• 12 Breakfast (B)
• 4 Lunch (L)
• 6 Dinner (D)

• Tokyo: Explore Tokyo’s oldest temple, Sensoji, in the historic Asakusa district. Wander through Nakamise Arcade, lined with traditional treats and crafts, before arriving at the main hall, a symbol of faith, resilience and local spirit.
• Tokyo: Rise above the skyline at Tokyo Skytree, the tallest structure in Japan. From its observation deck, you’ll take in panoramic views of the city, from Mount Fuji to Tokyo Bay. It’s a modern marvel and an unforgettable moment that will leave you awestruck.
• Ginza: With the guidance of your professional sushi chef, make your own selection of sushi specialities. Afterwards enjoy the fruits of your labour with a delicious lunch.
• Tokyo: Visit the Tokyo National Museum to browse collections of Japanese art and archaeological objects.
• Mt Fuji: Admire the stunning countryside at Mt. Fuji 5th Station.
• Gokayama: Take some time to admire the peaceful mountain village of Gokayama. Discover their unique homes that have been built without the use of nails and their sloped thatched roofs. 
• Kanazawa: Learn about the delicacy of the 16th-century craft gold leaf painting with your Local Specialist.
• Kanazawa: Step back in time at the Nomura Samurai House, once home to a respected warrior family. Explore its gardens, traditional architecture and treasured artefacts. You’ll learn about samurai life and honour in feudal Japan with a rare glimpse into the elegance of Edo-period craftsmanship.
• Kyoto: Admire the beautiful golden pavilion of Kinkakuji Temple.  
• Kotohira: Bask in the breath-taking views as we visit Kotohiragu Shrine.  
• Hiroshima: Admire the islands of the Seto Inland Sea as you travel across the Shimanami Kaido Expressway.
• Hiroshima: Spend some time admiring the majestic Itsukushima Shrine.
• Hiroshima: Discover the rich history when you visit the Peace Memorial Museum and Park. 
• Hiroshima: Sample the famous Hiroshima style okonomiyaki.
• Osaka: Discover another side of Osaka in Dotonbori, a lively entertainment district known for its theatres and street food. You’ll walk the main strip before turning into Hozenji Yokocho, a stone-paved alley lined with traditional eateries leading to a small temple where locals splash water over a moss-covered statue for good luck. You may also wish to pause at one of the nearby street stalls to try takoyaki — Osaka’s famous octopus snack, said to have originated here.
• Osaka Castle: Visit Osaka Castle, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a powerful samurai leader who unified Japan for the first time in 1590.

Cross the Seto Inland Sea by ferry to Miyajima, gliding toward the vermilion silhouette of the floating torii gate. Deer wander the lanes as mountain and sea meet in a scene long celebrated in poetry and print.

Visit Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO site whose pier-like halls appear to hover at high tide. Shinto ritual, cypress bark roofs and mirror-calm waters combine in an unforgettable expression of sacred nature.

Reflect at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and walk the surrounding park to the A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Dome), preserved as a stark witness. Monuments, flame and fountains shape a landscape of remembrance and resolve.

Paper cranes, survivor testimony and everyday artifacts connect global history to human stories. Pause at the Children’s Peace Monument and let the river’s slow current carry your thoughts toward hope.

• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star stays
• Deluxe coach and train travel

Ascend the 634-metre tower to ascend Tokyo Skytree and take in panoramic views that sweep from the Sumida River to Tokyo Bay and, on clear days, Mount Fuji. Transparent floor panels and wraparound windows place the world’s largest city at your feet.

Set in the traditional shitamachi east of the city, Skytree fuses engineering prowess with poetic skyline drama. Watch the arterial expressways glow, trace temple roofs below, and feel the quiet hush that only height can bring above the city’s bright hum.

Stroll the Imperial Palace East Gardens, where moats, stone ramparts and broad lawns hint at the might of old Edo. Pass remnants of keeps and gates that guarded the Edo Castle ruins, now a tranquil green lung at the city’s heart.

Continue to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park to encounter swords, lacquerware and Buddhist sculpture spanning millennia. Curated galleries reveal Japan’s artistic lineage—from Haniwa clay figures to silk screens—set within a serene, scholarly atmosphere.

