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2021 Spring Break Tohoku & Hokkaido

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2021 SPRING BREAK GUARANTEED! TOHOKU & HOKKAIDO RISK FREE! Let’s Support Tohoku! “Ganbatte Tohoku!” Explore the less traveled Tohoku region Cancel for Any Reason by 10/30/20! then enjoy a visit to Hokkaido. Enjoy the onsen (hot springs) of Tsunagi, Towada, No Penalties & No Cancellation Fees! Hakodate and Lake Toya…a once in a lifetime experience! 10 Nights / 12 Days • 25 Meals (10 Breakfasts, 8 Lunches, 7 Dinners) Escorted from Honolulu • English-Speaking Local Guide March 17 – 28, 2021 • Tour Manager: Andy Lau COMPLETE PACKAGE! VISIT: $ * Omiya • Sendai • Matsushima • Kesennuma • Hiraizumi • Tsunagi • Tazawa • Morioka 4888 Oirase • Towada • Aomori • Hakodate • Lake Toya • Date • Shiraoi • Sapporo • Otaru INCLUDES ROUNDTRIP AIRFARE FROM HONOLULU, 10 NIGHTS HOTEL, 25 MEALS, TIPS FOR LOCAL TOUR GUIDES AND TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: BUS DRIVERS, ALL TAXES & FEES Shinkansen Bullet Train Ride • Zuihoden • Matsushima Scenic Cruise • Zuiganji Temple EARLY BOOKING Sendai Shopping Area • Ishinomaki Genki Ichiba • Ishinomaki Community and Info Center DISCOUNT PER PERSON Kesennuma Seafood Market “Umino Ichi” • Chusonji Temple • Lake Tazawa • Tatsuko Statue $ Oirase Gorge • Lake Towada Cruise • Hirosaki Castle • Nebuta House Warasse • Hokkaido Konbukan SAVE 100 Hakodate Night View Tour • Hakodate Morning Market • Hakodate Bay Area • Fort Goryokaku BOOK BY AUGUST 31, 2020† Silo Observatory • Lake Hill Farm • Date History and Culture Center • Shiraoi Ainu Museum Otaru City Sightseeing • Otaru Canal • TV Tower • Clock Tower • Odori Park • AEON Mall SAVE $75 BOOK BY OCTOBER 30, 2020† HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES: Sasakama Kan (Hand-grilled Fish Cake) Making Experience $ Tezukuri Mura Senbei Making Experience • Ice Cream Making SAVE 50 BOOK BY NOVEMBER 30, 2020† Indigo Dyeing • Nikka Whisky Factory Tour and Tasting Non-Stop Travel DON'T MISS A THING!! WHISPER — Wireless Tour Guide System! Exclusive! English narration directly to your ear! Locally Owned & Operated Non-Stop Travel ICE CREAM MAKING — Made Since 1985 — Mahalo Hawai‘i! Hokkaido Exclusive! with Fresh Milk Straight from the Farm! 615 Piikoi Street, Suite 102 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96814 * Fares are per person, USD based on double occupancy and INCLUDE ALL AIRLINE TAXES AND FEES. Airline fuel supplements, taxes and fees are subject to change and tour member is responsible for any increases. 593-0700 Some airline-imposed personal charges, including but not limited to baggage, priority boarding and special seating, may apply. For details visit www.tripadvisor.com/AirlineFees. After initial deposit, a $75 per person Non-Stop Travel (NST) Cancellation Fee will apply. Group departures may be cancelled, if there are less than 24 tour members. Final Payment to NST for “non-cruiseline” Air and Land Package must be or Toll-Free made by Money Order or Personal Check. NST does not guarantee that all tour members will fly together with Tour Manager. Tour Manager assignments, number of meals offered on tour, tour price, discount, and the “final” tour itinerary are subject to change with/without notice. NST reserves the right to correct errors or omissions including but not limited to, fares, fees and surcharges at any time. 1-800-551-1226 Deposit: $500 per person. Final Payment Due: 11/06/20. † Early Booking Discount is per person. Purchase of Non-Stop Travel’s complete Air and Land Package is required. ** Earn Rewards Every Time You Refer a Friend. For each “New-to-NonStop Travel” customer you refer, both you and your referral can receive a $25 discount off your next NST escorted group. 