Jade Tours - Tour Package


10 Days Memoirs of Japan Tokyo • Mt. Fuji • Hakone • Kyoto • Mt. Koya • Osaka


Day 1 Home City > Tokyo Depart from your home city to Tokyo. Day 2 Tokyo Upon arrival at Narita Airport, you will be met and assisted on boarding an Airport Limousine Bus to the Keio Plaza Hotel. Day 3 Tokyo [B] Embark on a comprehensive tour of Tokyo with a private local guide as your host. Start with a walk in Yanaka, considered as Tokyo’s old “downtown” and which luckily survived from the bombing of WWII. Continue to Ueno Park, home to Ueno Zoo, Tokyo National Museum and many cultural and historical points of interest. Spend some quality time at National Museum and visit a few key attractions inside this Tokyo's largest park. This afternoon, tour the Ameyoko Market, Asakusa Kannon Temple and enjoy a Sumida River Cruise and a tea break at Hamarikyu Garden. Day 4 Tokyo [B] Full day is free at leisure. Optional tours to Kamakura or Nikko will be offered. Day 5 Tokyo > Hakone > Kyoto [B] Depart Tokyo and make the journey to Hakone aboard Odakyu Express “Romancecar” with your guide. Your baggage will be transferred directly to your hotel in Kyoto. Enjoy panoramic vistas of Mt.Fuji with its perfect, snow-capped conical shape, indeed the symbol and the pride of Japan. Continue your sightseeing in Hakone, visit Owakudani Valley, Botanical Garden of Wetlands and Open Air Garden & Museum. This is followed by an enjoyable cruise on Lake Ashinoko. Later at the Odawara Station, you are assisted to board a Shinkansen train for Kyoto. On arrival check in on your own at the Hotel Granvia Kyoto that is directly connected to Kyoto Railway Station. Day 6 Kyoto [B] Meet your private local guide for a panoramic tour of Kyoto. Start with a cable train ride to Mt. Arishiyama, Kyoto’s western outskirts where you will see the romantic “Moon Crossing Bridge” (Togetsukyo), famous for its views of cherry blossoms and autumn colors. Visit the Zyojakoin Temple and the Tenryuji Temple, the main temple of the Rinzai school, one of the two main sects of Zen Buddhism in Japan. Next, visit the Heian Shrine, Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizu Temple. Enjoy a tea break at Kodaiji Temple followed by a walk around Gion Area where you are likely to see traditionally dressed geisha and maikos making their way to work. Day 7 Kyoto [B] Full day is free for further exploration of the imperial capital of Japan on your own. Optional tours to Nara or Miho Museum are available. Day 8 Kyoto > Mt. Koya [B/L] Bring along your overnight bag and travel with your guide together by train and funicular to Mt. Koya, the world headquarters of the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism. After checking into your Shukudo - Buddhist temple lodging, you will tour this UNSCO World Heritage site, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies and over 100 temples. The highlights include Oku-no-In, the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the Kongobuji which is the headquarters of the Shingon sect, and the Konpon Daito pagoda that according to Shingon doctrine, represents the central point of a mandala covering not only Mt. Koya but all of Japan. Your dinner of Shojin-Ryori (traditional Buddhist vegetarian meal — no meat, fish, onions or garlic) will be served by the monks. Enjoy an unforgettable stay at a temple in Mt. Koya. Day 9 Mt. Koya > Osaka [B] You will attend Buddhist prayer services very early in the morning before a temple breakfast. Travel with your guide by funicular and train to Osaka, and enjoy a tour of Osaka Castle and visit Shinsaibashi shopping area before say good bye to your guide at Granvia Osaka Hotel that is directly accessible from Osaka Station. Day 10 Osaka > Home [B] With the transfer coupon given to you by your guide, you travel to Osaka Airport for your departure flight home. Legend: B - Breakfast L - Lunch