Trip Inclusions
- 13 nights in premium accommodation
- Services of a Great Rail Journeys Tour Escort
- 17 meals - 13 breakfasts and 4 dinners
- Travel by Limited Express Romancecar and “Shinkansen” Bullet Train
- Visit the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre
- Cruise to the World Heritage-listed Miyajima Island
- Discover Hida Folk Village, an open-air museum showcasing ancient farm dwellings
- Experience a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto
Map & Itinerary
Trip Notes
- Itinerary and inclusions subject to change
- Itinerary operated by Great Rail Journeys
- Prices include airport transfers, tipping and most porterage
- An overnight bag will need to be packed for days 3-4, 8-9 and 11-13
- 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 are for land/rail and ferry only. Flights not included unless specified
Insider Experiences
Designed exclusively for our guests
Insider Experience
Enjoy an included special or unique excursion or event
Arrive Sapporo
Arrive in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, Japan’s most northerly island and transfer to your hotel. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers and Great Rail Journeys Tour Escort.
Stay: Two Nights, Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo
Daily :Sapporo
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Explore Ayoma Villa, learn about the herring fishing trade, and the great wealth one family gained and admire the stunning villa. Created over 6 years the wood-frame construction is adorned inside with paintings, calligraphy, and more than 2,000 panes of handmade glass.
Discover the delights of Otaru, a charming port city in Hokkaido. Captivating visitors with its historic canal, romantic atmosphere, fresh seafood, and snow-covered streets in the winter. Visit the fascinating Music Box Museum with its collection of thousands of music boxes before heading to your Insider Experience. Later, head back to Sapporo and enjoy an evening at leisure.
Daily :Sapporo, Hakodate
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
This morning, travel to Hakodate on the Super Hokuto limited express train.
Enjoy your Insider Experience journey to one of Hokkaido Island’s main cities. This afternoon, take a sightseeing tour of the local sights by coach, including Goryokaku, a star-shaped fortress that dates back 150 years. Later, ascend Mount Hakodate via ropeway for fabulous views of the city.
Stay: Hakodate, La Vista Hakodate Bay
Daily :Hakodate, Tokyo
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit Hakodate’s vibrant fish market, where fresh produce is bought and sold in a lively atmosphere.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Travel by bullet train to Tokyo.
Explore the vivid array of stalls at Hakodate’s fish market, which boasts fresh seafood, local vegetables, fruit and sweets, and look out for tanks of live shellfish and clusters of crab. After your visit, travel to Tokyo by bullet train, speeding through the countryside to Japan’s modern capital.
Stay: Two Nights, Tokyo, Keio Plaza Hotel
Daily :
Tokyo
A full-day sightseeing tour of Tokyo showcases the old and the new combining ancient sites with the modern high tech world. Visit the Imperial Palace Plaza, explore Asakusa Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo and take in the energy of the famous Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection on the planet.
Daily :Tokyo, Hakone
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Travel by Limited Express Romancecar train to Hakone.
In Hakone, enjoy a scenic ride on the Hakone Ropeway over the Owakudani Valley and Lake Ashi, as well as a boat cruise across the serene Lake Ashi, a former crater. Continue to your hotel, where you will spend one night.
Stay: The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko
Daily :Hakone, Matsumoto
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, dedicated to its namesake, where you will learn more about this world-famous symbol.
An exciting Insider Experience awaits you today. After viewing the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, stop en route to Matsumoto for a visit to the Chihiro Art Museum Azumino to learn more about her life and art works.
Stay: Matsumoto, Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu
Daily :Matsumoto, Takayama
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit Matsumoto Castle, an imposing fortress completed in 1593.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Visit 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 village date back 500 years.
This morning, visit the miso factory for an insight into the production of this traditional ingredient followed by a tasting. Continue to Matsumoto Castle, an impressive fortress completed in 1593 and celebrated as a National Treasure of Japan. After an Insider Experience, continue to Takayama, where you’ll enjoy an overnight stay in this atmospheric town.
Stay: Takayama, Hotel Associa Takayama Resort
Daily :
Takayama, Kyoto
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Travel by bullet train to Kyoto.
Nestled among mountainous surrounds, Takayama’s narrow streets and wooden houses appear almost untouched by time. Explore Takayama and admire the ancient architecture on a guided tour featuring Miyagawa Market, Sannomachi Street and Takayama Jinya, the old government house, before bidding farewell and travelling to Japan’s former capital.
Stay: Two Nights, Kyoto, Righa Royal Hotel Kyoto
Daily :Kyoto
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Take part in a traditional tea ceremony.
See the highlights of Kyoto today on a tour beginning at the Kyoto Railway Museum, which houses a variety of trains from the earliest steam locomotives to the ultra-modern bullet trains. Continue to the iconic Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) before a stroll through the tranquil Arashiyama Sagano Bamboo Forest. After taking part in a special Insider Experience, finish the day with a stroll around the Gion area, Kyoto’s famous geisha district.
Daily :Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Travel by bullet train to Hiroshima.
Today you’ll explore Nara, a former capital of Japan, and home to eight World Heritage-listed sites. Take in the Todai-ji Temple where you’ll find the Great Buddha, a 13th-century bronze statue. Continue to beautiful Nara Park, a delightful deer sanctuary spread over almost 530 hectares, before transferring to Osaka, where you’ll catch a bullet train to Hiroshima.
Stay: Two Nights, Hiroshima, Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel
Daily :Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Hiroshima
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Enjoy a scenic boat ride out to the famous Miyajima Island and uncover a tranquil island with is famed red Shinto shrine, a World Heritage site.
A guided tour today takes you around Hiroshima. From the Peace Memorial Park to the A-Bomb Dome, your tour explores the city’s tragic devastation during World War II. Later travel to Miyajima Island for your Insider Experience.
Daily :
Hiroshima, Fukuoka
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Ride a bullet train to Hakata.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Admire the impressive collection of displays displaying Japanese culture at the Kyushu National Museum, the first national museum that opened in Japan over 100 years ago.
After breakfast, journey to Hakata and take in the Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine. This evening, enjoy a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.
Stay: Fukuoka, Hotel New Otani Hakata
Daily :Depart Fukuoka
Transfer to Fukuoka Airport this morning after breakfast.
Daily :Everything was wonderful. There were great sight seeing trips and the guides were very knowledgeable.
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