Tokyo - the capital of Japan, is the real manifestation of contrasts where European and Eastern cultures, antiquity and modernism, stone jungles and traditional temples harmonically coexist and mutually penetrating each other. This megapolis is the largest economic, political, financial, educational and cultural center of the Modern Land of the Rising Sun. Besides, Tokyo is the largest city in Japan and one of the most densely populated one in the world.
Yokohama is a typical Japanese trading port the unique appearance of which makes the city very picturesque. New companies and shopping-entertainment centers appear around the port that brings over much liveliness to the atmosphere of the city. From the 17th to the 19th century, the borders of Japan were closed to foreign merchants. A new chapter in communication with the outside world began for the country precisely from the port of Yokohama. Visitors settled in Yokohama, as a result, it became a city of foreigners, and most of the foreign cultural trends came to Japan through Yokohama.
The ancient capital of Japan - Nara, marked its 1300 anniversary in 2010. It is located in Nara Prefecture, Kansai Region. It has always been in the shadow of its more famous "neighbor" Kyoto. Because of this fact, Nara is often left out of the itinerary of those tourists who are short of time. Nevertheless, Nara is the birthplace of many significant historical places and presents its main attractions with much greater attractiveness than Kyoto.
Nikko is a tourist mecca, two hours North- West of Tokyo, at the foot of Mount Nyoho in Tochigi Prefecture. There are many historical places, entertainment, natural beauties there. Famous Futarasan, Toshogu, Rinnoji are included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list as "Temples and Shrines of Nikko". Toshogu, built at the beginning of the XVII century, is dedicated to the great shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The world-famous images of three monkeys and a sleeping cat are also located here. During the tour, you will also find out why the carved panel with figures of wise Japanese macaques over the gates of the Shinto shrine is so popular? The sculptor of this world-renowned sculptures is Hidari Jingoro.
Tokyo - Kamakura - Yokohama - Nikko - Hakone - Kyoto -Osaka - Nara
10 Days, 9 Nights
4150
$
March - October
You will leave Moscow (Domodedovo) for Tokyo at 05:00 p.m. by Japan Airlines JL-422 flight.
Overnight on the board.
An excursion through Tokyo, dinner from Japanese cuisine will be served as well. At 08:35 arrival at Narita international airport of Tokyo. Meeting with the guide in the flight zone. Imperial Palace (Photo-stop at the palace). A quarter of a millennium the flag of Tokugawa clan waved over Japan. The center of its reign was a not large fishing village - Edo. Here in the 15th century, Tokugawa Ieyasu erected a castle which is operating till now. It is encompassed with deep ditches and fortifying walls. There are wonderful gardens of Higashi Gyoen and Kitanomaru around the castle. The Asakusa district is one of the regions in Tokyo where the atmosphere of past decades still prevails. There are multiple restaurants, shops, playgrounds and parks in narrow streets. The Asakusa Kannon Temple is a legendary place that Iyeasu attended to ask local gods for blessing and favor before the decisive battle of Sekigahara. In the shopping street of Nakamise dori, you can buy all kinds of Japanese souvenirs like yukata kimonos, folding fans or have a snack from local traditional cuisine. Standing 333 meters high the tower of Tokyo is 13 meters taller than its model, the Eiffel tower in Paris and is deemed to be the tallest self-supported steel tower in the world. At ~19:00 accommodation in the hotel in Tokyo.
