Japan Revealed

The tour starts in Kyoto. In the evening, you meet your tour leader and the other group members for an initial briefing. Afterwards, enjoy a simple dinner (optional) at a nearby local restaurant.

Meals: None

This morning an orientation tour takes you to some of Kyoto’s more important sites, including the imposing and opulent Nijo Castle. Formerly home of the Tokugawa shoguns and nestling at the foot of Kyoto’s north-western hills, the extravagantly decorated Kinkakuji Temple was immortalized in Yukio Mishima’s novel “The Golden Pavilion." From here it is also possible to walk or drive the short distance to Ryoan-ji, perhaps Japan’s most famous Zen garden. End at Kyoto’s handicraft center noted for its fine selection of woodblock prints. The rest of the afternoon is free for your further exploration. We suggest taking a gentle stroll through the nearby eastern hills along the ‘Path of Philosophy’ that links Ginkaku-ji, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion, with Nanzen-ji Temple. This walk can be extended south through the well preserved ‘old town’ areas, to Kiyamizu-dera (Temple of Clear Water) from where there is a justifiably famous view across a wooded gorge toward Kyoto. Also recommended, for those visiting in the spring, is a visit to the theatre for a presentation of Miyako Odori (Cherry Blossom Dance) performed by elaborately dressed maiko (apprentice geisha). In the early evening, there will be an introductory briefing followed by dinner at one of the city’s many delightful restaurants, situated near the new and architecturally astounding railway station.

Meals: None

Kyoto is a city that lends itself to walking, and there are numerous possibilities for your exploration. Close to your hotel, the architecturally impressive Higashi Honganji Temple and the almost surreal Sanjusangendo, home to 1,001 statues of Kannon, (the bodhisattva of compassion whose name, incidentally, was later taken up by the camera company Canon) – both make for an interesting visit. Also nearby is Japan’s largest pagoda at Toji. Another recommendation is to take a walk in the wooded hills of Inari Mountain, famous for its Shinto ‘fox temple’ and atmospheric tunnels of red torii gates. In the late afternoon there will be a short walking tour of Gion, the geisha district, with its many old teahouses, some of them mentioned in the widely acclaimed novel “Memoirs of a Geisha." Enjoy a traditional dinner in one of the many restaurants that can be found in this exciting area.

Meals: None

This morning, make a short journey by train to begin your morning walking tour of Nara, formerly Heijo, Japan’s first true capital. The highlight of the day will be your visit to the awe-inspiring Todai-ji Temple – the largest wooden structure in the world and home to Japan’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha. As you wander through the ancient woods of Nara’s famous Deer Park, you’ll also visit the important Kasuga-jinja Shinto shrine with its vermilion-pillared corridors, and the towering Kofuku-ji Pagoda. After lunch, return to spend more time exploring Kyoto.

Meals: None

Today, travel by private coach to Koya San on a journey which, at least in its latter stages, travels through some of the finest scenery in all Japan. The last leg of the journey takes you on a mountain road rising almost to the heavens and certainly to a world very different from the one you’ve left behind. 3,000’ above sea-level Mount Koya, in similarity with Mt Athos in Greece, is home to scores of monasteries, the first of which was founded by Kobo Daishi in AD816. The most impressive sight on Mount Koya is without doubt the massive and mysterious Okunoin cemetery, the resting place of many famous Japanese. Some 200,000 stone statues, wooden totems and other, sometimes bizarre, memorials (including a rocket that marks the site of a mausoleum interring the workers of an aerospace company!) lie throughout this moss-laden forest. At the center of it all, and the reason that this is such a popular resting place for those who could afford the privilege of proximity, is the mausoleum of Japan’s greatest saint, Kobo Daishi. According to popular belief, Kobo Daishi never actually died but instead, in AD835, went into a state of catatonic meditation within the mausoleum. One day, upon the advent of the future Buddha Maitreya (Jap. Miroku), it is believed Kobo Daishi will reawaken to lead all humanity to salvation. The cemetery is particularly atmospheric around dawn or dusk. After visiting the more interesting of the mountains, make your way to the comfortable Shukubo Temple lodgings, your home for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Fortified by a delicious temple breakfast, return by cable railway to Gokurabashi and make your way to Osaka to board your first Bullet Train of the trip to Hiroshima. As you speed south, stop en-route to visit Japan’s most impressive samurai Castle at Himeiji. This castle was once featured in the James Bond film “You Only Live Twice," and is packed with innovative defensive techniques - perhaps one of the reasons why it was never captured. Overnight at a nearby hotel close to Hiroshima’s Peace Park.

Meals: None

This morning you’ll visit the A-Bomb Museum and Peace Memorial Park, both of which stand testimony to the fateful day in August 1945 when Hiroshima was chosen as target for the first ever wartime use of the atomic bomb. In the afternoon, head for the enchanting island of Miyajima, taking a short ferry ride across the Inland Sea. The island is home to the venerable Shinto shrine of Itsukushima, famous for its huge vermilion gate or torii, which rises majestically out of the sea. At high tide it is considered to be one of the most beautiful sights in Japan. The size and physical landscape of Miyajima makes it an ideal place for walking and exploring. There is the lovely Momaji Park (known as Maple Valley) from where it is possible to walk or take a cable car up to the top of Mt. Misen. The summit is home to a colony of wild monkeys, and provides fine, sweeping views over western Honshu and the island-studded Inland Sea. Also of note is Daisho-in Temple. In the evening, after most visitors have returned to the mainland, Miyajima takes on a magic all of its own.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today you’ll return to the Bullet Train tracks and head north to the mountainous center of Japan to spend a night in a ryokan inn near the medieval village of Tsumago. Once a post town during the days of the Shogun Tsumago, it is the best preserved of the many staging posts along the Edo period Nakasendo Highway that once connected Tokyo with Kyoto and is immortalized in the famous woodblock prints of Hiroshige.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, you’ll have time to explore Tsumago and walk along a short section of the Nakasendo Highway to the next village of Magome. Later in the day, continue by local train to Nagano, site of the 1996 Winter Olympics, making your way through the Kiso mountain range to Nikko.

