DAY 1

• TOKYO

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• Here we Go!
• Welcome to Japan!
• Welcome to Tokyo! An English-speaking assistant will be waiting for you upon your arrival at the airport, holding a sign with your name on it. This representative will introduce you to your driver for a transfer back to your hotel.
• Meet your driver for an enjoyable airport transfer with a private vehicle.

DAY 2

• TOKYO

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• Sights and Insights
• Spend a half day discovering Tokyo’s fascinating sites that juxtapose traditional temples and gardens with futuristic skyscrapers. With the help of your local guide, set out on the city’s comprehensive and user-friendly public transport system. Begin with a visit to the outside of the Imperial Palace, home of Japan’s Imperial Family. Head to Asakusa, the city’s old town area. Soak up the atmosphere of traditional Tokyo of yesteryear, exploring Tokyo’s oldest and most popular temple, Sensoji Temple, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple. Sensoji backs onto Nakamise, a shopping street that has provided temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and souvenirs for centuries.
• Hop on the subway for a journey across the city to the Meiji Shrine, a shrine dedicated to the deified spirit of Emperor Meiji and a popular place for traditional Japanese weddings. Japan’s feudal era came to an end during the Meiji period, and the country found itself modernizing and westernizing during this time. If time permits, stroll along Omotesando shopping street, a broad tree-lined avenue home to the flagship stores of the world’s top fashion brands. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off at your hotel.
• Please note that this tour includes a private guide. However, rather than traveling by private vehicle, you will explore Tokyo by making use of Tokyo’s efficient local transit system.
• After years of traveling to and from Japan, our Destination Experts all agree that when traveling to the other side of the globe, we all need some time at leisure to acclimate to the new time zone, a fast-paced city, and a different country, culture, and way of life. Take this day to explore the city at your own pace or rest at your accommodations and set off tomorrow fresh-faced and ready to take in the incredibly country that is Japan with your private guide along side.
• Please note: If you're the type to 'hit the ground running' when you travel, simply let your Destination Expert know and they will help you choose the best tour for the first, full day of your time abroad.

DAY 3

• TOKYO

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• Strolling the Magical Streets
• This afternoon, explore three of Tokyo's vibrant centers of youth fashion and pop culture with your private local guide. Begin in Shibuya, Tokyo's main center for youth fashion and culture. Its streets are the birthplace of many of Japan's fashion and entertainment trends and the area is also home to the famous five-way "scramble crossing". The Shibuya Crossing is rumored to be the busiest intersection in the world. Next, travel to Harajuku and Takeshita-Dori (Cat Street). This famous street is lined with quirky fashion boutiques, cafes, and restaurants for your enjoyment. Harajuku caters to every imaginable style and is the epicenter of Japanese “kawaii”, the culture of cuteness. Continue to Akihabara, also known as Electric Town, an area that was originally famous for its many electronics shops. Akihabara is renowned as the center of Japan’s otaku culture, a culture of diehard fans in anime and manga fandom. Many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga are now dispersed among the electronic stores in the district. The last stop at one of Tokyo’s famous pet cafes. Here you can enjoy a beverage and dessert and befriend a few of Tokyo’s cuddly creatures. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off at your hotel. Rather than traveling by private vehicle, you will explore Tokyo by making use of Tokyo’s efficient local transit system.

DAY 4

• TOKYO TO HAKONE

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• Breathe the Mountain Air
• Leave behind the hustle and bustle of Tokyo in favor of a day in Hakone, the gateway to Japan’s tallest mountain Mt. Fuji and the surrounding national park. Your local guide will meet you at your hotel this morning and accompany you on your private drive from Tokyo. Spend the day exploring Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, making use of your private vehicle as well as Hakone’s experiential forms of transport. Ride the world’s second longest cable car up Mt. Owakudani, passing over sulfurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers in this active volcanic area. Sample Hakone’s famous local treat, the black eggs of Owakudani. The eggs are hard boiled in Hakone’s well known sulfuric hot springs, and local legend has it that eating one of these eggs will add seven years to your life. Board a majestic pirate ship and sail across Lake Ashinoko, a lake formed by a volcanic eruption 3000 years ago. Throughout the day there is a chance to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji, however, please keep in mind that she is a notoriously shy mountain and it needs to be a clear day.  

