17 Day Authentic With Cathay Pacific

Osaka - - Naruto - Takamatsu - Matsuyama - Beppu - Nagasaki - Karatsu - Fukuoka - Hiroshima - Miyajima - Himeji - Kanazawa - Shirakawago - Takayama - Nagano - Matsumoto - Mt Fuji - Hakone - Tokyo

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Departure Dates

26 March 2019 1 April 2019 3 April 2019 8 May 2019 5 June 2019 10 July 2019 14 August 2019 4 September 2019 9 October 2019 6 November 2019 13 November 2019

Day 1 Australia Osaka

Today, board your international flight to Japan! On arrival you will be met by your tour guide and transferred to your first night's hotel.

Please note: Some flights might depart the night prior.

Hotel: 3★ Hotel WBF Namba Inari or similar

Day 2 Osaka Kyoto

Start your visit of this beautiful country by heading to Dotombori – one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka where you will be able to see what is now icon, the Glico runner crossing the line. Next, head to the Namba-Shinsaibashi area which encompasses the city’s premier shopping districts full of boutiques, designer outlets, restaurants and bars. Then, visit the Osaka Castle which played a major role in the unification of Japan during the Azuchi-Momoyama period in the sixteenth century. The castle is elaborately fortified, and beautifully decorated. In the afternoon, head to Kyoto and enjoy the rest of the day at your own pace.

Day 2 (cont.) Optional Meal - Tofu dinner - Kyoto is famed for its vegetarian cuisine, with the influence of the local monk culture. Tofu is one of the local specialities, and can be prepared in a variety of ways - from being eaten with soy sauce and ginger to being fried or boiled with different flavours. It is also one of the most commonly used ingredients in Japanese cuisine.

Hotel: 4★ Mitsui Garden Kyoto Shijo or similar Meal: Breakfast

Day 3 Kyoto

Start your memorable visit of Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan for more than a century. It is a historic, cultural and religious centre of Japan with more than 1600 temples and shrines. First, you will go to Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, constructed in the 17th Century under the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The surface area stretches over 275,000 square metres. You will then be taken to Kinkakuji – the Golden Pavillio, which is a Zen temple and World Heritage site with two floors covered entirely in thin layers of pure gold, set within a beautiful classical Zen garden. The detailed architecture incorporates three distinct architectural styles – Shinden, Samurai, and Zen. Finally, head to Arashiyama to see the famous bamboo forest, it is a nationally designated historic site and a place of scenic beauty. Enjoy the afternoon at your own pace. You will have the option to visit other famous landmarks, experience a green tea ceremony or walk around wearing a Kimono.

Optional Activity 1 - The Green Tea ceremony - also called Chado, "the way of tea" is the traditional and ceremonial preparation and presentation of Matcha. You will be shown how to prepare the tea and be able to experience preparing it as well. Your guide will be able to provide you with directions to the venue.

Optional Activit 2 - Kimono fitting - Kimonos are a traditional Japanese garment that were first introduced in Japan in the . You will be able to rent a Kimono and walk around the traditional streets of Kyoto to take iconic photos. Your guide will be able to provide you with directions to the venue.

Hotel: 4★ Mitsui Garden Kyoto Shijo or similar Meal: Breakfast Day 4 Kyoto Naruto Takamatsu

This morning continue your visit of Kyoto by heading to the Fushimi Inari Taisha, shrine of the god Inari - the god of rice. During the Heian Period (794-1185 AD) the shrine was under Imperial Patronnage, before being elevated to the highest rank of Shrine in 942 AD. It is still to this day one of the most important shrines in Japan and also one of the most picturesque with around 10,000 gates. Then, visit Heian Jingu, or Heian , a replica of an ancient imperial palace and a symbol of the rebirth of Kyoto after World War 2 – the enormous vermillion orange tori gate is unforgettable!

After your visit of Kyoto, head to Naruto to board your Naruto whirlpool cruise. The tidal whirlpools happen in the Naruto Strait that connects the Pacific Ocean and the Inland Sea – between the main land Honshu and Shikoku. To end your day, relax at the Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu, one of the most famous historical gardens in Japan – built around the 17th century. It features a tea house, various art exhibits, various bridges, footpaths and hills overlooking a masterfully kept garden.