Meals: None

Nikko – meaning ‘sunlight’ – is justifiably one of Japan’s major travel destinations, and you have the whole day to explore its many interesting sights. Sacred to Buddhists since the 8th century, Nikko achieved its present grandeur during the 17th century when its forests of giant cedar and cypress trees became the site of the tombs and shrines of the Tokugawa shoguns. Grandest of them all is the wonderfully opulent Toshogu shrine, which houses the mausoleum of the greatest shogun of them all, Ieyasu Tokugawa, as well as the famous ‘three monkeys’ carving that expresses the Zen maxim to “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." There are other attractions near Nikko, including Yashio-no-yu onsen (spa) or, just a bus ride away, Chuzenji Lake and the nearby Kegon-no-taki waterfalls. A little higher up from Chuzenji is the Senjogahara plateau, a great area for hiking, with many trails finishing up at the lovely Lake Yunoko from where its possible to get a bus back to Nikko. Accommodations for the night are a 10 minute walk from the Nikko shrines in a delightful modern ryokan near the Ganmanfuchi Abyss – a wooded riverside area. There is a lovely short walk near here passing by an interesting collection of jizo Buddha statues. The ryokan also has its own hot bath that looks out over the flowing waters of the Daiya River.

Meals: None

There is more time for exploration and relaxation in Nikko today, and for those who might have gone exploring or hiking further on the day before, this would be a good time visit the Toshogu Shrine. Another place close to your ryokan and well worth a visit is the Tamozawa Imperial villa with its exquisite gardens – it was to here that the current Emperor was evacuated during the closing stages of the Second World War. In the afternoon, make your way by train to Japan’s amazing capital, Tokyo, and your centrally-located hotel where you will be based for the next four nights.

Meals: None

This is the last day of your Japan Rail Pass, which can be used for further train travel anywhere in Japan and also on quite a few lines within Tokyo, so this has been left as a free day. Alternatively for those who wish, there is an optional tour to the Hakone region and the chance to glimpse the most enduring of Japanese symbols, the serene and almost perfectly symmetrical Mount Fuji (3776m). On a clear day, this now dormant volcano, that last erupted in 1707, is certainly a sight to behold, but despite its beauty, just like Japanese women of old, Fuji is a shy mountain that sometimes likes to hide its face. At Odawara, transfer to the Hakone-Tozan, which after a dramatic series of switchbacks by the side of a ravine, eventually brings you to the village spa resort of Miyanoshita. Continue your journey by narrow gauge train to Gora, where you transfer to a funicular tram that takes you up the short but steep, lower slopes of Mont Sounzan. Transferring again, this time to a gondola-style cable car, get a remarkable eagle’s eye view of the surrounding volcanic landscape as you carry on your ascent of the mountain. Arrive at Togendai at the northern end of Lake Ashi from where, weather permitting, you will get fantastic views of Fuji’s snow-capped cone. After sufficient time to marvel at Fuji’s majesty, board one of the lake’s slightly incongruous ‘pirate’ ships that will take you on a cruise to Hakone-machi on Ashi’s southern shore. This place was once known as the Hakone Barrier, a place through which all travelers on the Tokaido, another ancient highway connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with the former capital Kyoto, had to pass. Return to Tokyo for your overnight.

Meals: None

Tokyo is well-known for its bustling energy and futuristic architecture. However, it also has a gentler side, and its citizens often reveal themselves – particularly outside of working hours – to be some of the friendliest of any capital city in the world. There are also many vestiges of the past, with historic temples and shrines still to be found in some of the most unexpected places, as well as an abundance of parks and gardens which are particularly exquisite in spring when the cherry trees and azaleas are in bloom. Today you have a varied, full-day tour of the city beginning in the lively Senso-ji temple district of Asakusa, with its many interesting craft and souvenir stalls. After lunch, you are afforded an alternative view of Tokyo as we relax on a short cruise down the Sumida River. The boat drops you off at the delightful Hama Rikyu gardens where you can stroll along paths that were once the sole preserve of the shogun. Later, make your way to the shopping district of Ginza where, depending on the theatre schedule, you can see a short performance of Kabuki, one of Japan’s more spectacular performances.

Meals: None

Today is free at your leisure for further independent exploration or shopping. There are endless opportunities for sightseeing in and around Tokyo; in the east of the city the districts of Shibuya and Harajuku – a magnet for the city’s breathtakingly trendy youth – are particularly interesting, as is the important Meiji Jingu Shrine. In Shinjuku the city’s highest skyscrapers offer panoramic views that on clear days give great views of Mount Fuji. The area is also home to Kabuki-cho, the Soho (but more so!) of Tokyo. Ueno is also worth a visit particularly for its park which is home to the impressive National Museum. Another great museum that gives insight into old time Tokyo is the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku. In the evening, your group will come together for dinner to bid Japan sayonara and farewell!

Meals: Dinner

Your trip ends in Tokyo this morning. Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.

Meals: None