Japan Discovered

13 Nights/14 Days Small Group Tour

€4,650 / £4,200 / US$5,500 / AU$7,600 (Per Person)
Single Room Throughout: €5,750 / £5,250 / US$6,800 / AU$9,400 (Triple Room from €4,500 p/person)

“A contrast of traditional and modern Japan, unforgettable experiences and visits to some of Japan’s must-see UNESCO World Heritage Sites”.

If your dream is to see Japan’s highlights while experiencing some of its culture and popular destinations, then Japan Discovered two-week tour is the perfect choice for you. Glittering cities, rural towns & villages, history & heritage, gardens & wildlife, local festivals, cultural experiences, and a taste of real local foods; just some of the best bits on this trip!

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Itinerary

Japan Discovered - Video Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Tokyo - 'Izakaya' Evening Welcome Dinner

Arrive in one of Tokyo’s International Airports (Haneda or Narita).

Our team will take care of you from the moment you exit the arrivals hall where you will be met by our transfer staff on arrival and be taken directly to your Tokyo hotel.

You will have free time in Tokyo until tour orientation in the evening where you will meet your guide. Meeting time is usually 6pm but will be announced in your travel pack.

Enjoy a welcome dinner at local izakaya (included)

Accommodation: Shibuya Tokyu Excel Hotel (or similar 4*) including casual style Izakaya Dining experience

Day 2: Tokyo City Sightseeing

Breakfast at your hotel

✪ TOKYO CITY SIGHTSEEING ✪

WITH LOCAL GUIDE 09.00 – 17:00

• Tsukiji Outer Wholesale Market

• Hamarikyu Garden

• Tokyo River Cruise to Asakusa area

• Asakusa Kannon Temple & Shopping Street

• Edo Museum or Skytree (if museum is closed)

Evening free time / Your tour leader will give you guidance on where to go after dark!

If traveling on our May or September tour, you will also have the added excitement of watching the Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo’s Ryugoku area, home to the Sumo world of Japan.

Accommodation: Shibuya Tokyu Excel Hotel (or similar 4*)

Day 3: Jigokudani Snow Monkeys & Ryokan Retreat

Breakfast at your hotel

Check out and get ready to leave Tokyo!

After the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, you will move onto a rural village less than one hour by train and bus from Nagano city to a tiny place called Yudanaka Onsen in Nagano prefecture.

✪ Jigokudani Snow Monkeys ✪

We will visit Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park to watch wild monkey’s bath in the natural hot spring bath at the foot of the mountain. You will be required to walk 1km on a mountain pathway. So, wear comfortable and appropriate shoes!

♥Dinner & Hot Springs (onsen)♥ at your ryokan

*Tonight, you will sleep on a futon mattress on tatami flooring. If you have any issues or prefer to request a bed, be sure to tell us as early as possible! Most ryokans have only a few rooms with western style beds in them (if any at all)

Accommodation: Senjukaku Ryokan (or similar) – Japanese Style including traditional Japanese kaiseki dinner

Day 4: Matsumoto Castle & Traditional Takayama

After breakfast, check out of your ryokan and continue your journey to Matsumoto.

Visit:

– Matsumoto Castle (stunning original samurai castle)

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After lunch, we will take a scenic bus ride (2.5 hours) through beautiful mountain and river valleys, to Takayama.

Check into your hotel / Free time

April & October Tours will experience one of Japan’s most impressive Street Festivals. Takayama’s Spring & Autumn Festival ranks as one of Japan’s three most beautiful festivals. It is centered around the Hie Shrine and is held to pray for a good harvest. Festival highlights include a parade of magnificently carved yatai or giant wooden floats, and mechanical puppets in colourful costumes who play out an ancient drama from within the yatai in a spectacle not to be missed. Early booking is highly recommended on these tours as this is the towns busiest time of year.

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Accommodation: Takayama Wat Hotel (or similar 3*)

Day 5 : Takayama

Your local guide will meet you in the hotel lobby after breakfast. Together, you will explore Takayama on foot, visiting:

Takayama Morning Market
Kusakabe Folk Park
Takayama Yatai Kaikan (Festival Float Hall)
Takayama Jinya (preserved Government town hall)

You will have free time in the afternoon to walk through the streets by yourself, sampling the street food and visiting local artisans’ shops. During festival tours (April & October) this itinerary will be subject to our guide’s recommendations. The night-lights and entertainment during festival season brings great excitement to the tour. Highly recommended.

