2022 Historical Japan Summer Break Tour Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe/Himeji Okayama/Kurashiki /Hiroshima/ Miyajima Island and Hakata June 2nd – 11th, 2022

8nts/10days from: $3095 triple $3150 double $3595 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 Kyoto, 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. And then, 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.

From here, off to Kobe and Himeji, most famous for its magnificent castle that is designated both a national treasure and a UNESCO world heritage site. Then on to Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Okayama, and Kurashiki. 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 bullet train ride, ferry ride, sake brewery visit, traditional shopping streets, cable car ride, Kojima Jeans Street, day trip to Miyajima Island, an opportunity to get up and close with kangaroos and wallabies at Green Park, Korakuen, one of Japan’s three great gardens, and a complete free day in Osaka.

Whether it is your first time or a seasoned traveler, this tour hits all the spots.

Itinerary/Details

Day 1 – June 2nd, 2022- Thursday – Departure from Honolulu

Hawaiian Airlines #449 Departs Honolulu 2:25 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 – June 3rd, 2022- Friday – Kansai-Kyoto

On arrival in Osaka, please make your way to the baggage claim area and then proceed to customs clearing. On exiting customs, we will be met by our local English-speaking guide. A short walk to our charter bus and then off to Kyoto, the drive time approximately 1.5 hours.

Welcome to Kyoto! Kyoto is old Japan, made up of quiet temples, grand gardens, and colorful shrines. While the rest of Japan has adopted modernity with abandon, the old ways remain in Kyoto.

Accommodation for our first 2 nights on tour are at the 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. If you would like to shop for a snack or drinks, there is 24 hours, 7/11 convenience store just across the street.

Hotel New Miyako Kyoto Hotel lobby Aeon Mall

Accommodations: Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo free

Day 3 – June 4th, 2022- Saturday – Kyoto (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am as we are off to discover the very best of Kyoto.

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.

Our touring day begins with a visit to Kiyomizu Temple. It is Higashiyama-ku's most famous temple, known throughout Japan for the grand views afforded from its main hall. Founded in 798 and rebuilt in 1633 by the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, the temple occupies an exalted spot-on Mount Otowa.

The main hall has a huge veranda that is supported by pillars and juts out over the hillside. Just below this hall is the waterfall Otowa-no-taki, where visitors drink sacred waters believed to bestow health and longevity. Dotted around the precincts are other halls and shrines. At Jishu-jinja, the shrine up the steps above the main hall, visitors try to ensure success in love by closing their eyes and walking about 18m between a pair of stones – if you miss the stone, your desire for love won't be fulfilled! Note that you can ask someone to guide you, but if you do, you will need someone's assistance to find your true love.

Before you enter the actual temple precincts, check out the Tainai-meguri, the entrance to which is just to the left (north) of the pagoda that is in front of the main entrance to the temple (there is no English sign). We will not tell you too much about it as it will ruin the experience. Suffice to say that by entering the Tainai-meguri, you are symbolically entering the womb of a female bodhisattva. When you get to the rock in the darkness, spin it in either direction to make a wish.

The steep approach to the temple is known as Chawan-zaka (Teapot Lane) and is lined with shops selling Kyoto handicrafts, local snacks, and souvenirs.

While the rest of Japan has adopted modernity with abandon, the old ways remain in Kyoto. There is no better place to experience this feeling than with visiting two of Kyoto's most attractive streets are Sannen- zaka and Ninen-zaka, a pair of lanes that lead down from Kiyomizu-dera Temple toward Nene-no-Michi Lane. The atmosphere of traditional old Kyoto is alive here.

Lined with beautifully restored traditional shophouses and blissfully free of the overhead power lines that mar the rest of Kyoto, 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. You will find many restaurants and teahouses to refresh yourself as you explore, including the single most atmospheric teashop in the city, Kasagiya.

Souvenir shops selling Kyoto original goods like dolls and Japanese fans, Japanese restaurants using the reconstructed merchant’s house, and ceramic shops stand side by side along the slope. The neighboring famous temples and shrines also attracting people here. Enjoy free time here to explore and have lunch on your own.

