Handpicked Japan

Arrive in Tokyo and transfer to your hotel.

Enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of Tokyo, starting at the Tsukiji Fish Market, best known as one of the largest fish markets in the world. Take the subway to Asakusa, part of Tokyo’s old town and the city’s oldest Geisha district and then head to Meiji Jingu, Tokyo’s most famous Shinto shrine. Continue on to the pop culture mecca of Harajuku and the neighbouring Omotesando. (B)

Using your Japan Rail Pass, take the two hour journey to Nikko. With its World Heritage listed temples and shrines, it is an awesome display of wealth and power. (B)

Board a bullet train and travel on a selfguided day to the iconic snow-capped Mount Fuji. Enjoy a bath in an outdoor hot spring, stay in traditional ryokan accommodation and sleep on a futon. In the evening, relax in your yukata, or lightweight kimono, and dine on a kaiseki multi-course meal. (B)(D)

Today is a self-guided day where you can spend the day exploring Hakone using your transport pass. Suggestions include a trip to Mt Owakudani, a cruise on Lake Ashinoko and trekking the preserved old Takaido Walking Trail. (B)

On your self-guided day, you may like to stroll the narrow streets admiring the wellpreserved 17th century merchant houses and traditional wooden Japanese homes in Takayama. (B)

A day to explore on your own, exploring the Miyagawa morning market and visit the traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses in Shirakawago. (B)(D)

Using your pass, travel by train to Kanazawa, which was a notorious castle town and headquarters to many samurai nobles between the 16th and 17th centuries. (B)

Hiroshima is a historically significant city, marked by the explosion of the first atomic bomb in 1945. On a guided tour, walk through the Peace Park in the centre of Hiroshima, and also visit Miyajima, a small sacred island off the shore from Hiroshima. (B)

Please see Day 9 for today's itinerary. (B)

Continue on to Kyoto, the former imperial capital and home of the country's most treasured remnants of Japanese imperial life. Once in Kyoto there is just so much to do - this ancient city boasts over 2000 temples, shrines and gardens. (B)

Today visit Nijo Castle, the Zen Gardens of Ryoan-ji and the Silver Pavilion on a guided tour. Walk around Gion to catch a glimpse of a Geisha going from teahouse to teahouse and learn how to cook typical dishes served in an izakaya during a traditional cooking experience. (B)(D)

Transfer to the airport for your onward arrangements. (B)