• 4 Dinner (D)
• 9 Breakfast (B)

• Visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Observatory, Sensoji Temple and Nakamise shopping street at Asakusa and the Meiji Jingu Shrine
• Drive up to the 5th Station for panoramic views
• View Mt. Fuji
• Visit Kinkaku-ji Temple and Heian-jingu Shrine 
• Visit Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, and the Peace Memorial Park and Museum
• Visit the Bikan Historical Quarter

• Selected hotel dinners, with optional meals to purchase
• 3-star stays
• Deluxe coach and train travel

• Tokyo: Walk beneath the dense canopy of Meiji Jingu Shrine, then wander through Asakusa and along Nakamise Street, where traditional sweets and souvenirs fill the stalls on the approach to centuries-old Senso-ji Temple and its enormous red lantern.
• Tokyo: Gaze out from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory, 202 metres above the city, where Tokyo’s dense patchwork of rooftops and skyscrapers stretches towards the horizon
• Mt Fuji: Admire the stunning countryside at Mt. Fuji 5th Station.
• Tokyo: Jump aboard the high-speed Bullet Train towards the cultural hub of Kyoto.
• Kurashiki: Explore the historic Bikan Quarter with your Travel Director, following the willow-fringed canals across stone bridges and past white-walled storehouses topped with black tiles.
• Miyajima: Discover the majestic Itsukushima Shrine and learn a new skill when you join a Local Specialist to practice making Momiji Manjyu. 
• Hiroshima: Discover the rich history when you visit the Peace Memorial Museum and Park. 
• Meet your Local Specialist to explore UNESCO-listed Himeji Castle, its brilliant white walls and layered roofs spreading across the hillside like the wings of the heron that gave it its name. Make your way through winding passages and steep stairways towards the great keep, learning the stories held within this centuries-old fortress.

Discover two facets of Kyoto’s heritage, beginning at Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), where gold leaf shimmers over Kyoko-chi mirror pond amid sculpted pines and stones. Reflections ripple like silk as you circle landscaped paths designed for contemplation.

Continue to Heian-jingu Shrine, marked by a colossal vermilion torii gate. Built for the city’s 1100th anniversary, it distils Shinto ritual and imperial aesthetics into tranquil courtyards and gardens, revealing Kyoto’s artistry across eras.

Experience modern Japan at speed as you ride the Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto. Settle into reserved seats and feel the silky-smooth acceleration as the train glides through countryside and coastal plains with to-the-minute precision.

Picture windows frame towns, paddies and distant ridgelines like a moving scroll. This is more than transit—it’s an icon of modern Japan, celebrated for quiet cabins, punctuality and the calm efficiency that underpins daily life.

Walk the willow-trimmed canals of the Bikan Historical Quarter in Kurashiki, where white-walled kura storehouses and black tiles recall Edo-era commerce. Stone bridges arch over still water that mirrors latticed facades and swaying branches.

Your guided stroll threads narrow lanes past merchant homes and former rice warehouses, revealing how river trade shaped the town. With low eaves, clay plaster and quiet courtyards, Kurashiki offers a rare intact streetscape steeped in calm beauty.

Visit Peace Memorial Park to contemplate open lawns, reflection pools and the arch of the Cenotaph that shelters a registry of names. Inside the Peace Memorial Museum, artifacts—from a melted lunchbox to a watch stopped at 8:15—convey the human cost with quiet power.

Conclude at the UNESCO-listed A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Dome), preserved near the hypocentre. The site invites reflection on loss and resilience, and the city’s ongoing message of peace.

Join a Local Specialist to explore Himeji Castle, Japan’s finest surviving feudal fortress. Nicknamed White Heron Castle for its luminous plaster walls and wing-like roofs, this UNESCO site rises above stone ramparts and pines.

Climb steep stairways through labyrinthine passages designed for defence, pausing at arrow slits and massive beams before reaching the great keep. Stories of samurai lords and cunning design reveal a masterpiece of military architecture and elegance.

Visit a working sake brewery to see how rice, water, koji and yeast become Japan’s signature drink. Learn about polishing rates, fermentation tanks and seasonal brewing rhythms as fragrant steam and cedar notes fill the air.

Guided by a specialist, explore styles from crisp junmai to aromatic ginjo and discover pairing traditions born in izakaya culture. This encounter with craft and terroir offers a flavour-rich window onto regional Japan.

Discover Japan’s artistic heritage at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park, home to samurai armour, tea-ceremony utensils and ukiyo-e prints. Curated galleries trace craftsmanship from ancient ceramics to lacquerware that gleams like still water.

