Essential Japan and Hakone end Hiroshima

Welcome to Japan! Transfer by coach (SHUTTLE BUS) to hotel.

18H30.- Meeting with guide. Late in the afternoon, we will pay a visit to this fascinating country by taking a trip on the metro (tickets included) to the Shinjuku district and see the crowds of people who use this modern and efficient collective transport system. Then we will take a walk around an hour to the restaurant. Shinjuku is one of the most important nightlife districts. Dinner included and return to hotel by metro with our guide.

08.00 hrs.- In the morning, we take part in a 5-hour trip with our guide to see this amazing city, with its hustle and bustle and extremely modern districts that coexist with quiet, peaceful areas. Brief stop at the Zojoji Temple to make a beautiful photograph of the Tokyo Tower. Pay attention to the hundred of Jizos, stone traditional protecting deities who guide us on our travels, give power to those who are weak (such children) and those in dangerous places, and who are dressed including hats, robes and windmills. Then we head to the junction of Shibuya, a junction that is said to be the most crowded in the world. The Meiji Temple is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji, his wife, and their spirits. We continue on our bus along the elegant street of Omotesando. We will edge the most beautiful part of the Imperial Palace and the gardens. Stop to visit the famous Nijubashi Bridge. We will pass through the district of Akihabara, the “electric town” with icons from the popular Japanese Manga and Anime culture and then see Kokugikan, the Sumo stadium, home of this Japanese sport. We will also visit the Buddhist temple of Sensoji, the oldest and most important temple in Tokyo, with its 55-metre high pagoda. Then we will have some free time to visit the traditional commercial street of Nakamise in the district of Asakusa. Lunch included in a local restaurant. Return to hotel.

Free time in the afternoon.

NOTE: With 5 passengers or less than 5 passengers, the city tour will be done by a tourist bus "Hop On-Hop Off" bus that passes through the most interesting parts of Tokyo, in which passengers can hop off, visit the site of their choice and then hop on the next bus

Total distance: 120 km.
Landscape: Scenic beauty along the Pacific Ocean.

8 a.m. - TOKYO- Departure
9 a.m. - KAMAKURA- Arrival. This "oasis of peace" was the capital of Japan for two centuries. It houses numerous shrines, temples and gardens. We will visit the Zen temple of Hokoku-ji and walk through its bamboo forest (admission included) where we can have a cup of green tea. We will also visit Sugimoto-dera, the oldest temple in the city, founded in 734.

11 a.m. - Sugimoto Dera- Departure
11:20 a.m. - Komachi Street – Arrival. We will have some free time to explore this charming area in the city center.


11:50 a.m.- Komachi Street – Departure.
12:15 p.m.- Kotoku in- Arrival. Admission included to the Big Buddha (Daibutsu), a bronze sculpture dating back to the 13th century and the second tallest Buddha in Japan.


1 p.m. - KAMAKURA – Departure
1:35 p.m.- ENOSHIMA- Arrival. Our route is of great scenic beauty along the Pacific Ocean. Free time for lunch and a stroll in ENOSHIMA, a small island in the ocean linked by a bridge.

2:35 p.m. - ENOSHIMA- Departure.
3:40 p.m. - ODAWARA- Arrival. Here we include admission to one of Japan’s most renowned castles, an imposing medieval fortress (restored in the 20th century) from the Edo period. This historic site houses a museum inside. One of the highlights of the visit is the opportunity to enjoy panoramic views of Odawara City from the castle’s top floor.

5 p.m. . Arrival at Odawara´s hotel.

Today´s stage is spectacular traveling to the beautiful area of Hakone, a region of lakes and mountains near Mount Fuji. We start the day going up OWAKUDANI, the “hell valley”, steam boiler, bubbling mud and sulphurous gases (Note: Access is sometimes closed due to high volcanic activity or toxic gases, in which case we would include the arakurayama sengen park). After that we go on to OSHINO HAKKAI, a small, picturesque village with 8 ponds and views of Mount Fuji. We continue to KAWAGUCHIKO, an idyllic city of small houses, flowers and mountains next to its beautiful lake, where we include a beautiful boat trip. Later we start to climb Mount Fuji where, on the road that takes us to the “fifth station” amidst spectacular forests and views, we reach a height of 2305 metres.

Note: In winter, the climb to Mount Fuji is often closed by snow or other weather conditions; if this is so, we will go as far as we are authorised.


Return to Kawaguchiko, with time to stroll near the lake. We will stay at a Ryokan (a traditional Japanese hotel), and have the chance to enjoy its ONSEN (public baths). Dinner included.


Note: In the planned Ryokan, some rooms are in Japanese style, with accommodation on tatamis, and others are in western-style. Accommodation may sometimes be in a western type hotel.

