Schedule - Japan in May 2019
Saturday 11th May Tokyo: We will meet you at the airport (either
Haneda or Narita). Upon arrival, after clearing immigration, luggage
collection and customs, we transfer into the city and your hotel.
Sunday 12th May Tokyo: Start the day with a visit to Asukusa
Kaminarimon ("Thunder gate"), Hozomon and pagoda. An array of stalls lines
Nakamise Street and the approach to Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in
Tokyo.
Heading to Ueno provides good options and variety for lunch
adjacent to the expansive Ueno Park. The park also contains several museums
(including Tokyo National Museum) and the beautiful Tōshō-gū shine that
enshrines the first Shōgun of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Finishing our visit in Ueno we include a walk through the old style market of Ameya-Yokocho
with its many varied stalls and small shops including many located under the
railway tracks.
Monday 13th May Tokyo to Nagano: Departing from Tokyo we head to the
Japanese Alps and the city of Nagano. The day is reserved for a trip to the
Jigokudani Monkey Park of the famous "snow" monkeys.
Arriving back into Nagano in the mid/late afternoon for check-in at the hotel
adjacent to the main train station. There is time late in the day for a
visit to the 7th Zenko-ji temple that the city is based around. Among the
interesting features is the passageway beneath the inner chamber and people
search for the "key to paradise" and numerous important cultural properties
Tuesday 14th May Nagano to Takayama: Departing Nagano, we combine a short
one hour train journey to the castle town of Matsumoto before getting the bus
for the direct and scenic route though the Japanese Alps.
Arriving in Takayama the afternoon is available to explore the preserved
historic commercial district of old buildings featuring many sake breweries and
local craft shops. A visit to the Showa-kan museum is an interesting peak into
the 20th century of Japan with many items of nostalgia.
Optional: The timing for the day introduces an option to spend a few hours in
Matsumoto to visit its castle. This would push back the arrival into Takayama to
the late afternoon.
Wednesday 15th May Takayama: During the morning visit the river-side
morning market and shops on foot and/or visit the festival floats exhibition
hall. Nearby to the festival float museum is the Karakuri museum that displays
the operation of traditional puppets. After lunch we head to the UNESCO
World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go with its unique steep thatched-roofed
houses.
Thursday 16th May Takayama to Kyoto: Departing Takayama the 'Wide View
Hida" train travels along the scenic Hida River to Nagoya and then a short
shinkansen ride to arrive in the historic capital of Kyoto
With a mid-day arrival the afternoon is for our visit to the Fushimi Inari
shrine founded in 711AD. The unique feature are the 10,000 torii gates that line
the path to the top of Inari mountain.
Friday 17th May Kyoto: Visit Nijo Castle (the palace buildings are one
the best surviving examples of castle palace architecture of Japan's feudal era)
and then the "Golden Pavilion" Kinkaku-ji in the north-west of the city.
From Kinkaku-ji we head to the beautiful Arashiyama district. We enjoy the view
across the Oi River from the Togetsukyō Bridge and a ride on one of the punt
boats on the river. Among the famous sights in the area is the Sagano
bamboo grove and we visit the beautiful Tenryu-ji temple gardens.
Saturday 18th May Kyoto: Day trip to the world heritage site at Nara. At
Nara there is both Todai-ji temple (with the world's largest bronze Buddha), and
Kagusa Shinto shrine. We visit several temples and shrines across the day with
entry to some and viewing others. Of course, there are also 2,000 deer roaming
the Nara Deer Park.
Sunday 19th May Kyoto to Shirahama: Travelling to the Kii Peninsula and
the town of Shirahama takes around three hours from Kyoto. The area is
famous for the Kumano Kodo trails, a set of pilgrimage trails in Wakayama
Prefecture that have been in use for over 1000 years. The Kodo ("old ways") are
a key part of the region's UNESCO designation.
Monday 20th May Shirahama - Kumano Kodo Trails: A full day to explore the
old pilgrimage trails and famous shrines like Hongu Taisha.
Tuesday 21st May Shirahama - Kumano Kodo Trails: Second day for the
exploring the Kumano Kodo with a visit to the Nachi Falls. From Shirahama
the express train takes us to to Kii Katsura and then a by bus to Kumano Nachi
Taisha, the falls are a short distance from the shrine. Optionally this
could be a "rest day".
Wednesday 22nd May Shirahama to Hiroshima: Departing the Kii Peninsula we
pass through Japan's second largest metropolis (Osaka) for the transfer to the
shinkansen to take us south to Hiroshima. With an afternoon arrival time, there
is time to visit the Peace Park and Peace Museum.
