& 2021 KURISUMASU SHOPPING, & Foliage Weekender November 23rd – 29th, 2021 5nts/7days from: $2095 tpl; $2195 dbl and $2695 sgl Cancel for any reason up to 60 days prior-FULL REFUND!

Maximum Tour size is 24 tour members!

Osaka is ’s 3rd most populous city, known for having Japan’s friendliest and most out-going people. Famous for its food, eating until you drop is common in . If shopping is on your list, Suji, a favorite with local folk will not disappoint. This covered shopping arcade is one of Osaka’s oldest and busiest.

Kyoto is unlike any other city in Japan. Considered one of the most beautiful cities in Japan, brings historical Japan to life in a modern age. You can experience historical Japan throughout the city while still having access to modern amenities and transportation.

Come, join us on this fun filled Kurisumasu shopping and fall foliage weekend. It is filled with quality omiyage shopping time, a free day in Osaka and Kyoto. This is just the beginning, along with the popular touring spots we have included an Aqua Liner cruise and a night tour of Kyoto’s foliage illuminations.

Accommodations for our stay in Osaka, Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka, ideally located and a short walk to Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori. Housed in the top half of an office complex, rooms here offer exceptional city views. At the base, a supermarket, ideal for bargain omiyage shopping.

In Kyoto, the ever-popular Miyako Hotel Kyoto, around the corner from the Aeon Mall and across the street from the JR Kyoto Station.

Itinerary/Details

Day 1 – November 23rd, Tuesday – Depart from Honolulu

Hawaiian Airlines #449 Departs Honolulu 1:40 pm – Arrive Kansai 6:45 pm +1

Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines check-in area, Terminal 2, Lobby 4, Makai side a least 3 hours prior to the flight departure time

Day 2 – November 24th, Wednesday – Kansai -Osaka

On arrival at the Kansai Airport, please make your way to the baggage claim area and then proceed to customs clearing. On exiting customs, our local guide will be there to meet us for the drive to our hotel, Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka.

Welcome to Osaka, Japan’s 3rd most populous city and the working heart of Kansai. Famous for its down-to-earth citizens and the colorful Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect) they speak, it is a good counterpart to the refined atmosphere of Kyoto. Primarily, Osaka is famous for good eating: the phrase kuidaore (eat 'til you drop) was coined to describe Osakans' love for good food. Osaka is also a good place to experience a modern Japanese city. It is only surpassed by Tokyo as a showcase of the Japanese urban phenomenon.

Talk about location, our hotel is a short walk to the heart of Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi shopping streets. This spot is perfect to feel and see the real Osaka, with limitless dining and shopping opportunities.

After checking in and having some time to freshen up, we are off to explore the Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade. This covered arcade shopping street has a very long history, site of some of Osaka's historical bridges. It has been around in some form for hundreds of years and is still one of the city's most popular and famous spots.

Shinsaibashi is the perfect spot for window-shopping and strolling. There is no shortage of places to shop, especially flanked by Amerika-mura and the Dotonbori, and Crysta Naghori underground, but this shopping arcade has charm. Not only does it have a wide selection of stores sure to please anyone, but the southern end of the arcade is at the Dotonbori River, a great sightseeing spot and home to that famous 'eat-til-you-burst' Osakan cuisine.

There are many choices for dinner as well as the endless streets for shopping.

Famous Blade Runner Neon Shinsaibashi Shopping Dotonbori Street

Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free

Day 3 – November 25th, Thursday – Osaka (B)

After breakfast at our hotel, please meet up by 8:30 am as we are off for a full day of touring.

The day begins with a visit to , built as a display of power by after he achieved his goal of unifying Japan. One hundred thousand workers toiled for three years to construct an 'impregnable' granite castle, finishing the job in 1583. It was destroyed 32 years later by the armies of Tokugawa Ieyasu, rebuilt within 10 years, and then suffered a further calamity when another generation of the Tokugawa clan razed it rather than let it fall to the forces of the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

The present structure is a 1931 concrete reconstruction of the original, which was refurbished in 1997. The interior houses an excellent collection of displays relating to the castle, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the city of Osaka. On the 8th floor is an observation deck with 360-degree views. When it comes to fall foliage spots, Osaka boasts many gorgeous natural landscapes and amazing sights. Osaka Castle Park is considered one of the ten most beautiful fall foliage spots.

Next, a special treat, a scenic 60-minute cruise along the Okawa River on the Aqua-Liner. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the splendor of fall colors.

Next, we are off to Kuromon Market, a busy place that prospered as the center of “nation’s kitchen” for many years. Kuromon, which literally means “black gate,” was originally a fish market that opened around 1822. The name is said to have come from the black gate of Enmyo Temple, which stood in this area until 1912, the last year of the Meiji Period.

Over 150 shops line the streets of the Kuromon Market, selling everything from fresh fish, produce, meats, to kimonos and household goods. It is a place where shoppers can purchase the superior quality honma mon (in the Osaka dialect it means “the real stuff”).

If you are hungry, this is a good spot to for lunch. There is the opportunity to walk and eat or find a sit-down restaurant.