DAY 5

• HAKONE TO KYOTO

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• Ride the Rails
• Meet your driver for a train station transfer with a private vehicle.
• Relax on the scenic train from Hakone's Odawara station to Kyoto. The train ride is approximately 2 hours.
• Meet your guide for a train station transfer with a private vehicle.
• The Philosopher's Path is a pleasant stone path through the northern part of Kyoto's Higashiyama district. The path follows a canal which is lined by hundreds of cherry trees. Approximately two kilometers long, the path begins around Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) and ends in the neighborhood of Nanzenji. The path gets its name due to Nishida Kitaro, one of Japan's most famous philosophers, who was said to practice meditation while walking this route on his daily commute to Kyoto University. There are many small temples and shrines to stop off along the walk. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

DAY 6

• KYOTO

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• A Walk Through the Past
• Today you’ll be exploring Arashiyama, the western outskirt of Kyoto home to the world-renowned Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and the Nonomiya Shrine, two of Japan’s most picturesque sites. A private guide will be accompanying you as you travel to and from the sites by taxi on this half day tour.  Stroll along the sprawling stalks of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, a serene and mystical forest that makes you feel like you’re walking in another world. Afterwards, you’ll visit Nonomiya Shrine where in ancient times, single imperial princesses stayed for a year or more to purify themselves prior to taking up their duties as royalty. Next, you’ll visit Tenryuji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site ranked among Kyoto's five great Zen temples, and the largest and most impressive temple in Arashiyama. Tenryuji Temple is home to temple buildings, attractive gardens and walking paths. Enjoy traditional Buddhist cuisine during a vegetarian "shojin-ryori" lunch made with yuba, tofu, and seasonal vegetables while overlooking the beautifully landscaped gardens. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off at your hotel.
• Enjoy a rare peak into Kyoto’s mysterious Geisha culture as you dine at a historical Kyoto restaurant, whose chef is the son of a Geisha. Enjoy a private multi-course traditional Japanese dinner, with the added chance to have a peak into the exclusive entertainments of the Kyoto “Flower and Willow World.” You will see an authentic maiko perform dances to live music by a senior geisha shamisen player. You will have the chance to partake in a traditional Geisha game, ask questions, and hear stories translated directly by your personal translator, an expert in Kyoto geisha culture who will help you every step of the way. This is a chance to partake in the elevation of human craftmanship to a rarefied ideal in a unique ‘world within a world’ that even most Japanese find impenetrable. The evening ends at the restaurant, and your host can help you arrange a taxi back to your hotel (payable directly to the taxi).

DAY 7

• KYOTO

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• Nurtured by Nature
• Begin your day by transferring from your hotel to Fushimi by taxi with your local guide. Fushimi is technically a part of Kyoto, and it is an area rich in history and charm. Upon arrival, visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, which was used in the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha”. It is home to over 10,000 red tori gates, which form a path up the mountain behind the temple. After visiting the shrine, take a look around the Gekkeikan Sake Museum. During a tour of the museum you will learn about the traditional brewing process and sample a small cup of sake if you wish. To enjoy even more of this Japanese favorite, visit a local café where your guide will order you a sake tasting set. There are a variety of sets to suit many tastes and you will be able to pick whichever appeals to you most. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.
• Kyoto has been charming visitors to Japan since the country began opening its borders at the end of the 19th century. Once Japan's capital (794-868) and the emperor's residence from 794 to 1868, Kyoto is known throughout the world for its wealth of majestic palaces and villas, delightfully charming streets, tediously tended-to gardens; and time-honored traditions that are preserved to the present day.
• Options abound with time on your own in a city like Kyoto. This evening, consider walking the Philosopher's Path up to Higashiyama: This 30-minute (leisurely) walk takes you along one of the city's most iconic canals and is an ideal way to spend a languid afternoon. We recommend starting at the south end (unlike most city-guides) so that your outing ends in the historical Higashiyama neighborhood, replete with dozens of cute cafes or boisterous izakayas if your afternoon walk has left your whistle in need of whetting. We also recommend reservations* at one of Kyoto's 265 Michelin-starred restaurants tonight.
• *Note: Please let your Destination Expert know ahead of time as reservations must often be made three or more months in advance and may come with a fee (just to reserve) which we can have waived on your behalf.

DAY 8

• KYOTO TO OSAKA
• Until Next Time…
• Enjoy a transfer with a private driver from Kyoto to Osaka Kansai International Airport.

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Park Hotel Tokyo

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

The Thousand Kyoto