Tokyo Summer Break Weekender Tour 2021

June 7th – 13th, 2021 5nts/7days from: $1895 double/triple, $2150 single Cancel for any reason up to 60 days prior-FULL REFUND! Maximum Tour size is 24 tour members!

Birds’ Eye View of Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market Great Buddha Meiji Shrine Wedding

Join us on this 5-night, fun filled Tokyo Spring Break Weekender tour. Tokyo is a city that prides itself on constant renewal and reinvention; it seriously never gets old. It has everything you can ask of a city, and has it in spades: a rich, cosmopolitan dining scene, more cafes, and bars than you could visit in a lifetime, fantastic public transport, and grassy parks – plus it's clean and safe. Really, what is not to love?

Whether you are traveling alone, as a couple or with the kids, this tour hits all the spots! For omiyage shoppers, there’s Tsukiji Outer Market, Ameyoko, Asakusa, and a complete free day. For the kid in all of us, we will be visiting the recently opened Shibuya Scramble Square, the pandas at Ueno Zoo, and teamLab Borderless, a world of artworks without boundaries, a museum without a map.

For history and culture, we have included visits to Enoshima, Kamakura with its Great Buddha, historic Komachi dori, and Meiji Jingu Shrine to witness the pageantry of a traditional Japanese wedding procession.

Our hotel, Sunshine City Prince, in the heart of Ikebukuro, is the perfect location to enjoy your free time. Besides the Sunshine City Mall, its steps away from all your favorite shops, a mega Don Quijote, Tokyo Hands, Uniqlo, Bic Camera and so much more. For anime lovers, this neighborhood has grown into a modern mecca for its fans.

Come along, join us for a weekend in Tokyo to be long remembered!

Itinerary/Details

Day 1 – June 7th, 2021 Monday – Depart from Honolulu

Hawaiian Airlines #863 Departs Honolulu 1:40 pm – Arrive Haneda 5:10 pm + 1

Check in for international flights begin 3 hours prior. Please meet your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines international check-in counters located in Terminal 2, Lobby 4.

Day 2 – June 8th, 2021 Tuesday – Haneda-Tokyo

On arrival in Tokyo, 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 home away from home, Sunshine City Prince Hotel.

The lobby of the hotel connects to a huge shopping and entertainment mecca with four towers, including a 240-meter-high skyscraper with an observation deck on the top. Sunshine City is typically open from 10 am to 8 pm seven days a week. We are also less than a 10-minute walk from the Ikebukuro JR Station. The third floor of the mall is practically all restaurants and stays open until 9:30pm.

There is 24-hour Family Mart convenience store right off the lobby in case you would like to pick up food, snacks, or beverages. Within a 5-minute walk is a 24-hour supermarket, Seiyu, in case all you want is a light dinner bento to bring back to the room.

While most of the mall stores will be closing by 8:00pm, the third floor offers a variety of dining and the restaurants are typically open until 9:30pm.

Remodeled Sunshine City Prince Hotel & lobby Family Mart in hotel lobby

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel free

Day 3 – June 9th, 2021 Wednesday – Tokyo (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am as we are off to explore Shibuya, one of the main hubs of modern Tokyo. It is a seething frenzy of shopping, dining, and drinking. This is the place to come to experience Tokyo in all its glory.

We begin at Shibuya Scramble Crossing, without a doubt the busiest and most iconic pedestrian crossing in the world. Get ready, we are on our way. Once on the other side, a visit to Shibuya Scramble Square, a new landmark with a 360° open-air observation deck with unobstructed views of Tokyo’s skyline. We are off to the top for breathing views. The rooftop also features hammocks for cloud watching and an observation compass to help you identify major landmarks in the distance, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Stadium and even Mt Fuji, on a clear day.

On your way down, enjoy free time to explore any of the 212 shops, ranging from skincare to fashion, hone décor, books, groceries, and electronics. There is something here for every shopper. When you get hungry, not to worry as there are many options, grab a light bite or a full meal.