Total distance: 390 km Note: Wear comfortable walking shoes. At the falls we will walk about 1.5km


08.30 hrs- Kawaguchiko- Departure. We continue along the pretty road bordered by lakes Kawaguchi and Saiko.
09.00 hrs- IYASHI NO SATO NENBA, a tiny village destroyed by a typhoon in 1966 and later restored as a traditional open-air mountain village and museum. Its traditional houses have been transformed into arts and crafts shops, restaurants and traditional museums.


10.00hrs- Iyashi departure.
10.45 hrs- We then have the opportunity to admire the SHIRAITO FALLS, considered done of the most attractive sites in Japan, with a waterfall height of 20 metres.


11.45 hrs- Shiraito Falls departure.
15.30 hrs- We will visit the TOYOTA MUSEUM (admission included), a must-see for motor lovers.


19.00 hrs- KYOTO, arrival and accomodation.

We spend whole day in the city that was the capital of Japan from the year 794 to 1868 and home to the Imperial Court. During World War II the city was the only major Japanese to escape the bombardments, and so it still preserves its wealth of artistic heritage; the famous protocol restricting greenhouse gas emissions was signed in Kyoto in 1997.

08.30hrs.- We head for the outskirts of Kyoto. Arashiyama, where we cross the Togetsukyo Bridge (“bridge over the moon”), which has fantastic views. We will visit the Tenryuji temple, one of the "five major Zen temples of Kyoto" and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, followed by a walk through its mystic bamboo forest. The visit includes a trip to one of the most important parts of the city. We will see the marvellous Shinto Shrine of Fushimi Inari, the Imperial Palace and Kinkakuji temple, “the golden pavilion” and its wonderful gardens.


19.00hrs- At night, a transfer to GION will be included, a busy traditional quarter famous for its Geisha. Free time. The return to the hotel will be free, we suggest you take a taxi. The guide will explain how.

Total distance: 125km

08.00hrs- Kyoto. Departure.
09.00hrs- NARA, we visit Todaiji, a magnificent Buddhist temple built in 752, which has a giant Buddha and where passengers can take photos and touch and feed the deer that wander through the park.


10.30hrs.- Todaiji Temple departure.
11.15hrs- HORYUJI Buddhist temple, a World Heritage Site. Time to discover its seminary, monasteries and temples. Its main pagoda temple is one of the oldest wooden buildings in the world and is the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan and an important place of worship.


12.45hrs- Horyuji Departure. Lunch included in a local restaurant. We continue to OSAKA. 14.30hrs.- OSAKA, Arrival. Accommodation in this modern city (Japan’s second city) and free time. In the evening we will visit Dotonbori, a colourful district filled with nightlife.

Distance travelled: 190 km

8.00 hrs.- Osaka –Departure-. We continue to Osaka Bay.
09.45 hrs.-HIMEJI –Arrival-. Admission to the huge castle is included, which is built in the traditional style of a Japanese castle. Lunch included.


Note: The queues to enter the castle are often very long. In certain cases, we recommend a visit to see only the gardens.


13.00hrs.- Himeji- Departure.
14.30 hrs- OKAYAMA. We will visit Korakuen, one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan, with its lakes, waterfalls and traditional teahouses. Next, we head towards the Shinto shrine of Kibitsu-Jinja where the God Kibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto is venerated, which is the origin of the legend of Momotaro, symbol of Okayama Prefecture. We find a unique architecture with a corridor of 360 meters long. After the visit, free time in the city, active provincial capital of just over 700,000 inhabitants.

17:30hrs.- Arrival at the hotel and accommodation.

Note: On some dates, we may be accommodated in FUKUYAMA or KURASHIKI. When this happens, the visit to Kibitsu-Jinja Temple will be cancelled. The visit to Kurashiki can be made on the same day in the afternoon.

Distance travelled: 220 Km Scenery: Pleasant scenery. Boat trip to Miyajima.


8.00 hrs.- Okayama –Departure-.
8.30 hrs.- KURASHIKI, a city with a very well-preserved historic centre. Time to explore this city with its old-world charm.


10.00 hrs.- Kursahiki –Departure-.
12.30 hrs.- HIROSHIMA, arrival to the city that is sadly famous as the site where the atomic bomb fell in 1945, destroying the whole city. We will visit the peace memorial, the dome and the impressive Peace Memorial Museum. Time for lunch after the visits. Then, we continue to the outskirts of the city and take a small ferry on a 15-minute crossing to Miyajima, the island where “man lives alongside the Gods”. Visit to ITSUKUSHIMA shrine, dedicated to the guardian of the seas and partially built on the sea. Time to explore the temple and stroll through the pretty centre.


Note: The order of the visits in Hiroshima can change, being able to go first to Miyajima and later to Hiroshima.


19.00 hrs—Miyajima –Departure-. We take the boat and then continue to Hiroshima. Dinner included.

After breakfast, end of our services.