Essence of Japan

Join your tour group at the hotel.

Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo (4-star)

A tour guide helps us to embrace this dazzling city. As we walk out amidst skyscrapers and the world’s tallest self-supporting tower (the Tokyo Skytree), we find Tokyo’s traditional side. Learn the stories behind legendary landmarks like the moated Imperial Palace, Tokyo’s oldest temple - Sensō-ji, and Meiji Shrine, a serene Shinto shrine set on a tree-lined avenue.

Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Guided city tour of Tokyo (all day)

Standing out from its surroundings at 3,776m high, Japan’s tallest mountain has inspired countless artists and photographers. Clouds often linger around this active volcano, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for you to catch a sight of the iconic snow-capped peak as you travel from Tokyo to Matsumoto. If the weather is clear, you’ll see the volcano’s image reflected on the placid waters of Lake Jawaguchi.

Matsumoto Buena Vista (3.5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Mount Fuji visitor centre (morning)

Known as one of the most beautiful castles in Japan, Matsumoto is a striking timber and stone structure with a unique moon-viewing turret. In the spring, take your time to stroll among the cherry blossoms in the spacious castle gardens. Stop to sample sake (Japanese rice wine) in a traditional brewery, before we take the breathtaking journey through thick pine forests and snow-tipped peaks of the Japanese Alps to the hill town of Takayama. We’ll call in at the Hida Folk Village, an open-air museum with a collection of antique houses from the region and displays highlighting crafts and ancient traditions.

Takayama Green Hotel (3-star) or Associa Takayama (3-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Visit to Matsumoto Castle (morning)

Sake tasting (afternoon)

Meiji-era inns, hillside shrines and a pretty riverside setting - the hamlet of Takayama is traditional Japan at its finest. Soak in the local character on our walking tour, when we’ll see highlights such as the open-air flower and fruit market and government house.

Takayama Green Hotel (3-star) or Associa Takayama (3-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Walking tour of Takayama (morning)

Next on our Japan itinerary, we transfer by coach to Kanazawa, visiting the World Heritage Shirakawago Village en route. Kanazawa is a historic castle town, boasting beautifully preserved samurai and geisha districts. Our sightseeing tour includes Omicho market and Higashi Chayagai (the ‘teahouse district’).

Kanazawa Tokyu Hotel (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Visit to Shirakawago Village (morning)

Sightseeing tour of Kanazawa (afternoon)

We pack overnight bags whilst our luggage is transferred to Kyoto. We’ll have another sweep of the city, stopping at the gorgeous Kenroku-en Garden and BukeYashiki (Samurai’s house). Located outside the gates of Kanazawa Castle and covering an area of 11.4 hectares, the Kenroku-en Garden was created in the 1620s and opened to the public in 1874. It’s the epitome of a traditional Japanese garden with plum and cherry blossoms, artificial ponds, hills and buildings. From the quaint, quiet streets of Kanazawa, we’ll go full throttle into one of Japan’s other passions. The Shinkansen (bullet train) will hurtle us from Kanazawa to Hiroshima in perfect comfort. Our hotel for two nights has excellent views of the castle or the Peace Park.

Rihga Royal Hotel Hiroshima (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Visits to Kenroku-en Garden and BukeYashiki (morning)

Bullet train journey (afternoon)

Leafy Hiroshima, with its wide boulevards and friendly locals, might not be what you expected. It’s a vibrant and cosmopolitan city of peace with a devastating history. Today we’ll catch a ferry over to Miyajima Island to admire the ancient Itsukushima Shrine and its torii gate. We'll spend some time strolling through the park. In autumn, the maples here are ablaze with rich reds and oranges. Back in Hiroshima, we’ll take a walking tour around the Peace Memorial Park and take some time for reflection at the Atomic Bomb Museum.

Rihga Royal Hotel Hiroshima (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Boat to Miyajima Island (morning)

Peace Memorial Park walking tour and Atomic Bomb Museum (afternoon)

Another bullet train takes us to Osaka, where we’ll board our coach for the onward journey to Nara, a former capital of Japan. The 8th-century Todaiji temple - supposedly the oldest wooden structure in the world - is wondrous, but the real highlight here are the adorable deer roaming through Nara Park. You can buy a packet of crackers to feed them - they’ll even bow to you before you feed them. We arrive in Kyoto this afternoon. With its wealth of shrines and temples, colourful gardens and variety of arts and crafts shops, it's a real highlight of our Japan tour package. We’ll uncover geisha culture with some time in the Gion area - Japan’s most famous geisha district.

Kyoto Hotel Okura (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Bullet train journey (morning)

Todaji Temple and Nara Park (afternoon)

Highlights of this morning’s tour include the wonderful Ryoanji Temple (a Zen temple with a famous rock garden), and the beautiful Kinkakuji Temple, or ‘Golden Pavilion’, whose top two floors are completely bedecked in gold leaf. We also visit Nijo, a fortified castle with unique ‘nightingale’ floors designed to replicate the sound of the nightingale song when stepped on.

Kyoto Hotel Okura (4-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Guided city tour of Kyoto (morning)

We’ll sit down for a cuppa before leaving Kyoto this morning - it is the birthplace of the traditional tea ceremony, after all. Learn the intricacies of this graceful discipline, considering simple details like holding the bowl so your friends can enjoy the beauty of its decoration. You can read about these rituals in any Japan travel guide, but there's nothing quite like experiencing it first hand. You’ll never drink tea at home the same again! Another bullet train whisks us from Kyoto to Mishima. We’ll check into our hotel and if the weather is kind you’ll have views of Mount Fuji from your room.

Fujisan Mishima Tokyu Hotel (3.5-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Traditional tea ceremony (morning)

Bullet train journey (afternoon)

We drive to Hakone and embark on a cruise on Lake Ashi for stunning views of the snow-capped mountains. We’ll jump in a cable car all the way up to the Owakudani Valley and Hot Springs, in the crater of Mount Hakone. Later, we’ll arrive in Tokyo.

Kawasaki King Skyfront Tokyu Rei Hotel, Tokyo (3-star)

Today includes…

Excursions & visits: Lake Ashi cruise (morning)

Cable car to Owakudani Valley and hot springs (afternoon)

Say goodbye to your tour group for your onward travel.

Tokyo