Charms of Tohoku: Rice Paddy Art & Autumn Leaves

Day 1

Tokyo Narita Airport

Welcome to Tokyo! You will be met at the arrival gate by an AJT representative holding an "All Japan Tours" sign.

Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro or similar class

NOTE 1: The meet and greet is ONLY available for flights arriving at Narita Airport after 11:00 AM on the first day. If you will be flying into Haneda Airport (HND) instead of Narita Airport (NRT), 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 2: If you wish to stay extra nights before the tour starts, please contact us to book hotel accommodations.

Day 2

Shinkansen bullet train to Aomori, Aomori (Nebuta Warasse), Inakadate (Rice Paddy Art)

In the morning, we transfer to Tokyo Station to board the Shinkansen "bullet train", traveling at high speed to Shin- Aomori Station. The bullet train is not only speedy, but smooth, so relax and enjoy the ride! When we arrive in Aomori, we will visit the Nebuta Warasse, a museum where visitors can get immersed in the atmosphere of the Aomori Nebuta Festival, including seeing the enormous Nebuta floats, experiencing the Haneto dance, and watching footage from the parade. Then we go to Inakadate, to view the Rice Paddy Art. Rice has been grown in the area for over two thousand years, but in the early 2000s, the rice farmers of the town created different artistic patterns and pictures on their rice paddies. Using different colors and kinds of rice, these farmer/artists have created images of Mount Fuji, Geisha, Kannon Buddha, the Mona Lisa, Napoleon, Star Wars, Marilyn Monroe, and more. After, we will travel to Hirosaki and check into the hotel for a relaxing evening.

Breakfast / Lunch

Art Hotel Hirosaki City or similar class

Day 3

Hirosaki (Hirosaki Castle / Fujita Memorial Garden), Kakunodate (Samurai District)

After breakfast, we begin our morning with a tour of Hirosaki Castle, an Edo-era keep acclaimed as one of Japan's Seven Famous Castles by author Ryoutaro Shiba in his travel series "Kaido wo Yuku". The magnificent fortress is especially popular in spring, but the castle grounds are lovely in every season Then we will tour the Fujita Memorial Garden, one of the only traditional landscape gardens in the Tohoku region, featuring a Taisho-era Western house with tearoom which serves black English tea. Then, while in the Samurai District in Kakunodate, you can stroll past traditional houses once inhabited by wealthy and middle-class samurai. Some of the former houses are free to for visitors to explore. In the evening we will check into an onsen resort by Tazawako Lake to rest for the night.

Breakfast / Dinner

Tazawako Lake Resort & Onsen or similar class

Day 4

Sakata (Sakata Seafood Market / Somaro Tea House - Lunch and Enjoy a Performance of Sakata Maiko / Sankyo Warehouses)

Today, we go to the city of Sakata for the Sakata Seafood Market, a good place to experience the real atmosphere of this charming city, where locals go for fresh seafood and produce. Then we make our way to the Somaro Tea House for lunch and a performance by the Sakata Maiko. This high-class teahouse has been entertaining guests since the Edo period with traditional dances by local maiko (apprentice geisha) in colorful kimono. After, we will tour the Sankyo Rice Warehouses. At over a hundred years old, these warehouses made Sakata especially important during the Edo period, when the volume of rice was used to determine how valuable a plot of land was to its owner. Finally, we make our way to the hotel for a comfortable evening.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Shonai Hotel Suiden Terrasse or similar class

Day 5

Mt Haguro (Yamabushi Experience / The Five-storied Pagoda / Shojin Ryori Lunch at the Saikan / Haguro-san Shrine)

This morning, we take a drive to Mt. Haguro, one of the Three Mountains of Dewa, and sacred both to the ascetic Shugendo and the Japanese Shinto religions. Once there, the group will have the opportunity to have a Yamabushi experience - an ascetic mountain training undergone by the Yamabushi mountain monks, including learning the preparatory prayers, wearing the traditional monk attire, hiking up the mountain in a guided ascent. At the base, you will have time to marvel at the Five-storied pagoda - designated as one of Japan's national treasures. Then, at the base of the summit, we will stop at the Saikan (a temple building attached to the grounds) for a healthy vegetarian lunch of shojin ryori, or "monk's food". After, we press on to see the Haguro-san Shrine, which is the chief shrine of the Dewa Mountains, enshrining all three of the mountain's spirit deities.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Shonai Hotel Suiden Terrasse or similar class

Day 6

Mogami River Gorge (Mogami River Basho Line Boat Ride), Yamadera (Risshakuji Temple)

Today brings your group to the Mogami River, and a culture-infused cruise through the Mogami River Gorge on the Basho Line. This boat line takes its name from Edo- era haiku master Matsuo Basho, who wrote a memorable poem about the river. While on the cruise, the voices of the boatmen entertain their passengers by singing traditional river-boating songs. After the cruise, we continue to Yamadera to tour Risshakuji Temple. Once you ascend the tree-lined path of a thousand steps to this mountain temple, you will be rewarded with a spectacular view of the valley below. When we finish enjoying our temple experience, we will drive to our hotel in Matsuhima for a relaxing evening.

Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Hotel Matsushima Taikanso or similar class

Day 7

Matsushima (Matsushima Cruise / Godaido / Zuiganji Temple)

After breakfast, we begin our sightseeing tour of breathtaking Matsushima, starting with a scenic cruise around the hundreds of little pine covered islets dotting Matsushima Bay. Next, we take a walk across a bright red bridge to visit Godaido, a symbol of the city of Matsushima, featuring images of the 12 animals of the zodiac around the temple exterior. Then, we visit Zuiganji Temple, originally built in the Heian Period, refurbished during the Edo period by samurai lord Date Masamune. Then we continue to Tochigi Prefecture toward Nikko, stopping in Nasu for a comfortable evening at the hotel.

Breakfast / Dinner

Hotel Floracion Nasu or similar class

Day 8

Nikko (Toshogu Shrine / Kegon Waterfall / Lake Chuzenji)

This morning, we make our way to Nikko, where we will see the city's most popular landmark: Toshogu Shrine. Toshogu enshrines the first Tokugawa shogun: Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is lavishly appointed with gold leaf decorations and carvings of various animals, including the Three Wise Monkeys. Next, we take a drive up to the observation point for Kegon Falls, a spectacular waterfall rushing out of Lake Chuzenji down a narrow gorge, perfectly framed by the surrounding trees. Then we take the group to explore around Lake Chuzenji, one of the most beautiful natural regions of Nikko, especially in fall. Finally, we take a drive back into Tokyo for your last night in Japan at your hotel.

Breakfast / Lunch

Hotel Mystays Premier Narita or similar class
Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro or similar class (NOTE 2 & 3)

NOTE 2: If you wish to stay in the center of Tokyo for the last 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 full instructions for you to get to the airport in advance, or we can arrange shared shuttle service for you at US$65.00 per person per way.

NOTE 3: If you will be flying out from Haneda Airport (HND) instead of Narita Airport (NRT), we can arrange for you to stay at Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Ikebukuro (or similar class) instead of Hotel Mystays Premier Narita. In this case, airport transfer is not include. We will provide full instructions for you to get to the airport in advance, or we can arrange shared shuttle service for you at US$60.00 per person per way.

Day 9

Tour Ends

After breakfast, our tour officially ends. Checkout time is 11 am and Narita Airport can be reached by hotel shuttle bus.

Breakfast

NOTE 4: If you would like to stay longer in Japan, please contact us to book hotel accommodations.