Thursday 23rd May Hiroshima: With a full day in Hiroshima we have time to
explore a couple of different destinations. The main attraction for the day is
Miyajima Island and its Itsukushima Shrine. This is the location of the famous
"floating" torii gate. Also on the island we can make use of the we can use the
ropeway (cable car) and head to the top of Mount Misen for views across the Seto
inland sea. If feeling energetic, the walk back down the mountain provides some
good viewing and vantage points (otherwise we can get the ropeway back down).
Friday 24th May Hiroshima to Kanazawa: Departing from Hiroshima there is
a shinkansen and then express train to arrive in the costal city of Kanazawa.
During the afternoon visit the local Omi-cho fresh food market and a great
option for a fresh sushi/sashimi lunch. After lunch visit the beautiful
Kenrokuen Gardens (one of the top three gardens of Japan) and Kanazawa Castle.
The city also boasts the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.
Saturday 25th May Kanazawa to Tokyo: Transfer back to Tokyo and a free
afternoon to explore the sights of Tokyo including its many parks, gardens,
museums or shopping districts, and of course its great variety of food.
Sunday 26th May Tokyo: Final time in Tokyo before airport transfers
and flights.
Saturday 11th May Tokyo: We will meet you at the airport (either Haneda or
Narita). Upon arrival, after
clearing immigration, luggage collection and customs, we transfer into the city
and your hotel.
Sunday 12th May Tokyo: Start the day with a visit to Asukusa
Kaminarimon ("Thunder gate"), Hozomon and pagoda. An array of stalls lines
Nakamise Street and the approach to Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in
Tokyo.
Heading to Ueno provides good options and variety for lunch
adjacent to the expansive Ueno Park. The park also contains several museums
(including Tokyo National Museum) and the beautiful Tōshō-gū shine that
enshrines the first Shōgun of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Finishing our visit in Ueno we include a walk through the old style market of Ameya-Yokocho
with its many varied stalls and small shops including many located under the
railway tracks.
Monday 13th May Tokyo - Day trip to Nikko: Taking the
bullet train north, and then the local train, visit the famous shrines at Nikko
including the lavishly decorated Toshugu shrine and Iemitsu mausoleum. After
lunch head to the scenic Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls.
Tuesday 14th May Tokyo to Hiroshima: From Tokyo we travel to
Hiroshima. With an early afternoon arrival time, there is then an opportunity to
visit the Peace Park and Museum in Hiroshima city. There may also be time
to visit the Shukkei-en miniature garden or Hiroshima Castle.
Wednesday 15th May Hiroshima: The start of the day is to first visit
Iwakuni and the famous Kintai-kyo Bridge. Beyond the bridge is an interesting
array of attractions including a cormorant training facility for "ukai" fishing,
Kikko shrine and a selection of older style buildings and gardens.
For the afternoon is a trip to Miyajima Island and its Daishoin Temple and
Itsukushima Shrine. This is the location of the famous "floating" torii gate.
Also on the island we can make use of the we can use the ropeway (cable car) and
head to the top of Mount Misen for views across the Seto inland sea.
Thursday 16th May Hiroshima to Okayama: Arriving into Okayama, the
afternoon is reserved for visiting Korakuen Japanese garden at Okayama is a
beautiful landscape garden and is ranked as one of Japan's three best landscape
gardens. It is located just beside Okayama Castle, the main building of Okayama
Castle is the six story castle keep.
From Okayama there is an option to visit the Adachi Museum of Art near the
city of Matsue. The two hour train journey through the mountains is a
scenic ride before getting the shuttle
to the museum. The museum houses a collection of nearly 1300 twentieth century
paintings and artworks, and is famous for its garden which has been named the
best garden in Japan annually since 2003. Note, the garden is viewed
rather one that people are allowed to walk through.
Friday 17th May Okayama: A short trip south of Okayama is the
township of Kurashiki and the picturesque canal district. The preserved canal
area that dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1867). Some of the buildings
have been converted into museums and includes the Japan Rural Toy Museum
displays toys from the 1600s to the 1980s. The Archaeological Museum has
artefacts from more ancient cultures, and there is also a natural history museum.
Saturday 18th May Okayama to Kyoto: Leaving Okayama we take the shinkansen to
Kyoto, which delivers us to the historic old capital of Japan. On the way we
have an opportunity to visit Himeji and their world famous castle (and the
associated castle garden), one of the
finest examples of Japanese castle architecture including its impressive array
of supplementary buildings as well as the large donjon (main castle keep).
During the afternoon we usually visit the very accessible Fushimi Inari Shinto
shrine with its famous 10,000 torii gates. The walk to the top of Inari Yama (to
see all 10,000!) takes a couple of hours and is definitely optional.
