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INDEPENDENT ITINERARY
Japan

Essential Japan

8 NIGHTS - PRICES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST 

Get a taste of Japan’s rich culture and history on a memorable, self-guided tour. Join local worshippers at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine and spot geishas gracefully strolling through Kyoto’s cobbled streets. Soak in an onsen, a natural hot spring bath, while gazing at Mount Fuji and wander through Nara’s 8th-century temples.

Itinerary

place DAYS 1 - 3 - Arrive Tokyo

Arrive Tokyo

Tokyo is full of vibrant sites to explore. Visit the hive of activity that is Tsukiji Outer Market. Head to Zojoji Temple and the iconic Tokyo Tower. Next stop should be Nijubashi Bridge, one of the most picturesque spots within the Imperial Palace grounds. The following day continue exploring Tokyo or its outlying areas such as Kamakura, one of Japan’s former capitals.

place DAY 4 - Tokyo - Kiso-Fukushima

Tokyo - Kiso-Fukushima

Start the journey in the afternoon through Kiso Valley. The bullet train ride from Tokyo to Nagoya is then followed by a scenic journey on the express train. 

place DAY 5 - Kiso-Fukushima

Kiso-Fukushima

Travel to Tsumago, a Nationally Designated Architectural Preservation Site. Ride a train to Nakatsugawa and later, a bus to Magome, the start of the Nakasendo Trail. Today’s walk will alternate between well preserved old towns, fields of local farmers and peaceful woodlands. After concluding the trail, ride a bus to Nagiso and a train to the ryokan in Kiso-Fukushima.

place DAY 6 - Kiso-Fukushima - Kyoto

Kiso-Fukushima - Kyoto

Catch the local train to Yabuhara, the starting point of the nature and ancient trail between Yabuhara-juku and Narai-juku. Then travel by train to Kyoto, the reigning cultural capital of Japan.

place DAYS 7 - 9 - Kyoto

Kyoto

Explore the former imperial capital and visit some of Kyoto’s World Heritage Sites. Highlights include Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji Temple, the Golden Pavilion. Visit Kiyomizu-dera or ‘pure water temple,’ enjoying amazing views of the whole of Kyoto. Stroll through the atmospheric Higashiyama district. Take the train to Nara to visit Todaiji Temple, the world’s largest wooden building home to Japan’s largest Buddha, or Kasuga Taisha, Nara’s most celebrated shrine. Head back for a final evening in Kyoto before departing the following day.

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8 NIGHTS - PRICES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST 

0141 955 4000