Afterward, wander the bustling arcades of Ameyoko Market, where spices, snacks and vendor calls fill narrow lanes. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Join a culinary host to learn how to turn takoyaki on a hot griddle, then sample classic street flavours—smoky yakitori skewers, savoury broth and noodles—while hearing how post-war yatai stalls evolved into today’s beloved food culture.

Between bites, decode regional sauces, toppings and izakaya etiquette that shape everyday dining in Japan. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Glide above Hakone on the Komagatake Ropeway, rising to a volcanic ridge with trails and shrines. From the summit, take in sweeping views of Lake Ashi, ringed by cedar forests and serrated peaks; on clear days, Mt Fuji’s profile completes the panorama.

Photograph shifting clouds and crater contours while learning about Hakone’s geothermal landscape. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Walk beneath thousands of vermilion gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha, where pathways climb into wooded hills dedicated to the rice deity Inari. The endless arcades of torii create flickering bands of light and shadow as you ascend.

Small fox statues, ema plaques and wayside shrines reveal layers of faith and folklore. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Step into tradition as specialists dress you in a silk kimono with coordinated obi. Stroll short distances through the Bikan Historical Quarter to capture portraits against willow-lined canals, white-walled storehouses and stone bridges.

This cultural experience highlights fabric craftsmanship, seasonal motifs and graceful posture techniques. The Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Join a local specialist for a deeper look at Hiroshima beyond the main memorials. Explore lesser-known markers, survivor anecdotes and streets where post-war reconstruction reshaped daily life, gaining context that enriches a visit to the central exhibits.

Along the way, reflect on stories of resilience and community that continue to define the city’s identity. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Ascend to the Floating Garden Observatory atop the Umeda Sky Building, where open-air decks ring Osaka’s skyline and rivers in a 360-degree panorama. Feel the breeze as the city’s grid glows beneath your feet.

Continue to Osaka Castle to explore the museum’s samurai armour, siege exhibits and the glittering golden tea room. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Follow a food-loving host through Namba and Dotonbori, where neon dazzles above canals and grills sizzle. Sample Osaka favourites such as takoyaki octopus balls, okonomiyaki and crisp kushikatsu while learning the street-food lore behind each bite.

Along lantern-lit alleys, discover counter bars and local etiquette that make this city Japan’s playful kitchen. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Costsaver

Ascend to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory and gaze across a city that seems to have no edge. From 202 metres up, districts unfold in layers of glass and tile, with rail lines threading between towers. On exceptionally clear days, the silhouette of Mt Fuji on the horizon adds a poetic counterpoint to Tokyo’s skyline.

Designed by Kenzo Tange, the twin-towered complex embodies the blend of futurism and order that defines modern Tokyo. Pause to identify neighbourhoods, trace the Sumida River’s curve and pause for photos and reflection high above the streets.

Journey into the Japanese Alps and drive to the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station, perched around 2,300 metres. Feel the air sharpen as forests thin and volcanic slopes open to sky. When weather cooperates, views sweep over the Fuji Five Lakes, with the mountain’s snow-capped cone rising in serene symmetry.

At this revered waypoint for climbers, wooden lodges, stone shrines and lookout terraces speak to Fuji’s sacred status. Photograph changing light on the lava ridges and sense why this peak anchors Japan’s imagination.

Explore Tokyo’s spiritual roots at Meiji Jingu Shrine, where towering evergreens and gravel paths soften the city’s energy. Continue to Asakusa to follow Nakamise Shopping Street, its stalls lined with fans, rice crackers and traditional sweets leading towards venerable Senso-ji Temple.

Step beneath Kaminarimon’s great red lantern and watch incense curl from the bronze burner as worshippers bow. Your visit balances quiet shrine courtyards with the colour and bustle of one of Tokyo’s oldest neighbourhoods, revealing centuries of tradition still alive today.

Cruise by ferry to Miyajima and visit Itsukushima Shrine, where halls seem to float at high tide and the “floating” torii gate frames sea and sky. Wooden boardwalks and vermilion beams glow against the forested slopes of Mt. Misen.

Meet a Local Specialist to make Momiji Manju—maple-shaped cakes filled with sweet bean paste—an island tradition since the Meiji era. This hands-on moment pairs craftsmanship with flavour, rounding out a day of Shinto elegance and coastal scenery.

Travel to ancient Nara to visit Todai-ji Temple, where the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) sits within one of the world’s largest wooden halls. In Nara Park, tame deer wander between mossy lanterns and maples, adding a gentle rhythm to temple paths.

At an artisan studio, watch soot and glue pressed into glossy ink sticks, then try mindful strokes in a traditional calligraphy-inspired activity. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.