Japan in spring

Tour start date(s):	07-05-2025
Duration:	10 days
Location:	Tokyo (arrival, 4 nights) - Nikko - Kamakura - Yokohama - Mount Fuji - Kyoto (4 nights) - Uji - Nara - Arashiyama - Osaka - Tokyo (1 night, departure)
Price (including tax):	DBL: 2790 USD / SNG: 3370 USD / WITHOUT FLIGHT

Exclusive Program in Japan During Golden and Silver Week – the Most Festive and Memorable Time in Japan Amid the Blooming of Azaleas, Wisteria, Hydrangeas, and Irises.

Accommodation in Tokyo in hotels near the city center, with both arrival and departure from Tokyo!

Our tour includes:

Arrival and departure from Tokyo Airport (tickets are cheaper than from other cities).

8 lunches are included in the tour price, offering an introduction to Japanese cuisine.

A bus ride to the 5th station of Mount Fuji – the symbol of Japan.

See Tokyo illuminated at night and stroll along the famous Akihabara street.

Visit the city of Uji, where Japan's finest tea is produced, and enjoy a tea ceremony.

See the giant Buddha in the samurai capital of Kamakura.

Visit the SAIKO IYASHI village – a collection of traditional "Minka" houses at the foot of Mount Fuji, where guests can take photos against the backdrop of the mountain and dress in geisha or samurai costumes (available for an additional fee and with prior reservation!).

Stay in the city of a thousand temples – Kyoto, and walk through the magical red torii gates of Inari.

Feed and see the sacred deer in Nara Park.

Take a walk through the bamboo forest in the Kyoto suburb of Arashiyama.

Visit a sake factory and sample Japan’s most popular drink.

Ride on a replica of the ancient GOZABUNE boat around Osaka Castle.

Meals: 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches during excursions.

Note: The order of excursions may change depending on the arrival day, but the number of excursions remains the same.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Tokyo

Arrival at Tokyo airport by any flight. Meet with a Japanese driver. Transfer to the hotel by shared shuttle taxi. Check-in at the hotel on your own, with passports. Each guest pays the Accommodation Tax and submits their passport for scanning.

Day 2 – Tokyo - Mount Fuji

Breakfast at the hotel. Meet with the guide at the hotel reception. Excursion to Mount Fuji. The bus ride to the destination takes approximately 2.5 hours. The bus will make stops at rest areas on the highway. Visit to the Kimono Museum. The traditional village of “Minka” samurai houses at the foot of Fuji, where you can explore the lifestyle of medieval Japan. Additional: Dress in national attire (kimono). The 18 straw-roofed houses create a fantastic landscape of ancient Japan with Mount Fuji in the background.

Dress in traditional costumes (samurai and geisha) – Mount Fuji, Samurai Village. Cost: $35 per person. Payment due no later than 40 days before the tour, as part of the total payment. Lunch of local Japanese cuisine in an ancient samurai house, prepared with the purest spring water, for which the Fuji region is famous. Menu: Nabe (local hotpot soup with Hoto noodles, vegetables, mushrooms), grilled salted trout, shrimp tempura, rice, pickles, dessert, and Japanese barley tea.
Day 3 – Tokyo Breakfast at the hotel. Meet with the guide at the hotel reception. City tour of Tokyo – the city of samurai heroic history and cutting-edge technologies that have changed the lives of people around the world. Lunch of European cuisine during the tour. Imperial Palace Square, the Double Arch Stone Bridge Nijubashi. We will visit the public part of the palace complex, where the classical Japanese Eastern Garden is located. We will enter the garden through the Otemon Gate. Historical district Asakusa, filled with the aroma of pre-war Tokyo. Visit to the Sensoji Temple, whose land was granted by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the capital of Japan. Optional: fortune-telling Omikuji at the temple (free). Treasure House of National Crafts – Nakamise-dori shopping street, famous for its vast selection of souvenirs. Modern Shinjuku district, where Tokyo's Governor's Office is located – one of the main symbols of the capital. From the observation deck at 205 meters, you can see the entire city, and on a clear day, the summit of Mount Fuji. The statue of the faithful dog Hachiko at Shibuya crossing, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the busiest intersection in the world. Ginza district is Tokyo's luxury showcase, home to one of the world's major shopping centers. The Wako department store building, with its clock tower, strikes the hour every hour. Central Kabuki National Theater, a visual delight of the perfect lines of traditional Japanese architecture. Walk along Akihabara's neon-lit electronics district. Those interested can shop with the guide's help in popular electronics stores.

Day 4 – Tokyo

Breakfast at the hotel. Free day for independent exploration and shopping. What to see and do during free time in Tokyo? For the group from May 7 to 16, the Myako City Takanawa Hotel is located in the center (complimentary non-alcoholic drinks in the lobby). Nearby is Happoen Garden with a bonsai exhibition. Shinagawa shopping center is also within walking distance. Nearby is the Temple of the 47 Ronin, where many films were shot. Also, within walking distance is the Shibaura waterfront. The metro station is next to the hotel, and after two stops, you’ll be on Ginza – Tokyo's main street. For the group from April 24 to May 3, the Loisir Hotel Shinagawa Seaside is near the Tokyo Bay pier, from where cruise boats depart. The metro station is a 1-minute walk from the hotel, and after two stops, you’ll reach the artificial island of Odaiba, home to three of Tokyo’s largest shopping malls, with numerous restaurants. Also located here are the TEAM LAB Museum, the MiraiKAN future museum, and the Gundam Cafe and museum.