Hotel: 4★ JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu or similar Meal: Breakfast Day 5 Takamatsu Matsuyama Beppu

Head to Shikokumura, an open air architectural park which houses more than twenty buildings dating back to the Edo Period. Have a stroll around and visit the museum to learn more about the history of Japan. Then, head to Matsuyama castle, a flat-land mountain castle that remains in its original state – it has not been rebuilt like others. On the way to Beppu – the final destination of the day, stop at Dogo Onsen, believed to be the oldest hot spring in Japan – with a history stretching back for more than 1,000 years. It has been a place of relaxation for many famous Japanese writers and poets over the years, as well as for the Emperor. It is also famous as the inspiration behind the movie Spirited away. Enjoy a relaxing time yourself at the hotel in Beppu, soaking in the waters of one of the famous hot springs in Japan.

Hotel: 3★ Hotel Aile Beppu or similar Meal: Breakfast

Day 6 Beppu Nagasaki

Visit the hells of Beppu in Jigoku. These spectacular hot springs are a sight to behold. After your visit, continue on to Nagasaki, famous for its cultural and historical heritage, being the birth place of Christianity in Japan, as well as being the first point of contact with foreign traders in the 17th century.

Day 6 (cont.) Start your visit of the city by stopping at the Nagasaki Atomic bomb museum to learn about the devastating effects of the atomic bomb that was dropped on the city on the 9th of August 1945. Finish your day with a visit of the Suwa shrine, the major Shinto shrine of the city that was built in the hopes of preventing conversion to Christianity that started in the 17th Century.

Hotel: 3★ Hotel Jal City Nagasaki or similar Meal: Breakfast

Day 7 Nagasaki

Start your culturally and historically rich day by paying homage to the victims of the atomic bomb at Nagasaki peace park. Head to Dejima, a fan-shaped artificial island built to first constrain and house Portuguese traders and then the Dutch during the 17th century. After that, you will be taken to Glover Garden, built in 1863 and known for its famous picturesque garden and western style house that is still quite uncommon to this day. Finally, you will visit the oldest church in Japan, built shortly after the end of the seclusion policy in 1853, also known as the Church of the 26 Japanese Martyrs. Throughout your visit in Nagasaki, you will be able to see the western influences in the city. Nagasaki was the first city to import Western art, music, religion and food among other things.

Hotel: 3★ Hotel Jal City Nagasaki or similar Meal: Breakfast Day 8 Nagasaki Karatsu Fukuoka

This morning, enjoy a cruise around the fascinating Hashima Island or Gunkanjima, an abandoned island 15km from Nagasaki which was once used for coal mining and abandoned in 1974. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site today and was featured in a James Bond movie. After heading to Karatsu, visit the Seven pots caves at Nanatsugama, formed from waves eroding a lava plateau made from Basalt. Pass through Yobuko, a once prosperous whaling base.

Hotel: 4★ Hotel New Otani Hakata or similar Meal: Breakfast

Day 9 Fukuoka Hiroshima

Today, head to Hiroshima, a modern city on Japan’s Honshu Island, which was largely destroyed by an atomic bomb during World War II. Start your historic visit at the Atomic Dome, originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall and one of the only buildings left standing after the first Atomic bomb was dropped on the 6th August 1945 near the hypocentre. Walk around the peace park that is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as it is the first city to ever suffer a nuclear attack, with an estimated death toll of up to 140,000 people.

Optional meal - Okonomiyaki. Tonight, you will be able to enjoy an Okonomiyaki dinner. Okonomiyaki is a famous Japanese pancake, famed in Hiroshima for it's layering of ingredients including batter, cabbage and pork to which you can add optional items such as squid, octopus or more vegetables.

Hotel: 4★ Hotel Oriental Hotel Hiroshima or similar Meal: Breakfast

Day 10 Hiroshima Miyajima Hiroshima Kurashiki Himeji Osaka

Start your day by boarding a ferry for the short trip to Miyajima. Miyajima is known for its forests and ancient temples. Just offshore, the giant, orange Great Torii Gate is partially submerged at high tide. It marks the entrance to the Shrine, which was first built in the 12th century. You will then be taken to Kurashiki, a city famed for its very traditional, centuries old buildings and for the Bikan Historical Quarter. Next, you will go to the famous 'White Heron' , which is the largest surviving example of a traditional Japanese castle. Comprising 83 buildings, the white roof of this UNESCO-registered complex is said to evoke the wings of a heron taking flight – hence the popular name ‘Shirasagi-jō’ – White Heron Castle.

Day 10 (cont.) Optional meal - Kobe beef dinner - Tonight, enjoy the delicacy of the world's famous Kobe beef. Kobe beef comes from the Tajima strain of the Japanese Black cattle, raised under strict rules in the Hyogo Prefecture. The meat is famous for its flavour, tenderness and marbling.

