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| OVERVIEW |
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ITINERARY |
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PRICING |
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WHAT'S INCLUDED |
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12 days / 11 nights
Departures anytime, subject to availability. Please note: tour sequence may change according to the day of the week of arrival. |
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| Day Number of Tour |
| Day No. |
Location |
Program |
B |
L |
D |
| 1 |
Arrive Tokyo |
Arrive
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Upon arrival in Tokyo, you will be transferred to you to your hotel, the Hotel Grand Palace, where you will check-in for 6 nights.
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| 2 |
Tokyo |
Meiji Shrine, Imperial East Garden, Asakusa Kannon Temple, Ginza
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This morning, you will be picked-up at your hotel for a morning sightseeing tour of Tokyo. Your tour will include a visit to the thickly wooded Meiji Shrine, the largest of Japan's Shinto shrines, the Imperial East Garden - formerly part of the Imperial Palace Grounds (when the Imperial East Garden is closed, visit the Imperial Palace Plaza instead) and Asakusa Kannon Temple (Sensoji Temple) with its lively arcade of souvenir shops. Your tour will end in the bustling Ginza district of Tokyo - a short taxi or subway ride from your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure.
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| 3 |
Tokyo |
Kamakura walking tour, Great Buddha
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L |
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You will transfer from your hotel this morning to the train station to board a local train (approx. 55 min.) for Kamakura. On arrival, board a small local train to Hase where you will visit the Great Buddha, a bronze image measuring 11.4 meters in height at Kotokuin Temple. Proceed to Hase Kannon Temple with its gilt statue of Kannon, from which a view of the town and the Pacific Ocean may be obtained. Enjoy a Japanese-style lunch at local restaurant. Return by train to Kamakura. Walk through the Wakamiya-Oji, the approach to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, through a series of 3 red torii gates. The features of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, the symbol of the first Shogun Minamoto, are the arched bridge, the Genji and Heike ponds, the huge gingko tree, and the colorful Main Hall standing at the top of 62 stone steps. Walk back to Kamakura Station via Komachi Shopping Street with some art and craft shops. Return to Tokyo by train. The tour disbands at Tokyo Station.
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| 4 |
Tokyo |
Nikko: Toshogu Shrine, Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Waterfall
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L |
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Today's full day excursion will take you by motorcoach to Nikko, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tour highlight is the world famous Toshogu Shrine, the mausoleum of the first Tokugawa Shogun. It's a gorgeous complex of colorful structures featuring the superb craftsmanship of Japan's 17th-century artisans.
Next, take a delightful drive up a zigzag roadway with 20 hairpin curves, each of which has a name like "I" "RO" "HA" (A,B,C in the Japanese alphabet, called hiragana), which consists of 48 characters. After lunch at a Japanese-Style local restaurant, continue to Lake Chuzenji at the foot of Mt. Nantai and the Kegon waterfall, considered to be one of Japan's three finest waterfalls. The drive down is by a different route, with 28 hairpin curves. Return to Tokyo in the early evening - the tour ends at Ginza.
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| 5 |
Tokyo |
Mt. Fuji, Cruise on Lake Ashi, Cableway up Mt. Komagatake
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L |
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An early start today - you will be picked-up at your hotel, setting off by deluxe motorcoach to Mt. Fuji. Keep a topcoat handy, as you will be driving halfway up to Mt. Fuji's fifth station. You will also visit the Fuji Visitor's Center. After lunch, proceed to Hakone to enjoy a cruise on Lake Ashi, and time permitting, an aerial cableway ride up and down Mt. Komagatake. Return to Tokyo by 'Bullet' Train, and your tour will finish at Tokyo station - a short taxi or subway ride from your hotel.
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| 6 |
Tokyo |
Leisure
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Day at leisure to further explore Tokyo.
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| 7 |
Tokyo / Kyoto |
Bullet Train, Tempura Supper, Gion Corner
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D |
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You will be transferred from your hotel this morning to the train station to board the Shinkansen 'Bullet' train to Kyoto. On arrival at Kyoto Station, make your own way to the New Miyako Hotel (located just behind Kyoto Station) for a 5 night stay. Balance of the afternoon is at leisure.
This evening, you will be picked up for a 'Special Night' tour. You will be a guest at a tea ceremony in a traditional Japanese Inn, followed by a Tempura Supper. Later, walk through Gion to Gion Corner and enjoy various kinds of traditional Japanese arts.
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| 8 |
Kyoto |
Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji Temple, Imperial Palace, Heian Shrine, Kiyomizu Temple
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L |
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Today enjoy a full day tour of Kyoto, beginning with Nijo Castle, once used as the Tokugawa Shogun's family palace, the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji Temple), a gilded structure originally used for a nobleman's villa and the Imperial Palace, the former residence of the Imperial Family. Following lunch at the Kyoto Handicraft Centre, continue your sightseeing with vermillion hued Heian Shrine and, Sanjusangendo Hall, with its 1001 statues of Kannon and dramatic Kiyomizu Temple, in Kyoto's eastern hills.
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| 9 |
Kyoto |
Miyajima & Hiroshima by Bullet Train
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Transfer to Kyoto Station this morning and travel by Shinkansen 'Bullet' train to Hiroshima, continuing on to the island of Miyajima. Miyajima is noted as one of the nation's "Scenic Trio" because of its breathtaking beauty and tranquil atmosphere. Visit Itsukushima Shrine, with its stunning red torii gate set out in the bay. Return to Hiroshima and visit Peace Memorial Park, near the epicentre of the A bomb area and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, featuring exhibitions of items related to the nuclear bomb.
Travel by Shinkansen train back to Kyoto, arriving late this evening, and transfer to your hotel.
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| 10 |
Kyoto |
Leisure time, Nara: Todaiji Temple, Peaceful Deer Park, Kasuga Shrine
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Morning at leisure. You will be picked-up this afternoon for a drive through the countryside to nearby Nara. Tour highlights will include Todaiji Temple, the world's largest wooden building that houses a colossal image of Buddha, Peaceful Deer Park, where many tame deer roam the grounds and vermillion-hued Kasuga Shrine with its thousands of lanterns.
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| 11 |
Kyoto |
Leisure
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Day at leisure to enjoy Kyoto's many charms.
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| 12 |
Depart Kyoto |
Depart
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Transfer to Kansai airport for your international departure.
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