Eternal Japan: From Tokyo to Kyoto

Your Travel Itinerary

Day 1-2 — U.S., Tokyo, Japan
Depart the U.S. for Japan. After arriving in Tokyo, Japan’s financial, commercial, and political capital this evening, transfer to your hotel where you learn about the journey ahead at a briefing with your tour director.

Day 3 — Tokyo
Spend the morning touring this amazing city that comprises of 23 wards and covers a staggering 840 miles. Focus on a smaller area as you visit some of Tokyo’s top sights including Shinto Meiji Shrine, a peaceful enclave of temples and gardens; the Edo-Tokyo Museum, a historical presentation of Edo (the city from c. 1600 until 1868) and Tokyo (the new Edo from 1868 until the present); and historic Imperial Palace, surrounded by moats and ramparts, and home of the Imperial Family. Next visit Tokyo’s oldest temple, Buddhist Asakusa Kannon, followed by the Nakamise Shopping arcade. This afternoon is at leisure; dine tonight at a local restaurant specializing in kushiage, kabobs of meat, fish, and vegetables breaded and cooked on a bamboo skewer. (B,D)

Day 4 — Tokyo
The day begins with a motorcoach tour of Ginza, Tokyo’s famed shopping, dining, and entertainment district boasting the most expensive real estate in all of Japan. Visit the gallery of preeminent calligrapher Koshun Masunaga, where you learn about this ancient art and browse the collection. The remainder of the day is at leisure to visit some of Ginza’s department stores, boutiques, or galleries; or to set off in a new direction. (B)

Day 5 — Tokyo, Mt. Fuji-Hakone Isu National Park, Suwa
Japan’s pastoral side is on tap as you leave Tokyo for Mt. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Here sits imposing Mt. Fuji, a dormant volcano (it last erupted in 1707) with a perfectly symmetrical cone that rises to 12,388 feet. The mountain’s majesty is breathtaking, as artists and writers have attested for centuries. Take a cable car ride where, weather permitting, you’ll enjoy breathtaking panoramic views; then descend for a relaxing cruise on scenic Ashi Lake. Leaving the park, travel to the town of Suwa where you spend the night at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn where you take off your shoes upon entering and sleep on a futon. (B,L,D)

Day 6 — Suwa and Takayama
Today travel to lovely Takayama in the Japanese Alps, considered one of the country’s most attractive towns with its 16th-century castle and old-style buildings. Your explorations center on three narrow streets in the San-machi-suji district where, in feudal times, merchants lived amid the authentically preserved small inns, teahouses, and sake breweries that you see here. Enjoy a sake tasting then have free time to visit local shops that sell the region’s unique lacquerware and prized carvings of yew wood. (B,D)

Day 7 — Takayama, Shirakawago, Kanazawa
Pay an early visit to the river side Miyagaiua morning market selling flowers, fruit, and vegetables, a blaze of dazzling colors and exotic foodstuffs then leave Takayama for the World Heritage site of Shirakawago Gasshozukuri Village. Comprising buildings relocated from authentic villages nearby that were razed for a dam, the village is also a vibrant community whose residents work together to preserve the unique traditional architecture here known as Gassho style. Next visit that dam – Miboro – the largest dam constructed using “rock-fill technology”: just stones and clay. Late afternoon reach the castle town of Kanazawa, an alluring coastal city that survived the ravages of World War II. (B,L)

Day 8 — Kanazawa
Today’s tour of this culturally rich city features renowned Kenrokuen Garden, a national landmark whose origins date to 1676. Also see Ishikawa Gate, the only remaining section of the town’s original castle; the Gold Leaf Museum celebrating the art and craft of gold leaf technology; and the Higashi Chayagai tea house and geisha area. Your last stop is the Nagamachi Samurai district, where the ruling family’s samurai warriors lived. (B,D)

Day 9 — Kanazawa and Kyoto
This morning visit the Kutani Ceramics Museum, which celebrates this quintessential Japanese art form, and the Asakusa Isokichi Art Museum. Then board the train for Kyoto, once Japan’s Imperial Capital and now the country’s cultural and artistic capital. With more than 1,600 temples, hundreds of shrines, artful gardens, and well-preserved wooden architecture, Kyoto embodies Japan’s rich culture and complex history. (B,D)

Day 10 — Kyoto
Today’s tour reveals the highlights of Kyoto, which was spared destruction during World War II. Highlights include 16th-century Ryoanji Temple, with the dry garden of sand and rocks (kare-sansui), a marvel of classic Japanese design; and Kinkaku-ji, the lakeside Temple of the Golden Pavilion set on pillars suspended over the water. Also visit ostentatious Nijo Castle (c. 1603), where the shogun asserted control over the city and its people. Next, attend a traditional Japanese tea ceremony - an historic, ritualized ceremony of form, grace, and spirituality. (B)

Day 11 — Nara and Kyoto
Today, enjoy an excursion to Nara, Japan's ancient capital. After a short train ride from Kyoto, see the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Todaiji Temple, and Nara National Museum on a walking tour. Return to Kyoto late afternoon. (B)

Day 12 — Kyoto
See the sites today from a slightly different perspective as you embark on a cycling tour through the grounds of the Imperial Palace and its garden, Kyoto-gyoen; and the Gion district where geishas gather. Disembark to stroll through Miyakwacho, where the geishas live; and Machiya, a neighborhood of traditional townhouses. Following an afternoon at leisure, enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Day 13 — Depart Kyoto for U.S.
This morning travel by train to Osaka, to board your return flight to the U.S. (B)