Enjoy free time here to explore and have lunch on your own.

This afternoon, a visit to Sanjusangendo Temple, established in the twelfth century and spectacular in that it houses 1001 carved wooden statues of Kannon- the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy - set in ranks in the main hall: 500, in ten rows of 50, on each side of the seated figure of Senju Kannon. They were made using a technique called yosegi, which allowed several craftsmen to work on one statue. First, hollow blocks of wood were put to together and roughly carved, then the images were finely carved and lacquered for preservation.

We now make our way back to our hotel, arrival by 3:00pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. There is so much to do in the immediate area. For shopping, discover the many shops at the JR Kyoto Station or around the corner is the AEON Mall.

Accommodations: Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo free

Day 4 – June 5th, 2022- Sunday – Kyoto-Nara-Osaka (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we bid our good-byes to Osaka and make our way to Nara, the ancient capital city in the Kansai region of Japan. Throughout 2010 the city celebrated its 1300th anniversary. Centuries before anyone had heard of Delhi or Shanghai or London or Paris—and long before anywhere called Kyoto (let alone Tokyo) existed—Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan, and the place where the country began to establish itself as a Buddhist kingdom.

If you think of Japan as a land of bullet trains and J-pop in Shinjuku storefronts, come to Nara—a city filled with rolling hills, ancient temples, and 1,200 entitled deer roaming its old streets.

Once here, a visit at Nara Deer Park, home to hundreds of freely roaming deer. Considered in Shinto to be messengers of the gods, Nara's nearly 1200 deer have become a symbol of the city and have been designated a natural treasure. You can purchase deer biscuits to feed them. The deer bow immediately when they see you have food.

Just steps away is Nara's premier attraction, Todaiji Temple, and its Great Buddha (Daibutsu), Japan's largest bronze Buddha. When Emperor Shomu ordered construction of both the temple and Daibutsu in the mid- 700s, he intended to make Todaiji the headquarters of all Buddhist temples in the land. As part of his plans for a Buddhist utopia, he commissioned work for this huge bronze statue of Buddha. It took eight castings to complete this remarkable work of art. At a height of more than 15m (50 ft.), the Daibutsu is made of 437 tons of bronze, 286 pounds of pure gold, 165 pounds of mercury, and 7 tons of vegetable wax. However, thanks to Japan's frequent natural calamities, the Buddha of today isn't quite what it used to be. In 855, in what must have been a whopper of an earthquake, the statue lost its head. It was repaired in 861, but alas, the huge wooden building housing the Buddha was burned twice during wars, melting the Buddha's head. The present head dates from 1692.

Be sure to walk in a circle around the Great Buddha to see it from all angles. Behind the statue is a model of how the Daibutsuden used to look, flanked by two massive pagodas. Behind the Great Buddha to the right is a huge wooden column with a small hole in it near the ground. According to popular belief, if you can manage to crawl through this opening, you'll be sure to reach enlightenment. You can also get your English- language fortune for ¥200 by shaking a bamboo canister until a wooden stick with a number comes out; the number corresponds to a piece of paper. The wooden structure housing the Great Buddha, called Daibutsuden, was also destroyed several times through the centuries; the present structure dates from 1709. It is the largest wooden structure in the world, but only two-thirds its original size.

Nara Deer Park Todaiji Temple Great Buddha

From here, a visit to Higashimuki Shopping Street, in short, it is Nara’s most important shopping street. This covered shopping arcade offers a wide selection of shops and restaurants. Enjoy free time here to shop, browse, and have lunch on your own.

At the entrance of the shopping street, there is Nara’s most famous specialty, persimmon leaf sushi. It is basically bite size rice balls topped with salted mackerel and wrapped in a persimmon leaf. Each piece is then put into a wooden box and pressed with a heavy stone to ferment for a few days. The persimmon leaf adds a distinctive flavor to the sushi, so you can eat it as it is without any soy sauce. Persimmon leaf sushi is a perfect dish to casually eat outdoors.

From here, off to Osaka, arrival by 4:00pm. Accommodations for the next two 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. After settling in, please meet your Panda Travel escort in the lobby as we are off on a walking tour of the immediate area.

