DAY 1 – ARRIVE IN TOKYO!

Touch down Japan! Welcome to the land of culture, a country with majestic mountains, crazy neon lights, world-class food & ancient and fascinating history. A land where the sake is hot or cold, where the sun glistens off the snow-covered peaks, where incense floats around temples and shrines & where the technological advances take the world by storm. Japan is a dream, a desired destination where all those leave with a newfound sense of wonder. Arrive into your Tokyo Hotel to be greeted by your tour guide. Tonight we’ll take you out to feast on Japanese cuisines and meet the rest of your group. Once we’ve finished exploring, we’ll head to Senso-Ji, which is one of the most important temples in Tokyo. This illustrious red temple is a feast for the senses especially when all the crowds have gone. Smell the incense and draw a fortune, visiting this temple in the evening is truly a special event.

• Meals – Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Share in a hotel with en-suite
• Included Activity – Welcome dinner & Senso-ji
• Optional Activity – Tokyo Skytree

DAY 2 – MODERN TOKYO DAY TOUR

We’ll start the morning off with an orientation class. You’ll learn simple Japanese customs and phrases to help you dictate your way across the country. Once we have learned all we need, we’ll head out to the birthplace of Japanese teen pop culture, Harajuku. We’ll then move away from all that craziness to the serenity of Yoyogi park which houses the magnificent Mei-ji Shrine. In the evening, we’ll head to Akihabara – Tokyo’s electric town – and be blinded by all the neon lights and crazy shops in store. We’ll challenge you all in the Sega Centre and provide you with a map with the best things to do so you can explore the area. 

• Meals – Breakfast
• Accommodation: Twin Share in a hotel with en-suite
• Included Activity – Japanese language & cultural class, Harajuku tour, Meiji Shrine, Akihabara tour
• Optional Activities – Maid Cafe, batting cages

DAY 3 – SUSHI AND ROBOTS!

Today we’ll head to the world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market. Tokyo is famed for its seafood delights and this is the epicentre of where the best fish in the world is found. Once we have toured the facility, we will head over to our sushi making class where our guides here will teach you how to roll the perfect sushi, fry the best tempura and eat sashimi properly. After your sushi lunch, we’ll head back to the hostel for a quick freshen up before heading to the incredible Shinjuku area for a meal of Yakitori and beer. After dinner we will treat you to an incredible show like no other, where robots dance to the theme of thriller whilst lasers and lights bounce off the walls of the world famous Robot Restaurant. Wrapping up the day viewing the world famous Shibuya Pedestrian Crossing.

• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
• Accommodation: Twin Share in a hotel with en-suite 
• Included Activities – Tsukiji Fish Market, sushi making class, Tokyo Government building look out, Robot Restaurant, Shibuya Crossing
• Optional Activity – VR Centre

DAY 4 – MT FUJI VIEWING

Today we leave Tokyo by the aptly named Romance Car to the stunning mountainous town of Hakone. After checking into our guesthouse accommodation situated in the mountains, we will spend the day exploring the surrounding areas on a variety of different transport including Cable Cars, Rope Ways and even a Pirate Ship. Why is Hakone so special? Well, not only is the food incredible but the views of Mt Fuji are pretty spectacular on a clear day. After a day of exploring and taking photos of Japan’s most famous mountain, we’ll arrange a typical Japanese Nabe dinner in the guesthouse and settle in to play some family games for the evening.

• Meals – Breakfast & dinner
•   Accommodation: Twin Share on tatami mats with shared bathroom in Guesthouse
• Included Activities – Mt Fuji Viewing, Ropeway, cable car, pirate ship, rooftop dinner
• Optional Activites – N/A

DAY 5 – TEMPLE STAY

Today we board the bullet train, a soaring feat of engineering that throws you across the countryside. Along the way, be sure to take in the stunning mountains that pass by all the way to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Takayama. Our accommodation tonight is in a stunning Japanese temple, where your bed will be on simple tatami mats. Never before would you have stayed in more beautiful surroundings! Once you’ve had the chance to drop your things off we will be met by our local guide who will show us around Takayama’s old town and the incredible Edo period buildings that remain to this day. Before heading back to the temple, we will visit a traditional Japanese Archery Dojo where you can try your hand at the sport and test your eye against the rest of your group. After all that, you get a real chance for you to focus on your mindful experience as you sleep soundly in the temple.

