The Best of Japan

The Best of Japan

On a time-travelling voyage through past and present Japan, you can ride the futuristic Bullet Train past iconic Mt. Fuji - one of the most recognisable epitomes of Mother Nature - and feel the rift of time between the natural and technological wonders.

Take a trip to Tokyo– the archetypal mega-city –where you can wander the most fascinating districts, including the shopping and entertainment mecca of Ginza. Visit the ancient capital city Kyoto - a preserved metropolis of historical Japan for over a thousand years - with exquisite shrines, temples, Zen gardens and traditional handicrafts.

Taste one of the world’s greatest cuisines where it truly originated-Japanese food has a more advanced palette than just sushi - with teppanyaki and a huge variety of sake rice wine your taste buds are in for a culinary culture shock.

Japan shows off its seasons with an array of colours- witness the blush-coloured landscape of spring-time as the cherry blossoms bloom or the maroon hue of the maple trees in Autumn, whatever the season Japan is vibrant all year round.

Where neon lights of space-age cities live side by side with thousand-year old ceremonies, Japan really is timeless.

What's included:

• 11 nights in four-star hotels
• Return flights & transfers
• 15 included experiences
• Travel on the famous high-speed bullet train
• 14 meals: 11 breakfasts, 2 lunches & 1 dinner
• Expert Tour Manager
• Checked luggage
• Hotel porterage
• All additional taxes

Highlights:

• See the famous sights of Tokyo including the Meiji shrine, Omotesando Street, and the Akihabara electronic town.
• Enjoy astonishing views of Mount Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi and the hot-spring, mountain spa resort of Hakone.
• Travel at 189 mph on the incomparable high-speed bullet trains and explore Kyoto on a guided tour, experiencing the former imperial capital and the essence of traditional Japan.
• Reflect on the horrors of war at Hiroshima’s Peace Park and museum.
• Discover the ‘Way of Tea’ with a Japanese tea ceremony and wander around Japan’s first capital Nara, with its huge bronze Buddha, on a guided tour.

Optional extra - Stay in a traditional ryokan inn: Rooms typically feature charming tatami mats and a Japanese-style futon bed. To complete your stay, you'll enjoy a beautifully prepared kaiseki dinner. From £99pp.

4* RIHGA Royal Hotel's Facilities

• Swimming pool
• Spa & wellness
• Outdoor swimming pool
• Lounge & bar
• Restaurant
• Complimentary tea & coffee
• Fitness centre
• 24-hour front desk
• Lift between floors
• Air-conditioning
• Gift shop

4* Excel Tokyu - Haneda Airport's Facilities

• Outdoor swimming pool
• Lounge & bar
• Restaurant
• 24-hour front desk
• Lift between floors
• Air-conditioning

4* New Otani Hotel's Facilities

• Swimming pool
• Spa & wellness
• Outdoor swimming pool
• Lounge & bar
• Restaurant
• Fitness centre
• 24-hour front desk
• Lift between floors
• Air-conditioning
• Garden

4* Kyoto Century Hotel's Facilities

• Spa & wellness
• Lounge & bar
• Restaurant
• Coffee shop
• Complimentary tea & coffee
• 24-hour front desk
• Lift between floors
• Air-conditioning
• Free Wi-Fi
• Laundry service
• Snacks

4* Hakone Hotel's Facilities

• Swimming pool
• Outdoor swimming pool
• Spa & wellness
• Lounge & bar
• Restaurant
• Coffee shop
• 24-hour front desk
• Air-conditioning
• Laundry service
• Gift shop

4* The Hotel Higashiyamai's Facilities

• Fitness centre
• Spa & wellness
• 24-hour front desk
• Bar
• Restaurant
• Air-conditioning

4* Rihga Royal Kyoto's Facilities

• Indoor swimming pool
• Sauna
• Choice of restaurants
• Bar
• Lounge

4* RIHGA Royal Hotel

About the hotel

The four-star RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima is centrally located in the heart of Hiroshima, within walking distance to the Hiroshoma Peace Memorial Park and Hiroshima Castle.

