2022 Historical Japan Spring Break Tour #2 Osaka/Kyoto/Okayama/Kurashiki Hiroshima/Miyajima and Fukuoka MARCH 20Th – 27Th, 2022
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2022 Historical Japan Spring Break Tour #2 Osaka/Kyoto/Okayama/Kurashiki Hiroshima/Miyajima and Fukuoka MARCH 20th – 27th, 2022 6nts/8days from: $2795 triple $2895 double $3295 single Cancel for any reason up to 60 days prior-FULL REFUND! Maximum Tour size is 24 tour members! Japan has a rich history that stretches back thousands of years and the country's ancestors have left their imprint everywhere. It is a world apart – a cultural Galápagos where a unique civilization blossomed, and today thrives in delicious contrasts of traditional and modern. The Japanese spirit is strong, warm, and incredibly welcoming. We begin in Osaka, Japan's third-largest city where things have always moved a bit faster. It packs more color than most cities with its dazzling neon and vivid storefronts. Above all, it is a city that loves to eat: its unofficial slogan is kuidaore ('eat until you drop'). At night, Osaka shines as it seems that everyone is out for a good meal and a good time. From here, off to Okayama, an important transportation hub and the capital of Okayama Prefecture. The city developed as a castle town during the Edo Period and became a significant regional power. And then, Hiroshima, mostly known for the horrific split second on August 6, 1945, when it became the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack. Today it is a modern, cosmopolitan city with excellent cuisine and a bustling nightlife. Our tour ends in Fukuoka, one of Japan’s oldest cities, on the northern tip of Kyushu Island. It is western Japan’s most happening city and gateway to the country. Besides the many historical sites, we have included a hands-on-experience, a dyeing experience, two bullet train rides, Kojima Jeans Street, day trip to Kyoto, Miyajima, and Kurashiki, two historic preservation districts, a complete free day in Hakata and much more. Whether it is your first time or a seasoned traveler, this tour hits all the spots. Itinerary/Details Day 1 – March 20th, 2022- Sunday – Departure from Honolulu Hawaiian Airlines #827 Departs Honolulu 1:10 pm – Arrive Kansai 6:45 pm +1 Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines check-in counters, Terminal 2, Lobby 4, a minimum of 3 hours prior to the departure time. A complimentary meal will be served in-flight. Day 2 – March 21st, 2022- Monday – Kansai-Osaka After clearing customs, we will be met by our local guide and then Osaka. The drive time is approximately one-hour. 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. Accommodations for our first three nights on tour is at the Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka, set in a modern high-rise building. Enjoy incredible views of the city and its surrounding from your room. The hotel is ideally located just a few minutes’ walk to Shinsaibashi, Osaka’s most famous entertainment district and Dotonbori, where you can sample many of Osaka’s most famous dishes. Famous Blade Runner Neon Shinsaibashi Shopping Dotonbori Street Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free Day 3 – March 22nd, 2022- Tuesday – Osaka (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am as we are off on a half day of touring. The morning begins with a visit to Osaka Castle, one of Osaka’s most popular landmark sights. Travel back in time almost 400 years to feudal Japan on the chaos and violence of an epic conflict—the final one of the samurai era. In 1614 and 1615 hundreds of thousands of samurai—blasting guns, shooting arrows, and wielding swords—unleashed their force on the Osaka castle, inaugurating the downfall of the Toyotomi clan and sealing Tokugawa Ieyasu's position as Japan's undisputed master. Explore the fury of samurai warfare—from gory beheadings to fierce sword fights. For days Ieyasu's forces barraged the castle's walls with fire from 300 cannons, causing fear and confusion. In January 1615 Hideyori finally signed a treaty, ending what became known as the Winter Siege, or Fuyu no Jin. But the truce fell apart, and the Summer Siege, or Natsu no Jin, began. Magnificent Osaka Castle has been destroyed – and restored – several times, with its most extensive refurbishment completed in 1997. As you walk around you can still marvel at its massive stone walls, gold- leaf trim, copper roof, and panoramic views. There is also a fascinating on-site museum that chronicles its tumultuous history. Osaka Castle snacks & souvenirs view from top of castle perch From here, a visit to Kuromon Market, one of the main food markets in Osaka. With more than 190 years of history and tradition, this very popular market is known by locals as "Gastronome" and "Osaka' s Kitchen". All kinds of fresh food items are available at this market, fully satisfying the hunger of the people of Naniwa (Naniwa is the old name for this area). Eat-in shops for sushi or fresh seafood over rice, also grilled fish, shellfish, meat, and other food being served in or outside of shops give off mouth-watering aromas. At 600 meters long with over 170 stalls, Kuromon Market offers not only fresh fish and food items, but a complete range of household goods and yes even appliances. Now, a return to our hotel, arrival by 1:30pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. Our local guide will be available for a walking tour of Shinsaibashi for those who may not be familiar with the area. Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free Day 4 – March 23rd, 2022- Wednesday –Osaka-Kyoto-Osaka (B) After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we are off on a full day of touring Kyoto. The drive time is approximately one hour. Kyoto is a town of 1.5 million, a place 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 begins with a visit Kinkaku-ji, one of Japan's best-known sights. The original building was built in 1397 as a retirement villa for Shōgun 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 fictionalized in Mishima Yukio's The Golden Pavilion. In 1955 a full reconstruction was completed that exactly followed the original design, but the gold-foil covering was extended to the lower floors. The temple is set in three stories. The 1st floor is Shinden-zukuri, the palace style. It is named Ho-sui-in. The 2nd floor is Buke-zukuri, the style of the samurai house and is called Cho-on-do. The 3rd floor is Karayo style or Zen temple style. It is called Kukkyo-cho. Both the 2nd and 3rd floors are covered with gold-leaf on Japanese lacquer. The roof, upon which the Chinese phoenix settles, is thatched with shingles. The temple is surrounded by a beautiful garden with a pond in the front called the Mirror Pond. The stones in the pond give a representation of the Buddhist era. Golden Temple & grounds Next, on the outskirts of Kyoto, the Sagano Bamboo Forest, a natural forest of bamboo. Come, take a stroll through one of Kyoto’s most famous scenes, the iconic Bamboo Forest. View the towering green stalks of this versatile plant sway in the wind, creaking eerily as they collide and twist. Standing amid the bamboo is like being in another world. Make sure to have your camera on hand. Close by, time to explore and have lunch on your own in the Arashiyama Area, a popular destination since the Heian Period when nobles came to enjoy its natural setting. Its main street offers a variety of small shops and restaurants as well as the famed Togetsukyo Bridge, built during the Heian Period and reconstructed in the 1930’s. The combination of the bridge with the forested mountainside as a background, makes for great photography. Our last stop on today’s touring is at Tenryuji Temple, ranked first among Kyoto's top five Zen temples. This UNESCO World Heritage site was originally built in 1339. Its buildings were repeatedly lost in fires and wars over the centuries. Unlike the temple buildings, Tenryuji's garden survived the centuries in its original form. Created by the famous garden designer Muso Soseki, this beautiful, landscaped garden features a central pond surrounded by rocks, pine trees and the forested mountains. Not to be missed is the Cloud Dragon on the temples’ ceiling painted in 1997 by the renowned nihonga artist Kayama Matazo. 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.