24 Day Grand Japan Kyoto Tokyo Hiroshima Osaka Mt Fuji Hakone Matsumoto Takayama Kanazawa NikkÅ​ Nagano Shirakawago Miyajima Himeji Sapporo 24 Day Grand Japan FROM $6,999 PER PERSON, TWIN SHARE Japan is an amazing country where tradition meets the future. A place where unbelievable skylines are mixed with stunning nature. Discover the Land of the Rising Sun and experience the different sights, food, culture, tradition, heritage, history, people of each places. Book Now TOUR ITINERARY The information provided in this document is subject to change and may be affected by unforeseen events outside the control of Inspiring Vacations. Where changes to your itinerary or bookings occur, appropriate advice or instructions will be sent to your email address. Call 1300 88 66 88 Email [email protected] www.inspiringvacations.com Page 1 TOUR ITINERARY DAY 1 Destination Home Osaka Meals included Hotel 3 Hotel Links Namba, or similar Today begins the adventure of a lifetime as you depart for your flight. Upon arrival in Osaka, be met and transferred to your hotel, to rest up before your exciting sightseeing starts tomorrow. DAY 2 Destination Osaka Kyoto Meals included Breakfast Hotel 4 Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Shijo, or similar Begin your tour of this beautiful country by heading to Dōtonbori – one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka where you will be able to see the iconic billboard, the Glico runner crossing the line. From here you will be heading to the Namba-Shinsaibashi area which encompasses the city’s premier shopping districts full of boutiques, designer outlets, restaurants and bars. After exploring this area you will visit the stunning 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, you will continue on to Kyoto and enjoy the rest of the day at your own pace. OPTIONAL TOUR - 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. DAY 3 Destination Kyoto Meals included Breakfast Hotel 4 Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Shijo, or similar Today you will begin what promises to be a very memorable visit to 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. Our first The information provided in this document is subject to change and may be affected by unforeseen events outside the control of Inspiring Vacations. Where changes to your itinerary or bookings occur, appropriate advice or instructions will be sent to your email address. Call 1300 88 66 88 Email [email protected] www.inspiringvacations.com Page 2 TOUR ITINERARY sight today will be the 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. From here you will be taken to Kinkakuji – the Golden Pavillio, 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, you will visit Arashiyama to see the famous bamboo forest, a nationally designated historic site and a place of serene beauty. The rest of the afternoon will be yours to spend at leisure. You will have the option to visit other famous landmarks, experience a green tea ceremony or walk around wearing a Kimono. OPTIONAL TOUR - 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. This tour commences at 4:00pm. OPTIONAL TOUR - KIMONO FITTING - KYOTO Kimonos are a traditional Japanese garment that were first introduced in Japan in the Heian period. 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. This tour commences at 3:00pm. DAY 4 Destination Kyoto Naruto Takamatsu Meals included Breakfast Hotel 4 JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu, or similar 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 Shinto Shrine in 942 AD. It is still to this day one of the most important shrines in Japan and one of the most picturesque with around 10,000 Torii gates. You will then be visiting Heian Jingu, or Heian Shinto Shrine, 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! The information provided in this document is subject to change and may be affected by unforeseen events outside the control of Inspiring Vacations. Where changes to your itinerary or bookings occur, appropriate advice or instructions will be sent to your email address. Call 1300 88 66 88 Email [email protected] www.inspiringvacations.com Page 3 TOUR ITINERARY After your visit of Kyoto you will be heading to Naruto to board your Naruto whirlpool cruise. The fascinating tidal whirlpools are unlike anything you've ever seen before. They occur in the Naruto Strait, connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Inland Sea – between the main land Honshu and Shikoku. After your cruise, the day will end with an opportunity to 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. DAY 5 Destination Takamatsu Matsuyama Beppu Meals included Breakfast Hotel 3 Hotel Aile Beppu, or similar Head to Shikoku Mura, an open air architectural park housing more than twenty buildings dating back to the Edo Period. Have a leisurely stroll around and visit the museum to learn more about the rich history of Japan. Next will be a visit to Matsuyama castle, a flat-land mountain castle that astonishingly remains in its original state – not having been rebuilt like others. On the way to Beppu – the final destination for today, you will be stopping 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 offered a place of relaxation for many famous Japanese writers and poets over the years, as well as for the Emperor. It is also famous for being the inspiration behind the movie Spirited Away. From here enjoy some leisure time at the hotel in Beppu, soaking in the waters of one of the famous hot springs in Japan. DAY 6 Destination Beppu Nagasaki Meals included Breakfast Hotel 3 Hotel Jal City Nagasaki , or similar The highlight of today will be a visit to the Hells of Beppu in Jigoku. These spectacular hot springs are a sight to behold. After your visit, you will continue on to Nagasaki, famous for its cultural and historical heritage, being the birth place of Christianity in Japan, as well as the first point of contact with foreign traders in the 17th century. Begin your visit of the city at the Nagasaki Atomic bomb museum to learn about the devastating effects of the atomic bomb dropped on the city on the 9th of August 1945. The day will finish with a tour of the Suwa shrine, the major Shinto shrine of the city, built in the hopes of preventing the conversion to Christianity that started in the 17th Century. The information provided in this document is subject to change and may be affected by unforeseen events outside the control of Inspiring Vacations. Where changes to your itinerary or bookings occur, appropriate advice or instructions will be sent to your email address. Call 1300 88 66 88 Email [email protected] www.inspiringvacations.com Page 4 TOUR ITINERARY DAY 7 Destination Nagasaki Meals included Breakfast Hotel 3 Hotel Jal City Nagasaki , or similar Begin your culturally and historically rich day by paying homage to the victims of the atomic bomb at Nagasaki peace park. From here, 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 the magnificent Glover Garden, built in 1863 and known for its famous picturesque garden and western style house, 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 recognize the western influences within the city. Nagasaki was the first city to import Western art, music, religion and food among other things. DAY 8 Destination Nagasaki Karatsu Fukuoka Meals included Breakfast Hotel 4 Hotel New Otani Hakata, or similar This morning, enjoy a cruise around the fascinating Hashima Island or Gunkanjima, an island 15km from Nagasaki which was once used for coal mining and abandoned in 1974.