4* Excel Tokyu - Haneda Airport

About the hotel

The four-star Excel Tokyu is located a short drive from Haneda airport.

4* New Otani Hotel

About the hotel

The hotel is located in central Tokyo approximately 1.5 miles from the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum.

4* Kyoto Century Hotel

About the hotel

The four-star Kyoto Century Hotel is located right in the centre of Kyoto’s bustling shopping and entertainment area and close to Kyoto Station.

4* Hakone Hotel

About the hotel

The four-star Prince Hakone Hotel is perfectly located right on the southern shore of Lake Ashi.

4* The Hotel Higashiyama

About the hotel

Located in a tranquil district in the East of the city, close to Gion, the hotel opened in 2021.

4* Rihga Royal Kyoto

About the hotel

The Rihga Royal Kyoto Hotel is located in the heart of Kyoto, Japan, near the city’s central business and cultural districts. It is within walking distance of Nishihonganji Temple and Kyoto Aquarium, and it’s also close to Kyoto Station, providing easy access to more iconic sights.

Day 1: Departure

Begin your journey to Tokyo.

Day 2: Arrival in Tokyo

On your arrival, transfer to your hotel, the excellent four-star superior New Otani, for three nights with breakfast. Perfectly located in the heart of Tokyo, close to the Japanese parliament, the nearest metro stop is just a couple of minutes’ walk allowing you explore at ease (all station names are given in English).

Day 3: Tokyo

In the morning you'll commence the exploration of Japan’s capital and largest city. At first glance, Tokyo might seem similar to other great Asian cities like Singapore or Shanghai, with its gleaming glass skyscrapers and busy, fashionable shops. But you’ll soon begin to notice some of the many fascinating differences – like the spotlessly clean and surprisingly quiet streets. There’s no beeping of horns here, that would be far too impolite!

Your first stop is the famous Shinto Meiji shrine, dedicated to one of its past emperors. Set in outstandingly lush parkland, this is a working religious site where you may be lucky enough to see a typical Japanese marriage underway. Then we move on to some of Tokyo’s most renowned quarters, including Omotesando Street, Tokyo’s ‘Rodeo Drive’, full of luxury brand shops.

We savour some Japanese cuisine at your included lunch.

Day 4: Tokyo

In the morning we visit Tokyo’s Asakusa district. Full of traditional small houses and shops, it’s a unique insight into the Tokyo of a hundred years ago. You will then transfer by boat down the Sumida River to Ginza, widely recognised as one of the world’s most luxurious shopping destinations. It’s brimming with ultra-modern department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffee houses.

Your afternoon is free to shop, explore, or perhaps indulge in some fascinating people-watching. Another option is to head to the Tokyo National Museum, just a few stops on the metro. Here you’ll find the world’s largest collection of Japanese art, with pottery, painting and prints, textiles, fashion and oriental antiquities.

Day 5: Mount Fuji & Hakone

Saying goodbye to Tokyo you'll drive towards Mount Fuji, probably Japan’s most instantly recognisable sight. Fringed by thick forests and a crescent-shaped ring of shimmering lakes, we are presented with one of the world’s greatest and most spectacular views.

You will visit two of these beautiful lakes to give you the best chance of appreciating and enjoying the stunning panorama from two different angles – and some of life’s most amazing photo opportunities. Our first stop is at Lake Kawaguchi, well known to the Japanese but as yet undiscovered by most foreign visitors.

Next, we head south to explore the fascinating mountain resort of Hakone. Descending to the smooth dark blue waters of Lake Ashi, we take a cruise on a rather unusual Japanese version of an early 19th-century pirate ship. From here, especially on a clear day, the views of Mt Fuji are one of the world’s greatest panoramas.

Arriving at the four-star Hakone Hotel, staying for one night with breakfast and dinner. The entire area here is geo-thermally active and provides the perfect opportunity to try one of Japan’s unmissable experiences – bathing in an ‘onsen’, a hot spring at our very own hotel.