061820 www.nonstop.travel Day 1: Wed, Mar 17 – HONOLULU. Depart Honolulu via Hawaiian Airlines flt #821 at 11:15 am. Otaru HOKKAIDO Day 2: Thur, Mar 18 – TOKYO – OMIYA. Arrive in Narita at 4:00 pm. After entry formalities, transfer by coach to Sapporo your hotel in Omiya. The remainder of the evening is at your leisure. The hotel is conveniently located a 5 minute Lake Toya Chitose Airport walk from the JR Omiya Station, which is one of the largest stations in the Saitama Prefecture. There will be various choices for shopping and dining at the train station. PALACE HOTEL OMIYA (1 Night) Shiraoi Date * Baggage will be carried by truck from Omiya to Sendai, skipping 1 night in Sendai. Prepare an overnight bag for 1 night. Hakodate Day 3: Fri, Mar 19 – OMIYA – SENDAI. After breakfast, depart for Sendai via Shinkansen Bullet Train. Upon arrival in Sendai, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, learn how Sasakama Kan (hand-grilled fish cake) is made. Next, visit Zuihoden, the mausoleum of Date Masamune, one of the most powerful feudal lords of the Edo period. Transfer to the hotel for dinner. HOTEL METROPOLITAN SENDAI Aomori Towada (2 Nights) (B, L, D) Oirase Oyu Onsen Day 4: Sat, Mar 20 – SENDAI – MATSUSHIMA – SENDAI. After a sumptuous breakfast buffet at hotel depart for a full day of sightseeing to Matsushima. For hundreds of years, Matsushima Bay has been celebrated as one Tazawa of Japan’s three most scenic views alongside Miyajima and Amanohashidate. The bay is dotted by over 200 small Tsunagi Morioka islands covered by pine trees. Embark on an unforgettable sightseeing cruise. Next visit Zuiganji Temple, one of Tohoku region’s most famous and prominent Zen temples. Zuiganji is well known for its beautifully gilded Hiraizumi Kesennuma and painted sliding doors. Special treat for lunch: Gyutan, a dish consisting of pieces of thinly sliced beef TOHOKU tongue, cooked over a charcoal grill. Before returning to our hotel, stop at Sendai’s shopping area with time Matsushima to explore. After returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at your leisure. (B, L) Sendai Day 5: Sun, Mar 21 – SENDAI – KESENNUMA – HIRAIZUMI – TSUNAGI. We start the day with a stop at Bus Ishinomaki Genki Ichiba and Ishinomaki Community and Info Center. We then make way to Bullet Train Kesennuma’s Seafood Market, “Umino Ichi” to see the incredible economic recovery taking place. Known as the “shark fishing capital of Japan”, you may want to try a bowl of shark fin soup or a super-fresh seafood donburi for lunch (on your own). Be sure to explore the many gift items made from shark skins and support JAPAN the local economy. Hiraizumi’s most famous attraction, Chusonji Temple was established in 850 as a temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. The temple came to prominence when the northern branch of the Fujiwara clan Omiya moved their base to Hiraizumi. At peak, the temple consisted of a large network of dozens of buildings. Enjoy a soak in the luxurious onsen (hot springs) and a gourmet kaiseki dinner. HOTEL SHION (1 Night) (B, D) Tokyo Day 6: Mon, Mar 22 – TSUNAGI – TAZAWA – MORIOKA. Start the day with a fun hands-on activity. Learn to the last years of the Edo Period for the defense of Hakodate against the imperialist threat posed by the Western make Tezukuri Mura Senbei. Next visit Lake Tazawa (Tazawako). A scenic caldera lake that has not been powers. After the fort had lost its military importance, it was turned into a public park. Transfer to Lake Toya. overly developed and retains a natural and rustic atmosphere. At the western end of the lake there is a famous Enjoy a buffet dinner at the hotel. THE LAKE VIEW TOYA NONOKAZE RESORT SPA RESORT BUILDING (1 Night) golden statue of a woman named Tatsuko that has become a local symbol. According to legend, Tatsuko (B, L, D) was a beautiful girl who prayed to retain her beauty forever but was instead cursed and turned into a dragon and eventually sunk to the bottom of Lake Tazawa. After