All Japan Tours 337 N.Vineyard Ave Suite 215, Ontario, CA 91764
Toll Free: 1-855-325-2726 (US/CANADA) Tel: 1-909-988-8885
Fax: 1-909-349-1736 E-mail: info@alljapantours.com
Land cost: from USD $4098.00
Single supplement: USD $810.00
Tour duration: 10 days 9 nights
Destination:
Tokyo / Mt Fuji / Hakone / Hikone / Koka /
Kyoto / Nara / Osaka / Himeji / Kurashiki /
Hiroshima
/ Shimanami Kaido / Obokekyo Gorge / Kotohira /
Takamatsu / Kobe
Tour cost includes:
• 8 nights Western style and 1 night Japanese style
accommodation
• Meet and greet upon arrival at Tokyo Narita Airport
• Airport transfers on arrival and departure
• Private coach transfers between destinations in
Japan
• Comprehensive escorted with AJT professional
English speaking tour guide
• Gratuities
Meals
• Breakfast everyday
• 4 lunches and 4 dinners
Admission fees and activities
• All entry fees to sites, activities listed in the itinerary
Start Date | End Date | Twin/Triple | Start City | End City | Style | Status |
---|
Start Date | End Date | Twin/Triple | Start City | End City | Style | Status |
---|
Please Note:
All prices are per person, based on twin (double on request) or triple occupancy.
International flights are not included on our tours - this allows you the flexibility to choose your own departure and get the best value for your money!
We can arrange international flights for US customers if needed, please ask for details.
Welcome to Tokyo! You will be met at the arrival gate by an AJT representative holding an "All Japan Tours" sign.
NOTE 1: If you wish to stay in the center of Tokyo for the first night instead of Hotel Mystays Premier Narita, we can arrange for you to stay at Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro (or similar class). In this case, airport transfer is not included. We will provide you directions to get to your hotel in advance, or we can arrange shared shuttle service for you at US$65.00 per person per way.
NOTE 2: If you will be flying into Haneda Airport (HND) instead of Narita International Airport (NRT), we can arrange for you to stay in the center of Tokyo (Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro or similar class) instead of Hotel Mystays Premier Narita. In this case, meet-and- greet and airport transfer are not included. We will provide with full instructions to get to the hotel in advance, or we can arrange shared shuttle service for you at US$60.00 per person per way.
NOTE 3: The meet-and-greet is ONLY available for flights arriving in Terminal 1 & 2 after 11:00 AM. For guests arriving in Terminal 3, airport pickup is not included, but we will provide you with directions to get to your hotel in advance.
NOTE 4: If you wish to stay extra nights before the tour starts, please contact us to book hotel accommodations.
In the morning, you will be taken to Asakusa Kannon
Temple, an active place of worship where you can see
the largest paper lantern in Japan. You will also be able
to explore the Nakamise Market, which is located right
after
the temple's outer gates. It is a traditional-style shopping
street with several centuries of history. Continue to Ueno
Park, famous for its 1,000 cherry trees that line the
central pathways, making it an excellent cherry blossom
viewing spot. Next, learn how to create your own sushi
with a professional sushi chef. Whatever you make, you
will get to eat for lunch! Afterwards, make your way to
the
Tsukiji Outer Market, filled with shops and restaurants
where you can try fresh produce and other food-related
goods. Then, we will proceed to the Imperial Palace, the
current residence of Japan's Imperial Family and former
site of the Edo Castle. It is surrounded by moats and
stone fortifications, located in the heart of Tokyo. In the
afternoon, we will visit the world's tallest self supporting
steel tower, the Tokyo Tower. Here, you can tour 150
meters up to the main observatory deck and enjoy a
bird's eye view of Tokyo.
Note: For Sushi
Making Experience, if you are vegetarian, on gluten-free
diets, have seafood allergy, or don't eat raw fish, please
contact us for other ingredient options.
We will depart from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji on our private coach. Along the way, enjoy the changing scenery, from thick vegetation to lowlands and rolling clouds. Stop at Mt. Fuji 5th station (depending on weather conditions) to admire the world famous peak. Next, travel to Hakone, one of Japan's most popular hot-spring resorts. You will also get to view the forested slopes of Hakone National Park. We will take a 20 minute ropeway ride from Togendai to Owakudani. Most of Owakudani is considered an active volcanic zone since its creation from the eruption of Mount Hakone some 3,000 years ago. Visitors will encounter the area's hot springs and bubbling pools, complete with sulfurous fumes and steam vents. If the weather conditions are in our favor, Owakudani also grants splendid views of Mount Fuji. Then, experience a Shinkansen bullet train ride, which can reach speeds of up to 300 km/hr. We will stay at the Onsen Hotel at Hamanako Kanzaiji Onsen, where you can soak in the therapeutic waters of a spa bath and feast on a traditional Japanese Kaiseki banquet dinner.