Travel into the foothills to pause at the Mount Fuji 5th Station (2,300 m), where cool alpine air and sweeping views open over the Five Lakes and Japan’s most revered peak. Trail shrines and souvenir huts underline Fuji’s role as sacred mountain and cultural muse.

Descend to the crystal-clear ponds of Oshino Hakkai, spring-fed from ancient snowmelt and a registered component of Fuji’s UNESCO listing. Timber waterwheels, thatched farmhouses and koi-dappled pools reveal how the volcano’s lifeblood nourishes rural life.

Walk Takayama’s Old Town along the Sanmachi-suji streets, where dark-latticed merchant houses, sake breweries and hanging sugidama cedar balls preserve Edo-era rhythms. Lanterns, timber beams and mountain air frame a town famed for refined carpentry and seasonal festivals.

Then savour a regional specialty: Hida-gyu beef, prized for its marbling and delicate sweetness. Tasted in simple, precise preparations, it captures the alpine terroir of Gifu and the understated artistry of Japanese cuisine.

Step into the UNESCO-listed Gokayama valleys to see steep thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouses, their hands-pressed roofs engineered to shed heavy snow. Meet a local family and hear how communal traditions have sustained mountain life for centuries.

Try your hand at traditional washi papermaking in a small, family-run workshop. Your visit is a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience that helps safeguard artisanal livelihoods and supports UN SDG 11—keeping culture and craftsmanship alive in resilient rural communities.

Discover the finesse of gold leaf in a city that produces the vast majority of Japan’s supply. Watch artisans beat precious metal into sheets thinner than a breath and learn how the craft flourished in Kanazawa since the 16th-century craft guilds.

From tea ceremony implements to temple ornamentation, gold leaf lends a quiet glow to daily life. Observe burnishing, cutting and application techniques that transform fragile film into durable, luminous artistry.

Wander Kenrokuen Garden, famed for embodying the Six Attributes of a Perfect Garden: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, watercourses and panoramas. Curved bridges, stone lanterns and teahouses frame reflections on Kasumigaike Pond.

Seasonal highlights—plum blossom, irises, fiery maples, snow-laced pines—reveal meticulous design shaped over centuries by the Maeda lords. Each path reveals a new perspective, composed like a scroll painting in living color.

Explore the earthen walls and narrow lanes of the Nagamachi Samurai District, once home to Kaga domain retainers. Step inside the Nomura Samurai House to see heirloom swords, lacquerware and a jewel-box courtyard garden.

Tatami rooms, a tokonoma alcove and shoji screens evoke feudal aesthetics and codes of etiquette. The quiet harmony of stone, water and maple leaves offers a contemplative counterpoint to the samurai’s disciplined life.

Sample Kanazawa’s coastal bounty at Omicho Market, an Edo-era marketplace where stalls brim with snow crab and sashimi, gleaming amberfish and seasonal produce. Vendors call, blades flash, and steam rises from counters serving warm bites.

Learn how the Sea of Japan shapes local cuisine and pick up tips on regional specialties—from marinated nodoguro to sweet gold-leaf–topped treats—before pausing for a quick taste amid the buzz.

Walk the latticed lanes of the Gion District, where wooden machiya townhouses shelter teahouses tied to geiko and maiko traditions. Lanterns flicker, geta clack on stone, and the fragrance of roasted tea drifts from quiet doorways.

Continue to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), its gold leaf shimmering over a mirror-like pond. Once the villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, this Zen temple distills Muromachi aesthetics into elegant, reflective harmony.

Follow thousands of vermilion gates on the Fushimi Inari Shrine trails, winding through cedar-clad slopes guarded by fox statues, messengers of the rice deity. The rhythmic arc of thousands of vermilion torii creates a meditative path through forest light.

Enter Sanjusangen-do Hall to face a shimmering army of 1,001 gilded Kannon statues. The hall’s long, dim nave and intricate wooden sculpture invite quiet reflection on devotion and craftsmanship.

Connect over a Be My Guest experience in Kyoto, sharing a seasonal kaiseki lunch that balances taste, texture and presentation across artful courses. Dashi broth, mountain vegetables and pristine seafood showcase the subtleties of washoku.

