<JP9D5> 9-Day Japan Classics
Tokyo, Mt. Fuji-Hakone, Atami, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Lake Biwa…
Depart Every Friday from Feb to April 2009
Depart Every Tuesday from May to Dec 2009
<Check with 6KissTravel for more Detail>
Day 1 • Depart North America for Tokyo, Japan
Day 2 • Arrive in Narita, Tokyo
Welcome to Tokyo, Japan’s largest metropolis! Upon arriving at the airport, you will be escorted to your nearby hotel by a Signet representative where you can take time to explore Narita or rest for tomorrow’s sightseeing.(Dinner)
Day 3 • Tokyo
Begin your tour at the Imperial Palace, home to Japan’s Imperial Family, then on to Asakusa’s Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest and most festive temple. Visit the world famous Ginza which is Japan’s quintessential, up-scale shopping district lined with high-fashion/high-tech labels and department stores. Following an afternoon visit to the beautifully serene Meiji Shrine, we are allotted free time in Shinjuku, otherwise known as Tokyo’s playground, with the Shinjuku city guide information provided by Signet Tours, you can explore the nightlife of this magical city. Here, you can also explore Shinjuku train station, an amazing sprawling mini-metropolis in itself. (Breakfast and Lunch)
Day 4 • Hakone • Atami
We begin the morning at The Hakone National park, located at the foot of Mount Fuji. On clear days, Japan’s highest peak can be admired from all three major attractions in the park: Lake Ashi, the Hakone Ropeway, and Owakudani Valley. We spend our night in Atami, a coastal vacationing spot for local Japanese. Surrounded by breathtaking ocean vistas, experience an onsen resort hotel where you can indulge in the amenities only found with hotspring. Together, we dine over a celebratory kaiseki dinner and partake in the most loved and appreciated Japanese pastime ever invented- Karaoke!(3 meals)
Day 5 • Atami • Osaka • Nada • Kobe • Osaka
Start the day with a ride on the Shinkansen Bullet Train, one of the fastest trains in the world. This experience transitions you between the modern Kanto region and the more traditional Kansai area where we will first visit Osaka Castle, the largest castle in Japan and offers fantastic view from top floor and exhibits relevant historical information about Japan’s reunification in the late fifteen hundreds. Venture into Nada, a district famous for its deliciously pure water, the primary ingredient in producing Japan’s finest sake. We will tour a local brewery and partake in taste-testing. For dinner, we spend the night in Kobe to enjoy Kobe Beef, teppanyaki style. Spend the remainder of the night relaxing at the Mosaic Kobe Harborland, an atmospheric rendezvous spot where locals come to shop, socialize, and stroll peacefully by the waterfront.(3 meals)
Day 6 • Nara • Kyoto
The day start off at Nara Park, we will play with free roaming deer, fabled messengers from the heavens. Inside the park is Todai-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage landmark and home to Nara Daibutsu, the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue. In Kyoto, we visit the beautiful Nijo Castle, personal residence of the great Shogun Tokugawa. The evening is spent in Gion, the geisha district of Kyoto, a bustling late-night hangout. Tonight after dinner, you will be provided with a map of Kyoto to discover the city on your own. (3 meals)
Day 7 • Kameoka • Kyoto • Lake Biwa
The day starts with a scenic ride along the Sagano Romantic Train following the rushing rivers of the breathtaking Hozagawa Valley. Outside of Arashiyama, take a brief walk along the bamboo path, a fairytale-like forest, to Tenryuji Temple. Afterwards, a visit at Kinkakuji Temple, built as a chateau for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, it now serves as a Buddhist temple. At the Nishijin Textile Center, observe Japan’s rich and luxurious textile culture through a kimono fashion show. Spend the night at a lakeside Japanese hot spring resort. Tonight after change to ukata enjoy a Kyoto styled kaiseki banquet, an extensive meal created from the most refined and delicate seasonal ingredients. (3 meals)
Day 8 • Kyoto • Osaka
Kiyomizu Temple is peaceful and nature-filled playground of sorts, perfect for a morning stroll. We venture off to Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, old-fashioned side streets of Kyoto lined with shops selling local specialties. At the Kyoto Imperial Palace we will observe where Japanese Emperors lived at once and architecture at its finest. Spend the night experiencing Osaka’s nightlife in shopping and food districts Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori on your own with the city guide provided by Signet Tours.(Breakfast and Lunch)
Day 9 • Osaka • Departure
You will be escorted to the airport for your next destination by a Signet representative. Sai-yo-na-ra (Good bye - Since it must be so)! (Breakfast)
***** Signet *****