After breakfast at the hotel, our group will visit the Hikone Castle, an attractive hanami (flower-viewing) spot during the cherry blossom season. Hikone Castle is an original castle, surviving the post feudal era without undergoing destruction and reconstruction. The castle is considered a great impression of what a complete feudal castle looks like. It is also a national treasure, next to only four other castle keeps in Japan, which is the highest designation a cultural property can achieve. Visitors will have the opportunity to climb to the castle's top floor, where you may enjoy views of the castle grounds and city. Then, head next door to the Genkyuen Garden, a serene Japanese landscape garden with views of the castle. From there, proceed to the Miho Museum, known for its stunning architecture integrated into the surrounding nature. It exhibits works from different ancient civilizations, including the Romans, Egyptians, and Asian cultures. There is also a tunnel that leads from the museum to a road lined with hundreds of cherry blossom trees. It was designed by I. M. Pei, and has been listed as one of the "1000 Places To See Before You Die".
Note: If Miho Museum is close, we will visit Kyoto National Museum or Sagawa Art Museum instead.
Today, we will start our tour of Kyoto, the former capital of Japan that holds priceless historical values. We will first visit Arashiyama, known for its natural scenery and is particularly popular during the spring and fall season. Visit the Zen garden of the Tenryuji Temple, ranked first among Kyoto's five great Zen Temples. Afterwards, enjoy a pleasant walk through the attractive Sagano Bamboo Forest. Make your way to the Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), known for its two top floors covered entirely in 18 carat gold leaves. Watch the elegant Nishijin Kimono Fashion Show and learn how kimonos are made. Continue to the famous Kiyomizu Temple, best known for its wooden stage that overlooks the scenic hillside below. The stage affords visitors a nice view of the numerous cherry and maple trees below, as well as a beautiful scene of Kyoto in the distance. From Kiyomizu Temple we will head to Maruyama Park, one of the most popular places for cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto. Lastly, we will tour Gion, Kyoto's most famous geisha district. It is filled with various restaurants and ochaya (teahouses), where maiko and geisha entertain their guests.
The day begins with a green tea ceremony and a meet- and-greet with maiko. A maiko is simply an apprentice geisha. You will have photo-taking opportunities and a chance to interact with the maiko. After that, make your way to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. The shrine is famous for its thousands of stunning vermilion torii gates that are lined along a 4km long tunnel, which was even featured in the film "Memoirs of a Geisha". This complex wraps around a bamboo wilderness that consists of mountains, streams, and ponds, making it the perfect backdrop for a scenic hike. We will then travel to Nara, where we will go to the Todaiji Temple, the largest wooden building in Japan. The temple also houses one of the largest bronze statues of Buddha at 16.3 meters high. Nearby, explore the surrounding Deer Park, filled with over 1,000 Sika Deer. Our final stop of the day will be in Osaka. We will spend some time in Dotonbori, a popular shopping, entertainment, and food district. It is known for the hundreds of neon and mechanized signs that line its streets. Our group will also stop by Shinasaibashi, one of Osaka's oldest shopping destinations.
Today we take a 2-hour ride by private coach to Himeji to visit the Himeji Castle. It is known as "White Egret Castle" and "White Heron Castle" because of its brilliant white exterior, resembling a bird taking flight. Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and is one of the few remaining original castles in Japan. This splendid example of traditional architecture was declared one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan. Next is a visit to Kurashiki. In merchant days, this scenic town thrived as a port for rice shipments. Several old rice granaries and examples of historic architecture still remain, in addition to the stone lined canal. In the afternoon, we will continue our journey to Hiroshima.
Today we will visit the Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Museum. After lunch, we will take a short ferry ride to the island of Miyajima. At high tide, the famed vermilion torii gate of the Itsukushima Shrine looks like it's floating in the middle of the sea. The shrine complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Miyajima has been selected as one of Japan's three most scenic places (nihon sankei). In the afternoon, we will drive through the Shimanami Kaido to Shikoku Island. The Shimanami Kaido is a 60 kilometer long toll road that connects Japan's main island of Honshu to the island of Shikoku, passing over six small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. It is also known as the Nishiseto Expressway.
After breakfast, we continue our journey to Oboke Gorge, one of three hidden mountain regions of Japan. Oboke is the valley located upstream of the Yoshino-gawa River. "Boke" means "dangerous to walk along," and Oboke (big "boke") was named for its jagged V-shaped rocks and narrow path which, no matter how carefully or slowly you walk, makes walking dangerous. Enjoy a relaxing boat ride and take in the panoramic view of the valley. Then, climb the 1,368 stone steps to the Kotohira-gu Shrine, a Shinto shrine. In Takamatsu we will visit Ritsurin Park, a masterpiece of Japanese landscape 100 years in the making. This sprawling park features beautiful ponds and pavilions, with Mt. Shiun as the perfect backdrop. From there, our private coach takes us across Awaji Island through a series of spectacular bridges. In the evening we continue to Kobe, where we will savor the world famous Wagyu beef.
NOTE 5: If you wish to stay in the center of Osaka for the last night instead of Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport, we can arrange for you to stay at Hotel Elsereine Osaka (or similar class). In this case, airport transfer is not included, but we will provide full instructions for you to get to the airport in advance.
NOTE 6: If you will be flying out from Itami Airport (ITM) instead of Kansai International Airport (KIX), we can arrange for you to stay at Hotel Elsereine Osaka (or similar class) instead of Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport. In this case, airport transfer is not included but we will provide full instructions for you to get to the airport in advance.
After breakfast, our tour officially ends. Checkout time is 11 am and Osaka Kansai Airport can be reached in a three minute walk.
NOTE 7: If you would like to stay longer in Japan, please contact us to book hotel accommodations.