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Japan Tour “Private tour to Japan for active people”

Japan tour program including visit to the modern capital and two ancient capitals, hot springs, Japanese “Machu Picchu”, White Heron Castle, two of the three most beautiful landscapes in Japan and the holy city of Koya with accommodation at a monastery hotel.

CUSTOMIZED ITINERARY FOR YOUR DATES

Dates

  • Private tour

Duration

  • 10 days / 9 nights

Price

  • On request

Itinerary

  • Tokyo → Kyoto → Nara → Kinosaki → Amanohashidate → Izushi → Takeda → Himeji → Miyajima → Koya → Tokyo
Reservation

Daily itinerary

1

Day 1

Arrival at the International Airport
Meet your tour guide at the Arrivals
Transfer to Tokyo by private transport
Check-in at the hotel, rest
Evening Tokyo city tour: Shibuya district and Shibuya Sky observatory, walk around Ginza
Back to the hotel
Hotel accommodation: Tokyo [Read more...]

Shibuya Area

Shibuya scramble crossing is one of the busiest crossings in Tokyo. The green light comes on from four directions at once, and several hundred people (during peak hours, the number can reach 1,000) rush simultaneously in all directions, managing to dodge each other with ease built up over the years.

For its picturesque yet orderly crowds, the crossing is beloved by filmmakers, and people worldwide are familiar with it from TV series, movies, and commercial videos. The best spot to watch the hypnotic flow of people is the Starbucks coffee shop on the 2nd floor of the building on the north side of the crossing.

There is also a statue of the faithful dog Hachiko near Shibuya Station, where he used to meet his master, a professor at Tokyo University, every day. After the professor’s sudden death, the dog came to the station every day for nine years, waiting for his master to return. Hachiko became the symbol of loyalty.

Ginza District

Ginza is Tokyo’s most luxurious shopping district, home to prestigious department stores, world-famous designer boutiques, coffee shops, and traditional Japanese restaurants. People come here to learn about the latest high fashion trends and enjoy the creations of the best architects worldwide.

At the same time, Ginza is an art lover’s paradise. There are about 200 art galleries and Kabukiza Theater, which still regularly hosts Kabuki theater performances.

2

Day 2

Breakfast at the hotel
Meet your tour guide at the hotel lobby
Tokyo sightseeing by private transport: Asakusa district, Sensoji Buddhist Temple, Nakamise shopping street, TeamLab museum, Japanese garden
Back to the hotel
Hotel accommodation: Tokyo
3

Day 3

Breakfast at the hotel, check-out
Meet your guide at the hotel lobby
Move to Kyoto by Shinkansen bullet train
Meet your guide at the train platform at Kyoto Station
Kyoto sightseeing by private transport: Golden Pavilion, Zen Rock Garden, Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Transfer to the hotel, check-in
Kaiseki dinner with geishas
Back to the hotel
Hotel accommodation: Kyoto [Read more...]

Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

Kinkaku-ji Temple, often called the Golden Temple, is one of Japan’s most famous temples and Kyoto’s main attractions. Built at the end of the 14th century, this complex, with its three-story pavilion covered with gold leaf, captivated the minds of its contemporaries. The famous Japanese writer Yukio Mishima captured its fate and glory in the novel “The Golden Temple.” Today Kinkaku-ji Temple is a must-see on any traveler’s itinerary in Japan. In addition to the famous pavilion, the UNESCO World Heritage Site also features a traditional walking garden, small waterfalls, and a tea house, representing the culture of the samurai era.

Zen Rock Garden

Zen Rock Garden, or dry garden, with its hidden meanings and allegories, is a beautiful place for contemplation and meditation. Each garden element has meaning, and no randomly placed pieces exist. A dry garden is an orderly system subject to well-established aesthetic rules. Sea waves spread before the viewers, the mountain peaks rise above the clouds, and animals freeze in different poses. This microcosm of Zen Buddhist aesthetics is created using stones of various shapes. The distinctive symbolism of rock gardens is a unique manifestation of the multifaceted Japanese culture.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple (Pure Water Temple)

The Pure Water Temple, or Kiyomizu-dera, is one of Kyoto’s most famous and most visited temples and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded on a mountainside near a spring. Its clear water is said to bestow health, longevity, and wisdom. The temple’s main attraction is its main hall, with an open veranda built on stilts over a cliff. The structure, assembled without a single nail, towers over Kyoto, offering a beautiful view of the old capital. Cafes and stores lining the road to the temple sell Kyoto sweets, ceramics, and souvenirs for all tastes.

4

Day 4

Breakfast at the hotel
Meet your tour guide at the hotel lobby
Transfer to Nara by private transport
Nara Sightseeing by private transport: Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Shrine, deer park
Return to the hotel in Kyoto
Hotel accommodation: Kyoto [Read more...]

Todai-ji Temple

Todai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex whose main building is one of the largest wooden structures in the world. Built in the mid-8th century by order of the emperor with donations from all over the country, the temple features the biggest bronze statue of Buddha in Japan. Almost all the bronze produced in Japan at the time was used to cast the colossal sculpture. The complex also has several unique wooden structures, including the giant Nandaimon Gate with the famous Nio guard figures, the Bell Tower, and Nigatsu-do Hall. The entire complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kasuga Shrine

Kasuga Taisha is one of Japan’s most ancient Shinto shrines, founded in the mid-8th century to protect the capital, Nara. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is famous for its kasuga-zukuri architectural style, the thousands of stone and bronze lanterns decorating its grounds, and the pristine ancient forest where sacred deer, considered messengers of the deities, roam free.

