JAPAN IN MAY

Tour start date(s):	28-04-2025
Duration:	10 Days / 9 Nights
Location:	TOKYO (arrival, 4 nights) – NIKKO – FUJIYAMA – KYOTO (2 nights) – ARASHIYAMA – OSAKA – NARA – HIROSHIMA – MIYAJIMA – OSAKA (3 nights, departure)
Price (including tax):	DBL 3290 USD; SNGL 3790 USD

In our tour:

Accommodation in 4-star hotels

Meals - breakfasts and 8 lunches

Excursions with a Russian-speaking guide as indicated in the program: Samurai castles, cruise on a replica of an ancient ship, visit to ONSEN hot springs, Sake tasting, ensemble of Samurai houses, UNESCO sites, Buddhist and classical gardens, parks with blooming phlox and wisteria, the sacred island of Miyajima.

Transportation services,

All entrance tickets.

TOUR PROGRAM

April 28, Monday - Tokyo (arrival)

Arrival in Tokyo on any flight to Narita or Haneda airports. Meeting with the Japanese driver and transfer by shuttle taxi to the hotel. Check-in at the hotel from 15:00 with your passport. Each person will personally submit their passport for scanning and pay the state tourist tax. Overnight in Tokyo.

April 29, Tuesday - Tokyo

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Excursion around Tokyo – a city of Samurai heroic history and the latest technologies that have changed the lives of people worldwide.

Lunch during the excursion.

The modern district of Shinjuku, Tokyo’s Governor’s office, the Cocoon Tower skyscraper (204 meters high), and the observation deck at 205 meters where you can see the whole city, and on clear days, the peak of the sacred Mt. Fuji.

The Imperial Palace Square, a walk in the Eastern Gardens of the Imperial Palace.

The central district of Ginza, the National Kabuki Theater’s main building.

The historic district of Asakusa with souvenir pavilions, the Senso-ji Buddhist Temple, the National Crafts Treasure House – Nakamise-dori shopping street, the Bell.

On the waterfront, the Statue of Liberty greets visitors on Odaiba Island. Japanese people visit Odaiba to relax and breathe in the sea air, tourists come to admire the skyscrapers and experience life in the 22nd century, with a 18-meter tall Gundam robot from a fantastic future greeting visitors. Overnight in Tokyo.

April 30, Wednesday - Tokyo - Nikko

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Excursion to the medieval architectural complex of Toshogu in Nikko, including lunch with local Japanese cuisine based on tofu and the local specialty yuba.

The Nikko National Park is breathtaking, and it's hard to find another place with such beautiful flowering maple trees as in Nikko. Nikko is a place that, as its name implies, exudes sunlight. "Do not say you have seen beauty until you have visited Nikko," is an old saying. In the 17th century, the Toshogu temple complex was built here with the tomb of the great shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Nikko became synonymous with magnificence.

The Shinkyo Bridge, the Hall of Three Buddhas at Rinnoji Temple, the bronze Pillar of Peace, the classical landscape garden Shoyoen, the five-story pagoda decorated with the Tokugawa family crest (three leaves of mallow) and the Zodiac signs, the sacred stables with the famous relief of the three wise monkeys, whose poses convey: "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

The main Yomeimon Gate, richly inlaid with fine wood carvings. Return to Tokyo. Overnight in Tokyo.

May 1, Thursday - Tokyo - Mt. Fuji

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Excursion to Mount Fuji. Lunch with local Japanese cuisine during the excursion.

Near the mountain lake at the foot of Mount Fuji, we will visit a fantastically beautiful garden of rare wild cherry flowers. Visit to the hot springs (Onsens) at the foot of Fuji. Onsens appeared in the country 3000 years ago. The Japanese believe that the springs can cure almost all diseases if you select the right one based on its mineral composition.

An ensemble of old and Samurai houses, "Minka," at the foot of Fuji, featuring Samurai armor, swords, silk cocoons, rice straw tatami mats, various crafts, and even antique toys that resemble Russian Matryoshka dolls. Here, you can taste dishes from ancient cuisine and take photos in an exotic setting. The 18 thatched houses create a fantastic landscape of ancient Japan against the backdrop of Fuji. Return to Tokyo. Overnight in Tokyo.

May 2, Friday - Tokyo - Kyoto - Arashiyama

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out with luggage. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Transfer to the train station and travel to Kyoto on the most comfortable and fastest Shinkansen Nozomi train (travel time: 2 hours 15 minutes). Nozomi also has a unique safety system – all carriages are equipped with autonomous braking systems and automatic tilt adjustment during turns.

Meeting with the guide at the train station.