Sunday 19th May Kyoto: Visit Nijo Castle for the elaborately decorated palace
buildings (one the best surviving examples of castle palace architecture of
Japan's feudal era), and its beautiful Palace garden.
Heading to the eastern side of the city, a trip to Heian Shrine and its
strolling garden is a worth-while visit before heading to the silver pavilion.
With visits to both the silver and gold pavilion of this tour you have the
opportunity to compare the two sites.
Sunday 19th May Kyoto: Start the day by visiting the "golden pavilion"
Kinkaku-ji in the north east of the city before visiting the nearby Ryoan-ji
Temple. Ryoan-ji is the site of Japan's most famous rock garden.
From Ryoan-ji we then head to the beautiful Arashiyama district, enjoy the view
across the Oi River from the Togetsukyō Bridge. A visit to the Tenryu-ji temple
gardens is very nice, and a ride on one of the punt boats on the river can
insert a relaxing interlude to the day. Among the famous sights in the area is
the Sagano bamboo grove (although the large number of tourists makes it hard to
get "travel brochure" photos.)
Monday 20th May Kyoto: To experience one of the most important cultural and
historic places in Japan, we visit Nara, Japan's first capital. At Nara is
Todaiji Temple which houses the world's largest bronze Buddha in the world's
largest wooden building, and the Nara Deer Park with many deer roaming the
precincts.
Tuesday 21st May Kyoto to Takayama: Travel by Shinkansen and then local
train alongside the scenic Hida River to the onsen (hot spring) mountain town of
Takayama. Explore the town's historic buildings and shops on foot. The local
specialty is Hida beef, we recommend enjoying it at one of the local restaurants.
Wednesday 22nd May Takayama: During the morning explore the town's historic
buildings, morning market and shops on foot and/or visit the festival floats
exhibition hall.
The afternoon is reserved for a 1/2 day bus tour that visits the
World Heritage Site of Shirakawa-go with its old traditional "A frame"
farmhouses.
Thursday 23rd May Takayama to Kanazawa: Departing from Takayama we travel along
the scenic Miyagawa River to Toyama before a short shinkansen ride to Kanazawa.
During the afternoon visit the local Omi-cho fresh food market and a great option for a fresh sushi/sashimi lunch. After lunch visit the
beautiful Kenrokuen Gardens (one of the top three gardens of Japan) and Kanazawa
Castle. The city also boasts the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.
Friday 24th May Kanazawa to Tokyo: Departing from Kanazawa we travel by
shinkansen back to Tokyo. The afternoon is available for a visit to the Hamariku
Gardens. Hamariku features seawater ponds that change level with the
tides, and a teahouse on an island where visitors can rest and enjoy the scenery
(including the Tokyo skyscraper skyline).
Saturday 25th May Tokyo: There are many great gardens in and around
Tokyo that are worth visiting including the Shinjuku National Gardens or the
huge Showa Memorial Gardens in western Tokyo. As day trips the Kairakuen Garden
in Mito is ranked among Japan's three finest landscape gardens, or the Asikaga
Flower Garden Park are possible destinations.
Sunday 26th May Tokyo: Final time in Tokyo before heading to the
airport for your flight home.
Price Inclusions/exclusions
The price for the sixteen day Japan in May 2019 Tour (accommodation for
fifteen nights) is from
Y695,000 per person share twin/double. Shorter or longer duration is
also available.
The price for the sixteen day Japan Spring Garden Tour (accommodation for
fifteen nights) is from
Y695,000 per person share twin/double. Shorter or longer duration is
also available.
The price includes:
- Our tour service, including a dedicated guide for the duration of your
tour. That includes a meet&greet at the airport and transfers to the hotel in
Tokyo.
- Accommodation, averaging 4* - 5* properties and usually including
breakfast. We aim to book superior rooms to give additional space
and comfort during your trip.
- Transport, all train travel, subways, and transfers. Taxis are also covered
during the day for our sightseeing as well as the occasional bus connection.
(Not flights to/from Japan.)
- Entrance fees for temples, shrines, castles, parks, gardens, and museums.
These are listed in your agreed tour schedule.
- Evening meals at ryokan (Japanese inn) accommodation are normally
included as well as breakfast. In general, we do not include lunch and
dinner meals because Japan has a huge range of foods and we prefer not to
restrict options, especially when food is a significant part Japan.
Exclusions are generally items such as theatre performances, sporting or
other special events, theme parks, lunch and
evening meals, snacks/drinks and other incidental costs such as hotel room
service/laundry.
Bookings and Inquiries
If you are interested in joining this tour, please contact us or email us
directly at
admin@japancustomtours.co.nz.
