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Travel & Accommodation
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Map & Itinerary
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Similar Trips
Trip Inclusions
- 13 nights in premium accommodation
- The services of a Great Rail Journeys Tour Escort
- 17 meals - 13 breakfasts, and 4 dinners
- Airport transfers and tipping
Travel & Accommodation
Explore Sapporo
Spend two nights in the dynamic city of Sapporo, famed for its 19th century architecture and pretty public spaces.
High Speed Wonder
Cover more ground during your Japan holiday on the world-famous Bullet Train, which travels at 300 km/h.
Mt Hakodate
Enjoy spectacular views of the city as you ascend Mt Hakodate on a cable car.
Map & Itinerary
Trip Notes
- Itinerary and inclusions subject to change
- Itinerary operated by Great Rail Journeys
- Cherry Blossom season in Japan usually lasts from late March to May. However due to changeable weather blooms cannot be guaranteed, even during spring months
- Prices include transfers, tipping and most porterage
- An overnight bag will need to be packed for Days 3-4 Sapporo to Tokyo, Days 8-9 Matsomoto to Kyoto, Days 11-13 Kyoto to Hakata
- In Hakone, the accommodation is Japanese ryokan style
- Prices are for land/rail only. Flights not included
Insider Experiences
Designed exclusively for our guests
Insider Experience
Enjoy an included special or unique excursion or event
Arrive Sapporo
Arrive in Sapporo and transfer to your hotel. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers and Great Rail Journeys Tour Escort.
Stay: Two Nights, Sapporo, JR Tower Nikko Hotel
Daily :Sapporo
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit the Yoichi Distillery where award-winning Nikka whiskey is produced and enjoy a whiskey tasting.
Sapporo is famed for its 19th-century architecture and pretty public spaces, some of which you explore today on your guided tour. Discover the delights of Otaru before an enjoying an Insider Experience. Later, head back to Sapporo.
Daily :Sapporo, Hakodate
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Travel to Hakodate on the Super Hokuto limited express train.
Travel to Hakodate where you’ll enjoy a sightseeing tour of the local sights by coach, including Goryokaku, a star-shaped fortress that dates back 150 years. Later, ascend Mt Hakodate via ropeway, for fabulous views of the city.
Stay: Hakodate, La Vista Hakodate
Daily :Hakodate, Tokyo
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Today you visit Hakodate’s vibrant fish market, where fresh produce is bought and sold in a lively atmosphere. Explore the vivid array of stalls which boast fresh seafood, local vegetables, fruit and sweets, and look out for tanks of live shellfish and clusters of crab.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Be whisked along the railway by bullet train to Tokyo.
After your Insider Experience, travel by bullet train to Tokyo.
Stay: Two Nights, Tokyo, Keio Plaza
Daily :
Tokyo
A full-day tour of Tokyo begins with a trip to the impressive Meiji Shrine, followed by the Edo Tokyo Museum. Next it’s onto the Asakusa Kannon Temple and then the beautiful Nakajima no Ochaya, a tea house in Hamarikyu Garden. Later, visit the Imperial Palace Plaza before experiencing the energy of the famous Shibuya Crossing.
Daily :Tokyo, Hakone
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Travel by ‘Romancecar’ train to Hakone.
Enjoy a scenic ride on the Hakone Ropeway and a delightful boat cruise across the serene Lake Ashi, a former crater. Stay at the peaceful Kowakien Ten-yu, a modern Japanese ryokan style hotel with open-air baths.
Stay: Hakone, Kowakien Ten-yu
Daily :Hakone, Mt Fuji, Matsumoto
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Disembark at the Mt Fuji Visitor Centre to learn more about the snow-capped peak, Mt Fuji, arguably Japan’s most distinctive landmark.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit Matsumoto Castle, an imposing fortress completed in 1593.
Travelling by coach, explore the foot of the famous Mt Fuji. Visit the Mt Fuji Visitor Centre, where you learn more about this world famous symbol.
Stay: Matsumoto, Hotel Kagetsu
Daily :Matsumoto, Hida Folk Village, Takayama
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit the Hida Folk Village, an open air museum of rustic farm dwellings. Set on a hillside overlooking the Takayama Valley, some of the buildings in the picturesque village date back 500 years.
Continue to Takayama, where you’ll spend the afternoon at leisure.
Stay: Takayama, Associa Hotel
Daily :Takayama, Kyoto
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Travel by bullet train to Japan’s former capital, Kyoto.
Nestled amongst mountainous surrounds, Takayama’s narrow streets and wooden houses appear almost untouched by time. After exploring on a guided tour and admiring the ancient architecture, you farewell Takayama, and travel to Kyoto.
Stay: Two Nights, Kyoto, Tokyu Hotel
Daily :
Kyoto
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Take part in a traditional tea ceremony.
Discover the delights of historic Kyoto today on a guided tour. Visit Nijo Castle, an incredible complex of fortifications and gardens that date back to the 17th century. Later, enjoy an Insider Experience before continuing to see the Kodaiji Temple and famous Gion district, home to a number of beautiful geisha.
Daily :Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Travel by bullet train to Hiroshima.
Today you explore Nara, another former capital of Japan, and home to an impressive eight World Heritage-listed sites. Take in the Toda-ji Temple, the largest wooden building in the world, where you find the Great Buddha, a 13th- century bronze statue. Continue to beautiful Nara Park, a delightful deer sanctuary spread over almost 1,300 acres. Later, travel to Hiroshima.
Stay: Two Nights, Hiroshima, Sheraton Hotel
Daily :Hiroshima, Miyajima Island
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and A-Bomb Dome site.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Hear a moving account from a Hiroshima survivor, or successor.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Enjoy a scenic boat ride out to Miyajima Island. Famed for the bright red torii gate, the shrine appears to float just off-shore at high tide.
A guided tour today takes you around Hiroshima. Gain a greater understanding of Japan’s history during a fascinating Insider Experience. After delving into the city’s past, travel to Miyajima Island.
Daily :
Hiroshima, Hakata
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Journey to Hakata by bullet train.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit the Kyushu National Museum, Japan’s first national museum.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Experience the ‘yatai’, Hakata’s pop-up kitchens that line river banks and serve authentic local and national dishes in a rare and exciting fashion.
Take in the Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine, dedicated to the Shinto god of literature; Komyozenji Temple, a Zen temple and rare ‘karesansui’, or Japanese rock gardens. This evening, explore Hakata after dark, visiting the food stalls that spring to life as the stars start to come out. After time to explore the vibrant market, make your way to a local restaurant for a Farewell Dinner.
Stay: Hakata, New Otani Hotel
Daily :Depart Fukuoka
Your tour of Japan concludes this morning after breakfast, when you transfer to Fukuoka airport.
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