Meet the hosts—meet the Nakamura family—to learn dining customs, from bowing etiquette to the meaning of each courseware piece. Stories of seasonal festivals and hometown flavors turn a meal into cultural exchange.

Walk the terraced Yumebutai complex, where Tadao Ando sculpted a hillside into courtyards and the photogenic 100 Stepped Garden. Squares of seasonal flowers form living pixels that tumble toward the sea.

Descend into Tadao Ando’s Water Temple at Honpukuji, where a serene reflecting pool crowns an underground sanctuary. Concrete, light and lotus leaves orchestrate silence—an elegant dialogue between modern design and Buddhist devotion.

Experience a traditional ryokan stay in Kotohira: slip into a yukata, pad across tatami, and soak in an onsen as mineral-rich waters ease travel-weary muscles. Low tables, seasonal dishes and quiet courtyards complete the ritual.

Climb the stone steps to Kotohira-gu Shrine (Konpira-san), a pilgrimage site with sweeping countryside views. Lanterns, guardian lions and cypress beams underscore centuries of maritime devotion and mountain faith.

Visit Zentsuji Temple, birthplace of Kobo Daishi (Kukai), founder of Shingon Buddhism. Temple halls, pagodas and pilgrim pathways reveal a living chapter of the 88-temple Shikoku route.

Continue across the Setouchi Shimanami Kaido, a chain of bridges linking islands over misty straits. Pause for photos as island-dotted seascapes, fishing boats and citrus groves unfold beneath sweeping steel spans.

Taste Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, a savory pancake layered with cabbage, yakisoba noodles, egg and your choice of fillings, seared on a sizzling teppan griddle. Watch the rhythmic spatula work as sauces glaze and aromas rise.

This convivial specialty contrasts with Osaka’s mixed batter version, revealing regional character in flavor and technique. Pull up a counter stool, trade smiles with the chef and enjoy a delicious slice of local life.

Visit Osaka Castle, rebuilt to its 16th-century grandeur with soaring white keeps and green copper roofs. Exhibits trace the rise of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the castle’s pivotal role in unifying Japan.

Climb to the observation deck for views over moats, stone ramparts and the surrounding park—particularly striking in cherry blossom and autumn maple seasons.

Roll, press and season under expert guidance as you learn sushi-making with a professional chef. From vinegared rice to knife work, discover the balance that defines nigiri and maki, then savor the results for lunch.

Along the way, hear how Edo-style techniques evolved with access to Tokyo Bay, and why wasabi, soy and rice temperature matter. It’s a delicious window into culinary precision and pride.

Join your Travel Director to explore Shinjuku by night, where neon canyons and backstreet lanterns reveal Tokyo’s after-dark personality. Thread past the pocket bars of Golden Gai alleyways and the bright marquees of Kabukicho.

Hear local stories, learn izakaya etiquette and soak up the buzz of ramen steam and jazz riffs. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Embrace elegance with a kimono dress-up experience, as attendants wrap you in silk layers and tie the obi sash just so. Pose for a photo in Kenrokuen, where bridges, lanterns and pines frame timeless portraits.

Learn the symbolism of colors and seasonal motifs and feel how posture changes with traditional attire. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the temple quarter of Asakusa and step beneath the vermilion lantern of the Kaminarimon Gate to reach Asakusa’s Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist site. Offer incense at the main hall and absorb the hum of prayers, shopkeepers’ calls, and the gentle clang of bells that animate this storied sanctuary.

Wander the Nakamise Shopping Street, a centuries-old market of artisanal sweets, fans and handcrafts that channels living Shitamachi culture. This is where Tokyo’s past lingers in wood, paper and spice, framed by pagodas and fluttering good-luck charms.

Trafalgar

Stroll the neon canal of Dotonbori, where giant signs, theaters and the Glico running man light Osaka’s exuberant heart. Street vendors sizzle takoyaki, lanterns glow, and laughter spills from izakaya doors.

Slip into Hozenji Yokocho, a stone-paved alley of traditional eateries leading to a moss-covered deity bathed in ladles of water. The shift from spectacle to stillness captures the city’s soulful, savory contrasts.