2021 Historical Japan Fall Break Tour Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe/Himeji Hiroshima/Miyajima and Hakata

October 9th – 17th, 2020 7nts/9days from: $2795 triple, $2895 double $3195 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.

We begin in 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. Above all, it is a city that loves to eat: its unofficial slogan is kuidaore ('eat until you drop'). At night, Osaka shines as it seems that everyone is out for a good meal and a good time.

There is also a full day in Kyoto, old Japan with its quiet temples, sublime gardens, and colorful shrines followed by visits to Kobe, Himeji, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Kokura, ending in Hakata,

Besides daily sightseeing we have included 2-hands-on experiences, 2 bullet train ride, cable car, sake brewery, and Hibikinada Green Park to visit the kangaroos and wallabies, and 2 free days to go off and explore on your own or shop til you drop. Whether it is your first time or a seasoned traveler, this tour hits all the spots.

Itinerary/Details

Day 1 – October 9th, 2021- Saturday – 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 – October 10th, 2021- Sunday – Kansai-Osaka

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 Osaka. The travel time will be approximately one hour. The luggage will be transferred separately by truck and meet us on arrival at the hotel. Welcome to Osaka, Japan's third-largest city. Ultra-urban, hard-working Osaka is an unabashed antidote to the fashion-forward frenzy of Tokyo and the prim propriety of Kyoto. This longtime capital of commerce is filled with down-to-earth citizens speaking colorful Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect) and neon-clad streetscapes bursting with over-the-top 3D signage.

Osaka's real treasures are in the bustling street life in its arcades, markets, and byways. And Osaka really comes into its own at night, when locals come out for delicious eats and good times. Guaranteed, our hotel is right in the heat of everything you would want to experience of Osaka. We are literally right around the corner from the Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade.

Accommodations for our stay is at the Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka. As you will quickly see, it is the ideal home away from home.

If you arrive hungry, no worries as within steps of our hotel are several 24-hour convenience stores as well as late night dining options. Cannot sleep, there is a 24-hour Don Quijote close by.

The remainder of the evening is free.

Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free

Day 3 – October 11th, 2021- Monday – Osaka-Kyoto-Osaka (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 8:00am as we are off on a full day of touring to Kyoto. The drive time is a little over 1-hour.

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.

The morning begins with a visit to Kiyomizu Temple. This 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 will not 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.

Kiyomizu's grounds are particularly spectacular in spring during cherry-blossom season and in fall during the turning of the maple leaves. 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 plenty of 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.

This afternoon we will be visiting Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama District. It was established in 1606 in memory of one of Japan’s greatest historical figures.

The main hall originally covered in lacquer and gold was rebuilt in a more modest style after burning down in 1912. The building is surrounded on two sides by impressive gardens designed by leading contemporary masters. One of the gardens is a rock garden consisting of a large field of raked gravel meant to represent the vast ocean. The other garden is an impressive tsukiyama style garden featuring a pond, manmade hills, decorative rocks and beautiful pine and maple trees, the latter of which turn brilliant shades of red and orange during fall foliage season.

From here, off to discover the art form of making traditional Japanese sweets with a hands-on experience, wagashi making with an expert instructor. Yes, you can learn to make Kyoto sweets in this easy, and oh so enjoyable experience.

Now, back to Osaka, arrival by 5:00pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free.

Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free

Day 4 – October 12th, 2021- Tuesday – Osaka (B)

After breakfast, enjoy a complete free day. Below are a few of the options available to you.

Dotonbori Best seen at night, Dotonbori never truly closes with some restaurants open 24 hours. It is by far one of Osaka’s most popular tourist destinations. It is a popular shopping and entertainment district and is also known as a food destination. At night, it is lit by hundreds of neon lights and mechanized signs, including the famous Glico Running Man sign and Kani Doraku crab sign.

Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade and the surrounding Shinsaibashi area is Osaka's premier shopping center. Approximately 600 m long, this area is unique as it combines chain retail stores and trendy boutiques with expensive department stores and top designer fashion labels.

Amerikamura Locally known as "Amemura," this shopping district is considered Osaka's counterpart to Harajuku and is a good place to see the forefront of teenage fashion and culture in Japan. It is a lively atmosphere that is populated with cafes, clothing stores and thrift shops with a younger feel than the nearby Shinsaibashi.

Den Den Town Located in the Nipponbashi area, Den Den Town is an electronics district comparable to Tokyo's Akahabara and you may be able to bargain to a better deal. Den Den Town is becoming known as an otaku paradise with numerous manga and anime retailers as well as maid and cosplay cafes located there.

Also, a short walk from our hotel and worth a visit is Kuromon Market, a busy place that prospered as the center of “nation’s kitchen” for many years. Kuromon, which literally means “black gate,” was originally a fish market that opened around 1822. The name is said to have come from the black gate of Enmyo Temple, which stood in this area until 1912, the last year of the Meiji Period.

Over 150 shops line the streets of the Kuromon Market, selling everything from fresh fish, produce, meats, to kimonos and household goods. It is a place where shoppers can purchase the superior quality honma mon (in the Osaka dialect it means “the real stuff”). NOTE: we will be visiting here tomorrow.

Close by is Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street. It is lined with specialty stores of all kinds of cooking utensils and kitchen items. Here you can find many different shops specializing in tools, most of which offer kitchen utensils that range from tableware to cooking tools, to professional cooking appliances.

Enjoy time to stroll around the arcade in search of unique cooking appliances that you can only find in Japan, such as takoyaki andtaiyaki makers as well as rare souvenirs that you will not find elsewhere. This arcade certainty gives credence to Osaka’s nickname as “Japan’s kitchen.”