lunch, transfer to the hotel in Morioka, where the remainder Day 10: Fri, Mar 26 – LAKE TOYA – DATE – SHIRAOI – SAPPORO. Start the day by taking in the view from of the day is at your leisure. HOTEL METROPOLITAN MORIOKA NEW WING (1 Night) (B, L) the Silo Observatory – where you can see panoramic views of Lake Toya, Nakajima Island, Mt. Usu and Mt. Showa Shinzan. It is one of Japan’s leading photography spots. Next, visit Lake Hill Farm and learn how Day 7: Tue, Mar 23 – MORIOKA – OIRASE – TOWADA. Oirase Stream is a picturesque mountain stream in to make ice cream. Learn to dye using indigo at the Date History and Culture Center, and create Aomori Prefecture that is one of Japan’s most famous and popular destinations. The stream flows along the yourself a memorable souvenir of your trip. After a sushi lunch, explore the Shiraoi Ainu Museum, an outdoor floor of the Oirase Gorge, winding among trees which, while a lush green in spring and summer, turn brilliant reproduction of an Ainu Village, where you will see a traditional Ainu song and dance performance. Enjoy a BBQ shades of red, yellow and orange from late October through early November. Over a dozen waterfalls cascade dinner upon arrival in Sapporo. KEIO PLAZA HOTEL SAPPORO (2 Nights) (B, L, D) down into the stream all along its length from the walls of the gorge. After lunch, enjoy a sightseeing cruise on Lake Towada. The largest caldera lake on Honshu, Japan’s main island. It is characterized by two large Day 11: Sat, Mar 27 – SAPPORO – OTARU – SAPPORO. Stop at Nikka Whisky Factory for a tour and peninsulas, which extend nearly a third way across the lake. This evening enjoy dinner at your hotel. The onsens tasting before departing Sapporo for Otaru. Otaru served as a major trade and fishing port in the 1800s. After – which are divided for men and women – allow you to enjoy the hot springs whether indoors or outdoors. lunch, enjoy a walking tour of Otaru with your tour guide, including a stroll around the Otaru Canal. Back in The high-quality service and facilities are sure to become some of your fondest memories of your visit to Japan.
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  • The Essence of Japanese Culture

    The Essence of Japanese Culture

    1 The essence of Japanese culture... Shrines, N Temples, Gardens Temples in gold, temples in simplicity, shrines in tranquility, and gardens in refinement ... Which is your favorite? o Magnificent Buddhist temples, and those which embody the essence of c understated architectural elegance through the elimination of almost all Kinkakuji Temple: i "... As a country Buddhist priest, my father, rather poor in decorative features. Quiet and stately Shinto shrines rest amid dark vocabulary, used to tell me that nothing in this world is as green woods ... Japan has them. Everywhere (even nestled in large beautiful as Kinkakuji ..." (an excerpt from "The Temple of The Gold Pavilion" by renowned author, Yukio Mishima) population centers like Tokyo and Osaka!). Many date back well over 1,000 years. Shinto, an ancient, indigenous religion unique to Japan, with emphasis on ancestor worship and harmony with the natural world. Buddhism, brought in from the Asian Continent way back in the sixth century teaches spiritual enlightenment and salvation. Both continue to Rice cultivation began in Japan over be prime and moving sources of inspiration, culturally and esthetically, for 2 the Japanese even today. Putting temple structures aside, the Buddhist images enshrined The Great Buddha of Kamakura: This Great Buddha is world-famous as the symbol of the therein and their gardens are splendid pieces of art. Japanese gardens ancient capital Kamakura. are world-renowned as refined reproductions of nature's beauty all confined within a limited space. Sit on a temple veranda and let time float by while viewing the garden. The perfect way to get away from it all.