2025 YUKKURI JAPAN JOURNEY

Featuring Furumachi Geigi Performance
and Takarazuka Revue

October 7 - 19, 2025  (13 days & 11 nights)

locations

$100 EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT
(deposit of $100 per person received by 6/1/2025)

Tuesday, October 7  (Day 01)
HONOLULU - HANEDA
Our tour to Japan commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines curbside lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures.  We will depart Honolulu for Haneda International Airport.  A meal will be served on board the flight.

Wednesday, October 8  (Day 02)
ARRIVE HANEDA  (D)
We’ll arrive Tokyo in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to our hotel to spend the night.  A welcome dinner is planned for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL METROPOLITAN IKEBUKURO or similar

Thursday, October 9  (Day 03)
TOKYO - SHINKANSEN TO NIIGATA  (B)(L)(D)
This morning, we’ll transfer by foot to Ikebukuro Station and take a local train to Ueno Station to board a shinkansen (bullet train) to Niigata, capital of Niigata prefecture facing the Sea of Japan.  Niigata is noted for its high quality rice and rice products, including sake.  On arrival at Niigata Station, enjoy a unique sake tasting experience at Ponshukan Sake Heaven, a hall lined with sake dispensers that look like mini vending machines.  Tokens will be provided for you to select samples from several leading brands of sake - all produced by Niigata’s sake breweries.  Staff will be available to assist you on the varieties of sake.  We’ll continue on to enjoy an elegant dance performance at Furumachi Geigi - female entertainers also known as geisha.  Enjoy a delicious lunch as we watch a performance with three geishas - one playing the shamisen while two others perform some dances.  We may even have a chance to play a game with them after the performance, including a photo opportunity.  Enjoy a leisure stroll through Niigata Hanamachi Chaya, a quaint village in the town of Niigata before checking in to our hotel for two nights.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL OKURA NIIGATA or similar

Friday, October 10  Day 04)
NIIGATA  (B)(D)
This morning, enjoy and relax on the Shinano River Water Shuttle as we cruise through the heart of Niigata city on the Shinano River, the longest and widest river in Japan.  This one hour cruise will take us from the mouth of the Shinano River to Furusato Mura, a large shop, offering a wide selection of local specialties and craft products of Niigata.  A popular specialty here is to try sasadango, a delicious dumpling made with yomogi (mugwort) flavored pounded rice, filled with a sweet red bean paste, wrapped in sasa (bamboo leaves) and steamed.  So delicious!  We’ll continue on to enjoy a fruit picking activity to pick some fruits of the season at a local farm (weather permitting).  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL OKURA NIIGATA or similar

Saturday, October 11  (Day 05)
NIIGATA - SADO ISLAND  (B)(L)(D)
This morning, we’ll board a ferry from the Port of Niigata and cross the sea of Japan to Ryotsu Port on historic Sado-Ga-Shima (Sado Island).  Sado Island was the home in exile to some historical figures such as ex-Emperor ‘Juntoku’, Buddhist priest ‘Nichiren’, and Noh drama master ‘Zeami’.  On arrival, we’ll proceed to enjoy a hands-on-activity to experience making some soba noodles at Shiozun-no-sato.  We’ll continue on to Ogi, a small port town best-known for its taraibune, a round wooden tub-shaped boat originally used to collect seaweed and shellfish from the waters around Ogi.  Enjoy an exciting taraibune boat ride at Ogi Harbor together with a local person onboard to operate the wooden boat.  Enjoy a leisure stroll through Shukunegi, a historic fishing village nestled at the mouth of an inlet on the Ogi Coast.  Rows of houses in the narrow alleys constructed with a combination of ship builders skills and techniques are designated as a National Important Preservation Area for Traditional Buildings and Architecture.  We’ll spend two nights at a ryokan on Sado Island.  Enjoy dinner and relax in the soothing hot spring waters of our onsen hotel this evening. 

Accommodations at YAHATAKAN or similar 

Sunday, October 12  (Day 06)
SADO ISLAND  (B)(D)
Enjoy another full day of sightseeing on the island.  We’ll visit the Sado Nishikimikawa Gold Park featuring a small museum, a souvenir shop, and a gold panning site where we will experience panning for gold!  We’ll visit Hokusetsu Sake Brewery, noted as a famous brewery on the island as the sole supplier to the high-end Nobu chain of Japanese restaurants.  Sado Island is surrounded by the Sea of Japan with many breathtaking sights.  We’ll make a photo stop at Senkaku-wan, a scenic bay located on the northwestern coast of the island featuring rocky cliffs and beautiful scenery, similar to Hardanger Bay in Norway.  Enjoy a breathtaking view of the bay from observation points in the Senkaku Bay Ageshima Park.  View  the natural scenery and magnificent rock formations carved by nature at scenic Meoto-iwa, (The Wedded Rocks).  Two gigantic rocks nestled up together like a husband and wife are said to bring luck in finding a partner.  We’ll visit the Sado Kaza Shiogama, a small salt making hut to see the salt production process located across the street from Meoto-iwa.  Sado salt is produced using the brine taken from the waters of Meoto-iwa and evaporated over a wood fire.  We’ll return to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the day relaxing in the soothing waters of our hot spring resort.  Enjoy dinner at our hot springs resort this evening.