An excursion to Kamakura and Yokohama with dinner from Japanese cuisine. Breakfast at the hotel. At ~ 09:00 in the morning, you will meet your guide at the lounge of the hotel and head to an excursion to the ancient city of Kamakura. Located on the shores of the Pacific ocean Kamakura is the oldest capital of Japan. It is a quiet, picturesque and not large city with a big number of ancient Buddhist temples. The Statue of Daybudu or Great Budda is the second largest one in Japan (the first one is situated in Nara). You will be amazed by the huge statue which has 11.4 heights and weighs 93 tons. Budda is sitting under the open sky and the green hills around it make a lovely background. The Hase-Dera temple was built in 736. The statue of 11 headed goddess of Kannon will leave you speechless. It has 9.5 meters in height. Another sight of the temple is its gigantic bell which was cast in 1264. The temple of Hatimangu is considered an important sanctuary in Kamakura. It was established in 1063 by members of the Minamoto clan. The temple is devoted to the god of war as well as to the memory of legendary Emperor Ozin Hatiman. In order to get to the temple, you will have to pass from the embankments through the whole city center along the wide entrance In the main hall, the temple itself and a museum are located, where shrines such as swords, masks, and documents are stored. You will head to Yokohama megapolis, which is the largest port in Japan. The Landmark Tower is the tallest building in Yokohama and the third tallest building in Japan. The height of the tower is 296.3 meters. On the skyscraper, there is the highest watching platform in the country. There are numerous multi-storeyed offices, luxurious hotels, restaurants, conference halls and exhibition complexes in the port of the Future in Minato Mirai.
Return to the hotel in Tokyo at 07:00 p.m.
Breakfast at the hotel.
At 08:30 you will meet your guide at the hotel lounge. You will head to Nikko. Tosegu Shrine is the grave of a Great Commander and statesman - Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) who managed not only to reach the highest seize the supreme power in Japan but also to put an end to the bloody feuds that drained the country. The best artists and craftsmen were gathered throughout the whole country to work in the shrine. The Kegon waterfall is located on the Daiyagawa river which flows from the Eastern part of the upper Chuzenji lake. Some time ago the riverbed was blocked by lava flows of an awakened volcano. But now it falls from the height of 97 meters hardly crossing the edge of the lake. The Kegon is deemed as one of the three most beautiful waterfalls in Japan.
You will return to the hotel at ~18:30․
An excursion to Hakone with dinner from Japanese cuisine.
Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out of the hotel at ~ 08:30. At the hotel lounge, the guide of the excursion will be waiting for you. You will head to Hakone by a comfortable bus. A cruise on the Asi lake. Being located in the national Japanese park, lake Asi is considered to be the main attraction in this region. Here you will have access to Komagatake cableway. Overall in 7 minutes, you will reach the summit of the mountain by a comfortable cable car. The total span of the cable makes up 1800 meters. During the ascent, you will have the chance to get admired by the Hakone mountain range, nearby lakes, and the Japanese cedar forest. In the Ovakudany valley, there is a big amount of natural geothermal springs coming out of the surface. It is a volcanic valley with active sulfur vents and hot springs. However, the main attraction here is the inconspicuous house where at 500 Japanese yens you can get a small package of hard-boiled black eggs. There is a local belief that if you eat a hard-boiled black egg which turns black and smell slightly sulphuric after being boiled in the sulphuric water of natural hot springs, you will add seven years to your life.
Hakone being an open-air museum conveys a harmonious combination of wild and artificial creations - natural beauties and art in its various manifestations.
In the park of the museum interactive installations, abstract sculptures, as well as a gallery of works by Pablo Picasso, will be awaiting you.
Accommodation in the Ryokan - a traditional Japanese style hotel.
After the excursion, you will have sufficient free time to have a rest. You will be able to enjoy natural hot springs, to have unhurried walks around the large territory of the hotel complex, breathe fresh air, admire the picturesque panorama and feel the Japanese real appeasement.
At an extra pay, you can also order a special massage or any SPA service.
Supper in the Ryoken.
Kyoto - Osaka with dinner from Japanese cuisine. Breakfast in a Ryokan. Check-out of the ryokan.
Transfer from the railway station by Shinkansen express train to Kyoto.
From 794 till 1868 Kyoto was the capital of Japan where Japanese emperors used to live. There are hundreds of parks, tens of ancient castles and about 2000 temples (17 out of them are preserved by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage Sites).