Accommodation: Takayama Wat Hotel (or similar)

Day 6: Gokayama : Cultural Experience in Countryside

After breakfast, we will head north into Toyama prefecture stopping in Gokayama, recently awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. Nestled along the deep gorge of Sho River, 33 Gassho-zukkuri houses have been preserved in the historic villages of Gokayama including Ainokura and Suganuma. Your day to Gokayama will enable you to experience a variety of rich cultural activities such as washi paper making and soba noodle making.

What to Expect:

Washi paper making workshop (approx. 1-hour)
Soba noodle making followed by lunch where you will be sampling your own creation (subject to tour numbers) – if we have less than 6 people on the tour, you will not be able to make Soba. Instead we will introduce you to a really great Soba place for lunch!
Wander through the 400 year-old gassho-zukkuri farmhouse villages of Suganuma

Tonights rest will be in Kanazawa, also known as ‘Little Kyoto’.

Kanazawa is a lovely small city close to the Japan sea coast. Until the turn of the century it was the 4th biggest city in Japan. However its wealth was built on rice production and traditional crafts such as weaving and gold leaf and with the full scale industrialisation of the country Kanazawa was somewhat left behind. Today the city is flourishing again and still maintains a lot of its old charms. There are several small geisha districts and one where you can go inside an old tea house and see where the clients were entertained and even take tea yourself (sadly no longer served by geisha!). There are also samurai house and the city’s most famous sight, the beautiful Kenrokuen garden rated as one of the three best stroll gardens in the whole of Japan.

Accommodation: Kanazawa Nikko Hotel (or similar)

Day 7: Kanazawa Morning Tour / Kyoto evening free time

Breakfast at your hotel

Check out and leave bags in storage

✪ KANAZAWA Morning Tour ✪

WITH LOCAL GUIDE 09.00 – 13:00

Visit:

– Kenrokuen Garden (considered one of the top 3 gardens in Japan)

– Higashi Chaya District (Geisha District)

– Omicho Market

– ♥Authentic Tea Ceremony

Transfer to Kyoto by express train in the afternoon.

Arrive to Kyoto early evening. Free time Kyoto

Accommodation: Okura Kyoto (or similar)

Day 8: Seasonal Sights of Kyoto

Breakfast at your hotel

✪ KYOTO City Sightseeing ✪

WITH LOCAL GUIDE 09.00 – 17:00

Visit:

• Nijo Castle

• Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion)

• Lunch at local restaurant

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

• Fushimi Inari Shrine (10,000 Tori Gates)

Accommodation: Okura Kyoto (or similar)

Kyoto Highlight: Afternoon Tea with Geisha (Maiko)

You will have the rare chance to sit and have tea with one of Kyoto’s beautiful young Maiko in their mama-san’s teahouse. ‘Maiko’ are better known as a young ‘Geisha’. Training to become Geisha usually starts at a young age (some start at 13/14). Trained in various Japanese traditional arts such as Kimono wearing, flower arranging, traditional dance, shamisen (string instrument), and so on, they spend many years perfecting how to walk, talk, and breath like a Geisha. If successful in their progression, they then move to be a Geisha, usually by the age of twenty or so. Such an interesting experience that you will only find in Kyoto. This experience is not sold on the high street. This really is a special occasion on our tour that we have been proud to offer for many years. So be sure to bring your camera and be prepared to ask questions. Our Maiko are very open and love sharing and listening to your stories too.

Day 9: Kyoto Free Day

Today will be a well deserved day off to spend as you choose in Kyoto. Suggested itinerary and access maps will be provided for you in your travel pack. If you are very tired you can take it easy today! Many of our clients have specific places in mind that they would like to see in Kyoto. So, why not let us know in advance, and we can be prepared to give you the correct information on how to get to the places you would like.

OPTIONAL TOURS

1. Ancient Nara & Modern Osaka (Self-Guided / No booking needed)

2. Walking Tour of Spiritual Temples in Koyasan* [Option to do as a self-guided tour. Your tour leader will give you details]

3. GOLF* in Kobe (incl. lunch, green fees, rental, & transfers)

4. Kyoto Cultural Experiences* e.g. Kimono Wearing, Ikebana Workshop, Cookery Class, etc.

*Pre-Booking Essential before departure

Accommodation: Okura Kyoto (or similar

Day 10: Hiroshima & Miyajima Island

This morning we start a little earlier, at 7.30am, in order to catch the most suitable shinkansen train to our next stop, Hiroshima! Just a swift two-hour journey on the speedy shinkansen: once you find your seat, we promise you can sleep again. These trains offer first class comforts unlike any train you may have been on in the western world.