Day 6: Bullet train and Hiroshima

In the morning you will travel to Hiroshima on Japan’s iconic gleaming white bullet train. With reclining seats, plenty of legroom, air-conditioned comfort and speeds up to 189 mph, this is an incomparable way to travel. There’s a sobering reminder of the horrors of war this morning as we visit Hiroshima’s Peace Park and museum, displaying the remains of the only building to survive the atomic bomb blast of August 1945. The city has been completely rebuilt and there are no signs left of the devastation of that fateful day. Yet you may notice a small digital counter indicating the number of days since the last atomic test – it’s surprisingly recent.

Day 7: Miyajima

Today you will make our way to one of the country’s most distinctive views on the nearby small island of Miyajima. A huge red ‘Torii’ gate sits just offshore; widely celebrated, at high tide it appears to float between the sea and sky. This popular little island is easy to explore by foot. It has a relaxed holiday atmosphere, lots of interesting shops and a covered market.

Day 8: Kyoto

Leaving Hiroshima by coach, we head towards the old imperial capital of Kyoto. En route we’ll visit the superb Korakuen garden at Okayama – built in 1700 and renowned as one of Japan’s most exquisite gardens, with lawns, lakes, wooden bridges and shrines and teahouses! Allowing plenty of time to explore, our stay for the next four nights in Kyoto is at the Century Hotel with breakfast.

Day 9: Kyoto and tea ceremony

This morning is one of the real highlights of the tour as we explore some of the overwhelming treasures of Japan’s most revered city.

First is the spectacular and beautiful Golden Pavilion, dating from the classical Muromachi age of Japanese temple design, perfectly overlooking its lake and garden. The whole of the upper floors, covered in gold leaf, glow in the morning light with an almost blinding intensity.

As a complete change, we then move on to the amazing Arashiyama bamboo forest – experiencing an almost other-worldly feel as the light streams through the tall green columns of bamboo, up to 30 feet high!

Yet another iconic Kyoto monument is next – Nijo Castle.

Set at the heart of the city and built in the 17th century, it’s famous for its wooden floors remarkably designed to creak like a nightingale’s song, thus warning its occupants of any impending stealthy attack!

Finally, we take a walking tour through Kyoto’s Gion district. Here is the classic image of Japan; streets of wooden houses, the unmistakable sound of wooden sandals reverberating on the avements, bright, silk-clad geishas, cherry trees and a host of traditional restaurants. We also experience a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony’

Day 10: Nara

Capital city before Kyoto, Nara is just a few miles south. Firstly, you'll see one of the country’s most iconic shrines, made from thousands of red Torii gates forming two extraordinary vermilion-coloured wooden tunnels up a hillside. Arriving at Nara you’ll be greeted by the dozens of tame deer considered for centuries to be messengers of the gods.

The main sight though is the amazing Todai-ji temple, astonishingly the world’s largest wooden structure. Housing a huge bronze Buddha, this is a truly inspiring sight and just one of Nara’s several UNESCO World Heritage sites. We also get an insight into the traditional Japanese Sake drink, visiting a museum with tasting.

Day 11: Free day in Kyoto

You’re free today to explore and discover the many delights and attractions of Kyoto. There are still more enchanting temples to see - like the 15th century Silver Pavilion and the even older Eikando temple, marvels of architectural and garden design within an easy walk of each other along the charming Philosopher’s Path.

Tonight, you also have the option of staying in a ryokan, a typical Japanese inn. You’ll sleep on a rolled-out futon with tatami matting on the floor. You’ll also enjoy a traditional ‘kaiseki’ multi-course dinner. Beautifully prepared and served, it’s just as stunning to look at as it is to eat.

Day 12: Bullet Train

After a last free morning at leisure, we take our bullet train to Tokyo staying overnight at the four-star Excel Tokyu near the airport.

Day 13: Return home

Say goodbye and start your journey home.