Excursion with lunch in the Zen-style Japanese cuisine in the historic Arashiyama district on the outskirts of Kyoto. The poetically and artistically celebrated classic Sogen Garden (Sogenchi Teien) and the Tenryuji Temple complex, created seven centuries ago by the great Zen master Muso Soseki.

The romantic Togetsu-kyo Bridge across the Katsura River. Between the bridge and the Tenryuji Temple, there are numerous small shops with original souvenirs, restaurants, and cafes offering both traditional and modern Japanese cuisine. Many souvenirs and local crafts are made with bamboo, which has always been abundant in Arashiyama. During the excursion, we will also stroll through the picturesque Sagano Bamboo Grove, which consistently impresses foreign travelers.

Transfer to the hotel. Check-in with passports. Each person will submit their passport for scanning and pay the state tourist tax. Overnight in Kyoto.

May 3, Saturday - Kyoto - Nara

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Excursion with lunch in ancient capital Nara, with tastings of Sake during the tour.

The city of Nara was founded in the early 8th century and was the capital from 710 to 784. The Todaiji Temple complex of the Kegon Buddhist school is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and houses the main deity, the Great Buddha, a symbol of the sun. There is a wooden pillar with a hole the size of the nostril of the Great Buddha. According to an ancient belief, anyone who can pass through this hole will be blessed with happiness and good fortune. This hole is also called the "Gate to Heaven."

The main temples are located in a vast park, originally a natural forest inhabited by deer. Now, the deer are tame and tourists happily feed them cookies. If you raise the cookie above your head, the deer will bow, begging for a treat.

The Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Surrounding it is the ancient Kasuga-yama Forest, which, together with the temple, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The path to the shrine is lined with stone lanterns, many of which are over 1000 years old. Return to Kyoto. Overnight in Kyoto.

May 4, Sunday - Kyoto - Osaka

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out with luggage. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Excursion with lunch in European cuisine around Kyoto – a city that for many centuries served as the residence of the Japanese emperors: the Golden Pavilion Kinkaku-ji, the rock garden at Ryoan-ji Temple, and the Fushimi Inari Shrine complex with its famous 10,000 Torii gates.

The Nijo-jo Castle, a symbol of Samurai architecture, with its "singing floors" and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The castle is surrounded by a picturesque Ninomaru garden, where a tea house is located, where Princess Diana attended a tea ceremony during her wedding trip to Japan. Transfer to the hotel in Osaka.

Check-in. Each person will submit their passport for scanning and pay the state tourist tax. Overnight in Osaka.

May 5, Monday - Osaka - Hiroshima - Miyajima Island

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Excursion with lunch to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island.

Travel to Hiroshima by Shinkansen high-speed train. Arrival in Hiroshima: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, A-Bomb Dome, and the Children's Peace Monument.

Ferry to Miyajima Island: Itsukushima Shrine. The ancient Noh theater stage.

Return to the hotel in Osaka. Overnight in Osaka.

May 6, Tuesday - Osaka

Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Half-day excursion with lunch to the park where Osaka Castle is located.

Cruise around Osaka Castle on a replica of an old ship.

Visit to Osaka Castle. The city of Osaka emerged long before Kyoto and Tokyo. It was known as Naniwa, a place famous since the 4th century, when Emperor Ojin built the first city in the country, with the Imperial Palace at its center, surrounded by ramparts and moats.

Free time in Osaka. Overnight in Osaka.

May 7, Wednesday - Osaka Airport

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out with luggage. Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby.

Transfer to any Osaka airport (Kansai or Itami) by shuttle taxi for your flight.

Departure from Japan.

Tour cost includes:

Accommodation in 4-star hotels

Meals - breakfasts and 8 lunches

Excursions with a Russian-speaking guide as indicated in the program: Samurai castles, cruise on a replica of an old ship, visit to ONSEN hot springs, Sake tasting, ensemble of Samurai houses, UNESCO sites, Buddhist and classical gardens, parks with blooming phlox and wisteria, the sacred island of Miyajima

Transportation services

All entrance tickets

Tour cost does not include:

Insurance

International flight ticket

Anything not specified in the program.

Notes:

The order of excursions may change. The company is not responsible for lost items. Waiting time for late arrivals during group meet-ups and excursions is 5 minutes.

Tour cancellation conditions:

If the tour is canceled more than 40 days before the start: no penalty.

If the tour is canceled less than 40 days but more than 14 days before the start: a 30% penalty.

If the tour is canceled less than 14 days but more than 7 days before the start: a 50% penalty.

If the tour is canceled less than 7 days before the start: a 100% penalty.