Day 5 – Tokyo – Kamakura – Yokohama – Kyoto

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out with luggage. Meet with the guide at the hotel reception. Luggage loaded onto the bus. Excursion to the ancient samurai capital Kamakura and the landscape garden in Yokohama. Lunch of Japanese cuisine during the tour in an authentic building of old-style architecture. Menu: Japanese Suimono soup, sashimi, grilled fish, a variety of Hassun appetizers, rice, pickled vegetables, and Japanese tea. Visit the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, 13.5 meters high and weighing about 94 tons. Buddhist temple of the Goddess of Mercy Hasedera Kannon. Buddhist monks' cave. Shopping for souvenirs and crafts. Visit to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shinto Shrine, dedicated to the deity of warriors. Drive to Yokohama over the majestic Bay Bridge, 860 meters long. Visit to the Sankei-en landscape garden, with 16 architectural structures brought from various parts of Japan, including a three-story pagoda from Kyoto built in the 16th century. Transfer to the Shinagawa train station in Kamakura. High-speed train ride to Kyoto. Independent transfer. In Kyoto, meet the guide at the train. Walking transfer to the hotel. Check-in with passports. Each guest submits their passport for scanning and pays the Accommodation Tax.

Day 6 – Kyoto – Arashiyama

Breakfast at the hotel. Meet with the guide at the hotel reception. Excursion to the Arashiyama nature reserve in the Kyoto suburbs. Lunch of Japanese Zen-style cuisine during the tour, including Japanese soup, vegetarian dishes, sukiyaki (beef), and Japanese appetizers. Visit to the Golden Pavilion Kinkaku-ji, originally built in 1397. Rock garden at Ryoan-ji Temple. The 15 stones in the garden are arranged in such a way that one stone is always hidden from view. Stroll through the picturesque bamboo grove and across the Moon Bridge. Shopping at numerous stores offering unique souvenirs and products. Walk and shopping on the popular Kawaramachi shopping street. Return to the hotel. Optional: visit Gion Corner Miniature Theater for a geisha dance performance at 7:00 pm. Transfer to the Gion geisha district with the guide, walking to the theater. Return to the hotel independently (about USD 20 for a taxi, 3 people per car). Price: $50 per person. Payment due no later than 40 days before the tour.

Day 7 – Kyoto – Uji – Fushimi-Inari

Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion to the tea town of Uji and Fushimi. In Uji, one of the settings of the historical novel "The Tale of Genji," we will stroll along the central shopping street, where you can buy green tea and various products made with green tea: noodles, cookies, jellies, rice sweets, ice cream, and even soup. In the tea capital, we will experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, rooted in ancient samurai tradition. We will visit the iconic Byodo-in Temple, depicted on the 10-yen coin, and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit to the Sake Museum in an old sake brewery, with a sake tasting. The group is divided into two parts, taking turns visiting the museum. Lunch at an authentic Japanese restaurant, with rare sake available for an additional fee. Visit to Fushimi-Inari Shrine, famous for its 10,000 red Shinto torii gates, which form a corridor featured in the film "Memoirs of a Geisha." According to legend, walking through the gates cleanses one's sins.

Day 8 – Kyoto – Nara – Osaka

Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion to the ancient capital Nara and the commercial capital Osaka. Nara, Japan's first capital (710–784), was modeled after China's Chang'an and is known for its large architectural structures, including the Todai-ji temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The main deity of the temple is the Buddha of Infinite Light – an embodiment of the sun. The temples are set in a large park that was originally a natural forest populated by deer. Now the deer are tame, and tourists enjoy feeding them cookies. When visitors hold the cookies up, the deer bow, asking for a treat. Transfer to Osaka. Lunch of European cuisine. View the Osaka Castle from outside and take a stroll around it. Walk and shop along Dotonbori Street, known as the center of trade and street food. Return to the hotel in Kyoto.

Day 9 – Kyoto – Tokyo

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out with luggage. Walking transfer to Kyoto station. Bento lunch provided by the guide. Bullet train ride (Nozomi) to Tokyo’s Shinagawa station, 2 hours 15 minutes. Meet the guide at the train. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in with passports. Each guest submits their passport for scanning and pays the Accommodation Tax. Free time in Tokyo.

Day 10 – Tokyo Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out with luggage. Transfers to Tokyo airports for your flights by shared shuttle taxi.

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE: Accommodation in 4-star hotels with buffet breakfasts, 8 lunches during excursions, guided tours in Russian, entrance tickets per the program, transfer on arrival from Narita/Haneda airports with a Japanese driver according to the arrival time. Departure transfer from Tokyo airports (Narita/Haneda) with a Japanese driver according to the tourists’ flight schedule. Comfortable, air-conditioned bus for the entire program, high-speed bullet train ticket Kyoto-Tokyo, additional bus rental for large groups exceeding 40 people.