In Tokyo 2020 Celebrate New Year’S Day in Tokyo & Hawaii 12/26/19-1/1/20
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in Tokyo 2020 Celebrate New Year’s Day in Tokyo & Hawaii 12/26/19-1/1/20 5nts/7days from: $2995 double/triple and $3595 single Traveling to Japan during New Year’s is a great opportunity to capture a rare glimpse into the modernization of traditional Japanese culture. It is a time when most Japanese people return home to partake in traditional ceremonies and festivities. On this very special Omiyage Weekender Tour, experience and be part of that tradition. If shopping is on your list, we have it covered, with visits to Tsukiji Market, Ameyoko, Komachi dori in Kamakura and free time in Odaiba. There is also a free afternoon and evening in Ikebukuro where all the favorites are located- Don Quijote, Daiso 100-yen Store, UNIQLO and sister store GU, Tokyu Hands, the Sunshine City Mall and Seibu Department Store. We have also included a visit to Ueno Zoo to see the pandas and on New Year’s Day time at Tokyo largest Daiso. We guarantee your first words will be, “Oh my gosh, this store is HUGE!” For sightseeing enjoy an overnight stay in Kamakura after seeing the Great Buddha so that we can visit the award-winning winter illumination, The Enoshima Sea Candle Illumination. There is also a visit to the Edo Period, Odawara Castle, Itchiku Kubota Art Musuem and views of Mt. Fuji from Oshino Hakkai. New Year’s Eve day includes a visit to Meiji Jinju Shrine and Shibuya Crossing Street just hours before the crowds arrive for the evening’s welcoming of the new year. On New Years’ Day it’s all about tradition beginning with hatsumode, the years’ first visit to a shrine. We will be visiting Nezu Shrine for the traditional prayer at the main hall and purchase lucky charms for a fortunate new year. After celebrating New Years’ Day in Tokyo, board your flight home and you get to do it all again, Hawaiian style with friends and family. It doesn’t get much better than this. Join us, won’t you. Itinerary/Details Day 1 – December 26th, 2019- Thursday – Departure from Honolulu Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Delta Air Lines check-in counters located in Terminal 2, a minimum of 3 hours prior to the departure time. Delta Air Lines #181 Departs Honolulu 11:04 am – Arrives Narita 3:30 pm + 1 Day 2 – December 27th, 2019 -Friday – Narita-Tokyo After clearing customs, our local English-speaking guide will meet us for the drive to our hotel for the next 2 nights, the recently renovated, Sunshine City Prince Hotel, ideally situated in the Ikebukuro section of Tokyo. The hotel is less than a 10-minute walk from the Ikebukuro JR Station. The lobby of the hotel connects to a huge shopping and entertainment mecca with four towers, including a 240-meter-high skyscraper with an observation deck on the top. Sunshine City is typically open from 10 am to 10 pm seven days a week. There is a 24-hour Family Mart located right off the lobby in case you would like beverages, some hot and cold food items or just a late snack. With our afternoon arrival, plenty of time to get out and explore the Ikebukuro area, just behind the hotel. Please join your Panda Travel representative as we go out for a stroll. Newly remodeled Sunshine City Prince Hotel & lobby Family Mart in hotel lobby Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel Free Day 3 – December 28th, 2019 -Saturday – Tokyo (B/L) After breakfast at our hotel we will head out for a full day of touring. Please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am. If you've ever dreamed about melt-in-your-mouth, out-of-this-world sushi, then you might have heard of Tsukiji, the largest fish market in the world. Most of Tokyo, and even high-end sushi restaurants in Hong Kong and San Francisco, gets their fish from this cultural landmark near the center of Japan's capital city. Tsukiji sits on some of the most valuable real estate in Tokyo and while the inner auction market has moved to reclaimed land on Tokyo Bay, the popular outer market will alive and well. Expect it to be busy as many locals will be out gathering up items to celebrate the New Year with their families. Opened in 1935, Tsukiji sprang to life after the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed most of Tokyo in 1923. It has since become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. Every morning sightseers would start lining up at 3 a.m. to watch