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.

Famous Blade Runner Neon Shinsaibashi Shopping Dotonbori Street

Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free

Day 5 – June 6th, 2022- Monday – Osaka (B)

After breakfast at our hotel, enjoy a complete free day to shop until you drop, sightsee, and enjoy delicious foods.

Just around the corner from our hotel are probably the two most popular streets in all of Osaka, Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori. This is the city's most famous entertainment district and offers abundant dining and shopping choices.

Shinsaibashi’s covered arcade shopping street has been Osaka’s most important shopping area for 400 years, with hundreds of shops lining this 600-meter-long street. From huge department stores like Daimaru and flagship Uniqlo clothing stores to small independent boutiques, there is something for every shopper and every wallet on this street. There are also dozens of delicious restaurants and cafes hidden in the streets and the alleys leading just off it.

Close by is Amerikamura, also known as Amemura. With its American-style boutiques and shops, international bars, and low prices, Amemura is a popular hangout spot for trendy youths who like Western fashion and pop culture. Rather than the big-name brands found in Shinsaibashi or Midosuji, Amemura has indie boutiques and thrift stores that give it its quirky and lively reputation. Flea markets are sometimes set up on weekends and there are often street performances. This makes this a fun place to visit and hang out to experience the fusion of Japanese and Western culture.

And then there is the Dotonbori, the lively entertainment area and Osaka’s most famous tourist destination and renowned for its gaudy neon lights, extravagant signage, and the enormous variety of restaurants and bars. This is one of the most colorful areas in Osaka and an absolute must-visit location when traveling through Kansai region.

The history of this area goes back to 1612 when a merchant by the name of Yasui Doton invested all his personal capital in an ambitious local development project. Doton’s plan was to divert and expand the Umezu River into a new waterway that would link the local canal network with the Kizugawa River. Unfortunately, Doton’s project was interrupted by war, and he was killed during the Siege of Osaka in 1615. Later that same year, Doton’s cousins completed his work, and, in his memory, the new canal was named Dotonbori or “Doton Canal”. Also, close by is Kuromon Market, with more than 190 years of history and tradition, this popular area 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).

Despite its sometime touristy feel, the 150 or so shops here still give you the sense of a local neighborhood market. Local folks in the area come here to so their shopping, buy their produce and fish, new clothes, shoes, and a variety of household items and gadgets. Enjoy free time here to explore.

Just about a block away is Doguyasuji Shopping Street, a 150-meter-long shopping arcade lined with specialty shops selling cookware, kitchen utensils and restaurant supplies. This arcade with its variety of appliances, tableware and cooking accessories provides an interesting counterpoint to Kuromon Market and can also be a good spot for picking up some unique souvenirs.

As you can see, there is quite a lot to see and do on this free day and the best is that it is just a walk from our hotel.

Enjoy your day!

Famous Runner Neon Don Quijote stores Ever popular Daiso canal cruising

Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free

Day 6 – June 7th, 2022- Tuesday – Osaka-Kobe-Himeji (B/L)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am. We bid our good-byes to Osaka and journey on to Kobe and Himeji. The drive time to Kobe is approximately 1-hour.

Kobe, perched on a hillside sloping down to the sea, one of Japan’s most attractive and cosmopolitan cities. It was a maritime gateway from the earliest days of trade with China and home to one of the first foreign communities after Japan reopened to the world in the mid-19th century.

Once here, a visit to Kobe’s sake district. While there are thousands of sake breweries in Japan, this area is known to make the best. The Nada district has about 40 breweries and produce nearly 30 percent of Japanese sake production.

The history of sake brewing in Nada dates to the 17th century and their methods have been passed down to the present day. The Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 destroyed most of the breweries’ wooden facilities and new ones rebuilt. As a result, breweries have the appearance of concrete wall, but they maintain their traditional method of brewing in new buildings.

Many of the breweries in the area operate small museums offering a glimpse into its 600-year history, traditions, and methods of this ancient craft. You also will have the opportunity to find out what makes Nada’s sake so special — and to taste the difference.

Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

Its lunch time and no visit to Kobe is complete without enjoying a Kobe beef lunch. Kobe beef is a special grade of beef from (Wagyu) cattle raised in Kobe, Japan. These cattle are massaged with sake and are fed a daily diet that includes large amounts of beer. This produces meat that is extraordinarily tender, finely marbled, and full-flavored. It is also extremely expensive, often costing more than $100 per pound.

From here, off to Himeji, home to Japan’s largest and most beautiful castle. This afternoon we will be visiting Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden. The drive time is approximately 1.5 hours.

Himeji Castle, also known as White Heron Castle due to its elegant, white exterior, in resemblance to a bird taking flight. It is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprised of 83 building.

The castle is both a national treasure and a world heritage site. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of the country's twelve original castles. Extensive renovations over several years were completed and the castle re-opened to the public in early 2015.

Himeji Castle views from the top riginal stone walls

Close-by, our hotel for the evening, Hotel Nikko Himeji, adjacent to the Himeji JR Station and less than a two-minute walk to the covered shopping arcade, Miyuki dori. This long shopping street runs all the way from Himeji Station to the square in front of the castle.

Along the way you will find plenty of shops and a plethora of cozy cafés. One that comes particularly recommended is Hamamoto coffee, an old style “kissaten” where many elderly locals, some of them somewhat eccentric, gather during the morning hours, so it is a great place for people watching. The coffee they serve deserves a mention too, as it consists of a carefully chosen selection of beans from all over the world, ground and carefully hand-dipped in the traditional way.

A must do, walk up to the viewing platform that offers incredible views of Himeji Castle in the distance.

Arrival will be by 4:30pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free.

Accommodations: Hotel Nikko Himeji free

Day 7 – June 8th, 2022- Wednesday –Himeji-Okayama-Kurashiki (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:00am. Today we are off to explore Okayama and Kurashiki. Our drive will be approximately 2-hours with a brief rest stop along the way.

Our touring day begins with a visit to Kurakuen Garden, one of Japan’s three most celebrated gardens. It was created roughly 300 years ago by the area’s daimyo, a symbol of the power of the samurai. It is located just beside Okayama Castle, which can be seen from the garden as "borrowed scenery".

Korakuen is a spacious garden that incorporates the typical features of a Japanese landscaped garden, including a large pond, streams, walking paths and a hill that serves as a lookout point. Rather unique for a Japanese garden, however, are Korakuen's spacious lawns. Also found in the garden are groves of plum, cherry and maple trees, tea and rice fields, an archery range, and a crane aviary.

Enjoy free time here to walk around and enjoy the scenery.

Okayama Korakuen Garden

Next, a visit to Kojima Jeans Street, where Japan made jeans were born and an ultra-funky shopping experience awaits. Indigo lovers from all over the world come here for each denim pieces’ unique concept and character. It is known as the “holy land” of Japan-made jeans.

Welcome to the world of indigo-blue, stylish, and high-quality jeans sold here in over 30 different stores. Each store has each unique concept, selling vintage denim, one-of-a-kind jeans, exclusives for women and even denim loungewear. Other than that, clothes and leather products which go great with jeans are waiting for you to try on. Enjoy free time to explore, shop, and have lunch on your own.

This afternoon, we make our way to Kurashiki to visit the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, where you can enjoy free time to stroll her backstreets. It is a tiny but immaculately preserved section of its old rice- merchant quarter, which prospered in the Edo period. There are about 300 old houses and granaries. The oldest is about 300 years old.

Old Kurashiki today consists of dozens of characteristic whitewashed, black-tiled kura, or rice granaries, centered around a willow-lined transport canal. Many have been converted into museums, shops, teahouses, and inns, injecting contemporary vitality into these relics of traditional Japan. It is considered one of the picturesque merchants’ quarters in Japan.

The quaint charm of those times has been retained with white wooden houses with traditional black tiles & no electrical poles on the roads! Some families who have lived here for generations are still there!

It is a “must see traditional neighborhood” where you will have time to enjoy the atmosphere, do some small kine shopping and find great snacks or add to your lunch.

Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter

Now, off to our hotel, Royal Park Hotel Kurashiki, ideally located, just a 5-minute walk to the Kurashiki train station where you can find a variety of shops and restaurants.

