Day 3
Board the coach and head to Himeji’s extraordinary White Egret castle – perhaps Japan’s finest fortified palace and certainly the best-preserved feudal-era castle in the country. Enjoy a tour of the extraordinary 14th-century fortress and then take a relaxing stroll around the adjoining Kokoen gardens (entry included), before an included lunch and tour of a traditional sake brewery.
Day 4
This morning you'll board the train to Nara, Japan’s sixth-century capital, where sights include Todai-ji temple’s Great Buddha, the sacred deer of the Nara Koen Park and Kasuga Taisha shrine, one of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines and famous for its traditional lanterns.
Return to Osaka by train for a guided exploration of Dotonbori, known as ‘Japan’s Kitchen’, with its restaurants and street vendors.
Day 5
Head to Kyoto for a one-night stay, and to discover the highlights of Japan's former imperial capital, including the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine’s red torii gates, the spectacular Kiyomizu-dera temple, which offers breathtaking views of the whole city, and the famous Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion. See Arashiyama’s bamboo forest, and, after lunch, enjoy some free time wandering the lovingly restored streets of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka.
Day 6
Journey to coastal Kanazawa today, to visit the exquisite Kenroku-en Garden, one of the world’s great horticultural treasures. Here you’ll get a glimpse of Japan's past at Nagamachi’s Nomura Samurai House and, if time allows, visit the Higashi Chaya-Gai geisha district. You’ll also learn how ultra thin gold leaves are used to decorate everyday times in Japan, after an included lunch. Overnight in Kanazawa.
Day 7
Board the coach for the scenic journey to the UNESCO-listed village of Shirakawa-Go, where several thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouses, built to withstand the snows of winter, are beautifully preserved. You’ll visit the Wada-ke house, built by one of the region’s wealthiest families, then enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before journeying to the picture-perfect surroundings of Takayama, a charming, laid-back gateway to the Japanese Alps, with its preserved Sanmachi-Suji area of streets lined with traditional streets and sake breweries.Â
Continue to Nagoya for an overnight stay.
Day 8
Join your guide this morning as you head to the nearby Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, which documents the fascinating history and development of Toyota, which began life as a textile machinery company in the 1920s.
Continue to Fujinomiya and the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, where you’ll visit the Fuyinomiya Sengen shrine, which sits in the centre of the town and dates back to the 10th century.
Tonight you’ll spend the night in nearby Mishima, where an included dinner and hot springs (onsen) await at your hotel.
Day 9
Journey north today to beautiful Hakone National Park, dominated on clear days by the cone of Mount Fuji. You’ll visit the atmospheric Hakone Shrine, shrouded in dense forest, near the shore of Lake Ashin, then take a cruise on the lake and ride the cable car above the Owakudani Valley. After the tour, travel through the volcanic landscape to Tokyo for the first of two evenings in Japan’s pulsating capital.
Day 10
Join your guide for a fascinating day that will include Asakusa, ancient Buddhist Senso-ji temple and nearby, traditional Nakamise shopping street.
Enjoy an entertaining lunch that includes a sushi-making experience, a bird’s eye view of the city from the observation floor of Shinjuku’s government buildings, a stroll along the tree-lined avenues of Yoyogi park, the Meiji Shrine and a visit to world-famous Shibuya Crossing – a chaotic four-way sea of humanity.
Day 11
Make the most of the final day of your tour as you enjoy vibrant, cacophonous Tokyo at your leisure.
Day 12
Transfer to the airport for your overnight return flight at the end of a fascinating adventure in Japan.
Day 13
Early morning arrival.