5

Day 5

Breakfast at the hotel, check-out
Meet your tour guide at the hotel lobby
Kyoto sightseeing by private transport: Japanese sword master class and bowl meditation, Fushimi Inari Shrine with the endless red gates corridor
Move to Kinosaki Hot Springs by Express Train
Check-in at the national-style ryokan hotel
Dinner at the hotel, rest in the hot springs
Hotel accommodation: Kinosaki [Read more...]

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of the most important shrines of the Old Capital and the head shrine for a network of over 32,000 subordinate shrines across the country.

The god Inari, to whom the shrine is dedicated, is considered the patron saint of rice farming and artisans, merchants, and business people in general. According to tradition, a generous offering can earn the god’s favor. In Fushimi Inari Shrine, the best gift is considered to be a temple gate-torii. The popularity of the god Inari can be judged by the fact that the entire shrine area is densely packed with thousands of red gates of various sizes, forming red corridors leading from the main altar to the top of the mountain.

6

Day 6

Breakfast at the hotel, check-out
Meet your guide at the hotel lobby
Transfer by private transport to the Sea of Japan
Sightseeing around Amanohashidate, Izushi, Takeda by private transport: Heaven Bridge viewpoint (one of Japan's three most beautiful sceneries), Little Kyoto - Izushi town, Takeda-jo Castle ruins (Japanese Machu Picchu)
Transfer to Himeji by private transport
Check-in at the hotel, rest
Hotel accommodation: Himeji [Read more...]

Amanohashidate "Heaven's Bridge" Sandbar

Overgrown with pine trees, a centuries-old narrow sandbar in Miyazu Bay is one of Japan’s three most beautiful scenic views. “Heaven’s Bridge,” as its name’s translated, looks equally beautiful from both sides of the bay. We will admire the beauty of Heaven’s Bridge from the observation deck and walk across the white sand among the pine trees. Blue sky, turquoise sea water, white sand, and dark green pines will not leave anyone indifferent.

Izushi Castle Town

The historical area of Izushi, the so-called “little Kyoto,” is a beautiful provincial center of medieval Japan, which the local feudal lords carefully arranged in the manner of the imperial capital. There are a few sightseeing attractions here: the walls and towers of the castle, the oldest street clock in Japan (1881), the colorful Inari Shrine, and the old Kabuki theater. In Japan, the town is famous for its buckwheat noodles izushi-soba served on small plates. The tradition of such serving dates to the Edo period when Izushi street vendors began to serve noodles in convenient portions on small plates. Local potters immediately mastered the production of such dishes, which was the beginning of Izushi pottery.

Takeda Castle Ruins

Asago, where Takeda Castle was located, is a small town in the mountain valley of Hyogo Prefecture. Asago has witnessed important historical events in the past. Though abandoned more than four hundred years ago, the ruins of Takeda Castle are one of the most popular places for photographers and history fans. The ruins of Takeda Castle are among “Japan’s Top 100 Castles” and are often referred to as “Japan’s Machu Picchu.” Built on the top of a mountain, the castle is especially beautiful in the small hours of the morning and at sunrise, when it floats like an airship in a sea of lilac mist over the Asago Valley.

7

Day 7

Breakfast at the hotel, check-out
Meet your guide at the hotel lobby
Visiting White Heron Castle Himeji-jo
Transfer to Hiroshima by Shinkansen bullet train
Move to Miyajima Island
Check-in at the hotel on Miyajima Island
Walking tour at Miyajima: Otorii Gate - one of Japan's three most beautiful landscapes, Itsukushima Shrine
Back to the hotel
Hotel accommodation: Miyajima [Read more...]

Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is one of Japan’s 12 historically preserved castles and is considered the most beautiful. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle was built in the early 17th century and was second in size and beauty only to the lost Edo Castle, the residence of the Tokugawa shoguns. Unscathed by wars, fires, and natural disasters for 400 years, the castle is often featured in movies about the samurai era. Fans of classic Japanese cinema remember it for Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran.” The impregnable castle holds secrets of Japanese military strategy and keeps stories of gods and ghosts. The name “White Heron Castle” reflects the beauty of its walls.

Itsukushima Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan’s most famous Shinto shrines located on the island of Itsukushima (also known as Miyajima Island). The sight of the main torii gate set in the sea is one of Japan’s three most famous views. The shrine was founded in the 6th century and took its present form in the 12th century when it was extensively expanded and rebuilt by Taira no Kiyomori. The buildings we see today were built in the mid-16th century, although they are similar in design to those of the Taira clan era. The “floating” shrine is a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site and a National Treasure of Japan.

8

Day 8

Breakfast at the hotel, check-out
Meet your tour guide at the hotel lobby
Transfer to Shinkansen station
Move to Osaka by Shinkansen bullet train
Transfer by private transport to the sacred mountain Koya-san
Check-in at the monastery hotel "shukubo"
Walk around the temple town, visit ancient Okunoin Buddhist cemetery
Vegetarian dinner at the hotel
Hotel accommodation: Koya [Read more...]

Koya-san (Mount Koya)

The Koya Mountain Monastery Complex is one of the most important centers of Buddhism in Japan, founded 1,200 years ago by the monk Kukai. In addition to its religious and historical value, it is also an important cultural monument. The majestic architecture of the complex, paintings by famous artists, unique artifacts accumulated over hundreds of years, the largest rock garden, and one of the oldest cemeteries in Japan – all of it provide a rare opportunity to have an insight into the Japanese philosophy of life and death.

9

Day 9

Vegetarian breakfast at the monastery hotel, check-out
Meet your tour guide at the hotel lobby
Koya-san sightseeing by private transport: Kongobuji Temple
Transfer by private transport to Shin-Osaka Shinkansen station
Move to Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train
Check-in at the hotel, rest
Hotel accommodation: Tokyo
10

Day 10

Breakfast at the hotel, check-out
Meet your tour guide at the hotel lobby
Transfer to the airport by private transport with a guide
Departure