Discover the gems of

August 11-18, 2020 Price: 312.000 yen*

August is one of the best times to visit Lithuania! Weather is usually pleasant warm and sunny, good time to join local festivals and enjoy the greenery of nature. Moreover, August is the best harvest season for lots of veggies, fruits and – great time to try the best traditional dishes! With this journey I invite you to visit 3 biggest Old Towns of Lithuania, lively local villages surrounded by beautiful nature, remote seaside with white sand dunes and fragrant pine forests – while learning about deep Baltic traditions and ancient crafts. Meet my family and experience real life of local people! Welcome to Traditions & Crafts focused trip to Lithuania! JOIN THE LOCALS - OFF THE BEATEN PATH!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP PRIVATE TRIP FOR A SMALL GROUP!

PERSONAL CARE OF A LOCAL GUIDE! ✓ Visit 3 biggest Old Towns in Lithuania: , , Klaipeda ✓ Experience authentic villages and spend a night at village homestead ✓ Discover remote and spectacular Curonian Spit – tallest moving sand dunes in Europe ✓ Try original Baltic sauna ✓ Attend ancient crafts festival at the most beautiful place ✓ Meet the locals and join Lithuanian BBQ party ✓ Enjoy workshop of traditional crafts from wild plants ✓ Taste organic home-made and ethnic dishes ✓ Discover local traditions ✓ Relax in a stunning nature

*Including Flight tickets, Accomodations, Transportation, Entrance fees, for all days, Welcome , Dinner with Lithuanian family. Additionally air fare, taxes/fuel surcharge for flight tickets will be charged.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM Day 1 – August 11

Leaving Tokyo Haneda Airport at 22:50 with Turkish Airlines (Economy class seats).

Day 2 – August 12

WELCOME TO VILNIUS! Arriving to Vilnius at 10:45 – Jurga will meet you at Vilnius International Airport. Taking a taxi and arriving to Vilnius Old Town in minutes! Check-in to a hotel, located in the historical Old Town of Vilnius. After leaving luggages, we will have welcome lunch at nice restaurant in Old Town. You will have a wide menu – lots of delicious traditional Lithuanian dishes to refresh you after a long flight. Despite countless wars and destructions, Vilnius managed to preserve its medieval layout and an impressive mix of Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, and classical architecture. There are many impressive buildings in the Old Town and the best way to see it all is to explore the historic center on foot. After lunch you will have an Old Town sightseeing tour with a certified local guide. Taking a walk in cobblestone narrow streets, on vibrant spirit of the past you will discover why Vilnius Old Town is included in Unesco World Heritage list. Local guide will show you exciting hidden corners that would be hard for a traveler to discover alone. After the tour, you will have free time evening. Have a good rest after the flight and get ready for the next day’s adventures. Night at 4-star Hotel at the Old Town of Vilnius, breakfast included.

Day 3 - August 13

VILNIUS - OPEN-AIR FOLK MUSEUM IN RUMSISKES – VILIUSIAI VILLAGE After breakfast and check-out from hotel, we will leave Vilnius by a private car. During this day we will get to know everything about Lithuanian villages – starting from history at the museum and finishing with experience of real rural life at the village.

There is no better place to get to know past life of Lithuania, than Open-Air Folk Museum in Rumsiskes. It’s one of the largest ethnographic open-air museums in Europe - a great introduction to the ethnographic regions of Lithuania, representing traditional buildings from all around the country. Leaded by a professional guide, you will find there a town with various houses of craftsmen with demonstrations of pottery, weaving, amber and wood crafting. Also, typical household appliances and machinery, most dating from the 18th – 19th centuries. Moreover, we are going to have fun by riding an old horse drawn carriages! We will have lunch at the museum’s old house inn. Here you can try almost anything from Lithuanian while enjoying traditional interior.

After lunch we will travel by car to the real village! I can promise you extraordinary experience and unforgettable memories of beautiful country side of Lithuania. This evening will be very special – I am sure you haven’t experienced anything like that before. We will live at Lithuanian rural homestead surrounded by spectacular nature. This place is perfect for people who long for authenticity, naturalness, and wild nature. The clean air of the forest, the vast 5 hectares territory of the homestead, and the sounds of nature will be at your private disposal! The most peculiar and distinctive feature of homestead are the cranes living in the nearby Nature Reserve – you will be free to watch their morning and evening flights. You will live here as if in the old times but with the amenities of the modern day.