the frozen tuna auction. The more expensive fresh tuna auctions – where a single Bluefin once sold for nearly $1.8 million- are privately conducted. It is our first stop on tour and we will be here for 1.5 hours so that you have ample time to walk around and enjoy the outer market, visit knife-making artisan shops, tasting candies, nuts, and spices, and learning more about seasonal produce If you’re a foodie, love markets, enjoy photography – or simply like visiting unique places – then you’ll probably love Tsukiji. After a good stroll around the market, there’s nothing like a sushi breakfast to complete the experience. There are plenty of sushi shops – make sure to choose one where you see locals dining. If you don’t feel like sushi, there are other options including ramen, donburi and more. If you finish early we encourage you to visit Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple, less than one block away. With an Indian-style exterior, was built in 1617 near Asakusa, but was burnt down in a huge fire that swept through Edo (Tokyo) in 1657. The Temple was then rebuilt on the present site but destroyed again by the Great Tokyo Earthquake of 1923. The current main building was built in 1934.The main building possesses a distinctive ambience not found in other Japanese temples, due to its variety of architectural styles. Tsukiji Fish Market From here we are off to Ameyoko Shopping Street, famous throughout Japan for its wide variety of products. The name "Ameyoko" is a short form for "Ameya Yokocho" (candy store alley), as candies were traditionally sold there. Alternatively, "Ame" also stands for "America", because a lot of American products used to be available there when the street was the site of a black market in the years following WWII. You can get just about EVERYTHING here, clothes, bags, cosmetics, fresh fish, dried squid and spices are sold along Ameyoko. It is quite the scene to just walk around through the very crowded and narrow streets. An awesome place to sightsee, shop and eat! We will remain here for 1.5 hr., so you can shop at leisure. Ameyoko- best spot to find omiyage items Its noontime and time for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, are off to the Ueno Zoological Gardens, established in 1882 and the oldest zoo in Japan. It is home to over 3,000 animals from 400 different species. Our visit here today is to see the zoo’s very popular giant panda cub, Xiang Xiang. It is the zoo’s first baby panda since 1988. Xiang Xiang has taken Japan by storm. Born to mother Shin Shin and father Li Li in June 2017, Xiang Xiang is Ueno Zoo’s symbol of adorableness (or as the Japanese would say in a high pitch, “Kawaii!”). You will have the opportunity to watch her munching on bamboo shoots and nuzzling her mother. This bright-eyed cub has been the object of major media attention, with visitors clad in panda paraphernalia flocking to see her since her first public appearance. Now, back to our hotel, arrival by 4:00pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel Free Day 4 – December 29th, 2019 -Sunday – Tokyo-Enoshima-Kamakura (B/D) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am as we journey off to Kamakura and Enoshima. The drive time is approximately 1.5hr and we will make a road stop along the way. Kamakura became the political center of Japan, when Minamoto Yoritomo chose the city as the seat for his new military government in 1192. The Kamakura government continued to rule Japan for over a century. It remained the center of Eastern Japan for some time before losing its position to other cities. Today, Kamakura is a very popular tourist destination. Sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines, and other historical monuments. Once here we will be visiting the Great Buddha of Kamakura, a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by typhoons and a tidal wave in the 14th and 15th centuries. So, since 1495, the Buddha has been standing in the open air. The Great Buddha rises serenely from its base, with gorgeously draped garments that you can hardly believe are forged from bronze. The serene expression is so evident; you feel the peace the artists intended to convey. The Great Buddha of Kotoku-in is an iconic image that represents Japanese culture. It is not just big, but beautiful. This Great Buddha or Daibutsu as is commonly called is a National Treasure and one of the centerpieces of the city's cultural heritages.