• Meals – N/A
• Accommodation: Multi – share in a temple
• Included Activities – Sake Tasting, Temple stay, Local Guided tour of Takayama Old Town, Traditional Archery
• Optional Extras – Onsen

DAY 6 – TIME FOR KYOTO

In the morning your guide will walk you around the beautiful old town and village of Takayama, we’ll be sure to stop for lunch before boarding the train back to Nagoya and taking our final bullet train to Kyoto. Famous for its shrines, temples and Geishas, Kyoto is a sure fire way to find your inner peace and get lost exploring its small alleyways. In the evening, we’ll walk around Kyoto’s Gion district, famous for Geishas (Japan’s traditional art form of entertainment), if you are lucky enough you might even spot one.

• Meals – N/A
• Accommodation: Twin Share in a hotel with en-suite
• Included Activities – Gion District Walking tour
• Optional Activities – Geisha performance

DAY 7 – SHRINES, TEA AND KIMONOS

We’ll rise early in the morning and take the subway to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine. We arrive early to escape the bustling throng of tourists and work our way through the mountain, exploring corridors of never-ending red gates. Afterwards, we’ll make our way to Kiyomizu-Dera temple, one of Japan’s most famous temples. A stunning bamboo and wooden complex that sits high on the mountainside. This afternoon we’ll walk back to the edge of the Gion District, where you’ll be kitted out in a traditional Japanese Kimono and the group will experience a Tea Ceremony to get a real feel for this bastion of Japanese tradition. Both the Kimono and the afternoon is then all yours to spend shopping or visiting other sites nearby.

• Meals – Breakfast
• Accommodation: Twin Share in a hotel with en-suite 
• Included Activities – Fushimi-Inari Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple,Tea Ceremony, Kimono Hire
• Optional Activities – Nishiki Market, Bike Rental

DAY 8 – ZEN GARDENS & KENDO CLASS

This morning we’ll head to the incredible Golden Pavilion, a beautiful gold laden building, surrounded by lakes which showcase a stunning reflection of the building. After, we’ll head to Daitoku-Ji, a quiet group of buildings and temples, away from the main tourist districts, where you can truly channel your inner zen. In the afternoon we head to a traditional Kendo class housed in the dojo where it all began. Your authentic Bushido instructor, a descendant of a Japanese Samurai Warrior, will teach you the way of this respectful martial art, before finishing with a  guided meditation reflection to finish off this incredible day.

• Meals – Breakfast
• Accommodation: Twin Share in a hotel with en-suite
• Included Activities – Golden Pavilion, Zen Garden, Kendo Class
• Optional Activities – N/A

DAY 9 – BAMBOO FOREST AND OSAKA CASTLE

In the morning, we’ll beat the crowds and take a train to the Arashiyama district. This stunning district is flanked by mountainous valleys with a river working its way through the middle. We’ll start off by wandering through the Instagram worthy Bamboo Forest, before climbing the steps up to Monkey Mountain. Once we make our way down, we’ll board a private rowboat and explore the valleys the traditional Japanese way. We’ll then head back to our hostel, check out and make our way to Osaka! After checking into our hotel on the edge of the Dotonbori district, we’ll take the metro to the magnificent Osaka Castle where we’ll tour the grounds before going inside to see the unbelievable view from the top. For dinner we’ll be heading into Shinsekai, the birthplace of Japan’s famous Kushi-Katsu dish, before heading home for a well deserved rest.

• Meals – Breakfast
• Accommodation: Twin Share in a hotel with en-suite
• Included Activities – Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Monkey Mountain, 30 minute boat tour, Osaka Castle visit & Entry, Shinsekai
• Optional Activities: N/A

DAY 10 – DEER, TEMPLES AND FOOD!

An early start today as we head out of the city, 30 minutes on the train to beautiful Nara. As we leave the train station and begin our walk towards the main park, keep your eyes peeled for the friendly locals on the way. Nara is famous for being a city that lives symbiotically with deer and is a historically important former capital of ancient Japan. We will wander through the beautiful Nara Park where you’ll find buildings that have been standing for over 1000 years, before venturing inside Todai-Ji, an 8th Century temple that until 1998 was the world’s largest wooden building! After making our way round the rest of the park we head back to Osaka where you will have the afternoon free to explore. In the evening we will head out into the Dotonbori area to take you on a food tour. There is no better way to view this incredible, living, breathing city than tasting your way through it. In the evening we’ll wrap up our tour with one final Japanese tradition – Karaoke!

• Meals – Breakfast & Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Share in a hotel with en-suite
• Included Activities – Nara, Todai-Ji Entry, Dotonbori, Street food tour (4 dishes) & All you can drink karaoke
• Optional Extras: N/A

DAY 11 – DEPART

After nursing your head from last night’s antics, it’s time to say goodbye to your group and the new friends you have made from your tour. We hope we have shown you the best that Japan has to offer. If you’re continuing your travels with us, we can’t wait to see you in Sri Lanka or The Philippines, or if you’re returning home, we hope we have at least inspired you to #exploremore

Meals: Breakfast