum, Tamamo Park, Takamatsu, Ritsurin-koen, Imabari, Towel Museum Ichihiro, Kosanji Temple, Ikuchijima Island, Murakami Suigun Pirates Temple, Senko-ji, Onomichi, Sera-cho, Kayama Lavender Hill, Kamu no Sato, Sankeien Garden, Hiroshima Airport, Saijo, Kamotsuru Sake Brewing Company, Kure, Ondo no Seto, Miyajima Island, Hatsukaichi, Takata-gun Yoshida, Mori Motonari, Miyoshi, Hougenji Temple, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Shukkeien Garden
TWIN RATE:
$4,740 per person |
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT:
$ 275 per person |
LAND ONLY:
$ 3,533 person |
(Individual arrangements to meet group are not included)
Tuesday, April 9 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO NARITA
Out tour commences this morning when we assemble at the check-in lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures. We will depart Honolulu for Narita International Airport. A meal and snack will be served on board the flight.
Wednesday, April 10 (Day 02)
ARRIVE NARITA - ITAMI AIRPORT - KOBE (D)
We’ll arrive Narita International Airport in the late afternoon and after completing entry and custom formalities, we’ll transfer to check-in for our domestic flight to Itami Airport in Osaka. On arrival, we’ll proceed by motorcoach to our hotel in Kobe to spend the night. Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel.
Accommodations at Hotel Okura Kobe or similar
 Thursday, April 11 (Day 03)KOBE - TAKAMATSU (B)(D)
This morning, we will visit Kiyomori Drama Museum at Kobe Pier then we’ll travel to the castle town of Takamatsu via the Seto Ohashi Bridge to enjoy a full day of sightseeing. A visit to the Heike Monogatari Wax Museum features the rise and fall of the Heike clan, reproduced in a massive scale using wax figures in several scenes using historical dioramas. We’ll visit Yashima, or known as Takamatsu today, where the Taira clan retreated to after a long string of defeats. We’ll visit Tamamo Park, formed from the Ruins of Takamatsu Castle. Although the castle itself no longer remains, two turrets (Tsukimi-yagura and Ushitora-yagura still remain. Enjoy a stroll through 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 the ‘borrowed scenery’ of Mount Shuin. We’ll spend the night in Takamatsu city.
Accommodations at JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu or similar
Friday, April 12 (Day 04)
TAKAMATSU * IMABARI * IKUCHIJIMA * INNOSHIMA * ONOMICHI (B)(D)
Our journey continues on to the city of Imabari in Ehime prefecture. Towels are a practical item in our everyday life so a visit to Towel Museum Ichihiro will be an interesting experience to view the process of manufacturing towels. You will also be surprised at the unique displays made of towels - a towel zoo, a towel aquarium, and much more. We’ll visit Kosanji Temple, located on Ikuchijima Island, one of the islands along the Shimanami Kaido route of the Seto Inland Sea. Kosanji is noted as a temple of the ‘True Pure Land Sect of Japanese Buddhism’. Replicas of some of the famous buildings at Kosanji are quite impressive - especially Nikko’s Yomeimon Gate. We’ll continue on to visit the Murakami Suigun Pirates Temple, a museum devoted to the pirates who operated in the Inland Sea. We’ll proceed to visit Senko-ji, a historic Japanese Temple - the 10th site of the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Weather permitting, the cherry blossoms should be in bloom at this time of the year. We will overnight in Onomichi, a quiet port city of temples and literature along the Seto Inland Sea.
Accommodations at Onomichi Kokusai Hotel or similar
 Saturday, April 13 (Day 05)ONOMICHI * SERA-CHO * HONGO * HIROSHIMA AIRPORT (B)(D)
We’ll continue our journey to Sera cho, a town where nature sparkles, located in the middle eastern district of Hiroshima. On arrival, we’ll visit Kayama Lavender Hill to view beautiful lavender flowers in bloom on the hillside (weather permitting). Located nearby is Kamu-no-sato Rokutan or Shibazakura Garden Park, a hillside covered with thousands of pink and white shibazakura blossoms (Japanese moss phlox). We’ll continue on to visit Sankeien Garden in Hongo city, a large traditional Japanese style garden called “Chisenkai-yushiki Teien” - constructed to celebrate the opening of the Hiroshima Airport. The garden was designed to look like the mountains and canyons of Hiroshima and the scenery of the Seto Inland Sea. We’ll spend the night at Hiroshima Airport.