While in the area, a must stop is at one of Japan’s unofficial landmarks, the Hachiko statute, a homage to the faithful Akita dog. He waited at Shibuya Station every day for his master, even after his death. Today, it is one of the most popular meeting places in Tokyo.

We will remain here until 1:30pm so that you have time to leisurely explore on your own. Your guide will advise of the meeting time back to our hotel. If you think you would like to stay on longer and take the subway back, please let us know.

Below is a sampling of the famous streets and districts around Shibuya.

Center Gai- it is the birthplace of many Japanese fashion trends and central hub for youth culture. This busy pedestrian area draws many young people in search of the latest fashions and music.

Koen Dori- a popular shopping street leading from the Marui Department Store to Yoyogi Park. Besides shops, it is where many street music and dance performers entertain.

Spanish Slope- a short, 100-meter-long pedestrian street so named to copy a Spanish street scene. There are approximately 30 shops, restaurants, cafes, clothing, and others that line the street. You will find many of the buildings having a southern European style to them.

Shibuya 109- a trend setting fashion complex for young women. This 10-story building has over 120 shops, more of a community of smaller retail stores where you can explore and shop among the flourishing avant-garde Tokyo fashion scene.

Magnet by Shibuya- a hot spot that specializes in fashion for men and is located on the northeastern corner of the Shibuya crossing. Here you will find fashion, music, and entertainment all under one roof.

On the 7th floor is Mag 7, a fancy food court that includes Japan’s first branch of the Los Angeles chain “Fatburger”. The top floor has a rooftop park.

Shibuya Stream- opened in 2018, it houses about 30 restaurants and shops on the first three floors. Next to the building is the Shibuya River along with a pedestrian promenade that follows the river for several hundred meters.

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel free

Day 4 – June 10th, 2021 Thursday – Tokyo-Enoshima-Kamakura-Tokyo (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:15am as we are off to Enoshima and Kamakura.

The morning begins with a drive to Enoshima, a small island at the mouth of the Sakai River that flows into Sagami Bay. It is approximately four kilometers and linked with the opposite shore of Katase by the 600-meter-long Enoshima-ohashi Bridge. The drive time will be just over 1-hour.

Once we have crossed the bridge, you will see marine product shops, souvenir shops, inns, and traditional restaurants on the approach to Enoshima-jinja Shrine. Enoshima-jinja Shrine was originally a tutelary shrine where the three goddesses of land, sea transport, and fisheries were enshrined in 552. Hadaka-Benten, or the naked goddess of entertainment in the shrine, is one of the three most famous goddesses in Japan. During the Edo Period, the shrine was crowded with worshippers, as Enoshima Benzaiten had many believers at that time. Still today, of course, many celebrities visit the shrine to wish for success.

Enjoy time here to do some shopping.

Enoshima-jinja Shrine, approach lined with shops and a must eat try

Now, a short dive to Kamakura, once the political center of Japan, when Minamoto Yoritomo chose the city as the seat for his new military government in 1192. The Kamakura government continued to rule Japan for over a century. It remained the center of Eastern Japan for some time before losing its position to other cities.

Today, Kamakura is a very popular tourist destination. Sometimes called the Kyoto of Eastern Japan, Kamakura offers numerous temples, shrines, and other historical monuments.

Once here, a visit to the Great Buddha of Kamakura, a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan.

The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by typhoons and a tidal wave in the 14th and 15th centuries. So, since 1495, the Buddha has been standing in the open air.

The Great Buddha rises serenely from its base, with gorgeously draped garments that you can hardly believe are forged from bronze. The serene expression is so evident; you feel the peace the artists intended to convey. The Great Buddha of Kotoku-in is an iconic image that represents Japanese culture. It is not just big, but beautiful.

This Great Buddha or Daibutsu as is commonly called is a National Treasure and one of the centerpieces of the city's cultural heritages. For a small donation, you are permitted enter the Buddha and see from the inside how it was cast. Take a few moments to enjoy this unique experience.