The homestead has a unique collection of archaic, archaeological Baltic linen costumes from 5th-12th centuries. Examining and touching the attire is not the only thing that you can do – you can actually dress up the attire for an exclusive photo-session! We are going to have an educational session of smoking traditional Lithuanian cheese pressed by local farmers – a product protected by European Union as culinary heritage. You will see the process of smokehouse work and will get a chance to taste freshly smoked still hot cheese.

After daytime activities, we will have a relaxing but exciting time in traditional Baltic steam sauna. Professional bathhouse attendants will put you through the ritual sauna-bath program which you will find relaxing, fragrant, pleasantly warm, liberating and rejuvenating. You just have to try it! Moreover, we will have an outdoor Hot Tub (Ofuro) – so you can dip in hot water at any time during the evening! Each traveler will get a high-quality Lithuanian linen bath towel as a present! While having fun at sauna, me and my family will prepare you a true Lithuanian BBQ feast! You are going to have a homemade party together with my family: Lithuanian style grilled meat on wood fire, organic fresh and herbs from the garden, local farmers cheeses, black , homemade apple- and more – it will be a stunning feast with lots of hearty and happy people! Moreover, we can enjoy evening sitting around the fire pit at Tipi! You will have an unforgettable experience for the rest of your life. We are going to spend night at the homestead in ancient Lithuanian traditional rooms. Breakfast included.

Day 4 - August 14

VILIUSIAI VILLAGE – KAUNAS - KLAIPEDA After a good rest at the village house, we will start another great day by having a special breakfast. The host of homestead will bake waffle on the fire – Lithuanian culinary heritage, served with home-made raspberry jam, local honey and herbal from a huge pot on fire. Following cheerful breakfast, we will have a creative crafts workshop by working with wild plants and herbs. We will have a teacher that has been practicing this traditional art for 22 years. She will introduce you to very old Baltic crafts and teach you how to create it by yourself. You can take your created crafts art home as a souvenir. After workshop we are going to check-out from homestead and take a car to Kaunas – second largest city. We will have some free time to stroll lively streets of Kaunas Old Town, visit the impressive Kaunas Castle and have lunch at vibrant and romantic Old Town square. We can’t miss a chance to visit Chiune Sugihara house-museum, where famous Japanese diplomat has been working during the years of World War II. Lithuanian Parlament declared the year 2020 as Chiune Sugihara year - to mark the 80th anniversary of Sugihara’s mission in Kaunas. In the afternoon we will leave Kaunas and in ~2 hours arrive to Klaipeda – third largest city. We will check-in to hotel at the Old Town of Klaipeda and have a dinner nearby. Free-time evening at Klaipeda Old Town. Night at 3- star Hotel at the Old Town of Klaipeda, breakfast included.

Day 5 - August 15

KLAIPEDA – CURONIAN SPIT (NIDA) After breakfast and check-out from hotel, we will meet my family and together take a morning ferry to Curonian Spit - the UNESCO World Heritage site in its entirety. Curonian Spit is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand- dune spit National Park that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the coast. The Curonian Spit is home to the tallest moving sand dunes in Europe and is sometimes called Lithuanian Sahara. This waif-like peninsula of sand dunes and woodlands, having impressive nature and tiny fishermen towns, is one of the most spectacular holiday destinations in Lithuania. Since the area is considered to be remote, it is rarely visited by big tourist groups – this is an exclusive chance to get-off the beaten track and visit a best summer spot for Lithuanian style holidays! Curonian Spit region called Neringa has 4 former fishing villages that are now authentic resorts. Their lagoon coasts are lined by numerous wooden vernacular style ex-fishermen homes, some still adorned by thatched roofs and many housing small family-owned guesthouses and restaurants. Nida is the Spit's largest town, loved for its laid-back, traditional seaside resort feel – a true Lithuanian summer paradise. We will stay in Nida for 2 nights at local ex-fishermen house. Check-in before noon, we will have all day free-time at Nida. On the day we come, there will be Ancient crafts festival, held in the center of town – absolutely exclusive chance to discover unique Baltic culture and lifestyle! You can find exceptional souvenirs at crafts market. Nida and its surroundings are best to be enjoyed by bicycle - we can rent them just steps from our guesthouse. Well- preserved forest trails lead to the beaches, where you can enjoy a stunning sunset. Parnidis Dune is nearby - take the gentle stroll to the sundial and gaze over the shifting white sands. Panoramic scenery from the Sun clock will amaze you! Don’t miss a chance to taste freshly smoked fish – famous local dish! Night at local traditional style guesthouse in Nida, breakfast included.

