Arrive in Tokyo and transfer to your hotel at your own leisure. You will officially meet your Tour Manager and other guests for the first time after arriving at the hotel. This evening, there will be a Welcome Dinner at 6:30 PM in which you will receive an orientation from your Tour Manager of what to expect, and you can also meet and have some drinks with fellow travellers that will be going on this same tour with you. Overnight: Tokyo Meals: Dinner

Day 3: Tokyo (Tsukiji Fish Market, Sushi Demonstration, Akihabara, Ginza) On this morning, wake up early for your first full-day tour of Tokyo. You’ll begin by walking through Tsukiji Fish Market, known for its sprawling fish market and is famous for the popular tuna auction that used to take place here. After visiting this busy area, you can see a culinary demonstration of sushi or sashimi-making by a professional Sushi Chef and enjoy the meal for lunch afterwards. After lunch, visit Akihabara, famous for its electronic shops and is considered the centre of Japan’s otaku (diehard fan) culture with many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga. Explore Akihabara and Ginza district, Tokyo’s most celebrated upscale shopping, dining and amusement area. At night, meet your Tour Manager and the rest of the group at a designated izakaya, a Japanese style pub, where you will have dinner. Overnight: Tokyo Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Hakone (Hakone National Park, Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, Mt. Fuji area) On this early morning, we’ll drive south to Hakone, known for its breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji. Along the way, we’ll stop and visit the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, a museum located near Lake Kawaguchi and showcases some of the textile artist’s kimono creations with various themes of nature and the seasons. Continue along the scenic road to the gondola which takes you on the Hakone Ropeway overlooking Owakudani Valley’s extraordinary volcanic zone. Eggs are cooked in the sulfur-rich hot pools here and are said to prolong a peron’s life by seven years. Later, take a cruise around the peaceful Lake Ashi. Spend the last part of the day enjoying the drive along Cedar Avenue, a historic site of Hakone Old Tokaido Road that linked Tokyo and Kyoto during the Edo Period. We return to Tokyo, where you’ll enjoy sampling different foods on a local walking food tour. *Due to local conditions, the Mt. Fuji sightseeing might be altered. Details will be provided locally by your Tour Manager. Overnight: Tokyo Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

We’ll start by visiting Imperial Palace and its East Garden, a scenic part of the inner palace area. After the Imperial Palace, we’ll visit Asakusa area to see Sensoji (Asakusa Kannon Temple) with its iconic gigantic paper lantern leading towards the temple. Walk along Nakamise-dori, an old shopping street with many Edo-style crafts and souvenirs. Then, we’ll visit the famous Meiji Shrine, nestled in a forested area, dedicated to the deified spirits of the first Emperor Meiji and his Empress. Finally, we’ll head to Harajuku, renowned for its colourful street art and fashion scene, with quirky vintage clothing stores and cosplay shops along Takeshita Street, and more traditional, upmarket boutiques lining leafy Omotesando Avenue. Enjoy free time strolling through the busy streets and alleys of Harajuku and Omotesando area at your leisure. Overnight: Tokyo Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Begin this early day by boarding the famous Shinkansen (bullet-train) that takes you to Kanazawa, known for its well-preserved Edo-era districts with Samurai residences, Geisha houses, and lavish gardens. Visit Kenrokuen Garden, celebrated for its classic landscape designs, before continuing to the Nomura Family House, where Samurai once lived. Explore the Myouryuji Temple, also known as the Ninja-dera, with its well-preserved hidden tunnels, secret rooms, traps, and labyrinth of corridors and staircases from the 1600s. Enjoy a local dinner in Kanazawa before transferring to Takayama for an overnight stay. Overnight: Takayama Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

From Takayama, we’ll travel to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its village of thatched gassho-zukuri (praying hands) farmhouses. Explore Ogimachi, the largest village and main attraction of Shirakawa-go, and the ruins of its castle that dates back to the 1300s. Have lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Takayama, a city in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture, and retains an especially traditional atmosphere in its old town. You’ll visit the Yatai Kaikan Hall housing intricate hand-carved floats used only for major bi-annual festivals. Enjoy dinner with the famous hida beef that is renowned in this area. Overnight: Takayama Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

On this morning, enjoy a walking tour of Takayama’s well-preserved Edo-period shops and houses in the Sanno-machi Historic District and the morning market along the Miya River. Across the river lies Sanmachi-Suji, a group of three high streets that are lined with sake breweries, cafes, and iconic architecture that creates a nostalgic atmosphere. Transfer to Nagoya before boarding the bullet-train to Kyoto. Overnight: Kyoto Meals: Breakfast

At the very start of the day, enjoy a traditional Tea Ceremony, where you’ll participate in the ancient art of preparing and serving tea while learning the precise rules and etiquette of this traditional art. Next, stroll through the ancient streets of Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka with old wooden shopfronts and tea houses and visit the famous Kiyomizudera Temple (Pure Water Temple), the most celebrated temple in Kyoto. Have lunch in this area on your own before meeting your Tour Manager and transfer to Gion to walk around and learn about Kyoto’s geisha district. Afterwards, visit the impressive Heian Shrine, a Shinto shrine built on the 1100th anniversary of Kyoto’s foundation (when the capital was transferred from Nara to Kyoto) and has a giant torii gate on the approach to the shrine. Overnight: Kyoto Meals: Breakfast

On this day, discover the cultural aspects of the beautiful and traditional Kyoto, as you start by visiting the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Stroll through the bamboo forest before taking a ride on a traditional Japanese rickshaw. Later, visit the Kinkaku-ji Temple (the Golden Pavilion), a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Have lunch at a local restaurant before continuing Nijo Castle, which was the residence of the Tokugawa shoguns in Kyoto who had ruled over Japan for over 260 years. Spend the rest of the day and evening at your leisure. Overnight: Kyoto Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Wake up early to travel by private bus to the 8th century Imperial capital of Nara, known as Japan’s first permanent capital with some of Japan’s oldest and largest temples that are considered UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Arrive at Todai-ji Temple (Great Eastern Temple), to see the great Daibutsu (Great Buddha) bronze statue. Later, have fun at the Nara Deer Park to see and feed the 1,000 tame and wild deer with shika senbei (deer crackers). At the east of Nara Park, you will visit the Kasuga Grand Shrine which rests at the foot of Mt. Mikasa—a spiritual mountain where a god is thought to dwell, and boasts over 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns. This afternoon, return to Kyoto and enjoy some leisure time before the Maiko Dinner (this is also the Farewell Dinner), showcasing the most traditional dance performances of Geisha. Overnight: Kyoto Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Say, “Sayonara,” to the friends you made on this small group tour before transferring to Osaka for your departure flight. You also have the option to transfer to Tokyo at no additional cost. Meals: Breakfast