Great Buddha of Kamakura

From here, also close-by is Komachi dori Shopping Street where you will have free time to walk around, shop for souvenirs and enjoy some delicious snacks and foods. This is a good spot for lunch on your own!

One must stop here is at Kamakura’s famous cookie store for a sample. These dove-shaped butter cookies make for a great Kamakura souvenir and omiyage gift.

The dove motif was inspired by the plaque above the main prayer hall at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine, where the character for "Hachi" is shaped to look like a dove.

We will be departing back to Tokyo at 3:30pm, arriving back at our hotel by 5:00pm. Once back, the remainder of the evening is free.

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel free

Day 5 – June 11th, 2021 Friday – Tokyo (B)

After breakfast, a complete free day to shop, sightseeing or mix a little of both.

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel free

Day 6 – June 12th, 2021 Saturday – Tokyo (B/L)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am as we are off to discover more of Tokyo.

The morning begins with a stop at Tsukiji Fish Market which has the distinct honor of being the world's largest seafood market. While the inner auction market has moved to a new location, the popular outer market is alive and well.

If you’re a foodie, love markets, enjoy photography – or simply like visiting unique places – then you’ll probably love Tsukiji.

We will remain here for 1.5 hr. so that you have ample time to walk around and enjoy the outer market, visit knife-making artisan shops, tasting candies, nuts, and spices, and learning more about seasonal produce in Tokyo.

After a good stroll around the market, there is nothing like a sushi breakfast to complete the experience. There are plenty of sushi shops – make sure to choose one where you see locals dining. If you do not feel like sushi, there are other options including ramen, donburi and more.

Tsukiji Fish Market

From here we are off to Ueno and Ameyoko Shopping Street, famous throughout Japan for its wide variety of products.

The name "Ameyoko" is a short form for "Ameya Yokocho" (candy store alley), as candies were traditionally sold there. Alternatively, "Ame" also stands for "America", because a lot of American products used to be available there when the street was the site of a black market in the years following WWII.

You can get just about EVERYTHING here, clothes, bags, cosmetics, fresh fish, dried squid, and spices are sold along Ameyoko. It is quite the scene to just walk around through the very crowded and narrow streets. An awesome place to sightsee, shop and eat! Enjoy some free time here to explore on your own.

Ameyoko- best spot to find omiyage items

Lunch time and we are off to enjoy a great buffet at a local restaurant close by.

This afternoon we are off to the Ueno Zoological Gardens, established in 1882 and Japan’s oldest. It is home to over 3,000 animals from 400 different species. Our visit here today is to see the zoo’s highly popular giant panda cub, Xiang Xiang. It is the zoo’s first baby panda since 1988.

Xiang Xiang has taken Japan by storm. Born to mother Shin Shin and father, Li Li in June 2017, Xiang Xiang is Ueno Zoo’s symbol of adorableness (or as the Japanese would say in a high pitch, “Kawaii!”).

You will have the opportunity to watch her munching on bamboo shoots and nuzzling her mother. This bright-eyed cub has been the object of major media attention, with visitors clad in panda paraphernalia flocking to see her since her first public appearance.

We plan to remain here for 1.5 hours so that you can enjoy leisure time in the zoo.

Ueno Zoo

Now, back to our hotel, arrival by 4:15pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free.

Accommodations: Sunshine City Prince Hotel Free

Day 7 – June 13th, 2021 Sunday – Tokyo-Haneda (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:30am. If may be our last day on tour, but there is still much to see and do before our flight home later this evening.

The morning begins with a visit to Meiji Jinju Shrine, located right in the middle of one of Tokyo`s most popular areas is an amazing urban oasis, Meiji Jingu. It is a shinto shrine that is dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. After the Emperor’s death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration and the construction of a shrine where his soul would be enshrined was undertaken. The area around an iris garden in Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken had been known to visit was chosen as the building’s location. With the passing of the resolution, construction began in 1915, formally dedicated in 1920 and finished in 1926. When you enter the grounds of the shrine, probably the first thing that will get your attention is the, “torii” (the traditional gate to a Shinto shrine) you pass under. It is enormous and majestic, completely impossible to miss. There are three torii in total between the Harajuku entrance and the main building. But once you pass under the first one, you enter the forest which blocks out the sights and sounds of the city. While walking along the path to the shrine you will pass huge barrels of sake. These barrels are donated every year by Meiji Jingu Nationwide Sake Brewers Association to the enshrined deities at the shrine, and they make for a great photo opportunity for the visitor.

