Cities and Mountains

Arrival at Tokyo airport (Narita or Haneda)

Reception at the exit of customs in English by our airport assistant.



Unaccompanied transfer from the airport to your hotel in Tokyo (see details). Possibility of accompaniment to the hotel (optional)



Installation at the Metropolitan Ikebukuro hotel or equivalent 4 * (rooms available from 3 p.m.)



Welcome by the guide at 6 p.m.

Presentation of the tour by the guide during a welcome dinner.



Dinner provided by Japan Experience.

Breakfast at the hotel.



Departure around 8:30 am, guided tour of Tokyo:

- Ginza, the chic district of Tokyo

- Tsukiji *, the small outdoor food market

- Hamarikyu, the Japanese garden between the buildings of Tokyo

- Asakusa, traditional district and place of pilgrimage, accessible by cruise on the Sumida River

- Sensô-ji Buddhist temple, one of the oldest in the city

- Rue Nakamise Dôri, long and narrow alley lined with thousand-year-old stalls

- Tokyo Sky Tree ** and its panoramic view of Tokyo.



Lunch provided by Japan Experience.

Free dinner. Your accompanying guide can advise you on his best addresses!



Daily trips by public transport, boat and on foot (about 8 km in total)





(*) The “big” Tsukiji market was relocated to Toyosu in October 2018. Only the “external market” is now accessible ...



(**) One of the three tallest towers in the world, culminating at 643m. In the event of bad weather or reduced visibility, Japan Experience reserves the right to substitute this tour with another vantage point.

Breakfast at the hotel.



Continue to visit Tokyo with your tour guide:

- Ueno: the must-see in Tokyo with its park filled with cherry trees and its lotus pond

- Harajuku: the avant-garde district

- Meiji Jingû, the imperial shrine

- Takeshita-Dori: the most famous street in Japan

- Omotesando: the Champs-Élysées of Tokyo

- Shibuya and its essential "crossing"



Lunch and dinner provided by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by public transport and on foot (about 10 km in total).

Breakfast at the hotel.



Free day (*), which you can devote to the many other monuments and interesting sites of the capital and its surroundings: your guide will be able to advise you usefully.



In the capital :

- Tokyo City Museum (Edo Tokyo Museum);

- Shinjuku Gyôen (park);

- Akihabara: the electronic and manga district;

- Vintage neighborhoods of Yanaka and / or Shimokitazawa.



Around Tokyo, we offer a guided tour of the city of Kamakura (from Kamakura station) and its Big Bronze Buddha (not included in the tour, contact us).



(*) Please note: only breakfast is provided by Japan Experience, at the hotel. The other meals, transport and visit are free and not organized by Japan Experience.

Breakfast at the hotel.



Transfer of your luggage to Kyoto organized by Japan Experience (1 piece of luggage per person). Plan a small bag for the night in Hakone - Mount Fuji.



Train and shinkansen ride from your hotel to central Hakone - Mount Fuji (approximately 1.5 hours).



Departure by minibus for the heights of Hakone for a breathtaking view of Mount Fuji *

- Walk along the old Tokaido road which linked Tokyo to Kyoto;

- Lake Ashi-no-ko and its Japanese torii gate with its feet in the water;

- the incredible volcanic site of Owakudani **.



Installation in your ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel).



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Japan Experience.



* Weather permitting.

** The site may be inaccessible due to volcanic activity.



Daily trips by train, mini-bus and on foot (about 2 km in total).

Traditional Japanese breakfast at the ryokan (predominantly salty).



Depart on foot or by public transport to the Hakone Open Air Sculpture Museum.



At the end of the morning, departure for Kyoto by shinkansen (2h).



Note January 30, 2020: the Hakone Tozan train line leading to the museum having been partially destroyed by the weather events at the end of 2019, it will definitely not be rebuilt. Therefore access to the museum is provided by bus which takes much longer than the train. This is why it was decided that the group will travel to Kyoto earlier, to visit, among other things, the huge Kyoto station before joining the brewery.



Visit of a sake brewery.

Tasting of several kinds of this traditional Japanese alcohol (between 12 and 20 degrees) to celebrate your arrival in the capital. history of Japan.



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Japan Experience.





Daily trips by public transport, ultra-fast shinkansen train, and on foot (about 5 km).

Breakfast at the hotel.



Kyoto tour by minibus:



- The Ryoan-ji Zen garden;

- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) and Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion), the bewitching path of philosophy;

- The charming village of Ohara, in the suburbs of Kyoto: the green Sanzen'in temple and visit of the surrounding Japanese countryside (rice paddy, fields of Japanese vegetables: tsukemono, shiso ...).



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by minibus.

Breakfast at the hotel.



- Excursion by shinkansen (50 min) to Himeji castle (Unesco heritage);

- Lunch in Himeji and return to Kyoto by shinkansen;

- Visit of the fabulous Fushimi Inari sanctuary to discover an incredible sunset *;

- Evening stroll in the Pontocho district.



* weather permitting.



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by shinkansen, taxi and on foot (about 7 km in total including ascent-descent to Fushimi Inari).

Breakfast at the hotel.



Free day (*): enjoy the many wonders of the ancient capital at your own pace. Your guide will be able to advise you.



We recommend an excursion to the famous city of Hiroshima (optional guided tour from Hiroshima station ** from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., contact us) in order to visit some must-see places:

- The Peace Memorial Park and its museum (Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum);

- You can also go to Miyajima Island to visit Itsukushima-jinja shrine and its large portal (ootorii). (Note: The ootorii will be under construction until an undetermined date)



(*) Please note: only breakfast is provided by Japan Experience, at the hotel. The other meals, transport and visits are free.