Accommodations at YAHATAKAN or similar 

Monday, October 13  (Day 07)
SADO ISLAND - NIIGATA - UNAZUKI  (B)(D)
This morning, we’ll board a jet foil from Ryotsu Port and cross the Japan Sea to Niigata on Honshu Island.  On arrival at Naotsu Port, we’ll board our motorcoach and continue on to spend the night at a hot spring resort in Unazuki.  Enroute, we’ll visit Tsubame Sanjo Local Products Promotion Center, a facility offering a wide selection of various merchandise – including some unique kitchenware products, knives, scissors, and gardening tools.  We’ll continue on to spend the night at a hot spring resort in Unazuki.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening.

Accommodations at GRANVRIO HOTEL UNAZUKI or similar 

Tuesday, October 14  (Day 08)
UNAZUKI - TAKAYAMA (B)(D)
We’ll transfer to the Unazuki Onsen Station to enjoy a full-day sightseeing of Kurobe Gorge - a beautiful, forested ravine, located in the rugged mountains of the Northern Japan Alps.  The main attraction of the gorge is to enjoy a pleasant ride on the Kurobe Gorge Railway, a sightseeing train originally built to aid in the construction of the Kurobe Dam.  This relaxing journey crosses over 20 bridges and through 40 tunnels offering panoramic views of the gorge below, arriving at Keyakidaira and back.  We’ll continue on to visit Ainokura Village, the largest farmhouse village in Gokayama with over twenty well-preserved gassho-zukuri (thatched roof farmhouses).  Many of them remain as private residences, although a few have been converted into restaurants, museums, and minshukus.  Many of the buildings has been declared as UNESCO certified.  We’ll continue on to spend two nights in the traditional city of Takayama, located in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at TOKYU STAY HIDA TAKAYAMA MUSUBI NO YU or similar 

Wednesday, October 15  (Day 09)
TAKAYAMA  (B)(D)
This morning, enjoy a breathtaking ride on the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway, one of Japan’s most unique ropeways with one of the largest elevation gains in the country as it climbs up the side of the Hotake Mountain Range including Oku-Hotakedake, Japan’s third highest peak.  The most distinguishing feature is its double-decker gondola cars that offer excellent views of the Okuhida Region in the mountains of the Northern Japan Alps.  We’ll visit Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan, (Festival Floats Exhibition Hall) to view several elaborate decorated festival floats that are several hundred years old.  Adjacent to the Matsuri Yatai Kaikan is Nikkokan, a spacious hall featuring impressive models of several buildings of Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, one of the most celebrated shrines in Japan.  Enjoy a leisure stroll through Kami-Sannomachi, Takayama’s old town beautifully preserved with old homes, shops, cafes and sake breweries.  Dinner will be provided for you tonight at the hotel.

Accommodations at TOKYU STAY HIDA TAKAYAMA MUSUBI NO YU or similar 

Thursday, October 16  (Day 10)
TAKAYAMA - GUJO HACHIMAN  (B)(D)
This morning, enjoy a leisure stroll at the Hida-Takayama Miyagawa Morning Market, a street featuring shops and stalls offering a nice selection of local products.  We’ll continue on to enjoy a stroll through Gujo Hachiman, a charming riverside town in Gifu Prefecture, noted for its pristine waterways and a leading producer of sanpuru (Japanese replica food).  Many of their food replicas produced here are used by restaurants all over Japan displayed in their windows to inform patrons of their various dishes available.  Subject to confirmation, we’ll enjoy a hands-on-experience to make a select wax food sample at one of the workshops in the town.  We’ll continue on to spend the night in Inuyama, a former castle town in Aichi Prefecture, famous for one of Japan’s oldest wooden castles.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL INDIGO INUYAMA URAKUEN GARDEN or similar 

Friday, October 17  (Day 11)
INUYAMA - KYOTO  (B)
We’ll continue on to spend our next two nights in the cultural city of Kyoto.  Enroute, we’ll visit Miho Museum, a unique art museum located deep in the forested hills of central Koka, named after Koyama Mihoko, founder of the museum.  The design of its structures and how they are integrated into their natural surroundings is an interesting aspect of this museum.  We’ll continue on to visit Daitokuji Temple, a large walled complex, one of the best places to view a variety of zen gardens and experience zen culture and architecture.  Our hotel in Kyoto is conveniently located nearby the train station for your dining opportunities.  Dinner will be on your own this evening.

Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL KYOTO HOTEL or similar

Saturday, October 18  (Day 12)
KYOTO - TAKARAZUKA - KYOTO  (B)(D)
We’ll travel to Takarazuka city in Hyogo prefecture to enjoy a performance of the Takarazuka Revue (subject to confirmation) at the fabulous Takarazuka Grand Theater.  Women play all roles in the Broadway-style productions of musicals or stories adapted from Japanese folktales or manga.  The women who play the male roles are known as otokoyaku and those who play female roles are known as musumeyaku.  All members of the troupe are employees of the Hankyu Railway Company, a division of the Takarazuka Revue.  We’ll return to Kyoto to spend our last night.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at RIHGA ROYAL KYOTO HOTEL or similar

Sunday, October 19 (Day 13)
KYOTO - (OSAKA) KANSAI TO HONOLULU  (B)
The morning is at your leisure for your own activities until we transfer to the Kansai International Airport in Osaka for our late evening flight home to Honolulu.  We’ll 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.

The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 25 passengers.  A fare adjustment may apply for groups of 20 or less.  The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 1/1/2025.  Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase, increase in government taxes, additional fuel surcharges 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.  We reserve the right to revise content of the itinerary if necessary due to unforeseen issues, weather and safety concerns.

Land portion based on 150 Yen = $1.00 U.S.

2025 General Conditions
Tour Registration Form