Accommodations: Royal Park Hotel Kurashiki free

Day 8 – June 9th, 2022- Thursday –Kurashiki-Hiroshima (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:00am. Please prepare a small overnight bag as our larger pieces will be sent along to Hakata.

This morning we journey off to Hiroshima, the drive time is approximately 2.5 hours including a rest stop.

Once here, our touring day begins with a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and A-Bomb Dome.

With six beautiful rivers flowing through it, Hiroshima is called the City of Water. The origins of the city date back to 1589 when Mori Terumoto, a feudal lord, built Hiroshima Castle at the large delta of the Ota- gawa River. Because the delta resembled a large island, the area was called "Hiroshima", or 'wide island' in Japanese.

Although many only know it for the horrific split second on August 6, 1945, when it became the site of the world's first atomic bomb attack, it is now a modern, cosmopolitan city with excellent cuisine and a bustling nightlife.

We begin with a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, located in the center of Hiroshima City. It is difficult to imagine that this triangle shaped piece of land bordered by two rivers was once a busy commercial and residential downtown area. The atomic bomb eliminated everything in the town. After World War II, a group led by a Japanese architect Kenzo Tange designed the park to turn the land into the Peace Memorial Park It was completed in 1954.

There are many buildings and monuments which commemorate people who lost their lives at that time and represent the people's prayers for peace, such as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Memorial Cenotaph, and the Statue of the A-Bomb Children, etc. By imagining the contrast between the misery of the atomic bomb attack and the beauty and tranquility in the park while visiting spots in the park, you will be moved to appreciate how precious peace is.

Next, a stop at the A-Bomb Dome, a symbol of peace which most people have at least seen at one time in a picture. The building, which was designed by a Czech architect in 1915, had been used as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. Hiroshima citizens back then loved so much European modern-style buildings of the time. In 1912, the National Confectionery Exposition was held in this place. From that exposition, Baumkuchen, which represented German cake, was manufactured, and sold in Japan for the first time. Since the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall was located only around 160 meters from the hypocenter, the building was blown up, and all those inside the building died. However, the building was not destroyed completely because the blast of the atomic bomb, which was vaporized in the air, prevented it from totally collapsing. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and has been representing people's prayers for a lasting peace.

A-Bomb Dome Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

From here, a drive to the Miyajima ferry station. The drive time is approximately 45-minutes. Once here, off on a short 10-minute ferry ride to Miyajima Island, one of the most scenic spots in Japan. It has long been regarded as an Island of Gods on the beautiful Seto Inland Sea. It is a romantic and historical island where Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage site, is located, along with the Virgin Forest of Mt. Misen, and numerous preserved shrines, temples, and historical monuments.

Its star attraction is the oft-photographed vermilion torii (shrine gate) of Itsukushima-jinja, which seems to float on the waves at high tide – a scene that has traditionally been ranked as one of the three best views in Japan.

From the ferry station, we will walk along Omote-Sando, the main street from the port to Itsukushima Shrine. There are many souvenir shops on both sides of the street. You will have time to enjoy souvenir shopping for a Shamoji (a rice scoop) or the well-known Momiji manju, a bun with a bean-jam filling made from maple leaves as well and other crafts.

We will now visit the cultural heritage site, called the "Itsukushima Shinto Shrine" that is dedicated to the God protecting people from sea disasters and wars. It is said that this shrine was constructed around 593; however, after the warlord Taira no Kiyomori rebuilt it in 1168, it became the magnificent vermilion- lacquered building it is today. The most interesting feature of this shrine is the Torii (a kind of gate symbolizing a shrine) and the Shaden (shrine pavilion) in the sea, which are both submerged at full tide, but at low tide the sea water recedes completely, and it is possible to walk out to the gate.

Enjoy some free time to explore, shop, and have lunch on your own.

Ferry to Miyajima vermilion torii in the water Itsukushima Shinto Shrine & approach

Once back in Horishima, off to our hotel, Hotel Granvia Hiroshima. Our hotel is ideally situated, right at the Hiroshima Station. You will find a wide variety of shop and dining options.

