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.