Day 1: Arrival Tokyo

Arrive in Tokyo, you will be transferred by private vehicle to your hotel in Tokyo. Check-in and spend the rest of the day exploring this famous mega-city at your leisure.

On arrival at your hotel in Tokyo, you will be provided with a welcome pack, including an IC card to be used for buses and trains with a 2500Y value already loaded.

Day 2: Tokyo

Experience the way locals eat and drink in Tokyo. With your host and any other small group members, head to 3 very different but authentic izakaya (Japanese-style gastro pubs).

First visit Ebisu, known for Izakaya and named after its famous beer “Yebisu”. Try a variety of food and drinks that local Japanese people eat daily, including yakitori grilled chicken skewers, draft beer, sashimi, Japanese cocktails, fried noodles, plum wine, and more!

After eating and drinking to your heart's content, finish the tour with Japanese sweets. From salty foods and refreshing drinks to pleasantly sweet desserts, you're sure to find yourself full and satisfied after this tour.

Day 3: Tokyo

Your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel this morning as we head off to Kawagoe, famous for its old storehouse merchant buildings. Strolling through the warehouse district will make you feel as if you have travelled back in time and are walking down the streets of old Edo (the former name of Tokyo), which is why Kawagoe is also known as “Little Edo”

Take the vintage loop bus to Kitain Temple. Founded in 830, it is one of the most important temples of the Tendaishu school of Buddhism in Eastern Japan. When the temple burnt down in 1638, the shogun ordered several buildings of the Edo Castle to be moved to Kitain, to help with the rebuilding of the temple. Because the Edo Castle was destroyed afterwards, the palace buildings at Kitain temple are the only surviving buildings of the former Edo Castle. Another highlight is the 500 Statues of Rakan. There are 540 of these statues, representing the disciples of the Buddha, each with its facial expression.

Next, head to Honmaru Goten, built in 1848, it is the only surviving building of the former Kawagoe Castle. Kawagoe's crucial role as a trade city and a strategic point of defence north of the capital made this castle very important. The spacious tatami rooms of Honmaru Goten were used to receive feudal lords when they came to visit. Imagine how it must have been more than 150 years ago when samurai met in these rooms to control the fate of the country.

Then, visit Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, also known as a matchmaking shrine. People who seek love come here to pray. Enter through the 15 metres orange torii gate, walk through the tunnel of ema, wooden plates with the wishes of worshippers written on them, listen to the relaxing wind chimes in summer and discover the ancient trees on the grounds of the shrine, some of which are older than 600 years.

After visiting Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, make a short walk to the warehouse district. Kawagoe used to be an important commercial town, supplying various goods to Edo and many of the merchant's warehouses survive to this day. The beautiful chimes of the bell tower are designated as one of the "100 Best Sound Sceneries in Japan”

Kashiya Yokocho is a little stone-paved shopping street lined with stores that sell traditional Japanese sweets. Here you can discover all kinds of traditional Japanese sweets, like cakes made of red bean paste and sweet potatoes, rice crackers and karinto (sugar-coated, deep-fried cookies), but also modern candies and ice cream.

Day 4: Tokyo to Hakone

Spend the day exploring the park with your included Hakone Transport Pass and drift on a pirate ship across the three thousand-year-old Lake Ashi or catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji as you ride the ropeway above the boiling valley of Owakudani.

Finally, return to your traditional ryokan inn, for a relaxing soak in your onsen, or hot spring bath. Get transported to the Edo period by sliding screen doors and tatami mats before tucking into your traditional Japanese dinner.

Leave the frenzy of the city behind and take the Odakyu Limited Express train from Shinjuku into the mountainous Hakone National Park.

Day 5: Hakone

You are free to explore Hakone National Park independently today, using the mountain railway, cable cars, ropeways, ships across Lake Ashi and local buses. The Hakone Free Pass is valid on all except a few of the buses, for which drivers can advise you when you board. If dinner is arranged at your accommodation this evening, please make sure you get back in good time.

Day 6: Hakone to Kyoto

Travel by Shinkansen at speeds of up to 300km/hr and covering the 430km distance to Kyoto in approximately 2 hours from Odawara station. This refined city is home to an array of World Heritage Sites, spectacular gardens and beautiful vistas.

An easy trip to make is Fushimi Inari Shrine, only two stops and 5 minutes from Kyoto Station on the JR Nara Line. Fushimi Inari Shrine, which was used in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, is home to over 10,000 red tori gates. They form a path up the mountain behind the temple making a spectacular place for photos.

Day 7: Kyoto

Explore the Gion district of Kyoto in the most local way you can; in a traditional Kimono!

Choose from a beautiful selection of over 200 Kimonos and Yukatas, before being styled and fitted by the experts. Observe how different you feel in Japan's most exquisite dress and encounter appreciative and inquisitive locals as you stroll the streets of Gion.

This area has retained a very traditional style so it is the perfect place to try out wearing a Kimono for the first time. The pictures you take on this tour will be unlike any other from your trip and the memory of Gion district will be unforgettable.

Day 8: Kyoto

Your guide will meet you to take you to visit two beautiful and iconic UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Ginkakuji and Kiyomizudera.

Begin with Ginkakuji, also known as the Silver Pavilion, a Zen temple with a beautiful moss garden and a unique dry sand garden. Then, take a walk on the Philosopher’s Path, a pleasant stone path through the northern part of Kyoto's Higashiyama district, which follows a canal lined by hundreds of cherry trees.

Then partake in a Japanese Tea Ceremony called Sao or Cha-no-yu which has more than 400 years of history. The tea ceremony is conducted in the decorated rooms of a traditional house.

Visit the famous Nishiki Market, a narrow shopping street lined with over 100 shops and restaurants. Known as "Kyoto's Kitchen", this lively retail market specializes in all things food related and is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialities, such as Japanese sweets, pickles, dried seafood and sushi.

Next, you will visit Kodaiji Temple. Established in 1606 and belonging to the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, the lavish main buildings and richly decorated interiors are surrounded by beautiful Zen gardens. You will also see two tea houses set amidst the gardens and a small bamboo grove.

Finally, move on to Kiyomizudera, to admire the temple’s panoramic views of Kyoto from the 13 metres high veranda.

Day 9: Kyoto

A full day at leisure to further explore Kyoto. With over 2000 temples and shrines there is always more to see.

Day 10: Kyoto to Tokyo

Travel by Shinkansen or Bullet Train at speeds of up to 300km/hr and cover the 514km distance to Tokyo in just over 2 hours.

Day 11: Depart Tokyo

Enjoy a convenient, hassle-free private transfer in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle to the airport.