About five minutes past the sake barrels you`ll come to the entrance of the main shrine area, from where you can see the Mode Gakuen building far behind in the distance. The two buildings really contrast each other. Mode Gakuen, an icon of the modern age – and Meiji Jingu an icon of ages past, but still relevant in the modern era as it one of the main places for News Years prayers and is still very culturally important. Being that it is Sunday, enjoy seeing a Shinto wedding procession in front of the main building. You will not be able to see an actual wedding ceremony itself, but the processions are very impressive. They are quite solemn, led by the priests and miko (women or girls who assist in the ceremonies), and the bride and groom walk under a large red parasol.

Meiji Shrine and wedding procession

From here, we are off to Asakusa, the traditional, low-rise, down, and dirty Tokyo of yesteryear. Although on the surface it’s ye olde Japan, this was the first part of the capital to have significant western influence. It was even the site of Japan’s first cinema.

Attractions in the area include one of Tokyo’s most historic temples – Sensoji, and the impressive Kaminarimon Gate that marks the entranceway to the temple. Also, you cannot miss Phillip Stark’s ‘Golden Poo’ on the roof of the nearby Asahi Breweries headquarters.

Sensoji Temple dates to 645, but with the original destroyed in the air raids of 1945, today’s building is a 1958 reconstruction. At the top of the steps, as a mark of respect, clap twice and bow your head. It is also customary to make a small offering by tossing coins into the wooden rack.

The Five Storied Pagoda was built in 1973 and amongst others; it stands in honor of comedians! Standing 54 meters high, reinforced with concrete and steel, and like all pagodas, running down the center is a giant pillar of Japanese Cypress tree wood.

Once through the gate you will be in Nakamise Shopping Arcade. The street is lined with colorful, lively stalls selling traditional knick- knacks, festival foods, and rice crackers. There are over 50 shops along this shopping street. We will remain here for 1.5 hrs. to allow you time to enjoy the area as well as shop and have lunch on your own.

Asakusa and Nakamise Shopping Arcade

Now, off to Odaiba and a visit to teamLab Borderless, a world of artworks without boundaries, a museum without a map. It is a group of artworks that forms one borderless world. Artworks move out of rooms, communicates with other works, influences, and sometimes intermingles with each other, all the while with no boundaries.

Immerse yourself in borderless art in this vast, complex, three-dimensional 10,000 square meter world. Wander, explore with intention, discover, and create a new world with others. We have allowed for 2-hours here to enjoy in a leisure pace.

The remainder of the afternoon is free time here in Odaiba, the meeting time will be at 4:40pm and your guide will advise.

Close-by is Venus Fort, Tokyo's answer to the European Renaissance. The boxy exterior of this three-floor shopping, dining and entertainment complex belies a vast, airy, grandiose, and elaborately ornate interior, replete with Italianesque statuary, architecture, painting, and scenery. And, of course, plenty of duty-free shopping.

Also close by and always fun to stop at, the much-loved full-scale replica Gundam. Say hello to the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam replica from the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn series. it can switch between two modes – Unicorn and Destroyer – and you can catch the change several times a day. The Unicorn mode sees the Gundam with a single horn on its head, while the Destroyer mode reveals the statue’s hidden light panels.

If you continue a little further, there is Aqua City, with over 120 stores. There is a huge Daiso here to spend the time.

Arrival at the Haneda Airport will be by 5:00pm to begin our check-in.

Hawaiian Airlines #864 Departs Haneda 8:15 pm – Arrive Honolulu 8:50 am