Day 1
Depart on scheduled overnight flight from London Heathrow to Kansai International Airport (Osaka). Please note that regional flight connections, flight upgrades and/or overnight accommodation before or after the tour are available on request.
Day 2
On arrival in Osaka in the morning we transfer by coach to Kyoto and the Royal Hotel. The hotel is centrally located with views over the city. All rooms have air-conditioning, private bathroom, TV, fridge, telephone and tea/coffee making facilities. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 3
Today we will have a full day tour Kyoto, beginning with a visit to Kinkakuji temple. The three-tiered Golden Pavilion, which was reconstructed in 1955, is the focus of this ‘pond-and-island’ garden. It exerts a unifying force on the expansive view of the broad Mirror Lake that spreads out beneath it, partly due to the skillful placement of crags and islands. A path behind leads through a leafy forest. We continue to Kiyomizu temple, built in 1633. Jutting out from the hillside on a wooden veranda it commands a fine view over the city. Our next visit is to Heian Shrine, a rare example of an extensive pond garden in the grounds of a Shinto shrine. There are actually four separate gardens, set around the temple building, and designed fundamentally for strolling. The gardens are designated as representative of Meiji era (1868-1912) garden design. We conclude today with a visit to the Kyoto Handicraft Centre, which offers handicraft demonstrations and tax-free shopping.
Day 4
We depart today on a full day excursion to Osaka. We will visit Osaka Castle, begun in 1586, which is noted for its magnificent donjon and huge stone walls. It contains many historical art objects and the grounds are laid out as a park. Later we will visit Kaiyukan Aquarium, one of the largest in the world. Sea-life from 15 different regions, mainly in the Pacific Ocean, is represented in a tour that takes us through a variety of re-created environments, from the Japanese forest to the bottom of the ocean. We return to Kyoto for the evening.
Day 5
Today we transfer to Nara, where we begin with a visit to Todaiji temple. The temple is famous for its ‘daibutsu’, the world’s largest bronze statue and the hall that houses it is claimed to be the world’s largest wooden structure. We continue to Nara Park, popularly known as ‘Deer Park’ as over a thousand tame deer roam free here. There are many historical relics located in and around this finely wooded area. To the west of Nara Park is the Kasuga Grand Shrine, one of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines. Lunch in a local restaurant is included today and we return to Kyoto for the evening.
Day 6
Today we are free to explore Kyoto at leisure. Alternatively, we offer an optional excursion, by train to Hiroshima. This was the first city to experience the destruction of an atomic bomb in 1945 and the city is now symbolized by the Peace Memorial Park, which is included in our visit. In the Park are a museum, the Memorial Cenotaph, the Children’s Peace Monument and the Flame of Peace.
Day 7
We will have another full day in Kyoto today, visiting some outstanding gardens. Daisen-in temple is a dry-landscape garden of the Muromachi period, featuring some classic white gravel abstract forms and containing a famous boat-shaped rock. Saiho-ji temple is noted for its many species of mosses which grow around a large pond in the lower garden. From here a path leads up to a spectacular dry-landscape cascade. We continue with visits to the gardens at Ryogen-in and Zuiho-in and another private garden before returning to our hotel.
Day 8
We will visit the Kyoto Botanical Garden, set in a beautiful location with Mount Hiei and the Higashiyama Ridge to the east and the clear waters of the Kamogawa River to the west. Kyoto Botanical Garden, which opened in 1924, is one of Japan’s leading Botanical Gardens. The gardens have more than 120,000 plants on display and other features include a rose garden, two iris gardens, Japanese native plants and a bonsai collection. The beautiful cherry trees blossom in late March and April and can be seen in abundance in the cherry tree forest. In autumn you will enjoy the broad range of colour on display in the different varieties of trees including maples.
Day 9
We leave Kyoto today, taking the famous ‘Shinkansen’ or Bullet Train to Tokyo. On arrival in Japan’s capital we are met by a coach and given an orientation tour of the city before transferring to our hotel. The Prince Park Tower Hotel is centrally located in the Shiba Park district of the city and all rooms have full private facilities.
Day 10
We have a full day sightseeing in Tokyo today, including visits to the Eastern Imperial Palace Garden, where the royal family resides, Sensoji Temple and Nakamise shopping street. Later we take a cruise on the Sumida River from Asakusa to Hamarikyu. Here we visit the gardens where General Grant stayed with the emperor in 1895, now a popular place for relaxation.
Day 11
We depart today on a full day excursion to Hakone and Mount Fuji, which begins with a visit to Onshi Hakone Park, an area of forested mountains and deep ravines. We will enjoy a cruise on Lake Ashi, the principal attraction of Hakone, 723m above sea-level. The views are dominated by Mount Fuji, the highest peak in Japan at 3776m and instantly recognizable. We will have a further photo stop at Mount Fuji before returning to Tokyo.
Day 12
Today we will have a full day excursion in Tokyo which includes visits to Happo-en garden and another private garden.
Day 13
We depart by coach for a full day excursion to the historic town Kamakura, to the south of Tokyo. The town is flanked by wooded mountains on three sides and Sugami Bay to the south. Here we visit the Great Buddha, the second largest after the one in Nara, and Hase Kannon Temple. Said to have been constructed in 736, the temple houses an eleven-headed gilt statue of Kannon, Goddess of Mercy, and a gigantic temple bell. We continue to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, one of the biggest attractions in Kamakuru, its approaches flanked by azaleas and cherry trees. We conclude with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant which will feature Japanese specialities.
Day 14
Sadly, we check out of our hotel today and transfer by coach to Narita Airport, for our lunchtime flight home, to arrive at London Heathrow in the evening.