Aqua Liner Cruise Osaka Castle Kuromon Market

From here, a visit to Tsutenkaku Tower, a well-known landmark of Osaka and sometimes referred to as the Eiffel Tower of Osaka. Located in , this colorful area has a variety of inexpensive shops and eateries, but iconic Tsutenkaku Tower has always been its biggest attraction.

Designed as an entertainment district in the early 20’s, Shinsekai was modelled after New York City and Paris. Opened in 1912, “Shinsekai” literally means “New World” and because of its modern image the area quickly became a popular tourist attraction.

The original tower was designed to resemble the Paris’ Eiffel Tower on top and the Arc de Triomphe at its base. The name “Tsutenkaku” can be translated as “Sky Route Tower” and at 64 meters high it was the 2nd biggest structure in Asia at the time. It became a symbol of pride for Osaka and people flocked to see it.

Today, the tower house a variety of souvenir shops and amusements along with two observation decks on the 4th and 5th floors from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city. There is also a Kinnikuman Museum on its 2nd floor, which is dedicated to a popular manga character. Enjoy free time to browse and shop.

Now, back to our hotel, arrival by 4:00pm. The remainder of the afternoon and evening is free.

Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free

Day 4 – November 26th, Friday – Osaka (B)

After breakfast enjoy a complete free day to shop and explore this fine city. Below are a few of the options available to you.

Dotonbori Best seen at night, Dotonbori never truly closes with some restaurants open 24 hours. It is by far one of Osaka’s most popular tourist destinations. It is a popular shopping and entertainment district and is also known as a food destination. At night, it is lit by hundreds of neon lights and mechanized signs, including the famous Glico Running Man sign and Kani Doraku crab sign.

Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade and the surrounding Shinsaibashi area is Osaka's premier shopping center. Approximately 600 m long, this area is unique as it combines chain retail stores and trendy boutiques with expensive department stores and top designer fashion labels.

Amerikamura Locally known as "Amemura," this shopping district is considered Osaka's counterpart to and is a good place to see the forefront of teenage fashion and culture in Japan. It is a lively atmosphere that is populated with cafes, clothing stores and thrift shops with a younger feel than the nearby Shinsaibashi.

Den Den Town Located in the area, Den Den Town is an electronics district comparable to Tokyo's Akahabara and you may be able to bargain to a better deal. Den Den Town is becoming known as an otaku paradise with numerous manga and anime retailers as well as maid and cosplay cafes located there.

Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free

Day 5 – November 27th, Saturday – Osaka-Kyoto (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we are off on a full day of touring.

The morning begins with a drive to Kyoto, a town of 1.5 million inhabitants. It is beloved not for its go-all-night sleeplessness, but its quiescence: In pockets of Kyoto, you can see Japan as it was centuries ago, as if modernity itself were a simple inconvenience, something to be adapted or ignored as chosen. This is, after all, where everything we think of as Japanese—its court culture, its art, its artisanry, and, oh yes, much of its spectacular cuisine—was born or perfected.

Once here, our touring day begins with a visit to Kiyomizu Temple, one of the signature World Heritage sites in Kyoto that dates back 1200 years.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is perhaps the most popular of the temples in Kyoto and is a fixture in the minds of the Japanese people. The temple's veranda juts out of the side of a mountain supported by 13-meter-high wooden columns. The main hall with its distinctive hip-shaped roof of cypress bark rests to the rear of the veranda and houses within it a priceless statue of Kannon Bodhisattva, the goddess of mercy. From the veranda, one can appreciate fine views facing west over the city of Kyoto. This is an auspicious place to watch the sunset, which may also explain the romantic associations accorded to the temple.

Several other buildings designated as "national treasures" dot the grounds, as do waterfalls and landmarks which have entered popular lore. Thus, people come to the temple to drink water from the falls by collecting it in tin cups; the water is said to have therapeutic properties and drinking from the three different streams is said to confer health, longevity, and success in studies.

There is also a shrine Jishu-jinja Shrine on the grounds and praying there is said to help one succeed in finding an appropriate love match. People desirous of a romantic partner can be seen walking between two prominent stones with their eyes closed. If one can make the journey alone, this is taken as a sign that the pilgrim will find love. Those who need assistance in making the crossing will require an intermediary to help them find their mate.

We begin with a walk up Chawan-zaka or Kiyomizu-michi, the street leading to Kiyomizu Temple. This street is one of the most popular tourist spots in Kyoto. There are many gift shops, food stands, restaurants, and cafes on this street. The main feature of this street is Nama-Yatsuhashi. Nama-Yatsuhashi is the most popular Kyoto sweet.

Next, off to Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka preserved districts, two of Kyoto’s most attractive streets, sloping lanes that lead down from Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Lined with beautifully restored traditional shophouses, this pair of pedestrian-only lanes that make for some of the most atmospheric strolling in the whole city. In fact, it is here that you are most likely to be able to imagine what Kyoto looked like before modernity descended in full force. Enjoy free time here to shop and have lunch on your own.

This afternoon we are off to visit Kyoto's famed 'Golden Pavilion', Kinkaku-ji is one of Japan's best-known sights. The main hall, covered in brilliant gold leaf, shining above its reflecting pond is truly spectacular.