Accommodations: Hotel Granvia Horoshima free

Day 9 – June 10th, 2022- Friday –Hiroshima-Hakata (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am. We are steps from the Hiroshima Station for our bullet train ride to Hakata. We will depart at 9:34am on Sakura 547 and arrive in Hakata at 10:38am. Once in Hakata, we will be met by bus and driver for an afternoon of touring.

Welcome to Fukuoka, Kyushu’s largest city and Japan’s sixth largest. It is made up of two former towns, the Fukuoka castle town on the west bank of the Naka-gawa and Hakata on the east. The two towns merged in 1889 as Fukuoka, though the name Hakata is still widely in use. As an example, it is Fukuoka Airport but Hakata Station.

Our touring begins with a visit to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Fukuoka, where more than 2 million people visit during the first three days of New Year. In this shrine, Sugawara-no Michizane, an excellent poet, particularly in Chinese poetry in the late 9th century, is enshrined as the god of academic achievements. During the entrance exam season, young people from all parts of Japan preparing for these examinations and their parents come to the shrine to pray for success and academic achievement.

Michizane died in Dazaifu in 903, just a few years after being sent into exile. Shortly after his death the country was ravaged by natural disasters, and people came to believe that the calamities were caused by the wrathful spirit of Michizane, still angered by his unjust treatment. Offerings were made to the spirit of Michizane and the tradition of Tenmangu Shrines was begun. The Tenmangu Shrine in Dazaifu was built on the site of his grave.

The entire length of the approach is lined with shops that cater to the shrine's visitors. The shrine is rather large, stretching about 250 meters from one end to the other. After passing through the torii gate at the entrance, visitors will come across a pond that was built in the shape of the Japanese character for "heart". A path leads across two arched bridges and islands which represent the past, present, and future.

Enjoy free time to explore, shop, and have lunch on your own.

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine and approached lined with shops on both sides

From here, a visit to Ishikura Sake Brewery for tastings. It is one of the oldest companies in Fukuoka and the only sake brewery remaining in Hakata Ward. Both the brewery and its building are over 140 years old.

Enjoy sampling traditional local sake and also visit their shop for items only offered here.

Now off to our hotel, Hotel Clio Court Hakata, adjacent to the JR Hakata Station. It is all about location, hard to find a more convenient spot, just steps from so many dining and shopping options. Check in will be by 3:30pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free.

If you are not familiar with the immediate area, your Panda Travel escort will set a meeting time for a short walking tour.

Hotel Clio Court Hakata Hakata JR Station

Accommodations: Hotel Clio Court Hakata free

Day 9 – June 11th, 2022- Saturday –– Hakata-Fukuoka Airport (B)

While it may be our last day on tour, there is still much to see and do before our flight home later this evening. 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 Hibikinada Green Park, considered one of the most beautiful parks near the seaside of Kitakyushu offering a variety of activities.

The park’s theme is of “encountering water, greenery, and animals”. At the centerpiece, a rose garden with 320 different kinds of roses and 2500 rose plants for a total of one million roses blooming everywhere. The garden flourishes with many visitors in spring and in fall. Within the park, Hibiki Animal World is known as a leading facility in Japan for raising marsupials. Here you can see and interact with the approximate 250 kangaroos. There is a separate enclosure to view wallabies and wallaroo.

Rose Garden Butterflies before hatching & after birds & ecology Garden

In addition, there are places where you can get up close and personal with water dragons, chameleons, and other tropical reptiles, as well as channel-billed toucans and other birds, in the tropical house, Tropical Ecology Garden. The rice paper butterflies here are the largest in Japan.

Kangaroo Square and wallabies

From here, a stop at Gintengai Shopping Street, the arcade shopping street connected to the JR Kokura Station. This “Silver” roof arcade is the birthplace of Japanese arcade shopping streets. Enjoy free time to shop and have lunch on your own.

We end the touring day with a cable ride up Mt. Sarakurayama, the best scenic spot offering spectacular views.

Hawaiian Airlines #828 Departs Fukuoka 8:40 pm – Arrives in Honolulu 10:15 am