Hotel: 3★ Hotel WBF Namba Inari or similar Meal: Breakfast

Day 11 Osaka Kanazawa

This morning visit Kenrokuen Garden – one of Japan’s top three landscape gardens. Developed over more than 200 years, starting in 1620, the garden contains almost 9,000 trees and 200 plant species. We also visit Nomura House, the historic residence of the Nomura Samurai clan. The house and grounds provide an insight into the lifestyle of the Samurai class during the 16-19th centuries, and feature beautiful architecture, gardens, and décor such as painted screen doors. To end your day, head to the Higashi Chaya District, a Geisha district. Geisha are Japanese women who study the traditional arts, dance, songs, games. The tradition still continues to this day, with women having to go through years of training to be able to entertain guests with various traditional arts.

Hotel: 3★ Hotel Resol Trinity Kanazawa or similar Meal: Breakfast

Day 12 Kanazawa Shirakawago Takayama Nagano

Travel to Shirakawago Village, a World Heritage site where 114 Gassho-style houses with steeply-pitched roofs in the shape of a triangle. Built many hundreds of years ago, these historic houses stand together in a beautiful natural setting. Then, head to Takayama’s Old Town, a wonderfully well-preserved slice of old Japan, with houses and shops dating back to the Edo period (1600-1868). As well as the charming architecture, there are unique cafes and a number of old saké breweries.

Hotel: 3★ Nagano Tokyu Rei Hotel or similar Meal: Breakfast Day 13 Day 15 (cont.) Nagano Matsumoto Mt Fuji Hakone On the approach to Senso-ji is Nakamise Shopping Street, a centuries-old promenade of shops selling After breakfast, head to Matsumoto where you will traditional snacks and souvenirs like kimonos and visit Matsumoto Castle, also known as ‘Crow Castle’ bottles of saké. We will then visit Tokyo Skytree. due to its dramatic black exterior. The Keep, Opened in May 2012, the Skytree is a television and completed around 1593, is listed as a National radio broadcast site, and contains a restaurant and Treasure of Japan. Then, continue to the Mt Fuji 5th two viewing platforms. At 634m, this is the 2nd- station above the clouds, where you will view the tallest structure in the world! Finish your day with a sacred mountain’s enormous summit (if weather visit of the Imperial palace, the primary residence of permits). Mt Fuji is the tallest mountain of Japan the Emperor of Japan. Built on the site of the old Edo and an active volcano, peaking at 3,776 meters high. castle, it is surrounded by large park areas, moats It is an iconic sight of Japan. Late in the afternoon, and massive stone walls. head to Hakone and stay in a traditional Japanese hot spring ryokan, where you will be able to enjoy Hotel: 3★ Rose Garden Shinjuku the famous Kaiseki cuisine – a traditional multi- Meals: Breakfast course Japanese dinner, before soaking into the hot springs to relax. Day 16 Tokyo Australia Hotel: 3★ Hakone Pax Yoshino or similar Meals: Breakfast, dinner Today marks the end of your incredible tour through Japan. At the appropriate time, board the shuttle to Day 14 transfer to the airport for your flight home or extend Hakone Tokyo your stay to enjoy more of this beautiful country.

Start your day with a visit to the Hakone open air Day 17 museum, to see various arts and sculptures that are Australia on exhibit. Then, head to Lake Ashi for a boat ride. The lake sits within Mount Hakone and is famed for Arrive home this morning. its views of . Boats inspired by western warships cruise the scenic lake, and the picturesque forested region has been popular for hikers and sightseers for centuries. You will then board the bullet train – the famous Shinkansen – running at speeds up to 320 km/h, it is also known for its “Certainly, travel is more than the punctuality down to the second, its comfort with seeing of sights; it is a change that only forward facing seats and its safety. goes on, deep and permanent, in the Hotel: 3★ Rose Garden Shinjuku or similar Meals: Breakfast ideas of living.” Miriam Beard Day 15 Tokyo

Today enjoy a full-day coach tour of Tokyo, the capital city and world’s most populated megalopolis – the Tokyo metropolitan area spreads over 3 prefectures with 38 million habitants. Start Book Now your day with a visit of the outer fish market. It is Visit the world’s biggest wholesale fish market and the largest wholesale food market in the world. Next www.inspiringvacations.com.au you visit Asakusa district, and visit Senso-ji Temple. Contact Us This is Tokyo’s oldest temple and is dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. [email protected]