Accommodations at Hiroshima Airport Hotel or similar
Sunday, April 14 (Day 6)
HIROSHIMA AIRPORT * SAIJO * KURE * MIYAJIMA-GUCHI (B)(D)
Our journey continues on to Saijo, noted for its natural spring water. Enjoy a visit to the Kamotsuru Sake Brewing Company, providing some insight into the methods of sake production. Samples of some of their delicious products will be provided for you to enjoy. The Kamotsuru Brewery also put Daiginjo (a type of sake) on the market for the first time in Japan. We’ll continue on to Ondo no seto, a strait in the Seto Inland Sea around Kure, between the main island of Japan and Kurahashi Island. Ondo-no-seto was excavated to sail trading ships by Taira no Kiyomori during the Heian period for trading with China. A statue of Kiyomori zuka stands on the foot of Ondo-Ohhashi. We’ll visit Yamato Museum, a nickname of the ‘Kure Maritime Museum’. Opened in April, 2005, the museum is nicknamed the Yamato Museum due to the display in the lobby of Yamato Hiroba, a large scale model of the Japanese battleship ‘Yamato’. We’ll transfer by ferry from Kure to Miyajima-guchi where we will spend the night.
Accommodations at Miyajima Coral Hotel or similar
 Monday, April 15 (Day 7)MIYAJIMA ISLAND * HATSUKAICHI * CHIYODA * YOSHIDA * SHOBARA * MIYOSHI (B)(D)
This morning, we’ll board a ferry to visit Miyajima Island, famed for its scenic Itsukushima-jinja, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The landscape - featuring a torii gate extending into the sea and the shrine - is one of the most photographed tourist attraction. With the island’s Misen-san as a backdrop, Miyajima Island is noted as one of Japan’s three most scenic sights. More attractions to visit on the island include the Five Story Pagoda and Senjogiki Hall which was donated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. We’ll enjoy a visit of the newly constructed Kiyomori Shrine before departing the island. We’ll proceed to Miyoshi via Hatsukaichi, Chiyoda, Yoshida, and Shobara by motorcoach. Weather permitting, we’ll visit Haji Park, a famous park to view thousands of cherry trees in bloom. We’ll view the gravesite of Mori Motonari, the famous Lord that controlled Hiroshima and part of Yamaguchi in the Edo period. We’ll visit the ruins of Koriyama Castle & Park, and visit Wakunaga Memorial Park - a garden in Takata-gun that was donated by Mr. Wakunaga, owner of Gyorik Health Medicine. Enjoy a stroll through Bihoku Ryuryo Park, a national park in Shobara famous for its seasonal flowers. We’ll continue on to spend the night in Miyoshi.
Accommodations at Miyoshi Grand Hotel or similar
Tuesday, April 16 (Day 8)
MIYOSHI * HIROSHIMA (B)(D)
 En route to our journey to Hiroshima, we’ll visit Hougenji Temple, with its display of 47 warriors. Here, you will find the gravesite of the wife of Lord Asano, who was from Miyoshi. We’ll continue on to Hiroshima city, visiting 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. Enjoy a stroll through Shukkeien Garden, a historic Japanese garden in Hiroshima. Miniature valleys, mountains, and forests are represented within the garden’s landscape and the entire garden is connected by a path centered around a pond. Time permitting, we’ll visit Ohgonzan to view cherry blossoms in bloom before checking into our hotel for two nights.
Accommodations at Rhiga Royal Hotel Hiroshima or similar
Wednesday, April 17 (Day 9)
HIROSHIMA (B).
We’ll embark on a half day sightseeing tour of Hiroshima including an interesting visit of the Mazda Motor Corporation (Zoom-Zoom) to observe the fascinating process of automobile manufacturing. We’ll have a guided tour to watch workmen and robots assemble components to new cars on a moving assembly line. Enjoy a relaxing Hiroshima River Cruise before returning to the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure for your own activities - shopping at the arcade and the department stores or visit with relatives and friends. As an option, you may want to visit Hiroshima Castle, located within walking distance of the hotel. Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some delicious okonomiyaki, the specialty of Hiroshima at one of the local restaurants around our hotel.
Accommodations at Rihga Royal Hiroshima or similar
Thursday, April 18 (Day 10)
HIROSHIMA TO HANEDA TO HONOLULU (B)
This afternoon, we’ll transfer to the Hiroshima Airport to check-in for our flight to Haneda Airport. On arrival, we’ll transfer to the Haneda International Terminal to board our flight 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.
The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 15 passengers. Fare adjustment may apply for groups of 15 or under. The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 7/1/12. Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase, fuel surcharge increase and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency. In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.
Land portion based on 80 Yen = $1.00 U.S
2013 Terms & Conditions
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