Luxury Japan Cherry Blossom Tour

Day 1

Tokyo Narita Airport or Haneda Airport

Welcome to Tokyo! We will pick you up from the airport and take to the hotel by luxury private car.

Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo or similar class

NOTE 1: If you wish to stay extra nights before the tour starts, please contact us to book hotel accommodations.

Day 2

Tokyo (Asakusa Sensoji Temple & Nakamise Street / Asakusa Rickshaw Tour / Taiko Drum Experience / Free for leisure in the afternoon)

In the morning, start your tour of Tokyo with a visit to Asakusa Kannon Temple, in Tokyo’s Asakusa district. Enter by way of the Kaminarimon “Thunder Gate”, underneath an enormous red paper lantern. Don’t forget to look up to see the dragon sculpture under the lantern! Walk through the Nakamise Market – a street lined with shops selling traditional goods of all kinds, before approaching Sensoji Temple. Take some time to explore Tokyo’s oldest temple and shrine complex. Enjoy a tour around Asakusa in a traditional Japanese rickshaw - a two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a strong driver. Your rickshaw will be pulled by a knowledgeable Japanese guide, who will describe the history of this ancient part of town, opening up to you the more unexplored parts of Asakusa and offer a unique local perspective. Then join a Taiko Drum Experience and learn to play the Japanese Taiko Drum, known for their exciting "thunder" sound. Learn simple and enjoyable rhythms with a pro Taiko instructor. In the afternoon, enjoy a period of free leisure time, where you will be able to wander Tokyo on your own adventure.

Breakfast / Lunch

Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo or similar class

Day 3

Tokyo (Cherry Blossom Viewing at Chidorigafuchi / Tsukiji Outer Market / Sushi Making Experience / Meiji Shrine - Shinto ceremony with a Shinto priest or Miko - priestess / Nezu Museum)

Begin the morning with a tour of Chidorigafuchi, the moat around the Imperial Palace. Springtime transforms this tree-lined shore into a cherry blossom fantasy where you walk paths shaded by clouds of pastel pink petals that slowly fall into the water below. Next, the tour continues to the Tsukiji Outer Market, where the shops outside Tokyo's largest wholesale fish market sell fresh sushi and other seafood dishes, as well as cutting-edge quality kitchenware. Then join a Sushi-Making Experience, a fun and easy class on sushi preparation. Under the guidance of a master sushi chef, prepare the kinds of sushi that you find tasty (with vegetarian / vegan options available), then enjoy eating the sushi you made. Then we visit Meiji Shrine, a nature-rich shrine of simple beauty built to enshrine the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, where you will be able to experience a native Japanese Shinto ceremony with a Shinto priest or Miko (priestess). After, tour the Nezu Museum, where you can enjoy a collection of pre- modern Japanese and East Asian art that Nezu Kaichiro (millionaire and onetime president of Tobu Railway) assembled. After bombing in World War II destroyed some of the collection, Nezu Kaichiro’s son continued to add to it to ensure that his father’s collection remained impressive.

Breakfast / Lunch

Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo or similar class

Day 4

Hakone (Lake Ashi Cruise / Owakudani - Mt Fuji Viewing / Open Air Museum)

We travel from Tokyo to Hakone for a cruise on Lake Ashi to admire Hakone's verdant natural scenery, then proceed to Owakudani, where visitors have the chance to see the hot springs and sulfurous fumes along the trails of an active volcanic zone. It is an also an excellent spot to view iconic Mount Fuji, Japan's sacred mountain, a must-see for any visitor to Japan. Then we will visit the Hakone Open Air Museum which creates a harmonic balance of nature and art by exhibiting various sculptures on its grounds in combination with views of the surrounding valley and mountains.

Breakfast / Dinner

Hakone Gora Karaku (Japanese/Western Style Room with Private Onsen) or similar class

Day 5

First Class Bullet Train to Kyoto, Kyoto (Visit to a Traditional Wooden Townhouse to learn about Calligraphy and the art of Ikebana)

After breakfast, take a smooth and comfortable trip to Kyoto in a first-class seat on one of Japan's sleek bullet trains. Upon arrival, visit a traditional Wooden Townhouse, where you can learn about Calligraphy and Ikebana, two of Japan's traditional arts of refinement. Under the eye of a master, study Japanese calligraphy, which paints highly stylized versions of Japanese kanji. Learn Ikebana, or "flower-arrangement", a discipline which endeavors to create seasonal arrangements of flowers full of deep meaning and profound beauty.

Breakfast / Lunch

ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts or similar class

Day 6

Kyoto (Golden Pavilion / Arashiyama - Kimono Forest - Tenryuji Temple & Garden - Bamboo Grove / Nijo Castle / Buddhist Vegetarian Dinner in a Temple)

Begin with a visit to the Golden Pavilion (or "Kinkaku-ji"), which is one of Kyoto's most iconic landmarks. This Zen Buddhist temple is covered in a layer of brilliant gold leaf and topped with a shimmering golden phoenix, all of which is reflected in the pond below. Next, we travel to Arashiyama and the Kimono Forest, a gorgeous "forest" of about 600 exquisitely patterned pillars. These pillars are actually textile displays done in the old "Kyo-yuzen" style. Then take a visit to see Tenryuji Temple where you can admire the temple's traditional landscape garden design - considered one of Kyoto's most beautiful. Then take a stroll through the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, a narrow path cutting between a dense grove of towering bamboo stalks. Then tour Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site from Japan’s feudal era, and palatial former residence of the Tokugawa shogun. The gilded buildings and elegant interior are well preserved – the foremost example of Edo-era castle architecture. Finally, enjoy a Buddhist Vegetarian Dinner in a local Kyoto Temple - a healthy dinner experience to nourish the body and refresh the mind.

Breakfast / Dinner

ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts or similar class

Day 7

Kyoto (Fushimi Inari Shrine / Kiyomizu Temple / Kimono Experience / Kodaiji Temple - Zen Meditation & Green Tea Ceremony / Gion Geisha District - Kyoto Cuisine with Maiko Dinner)

Enjoy a second day in Kyoto starting with a visit to Fushimi Inari Shrine - home to the rows of hundreds of vermillion "torii" shrine gates made famous in films like Memoirs of a Geisha. Next, we visit Kiyomizu Temple, best known for its wooden stage that juts out from its main hall, 13 meters above the hillside below. The stage affords visitors a nice view of the city of Kyoto bordered by a forest that changes colors in spring and fall. Then, we will travel to Kodaiji Temple, which is a lavish temple built in the memory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Here, you will learn the proper practice of Zen meditation and partake in a time-honored Japanese Green Tea Ceremony. We will end our day in the Gion Geisha District, where its streets are lined with ochaya (teahouses), exclusive establishments where guests are entertained by Geisha and Maiko. Here, we will enjoy traditional Kyoto Cuisine in the company of a beautiful Maiko – a geisha apprentice.

Breakfast / Dinner

ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts or similar class

Day 8

Tour Ends

After breakfast, our tour officially ends.
Checkout time is 11 am.
Transfer to Osaka Kansai Airport or Itami Airport by private car.

Or we can arrange a custom private post-tour extension for you.
1) Seven Stars - Luxury Cruise Train in Kyushu
2) Guntû - Luxury Setouchi Cruise
3) Cycling tour in Shimanami Kaido
4) Visit Hiroshima & Miyajima Island
5) Visit Naoshima & Teshima Art Islands
6) Visit Pottery towns in Okayama and Kyushu
7) Kumano Kodo or Shikoku Pilgrimage Route
8) You name it and we will try our best to fulfil your dream trip in Japan.

Breakfast