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- Day 1 Begin Your Journey in Tokyo You arrive in Tokyo to the sound of station chimes, glowing vending machines and the rich scent of broth wafting from small restaurants. As you begin to explore, you pass paper lanterns outside doorways, pause to read handwritten menus tucked into windows or glance up at glass towers rising above pockets of old timber. Between one street and the next, you pass from quiet wooden façades to wide crossings, where traffic lights click and people wait in neat lines. At dinner, you meet your Travel Director and fellow travelers, sharing your first Japanese dishes around the table. Locations Visited: Tokyo JP.
- Day 2 Explore Tokyo from Skyline to Shrine High in the Tokyo Metropolitan Observatory, you step up to the glass and watch the city stretch beneath you, a vast sweep of rooftops, rail lines and narrow streets running towards the horizon. At Meiji Jingu Shrine, you notice the sound of the city fall away among tall trees and crunchy gravel paths. In Asakusa, you follow Nakamise Street past stalls selling sweet rice crackers, folded fans and small traditional treats. Within Sensō-ji Temple’s grounds, smoke curls from the incense burner before you pass beneath Kaminarimon, its huge red lantern hanging above the gate. This afternoon, choose one of today’s Optional Experiences. Spend time with art, armor and ancient treasures at the Tokyo National Museum, with shopping time among Ameyoko’s market stalls and Ginza’s elegant department stores. Or learn how to turn takoyaki as it sizzles on the hot griddle before sharing smoky yakitori skewers or steaming bowls of ramen. Locations Visited: Tokyo JP.
- Day 3 Journey from Tokyo to Mt Fuji Today, you travel towards Mt. Fuji, Japan’s highest volcano, watching the city give way to wooded slopes and mountain roads as the cool air brushes your skin. Weather permitting, the road rises to Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station, where you stand 2,300 meters above sea level with the Fuji Five Lakes area spread far below. You’ll have free time for lunch in the mountain’s shadow, with Mt. Fuji’s volcanic cone rising beyond you in a sweep of rock and forest which, in the colder months, unfolds in white fans of snow. Later, choose today’s Optional Experience and ride the Komagatake Ropeway, gliding above Hakone towards Lake Ashi, a crater-formed lake surrounded by tall trees and ridges. On the drive back, you pass mountain landscapes and traditional buildings, watching the ridges fold into the distance before returning to Tokyo, where the evening is yours to explore. Locations Visited: Tokyo JP, Mt Fuji JP, Hakone JP, Tokyo JP.
- Day 4 Ride the Bullet Train to Kyoto This morning, the bullet train carries you towards Kyoto, its smooth rush through the landscape giving way to a city of temple roofs, timber teahouses and old streets. At Kinkaku-ji, you pause beside Kyokochi, the mirror pond, where the Golden Pavilion’s gold leaf and pine trees shimmer in the still water. At Heian-jingu Shrine, you pass beneath the great vermilion torii gate before learning how Shinto ritual, imperial history and Kyoto craftsmanship meet in one place. Later, at a traditional handicraft center, you browse the Japanese crafts. At dinner, you take your place in a local restaurant, with savory aromas from the kitchen, the click of chopsticks and dishes arriving at your table. Locations Visited: Tokyo JP, Kyoto JP.
- Day 5 Kyoto Your Way: Markets, Gardens and Gion Kyoto is yours to shape today, whether you start among Ginkaku-ji’s raked sand, mossy gardens and pale temple walls or make your way to Gion, where you may glimpse Geishas in silk kimono shuffling along wooden-fronted lanes. In Nishiki Market, you may follow the scent of soy, vinegar and toasted rice between narrow stalls. Or choose today’s Optional Experience to Nara, where you watch artisans turn black ink into a deep, satin sheen before trying the slow, careful movements of bokusho yourself. Continue to Tōdai-ji Temple and Nara Park, where you walk past stone lanterns, open lawns and deer stepping close enough for you to notice the soft sound of hooves on the path. Another Optional Experience leads you to Fushimi Inari Shrine, where you walk beneath rows of vermilion torii gates as the wooded path climbs the mountain. Locations Visited: Kyoto JP.
- Day 6 Japan’s Historic Quarters: Kurashiki to Hiroshima You leave Kyoto for Kurashiki, where your Travel Director guides you through the historic Bikan Quarter, past black-and-white warehouses, willow-lined canals and narrow lanes. Beside the water, you notice reflections trembling against old storehouses and the soft dip of willow branches over the canal. You may choose today’s Optional Experience and try on a kimono for a photo in this classic setting. Later, continue to Hiroshima, a city known around the world for the atomic bomb attack of 6 August 1945. The rest of the day is yours to explore, pause for reflection or simply take in the city at your own pace. Locations Visited: Kyoto JP, Kurashiki JP, Hiroshima JP.