Accommodations: Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka free

Day 5 – October 13th, 2021- Wednesday – Osaka-Kobe-Himeji (B/L)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am as we journey off to Kobe. The driving 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.

Our touring day begins with a visit to the Nada sake district of Kobe. 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 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.

This afternoon, a short drive to Himeji, home to Japan’s largest and most beautiful castle, 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 original stone walls

Now, off to our hotel, the Hotel Nikko Himeji, ideally located 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. Our local guide will be available to for a walking tour of the immediate area.

Accommodations: Hotel Nikko Himeji free

Day 6 – October 14th, 2021- Thursday – Himeji-Hiroshima (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:00am as we are off to Hiroshima, the City of Water. Please prepare a small overnight bag for 2 days as our larger pieces will be sent separately to Hakata.

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.

With the train station right besides our hotel, its just a few steps to our bullet train, Hikari 533 departing at 8:52am and arriving at the Hiroshima Station at 9:54am.

On arrival in Hiroshima, we will be met by bus and drive for the touring day. It begins with a drive to the ferry station for the short 10-minute 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 (1118-1181) 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.

After lunch on your own and some free shopping time we will ferry back to Hiroshima. 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.

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

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.

Our first stop will be at 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.

Our last stop today will be at 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

Arrival at our hotel will be approximately 5:15pm. Accommodations tonight are at The Hotel Granvia Hiroshima, ideally located at the Hiroshima Station. After check-in, the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free. You will find many shops and dining options just steps away.

Location, hard to find a more convenient spot, just steps from so many dining and shopping options. After checking in, the remainder of the evening is free.

Accommodations: Hotel Granvia Hiroshima free

Day 7 – October 15th, 2021- Friday – Hiroshima-Hakata (B)

After breakfast, please meet tour guide in the lobby by 8:45am as we walk over to the Hiroshima Station for the bullet train ride to Hakata. Mizuho 603 departs at 9:13am and arrives in Hakata at 10:14am. On arrival our bus will be waiting for an afternoon of touring.

Welcome to Fukuoka, Kyushu’s largest city and Japan’s sixth largest. It's 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’s Fukuoka Airport but Hakata Station.

Whatever you call it; this youthful, user-friendly metropolis has a cosmopolitan charm, peppered with the flavors of its Asian neighbors. Hakata traces its trading history back some 2000 years, which continues today with visitors from Seoul and Shanghai. Among Japanese, the city is famed for its 'Hakata bijin' (beautiful women), SoftBank Hawks’ baseball team and hearty Hakata ramen.

If Fukuoka does not burst with sights like Tokyo or Kyoto, its friendly atmosphere, warm weather, and contemporary attractions – art, architecture, shopping, and cuisine – make up for it.

Our tour begins with a visit to 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 passed away 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 and have lunch on your own.

Now, off to enjoy a hands-on doll-coloring experience at the Hakata Doll Hall Shogetsudo, with over 600 items on display, ranging from works by young artists to master craftsmen. Hakata Doll is one of most beautiful and famous arts and crafts in Japan, well-known throughout the world. If you are looking for a unique souvenir from Fukuoka, look no further than the daintiness of a Hakata Doll. Nothing can beat the beauty and fine tenderness formed from techniques that have been handed down for over 500 years.

Dolls for sale at the shop hands-on doll coloring experience

We now make our way to our hotel, Hotel Clio Court Hakata, ideally located besides the Hakata JR Station. Check-in will be by 3:45pm and the remainder of the afternoon and evening is free.

Hotel Clio Court Hakata along with breakfast room directly in front of the JR Station

Accommodations: Hotel Clio Court Hakata free

Day 8 – October 16th, 2021- Saturday – Hakata (B)

After breakfast, enjoy a complete free day to shop and or sightsee on your own.

Accommodations: Hotel Clio Court Hakata free

Day 9 – October 17th, 2021- Sunday – Hakata-Kokura-Fukuoka (B)

After breakfast, please meet your guide in the lobby by 9:30am. While it is our last day on tour, we still have much to see and do before the flight home later this evening.

The morning begins with We are now off to visit Hibikinada Green Park located in Kokura. The drive time is approximately one hour. Also known as Green Park, it is considered one of the most beautiful parks near the seaside of Kitakyushu and offers a variety of activities.

The park’s theme is of “encountering water, greenery, and animals”. Its centerpiece, a rose garden with 320 different varieties along with 2500 rose plants. It adds up to a total of one million roses in bloom. The garden flourishes with many visitors in spring and in fall.

Within the park, Hibiki Animal World, known as a leading facility in Japan for raising marsupials. There are approximately 250 kangaroos along with wallabies and wallaroo. You can interact with the kangaroos, pet and feed them.

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 display here is the largest in Japan.

Kangaroo Square and wallabies

Enjoy leisurely time here to explore all that this park offers. There is also a café/restaurant on the grounds.

From here, a drive to Tanga Market which runs alongside a tributary of the Murasaki River. The market dates back about 100 years, believed to be when boats moored here and sold goods directly from the boats. Today, besides butcher markets, fresh fruits and vegetables, there are about twenty stalls and shops offering a variety of fish, whale meat, shellfish, memtaiko, a spicy roe, and fugu. Enjoy time here to browse, shop, and have lunch on your own. You will find a variety of delicious options, freshly made bento, karage, kamaboko, eggrolls, and croquettes with various filling. The most well-known local specialty is nukamisodaki, usually a sardine, pilchard, or mackerel, pickled in fermented rice bran and miso.

Our last touring stop is at Mount Sarakura, the best scenic spot in Kitakyushu-city. Here we will enjoy a 10- minute cable car ride to the top for magnificent and spectacular views of Kitakyushu.

Now, off to the Fukuoka Airport to begin the check-in process.

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