The Temple of Sanjusangendo is located in the Eastern part of Kyoto where a huge collection of 1001 statues of Cannon - Bodhisattva Goddess of Mercy is presented.
Nijō Castle is one of the largest stone castles in Japan. It was built in 1603 and used to be the first official residence of the first shogun from the Tokugawa Ieyasu dynasty. This castle is also preserved by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site. It is banned to take photos in some parts of the castle, so you can only admire the inner beauty of this masterpiece with your own eyes. There is no any deciduous tree in the garden of the castle as falling leaves reminded the shogun of the death.
Transfer to Osaka. Umeda Sky Building is the 7th tallest building in the city with connected at the top "air garden" in the sky. From the top Osaka's cityscape can be viewed from a height of 170 meters. The building consists of two towers that get connected to one another with a "Floating Garden Observatory" on the 39th floor. The skyscraper was built in 1993 according to the project by Hiroshi Hara. At ~ 20:00- accommodation in the hotel in Osaka.
Osaka - Nara with dinner from Japanese cuisine.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Osaka is the second-largest city in Japan. The favorable geographical location of the city was one of the reasons for the transformation of the city into a developing shopping center. Numerous canals make the city look more picturesque, Osaka is called the Japanese Venice. At the time of Osaka castle construction in 1582, it was the largest and most fortified castle in Japan. The castle had to present the whole power and wealth of its owner - the military commander, warrior, general, samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi - Japan's second "great unifier". There is a museum in the castle which presents documents about the life events of Hideyoshi and the story of the castle itself. Transfer to Nara. It is the most ancient capital of Japan (710- 784). The city was built in resemblance to the Japanese former capital of Changan. Since ancient times numerous temples, idols and buildings have been preserved. It was in Nara where the main Japanese crafts, traditions, and science first appeared. The Tōdai-Ji temple is the largest wooden construction in the world under the arches of which a giant bronze statue of Buddha Vairochana is situated - the largest Buddha statue in Japan. Currently, the temple is preserved by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The temple of Kasuga Taisha is a Shinto shrine which is famous for its lanterns, there are more than 3000 bronze and stone lanterns which were brought here by pilgrims all over the world throughout centuries. There are many constructions which are enlisted as UNESCO world heritage sites in Japan. There live more than 1500 tame deer in the park of Nara. Those creatures are considered to be "Divine Messengers".
Attention: The authorities kindly ask not to feet the animals with anything edible, Please buy special food from nearby shops if you want to feed them.
Return to the hotel in Osaka.Overnight in the Osaka hotel.
An excursion to Kyoto with dinner from Japanese cuisine.
Breakfast in the hotel. Check-out of the hotel. "Golden Pavilion" in Kinkakuji is the main Buddhist temple, the fundament of Dzen Buddhism which contains the relics of Buddha covered with a golden leaf. Near the temple, there grows a pine tree, which several generations of gardeners give the shape of a floating ship. There are 15 stones in the Stone Garden, but when viewed from the veranda of the temple, only 14 stones are always visible from any point. It is traditionally believed that the 15th stone can only be seen through enlightenment. A Geisha show (Maiko) - Geisha is a traditional Japanese artist entertaining her clients with dances, singing, tea ceremony, and conversation. The word "geisha" translated from Japanese literally means "a person of art". The temple of Kiyomizudera is located on the slopes of Higashiyama mountain, Eastern mountain. It was founded in 778. The temple is famous for its unusual construction: it stands on the slope of a high hill, and it seems to "descend" along the slope with its wooden piles. The temple is built without a single nail. Visit Kiyomizu-Zaka souvenir street. Transfer to the railway station in Kyoto. You will leave Kyoto for Tokyo by an express Shinkansen train. Arrival at the station in Tokyo. You will reach the hotel on your own.
At about 10:00 p.m. accommodation in the hotel in Tokyo.
07:00 – Breakfast at the hotel.
Free time to enjoy Tokyo.
Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out of the hotel.
Transfer to the airport with the guide.