- Day 7 Visit Miyajima and Hiroshima’s Peace Memorials By ferry to Miyajima, you cross the Seto Inland Sea as salt air cools your cheeks and the island rises ahead. At the 12th-century Itsukushima Shrine, you walk through halls that stretch out over the sea, the soft sound of water lapping below, before looking out to the great red-orange torii gate, which seems to float on the tide. Back in Hiroshima, you enter the Peace Memorial Park, wandering between open lawns and memorial stones. At the Cenotaph, you pause before the names of those who lost their lives on 6 August 1945. Inside the Memorial Museum, ragged clothes, a melted lunchbox and a watch stopped at 8.15am make the human cost painfully specific. Your tour ends at the UNESCO-listed Peace Memorial, the Genbaku Dome, preserved near the hypocentre of the atomic bomb. This afternoon, you may choose the ‘Secrets of Hiroshima’ Optional Experience. Locations Visited: Hiroshima JP, Itsukushima Shrine JP, Hiroshima JP.
- Day 8 Himeji’s Heights: White Heron Castle Leaving Hiroshima, you travel to Himeji, with free time for lunch before your afternoon visit to its UNESCO-listed castle. Your Local Specialist leads you towards Himeji Castle, a 400-year-old fortress known as White Heron Castle, where white-plastered walls and dark tiled roofs rise above a canopy of green. You look up from the grounds to pale towers stacked high on their stone base, the castle lifting over the treetops as though reaching up towards the clouds. After learning about its history, continue to your hotel, with the evening free to spend as you choose. Locations Visited: Hiroshima JP, Himeji JP.
- Day 9 Discover Osaka’s Food and History On your final full day in Japan, you may visit a sake brewery with a Local Specialist, where you watch freshly steamed rice, water, koji and yeast slowly transform into crisp, clear sake. Afterwards, Osaka greets you with arcades humming with bells and chatter, the raindrop-like patter of okonomiyaki crackling on the grill and shop signs stacked above narrow streets. With the afternoon free, you may explore the city or choose today’s Optional Experience to the Umeda Sky Building and Osaka Castle. At the Floating Garden Observatory, you stand 170 meters above the city, with wind on your face and Osaka spread below in roads, towers and river bends. At Osaka Castle, you wander through the museum galleries before pausing at the golden tea room, where gilded surfaces sparkle in the light and the small ceremonial space glows like a jewel box. This evening, perhaps join a final Optional Experience in Namba, where you follow the smell of sauce, smoke and frying batter through dining streets alive with chatter. Locations Visited: Himeji JP, Osaka JP.
- Day 10 Say Goodbye To Japan Your Japan journey ends with farewells to your Travel Director and fellow travelers. Leave with a camera full of memories and Japan’s sounds, scents and flavors still vivid long after the final goodbye. Locations Visited: Osaka JP.
Name: Japan Discovery
Brand: Trafalgar
Quality: Tourist Class
Tour Type: Escorted
Start City: Tokyo
End City: Osaka
Location Summary: Tokyo, JP
Mt Fuji, JP
Hakone, JP
Kyoto, JP
Kurashiki, JP
Hiroshima, JP
Itsukushima Shrine, JP
Himeji, JP
Osaka, JP
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Highlights
- Dining Summary - 4 Dinner (D). 9 Breakfast (B).
- Essentials - Visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Observatory, Sensoji Temple and Nakamise shopping street at Asakusa and the Meiji Jingu Shrine. Drive up to the 5th Station for panoramic views. View Mt. Fuji. Visit Kinkaku-ji Temple and Heian-jingu Shrine . Visit Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, and the Peace Memorial Park and Museum. Visit the Bikan Historical Quarter. Visit Himeji Castle and a sake brewery en route to Osaka.
- How You'll Travel - Selected hotel dinners, with optional meals to purchase. 3-star stays. Deluxe coach and train travel.
- Iconic Experience - Tokyo: Walk beneath the dense canopy of Meiji Jingu Shrine, then wander through Asakusa and along Nakamise Street, where traditional sweets and souvenirs fill the stalls on the approach to centuries-old Sensō-ji Temple and its enormous red lantern.. Tokyo: Gaze out from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory, 202 meters above the city, where Tokyo’s dense patchwork of rooftops and skyscrapers stretches towards the horizon. Mt Fuji: Admire the stunning countryside at Mt. Fuji 5th Station.. Tokyo: Jump aboard the high-speed Bullet Train towards the cultural hub of Kyoto.. Kurashiki: Explore the historic Bikan Quarter with your Travel Director, following the willow-fringed canals across stone bridges and past white-walled storehouses topped with black tiles.. Miyajima: Discover the majestic Itsukushima Shrine and learn a new skill when you join a Local Specialist to practice making Momiji Manjyu. . Hiroshima: Discover the rich history when you visit the Peace Memorial Museum and Park. . Meet your Local Specialist to explore UNESCO-listed Himeji Castle, its brilliant white walls and layered roofs spreading across the hillside like the wings of the heron that gave it its name. Make your way through winding passages and steep stairways towards the great keep, learning the stories held within this centuries-old fortress..