The original building was built in 1397 as a retirement villa for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. His son converted it into a temple. In 1950 a young monk consummated his obsession with the temple by burning it to the ground. The monk's story was fictionalised in Mishima Yukio's The Golden Pavilion. In 1955 a full reconstruction was completed that followed the original design, but the gold-foil covering was extended to the lower floors.

Golden Temple & grounds

Our last stop of the day is at Nijo Castle, built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period. His grandson completed the castle's palace buildings 23 years later and further expanded the castle by adding a five-story castle keep.

The wide moat, massive stone walls, and heavy yet elaborate gates are still impressive, and were the only fortifications the inhabitants felt necessary, so firm was their grip on power. The grounds are large and contain several lovely gardens as well as groves of plum and cherry trees. The palace building itself is imposing, yet upon closer examination, is rich in decorative detail.

Inside the palace are several masterpieces of Japanese art, most notably the painted screens of the main chamber. In this room, the shoguns met the daimyo (high-ranking warlord-administrators) who sought an audience. The screens were painted by artists of the Kano school and employ rich colors and large amounts of gilt to depict flowers, trees, birds, and tigers. They were meant to impress. Also, in the palace are the famous "nightingale floors," which were designed to squeak when stepped on and thus alert guards to any intruders.

From here, off to our hotel for the next two nights, New Miyako Hotel Kyoto, ideally situated across the street from the Kyoto JR Station and around the corner from the Aeon Mall. No matter in which direction you turn, a wide variety of food, shopping opportunities are available.

Accommodations: Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo free

Day 6 – November 28th, Sunday – Kyoto (B)

After breakfast, enjoy a free day to shop and explore on your own, please meet back in the lobby by 5:00pm as we are off on a night tour of Kyoto’s foliage illuminations. We begin with a visit to Eikando Zenrin-ji Temple is one of the best autumn leaves spots in Kyoto. It is especially famous for its night foliage illumination. With a variety of over 3,000 maple trees, the scenery is spectacular.

The temple complex consists of multiple buildings and monuments including the main hall, pagoda, and traditional Japanese garden with a pond, which most of them are connected by walkways and staircases. The famous Amida statue, which is designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, is enshrined in the Amida Hall. In addition, there are a great many cultural treasures stored in the Tahoto Pagoda, which is one of the famous landmarks at the temple.

Next, we are off to Shoren-in Monzeki Temple, located at the foot of Kyoto’s Higashiyama mountains. This monzeki temple, a temple whose head priest were traditionally a member of the imperial family. Shorenin's close relationship with the Japanese imperial family dates to the temple's founding in the 12th century. Its autumn night illuminations are especially known for the twinkling blue lights placed in the moss lawn.

We now return to our hotel, arrival by 9:00pm.

Accommodations: New Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo free

Day 7 – November 20th, Monday – Kyoto-Kansai (B)

After breakfast. Please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am. While it may be our last day on tour, there is still much to see and do before our flight home later this evening.

The morning begins with a visit to Tenryuji Temple, its walkway to the entrance runs through the famous and spectacular Arashiyama bamboo groves. This sprawling Zen temple has one of the Kyoto’s finest gardens as well, wonderful mountain views.

We begin by exploring the main hall and observing the garden and pond from inside the hall. Next, outside to explore the garden on foot. You cannot help but notice that it is one of the best examples of shakkei (borrowed scenery) in Japan. The steep mountains are perfectly incorporated into the design of the garden.

There is yet another reason to visit, the Cloud Dragon on the temple’s ceiling. It was painted in 1997 by the renowned nihonga artist Kayama Matazo, as one of the projects commemorating the 650th anniversary of the death of Tenryu-ji's founder, Muso Kokushi.

The Cloud Dragon is rendered in the happo nirami style, in which the dragon appears to be looking directly at the viewer from wherever it is seen in the Hatto.

The present Cloud Dragon replaces an earlier one painted by the Japanese artist Suzuki Shonen at the time the Hatto was moved to its present location in the early Meiji period. By the 1990s this painting had deteriorated to the point that it could not be restored, so the new one was commissioned. A portion of Suzuki's dragon has been preserved, however, and is publicly displayed in the Daihojo every February.

As we exit the temple’s north gate, it brings us right into the heart of Arashiyama’s famous Bamboo Grove. Enjoy strolling along the walking paths that cut through the bamboo groves. If there is a light wind, you can observe the tall bamboo stalks gently sway back and forth.

Once back in the central area, enjoy free time to explore the various shops and maybe pick up a snack to two. Another point of interest is the Togetsukyo Bridge, Arashiyama's most iconic landmark. It was originally built during the Heian Period and most recently reconstructed in the 1930s. The bridge looks particularly attractive in combination with the forested mountainside in the background.

From here, we make our way to the Kansai area and an all-important last-minute shopping visit at the Aeon Mall. Beside shopping, do stop by the supermarket and maybe pick up a freshly made bento to take along to the airport.

Hawaiian Airlines #450 Departs Kansai 8:45 pm – Arrive Honolulu 9:20 am