Day 6 - August 16

NIDA – JUODKRANTE - NIDA After breakfast we will take a tour to breathtaking dune massif - The Dead Dunes. As a protected area, The Dead Dunes are one of the most dramatic and botanically significant features of this unique geological formation. Area is visited by walking through the pedestrian wooden path on the sand. After a walk on the dunes, we will visit Juodkrante – quiet seaside resort village, former fishermen town. We can enjoy a relaxing walk at 2 km long lagoon-side promenade adorned by stone statues. Just off the main street in Juodkrante, the forest is alive with a vast array of wooden carved fairytale creatures, crow-monsters and devils. Known as the Hill of Witches, this public trail through the woods takes visitors on a trip through the most well-known legends and stories in Lithuanian folk history. After having lunch at a local restaurant, we will have a short visit to the Europe‘s largest cormorant colony – about 4000 cormorants and 1000 gray herons live on top of these trees. We will get back to Nida and visit Amber gallery-museum in an old fisher's hut. After remaining for thousands of years at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, amber is referred to as the gold of Lithuania. Visitors can peer through magnifying glasses at insects trapped in amber and explore the amber-ornamented garden. Having some time left, we will take a visit to ethnographic Fisherman's Homestead museum - an exhibition of a typical house interior that tells about a daily life of a fisherman living on the Curonian Spit at 20th century. The entire homestead-turned-museum was fitted out to reflect the old way of life of local fishermen. Night at local traditional style guesthouse in Nida, breakfast included.

Day 7 - August 17

NIDA – KLAIPEDA – TRAKAI – VILNIUS AIRPORT In the morning we will check-out from the guesthouse and leave Curonian Spit by private car. We will stop at Klaipeda Old Town for a few hours tour and lunch. Klaipeda's old town is small but interesting. I will guide you on the straight narrow German style old town streets. Klaipeda is also known for plenty of small sculptures hiding in the old town. After lunch we will head to Vilnius. On the way we will have the last stop at Trakai. Former capital Trakai has the only castle in , built on the island and it is the most visited tourist destination in Lithuania. Trakai is also known for picturesque blue lakes, scenic coastline, castles, manors and local dish Kibinai. While you will enjoy taking photos of a stunning castle and last minutes shopping, I will take-out famous kibinai - pastries filled with chopped meat or vegetables. We can enjoy kibinai on the way to the close-by Vilnius Airport. Leaving Lithuania from Vilnius International Airport on August 17th 20:05.

Day 8 - August 18

Arriving to Tokyo Haneda Airport at 19:25, August 18th.

It was great having you! See you next time!

INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE:

✓ International flight tickets ✓ Traveling with a private comfortable minibus – no public transportation! ✓ 3-4stars hotels accommodation, located in the Old Town of Vilnius and Klaipeda ✓ 2 nights at traditional ex-fishermen home guesthouse in Nida ✓ 1 night at the village homestead house ✓ Breakfast for ALL days! ✓ BBQ dinner with Lithuanian family at the village! ✓ Local guides! ✓ Personal care and guidance by a local tour leader Jurga during your entire trip! ✓ Entrance fees to ALL museums and visited objects ✓ High quality linen bath towel as a present! ✓ Smoking cheese session ✓ Baltic sauna and Hot Tub experience ✓ Dressing up Baltic attire ✓ Crafts workshop from wild plants ✓ Riding an old horse drawn carriage at Open-air Folk museum ✓ Taxi fees from the Airport ✓ Extraordinary entertainment program and excursions - you can’t find anything like that traveling alone or with other travel agencies! NOT INCLUDED IN THE TRIP PRICE:

✓ Tax/fuel surcharge for the flight tickets ✓ Dinner and lunch (except dinner with family at the village) ✓ Bicycle rental services in Nida (optional) – around 15 eur ✓ Medical and Travel Insurance ✓ Personal expenses and other expenses not mentioned above. NOTES:

✓ The trip program can be adjusted depending on the weather and other unexpected matters. ✓ Private room is possible to book at the hotels in Vilnius and Klaipeda – additional 10.000 yen. ✓ The number of places is limited to 14 travelers! ✓ Deadline for application: 8 May 2020 HOW TO APPLY:

Trip to Lithuania 2020 is organized by Jurga Varpucianskiene and assisted by Tumlare Corporation Tokyo: Link to tour details: https://www.tumlare.co.jp/items/view/9822 Link to application form: https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/htravel/data/ck/files/LT%20Trip%202020AUG%20form(2).docx

Shingo Kawamura Jurga Varpucianskiene E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 03-6809-4324 Tel: 070-1257-2985 In Japanese or English In English

Presentation of Trip to Lithuania 2020 will be held on February 29th (Sat) 14:00-15:00 at Tumlare Corporation Tokyo office (東京都港区芝1-7-17 住友不動産芝ビル3号館3F). Application form: https://form.kintoneapp.com/public/form/show/c6c7e307a39c3503227e0cda27635ce5648e3c06f4e6363575c40 cc6fd3a4e82

WHO IS YOUR LOCAL GUIDE?

Hi! Labas! My name is Jurga, I am Lithuanian. I have been living in Tokyo for the past 3.5 years. Me and my husband moved to Japan because a desire to travel encouraged us to seek for adventure far away from home. This summer we are coming back home and inviting Japanese people to visit Lithuania. During my stay in Japan together with Japanese friends I started a new business – bringing highest quality Lithuanian linen to Japan. We have created our own linen brand “Jurga” (www.jurga.jp). Even though my background is a Lawyer and Tax consultant, I challenged myself in many new activities while living in Japan: model, TV reporter, English teacher, babysitter, travel guide and cook. I have been hosting Lithuanian classes at my home in Tokyo and organizing events at Lithuania’s Embassy. I had a chance to introduce my country to more than 400 Japanese attendants. It has been always my dream to organize trips to Lithuania! Having only the best feedbacks from previous Japanese travelers, I invite you to my 2nd program to Lithuania. I can promise you a really different tour that you have ever had! Since I love traveling so much, I know my country very well. I will show you the real beauty of Lithuania, lead to unforgettable experiences, introduce local people, reveal our culture and traditions.

Special entertainment program and excursions with locals – you won’t get anything like that with travel agency or traveling by yourself. Meet my family and experience real life of a local people! Feel Lithuania! *If you are not confident in English, don't worry - I will help you and it will be a great chance to improve your English skills! I understand Japanese language a little and have experience in working with Japanese who don’t speak English ;) Please do not hesitate to contact me or meet me on February 29th at the presentation of Trip to Lithuania 2020 (14:00-15:00 at Tumlare Corporation Tokyo office).

FEEDBACKS FROM JAPANESE GROUP ATTENDANTS ABOUT THE PREVIOUS TRIP TO LITHUANIA

“It was the best trip in my experiences. It's an unforgettable trip with Jurga - good friend, good planner and good local guide.” “I feel very nice. That trip is one of the greatest memories in my life.”

“It was amazing! People, food, culture and everything was great for me. I like the nature of Lithuania most.” “My best memory is meeting locals. I could see a part of their daily life, talk and enjoy with them like a friend. If I visited Lithuania as a normal tourist, it seems absolutely impossible for me to have the same experiences.” “I want to recommend to my friends and family very much! I'm interested in the next trip to Lithuania, and I'd like to join another program. And my husband too!!” “Now I can say - Lithuania is my favorite country.”

“I've never imagined to visit Lithuania, so that was kind of big decision to join. But now I can say that was perfect choice :)” “I can recommend to all my friends and family to visit. It is really nice place, people so calm and kind, cities and nature are so beautiful. Food is amazing...”

“It was a wonderful opportunity to interact with locals. And they were really cheerfull, friendly, kind and it was very pleasant time for me.” “I’m already looking forward to visit Lithuania again. I love Lithuania.”