(**) 2 hours by shinkansen from Kyoto, free with your JR Pass.

Breakfast at the hotel.



- Departure by minibus for the Miho * museum built on top of a mountain by the architect IM Pei. (Notably known for the design of the Louvre Pyramid);

- Excursion off the beaten track, in the countryside of Kyoto, to discover the fields and producer of tea;

- Evening walk in the picturesque Sannen-zaka & Ninnen-zaka streets of the Gion district.





We draw your attention to the fact that it is strictly forbidden to take photos in the historic district of Gion.



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Japan Experience.



Day trips by minibus and on foot in the evening (about 3 km).



* On certain dates not yet defined, the museum will be closed temporarily for renewal of the collections.

Breakfast at the hotel in Kyoto.



Transfer of your luggage to Osaka organized by Japan Experience (1 piece of luggage per person). Plan a small bag for the two nights of Nara and Koyasan: Train ride to Nara (50min).



Visit of Nara, the first fixed capital of Japan in the 8th century.

- The Kasuga Taisha shinto temple and its thousands of lanterns;

- The Todaiji, its large bronze Buddha and the imposing Nan-Daimon gate;

- Kofukuji temple and its lovely pagoda.



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by train and on foot (about 4 km in total).

Breakfast at the hotel.



Departure by train and cable car to the sacred mountain of Koya-san (2h30).

- Visit of the sumptuous Kongobuji temple;

- Visit of Danjo-Garan, one of the main religious sites of the village.



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Vivre le Japon.



Daily trips by train and on foot (about 3 km in total).



Live a unique experience with a traditional vegan dinner and overnight in a temple with the monks.

Due to the altitude, the temperature in Koyasan is often lower than other cities visited previously.



Note: Due to the very low number of 4 **** hotel temples, there is a possibility, depending on availability, that you will be accommodated in a 2/3 *** temple of equivalent comfort.

Traditional vegan breakfast served at the temple. Possibility, depending on the availability of the monks, to attend a Buddhist ceremony (availability not guaranteed at this time).



- In the morning, discover the fabulous mystical necropolis of Okunoin.



- Direction Osaka by train (2h), afternoon shopping, and night visit of the city: the lively Namba district and Dôtonbori street.



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by train and on foot (about 4 km in total).

Breakfast at the hotel.



Road to Kanazawa, a historic city nestled between the Sea of Japan and the Japanese Alps.



- Walk on the shores of Biwa, the largest lake in Japan

- Visit of the feudal castle of Hikone and its famous and magnificent aristocratic garden Genkyuen



Arrival in Kanazawa and installation in your hotel.



Meals (lunch, dinner) provided by Japan Experience.

Breakfast at the hotel



Visit of Kanazawa, the pearl of Japan:

- The Omichô fish market

- The quarters of geisha Kazue / Higashi Chaya Machi

- The contemporary art museum

- The Nagamachi samurai district and The Nomura house, former residence of the samurai

- The magnificent Kenroku-en garden and the Seisonkaku pavilion.



Meals provided by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by public transport and on foot.

Breakfast at the hotel.



Departure for Shirakawago, in the old silkworm breeding farms (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).



Walk in the village:

- Visit of a minka (traditional Japanese house)

- The Myôzenji, Zen temple of the village, etc.



Road to Takayama, a famous mountain village, famous for its carpenters.



In Takayama, pass through the Teramachi temple district.

Installation in a 3/4 * hotel with Japanese and Western fusion style.



Meals (lunch and dinner) provided by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by minibus and on foot.

Breakfast at the hotel.



Free day *: enjoy at your own pace the charms of Takayama, its hundred-year-old residences, its temples and its museums.

Your guide will be able to advise you.



We recommend that you visit:

- The traditional houses Kusakabe and Yoshijima,

- The Yatai Kaikan, where ancient floats for religious festivals (matsuri) are on display

- The picturesque Shôwa-Kan, museum from the 1940s to the 1970s

- The old Sannomachi shopping district,

- The Fuji Folk Art Museum



Please note: only breakfast is provided by Japan Experience, at the hotel. The other meals, transport and visits are free.

Breakfast in your hotel.



Visit the morning markets of Miyagawa and Jinya-mae, along the Miyagawa River.



Departure for Magome, passing through the village of Hida-no-Sato and its old buildings.



Mountain road to Magome and walk in the village.



Meals (lunch and dinner) provided by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by minibus and on foot.

Breakfast at the ryokan.



The two stopover villages of Magome and Tsumago

- The Tsuchitsumaya family museum, in Magome

- The Honjin, Wakihonjin and Shiryôkan ensemble of Tsumago



Road to Matsumoto and visit of the Ukiyoe Museum.



Meals provided (lunch and dinner) by Japan Experience.



Daily trips by minibus and on foot.

Breakfast at the hotel.



In Matsumoto, visit of the Black Castle, one of the most beautiful in Japan.



Road to Tokyo, end of this trip, passing by Lake Suwa then in front of Mount Fuji (which we will see, weather permitting).



Meals provided (lunch and dinner) by Japan Experience.

Transfer to Haneda or Narita airport by limousine bus (unaccompanied).



Return flight to Europe.



Do not hesitate to extend your trip of one or more days to Nikko, Kamakura or Tokyo in traditional apartments or hotels.