In Hiroshima, follow your guide and listen to the story of how this humble city has rebuilt itself after the devastating A-Bomb blast of WWII. Emotions and perspectives may well move here, but we guarantee you will listen with pure interest and curiosity. Or you’re free to take the morning to yourself in this friendly and lively city.

We will continue on to Miyajima Island after lunch, another UNESCO World Heritage spot! Here, we will visit the impressive Itsukushima Shrine that seems to float so peacefully on the water along with the giant Torii Gates. Free time for shopping is included here, with overnight stay in a traditional ryokan with kaiseki dinner & onsen (hot springs) another treat for the day!

Accommodation: Arimoto Ryokan (or similar) including Japanese kaiseki dinner

Day 11: Fuji National Park at Hakone

After a peaceful night spent on the island of Miyajima, you will make your way back towards Tokyo. But before hitting the high streets of the capital, you will spend one more night in another rural retreat in the heart of the Fuji National Park. After a long but comfortable journey along the Tokaido shinkansen line, you will arrive to Hakone before dinner time. Enjoy your final traditional Japanese dinner at your ryokan and full use of the hot spring baths.

Accommodation: Setsugetsuka Ryokan or similar) including Course Dinner

Day 12: Lakeside Cruise, Hakone Open Air Museum, and back to Tokyo

After breakfast, explore Hakone with your local guide. You will take a cruise on Lake Ashi followed by a ride across the mountains on a scenic cable car which will, weather permitting, afford us a perfect view of the majestic giant, Mt Fuji. Enjoy The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Japan’s first outdoor, open-air museum of art. Located in a lushly green 70,000 square meters garden with a view of the Hakone mountains, the museum has on permanent display some 120 masterpieces by famous modern and contemporary sculptors. Visit the museum’s five indoor exhibitions, including the Picasso Pavilion with its rotational displays from more than 300 Picasso pieces in this world-class collection, as well as the natural hot spring bath and the art in the outdoor plazas.

After this you will head back to the capital Tokyo where you will have a free evening, with plenty of options on your doorstep.

Accommodation: Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa (or similar)

Day 13: Tokyo Free Day

Your final full day in Tokyo can be spent in many ways; revisiting some of the sights, exploring new places taking, some last minute shopping or a day trip to Kamakura or Yokohama etc. Your travel consultant or tour leader will be more than happy to oblige in helping you make your plan.

No matter what you do for the day, a farewell dinner will be arranged by your tour leader with the option to continue the night out at a local karaoke bar & Japan-style pub!

May & September tours will include tickets to see a live Sumo Tournament!!

Accommodation: Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa (or similar)

Day 14: Tour Ends

Japan Discovered comes to an end after breakfast today and you will be provided with an airport transfer service from your hotel. If you would like to stay longer in Tokyo, discuss some post-tour options with your travel consultant. Don’t forget to send us your flight details as soon as you know them. Transfers need to be booked early!

Tokyo (Two Nights)

Shibuya Tokyu Excel Hotel (or similar)

Yudanaka Onsen (1 night)

Kanbayashi Senjukaku (or similar / Japanese Style)

Takayama (2 nights)

Takayama Green Hotel (or similar)

Kanazawa (1 night)

Kanazawa Nikko Hotel (or similar)

Kyoto (3 nights)

Kyoto Okura Hotel (or similar)

Miyajima Island (1 Night)

Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto (or similar / Japanese Style)

Hakone (1 night)

Setsugetsukan (or similar / Japanese style)

Tokyo (2 nights)

Shibuya Tokyu Excel Hotel (or similar)

Tour Testimonial

Unique Japan Tours

Average rating:

3 reviews

Jun 25, 2019

by Cheryl & Dennis on Unique Japan Tours

Our May Japan Discovered holiday was absolutely fantastic

Our May Japan discovered holiday was absolutely fantastic. The accommodation, the variety of transport and activities and our amazing guide Sakura were outstandingly. Sakura was always there for us in a very friendly way and she helped us all to understand the customs and the people of Japan. Whats not to like about an onsen - getting naked and soaking in a beautiful hot spring with strangers. All good fun.

I would (and am) recommending Unique Japan tours to everyone who is thinking of a trip to Japan. The itinerary was excellent with the right amount of free time and interesting tours especially the soba noodle making and washi paper making. Lots of laughs.

We thank you for making our holiday so memorable.

Cheryl & Dennis

June 2019

Oct 11, 2017

by Sandra on Unique Japan Tours

Amazing

I cannot praise the Unique Japan Tours organisation skills enough! The itinerary is very detailed and your time in Japan is maximised to its full potential. They organise our transport, hotels, tickets etc. they even include Japanese messages for hotel staff when forwarding your luggage to different hotels (all hotel staff speak English, but it’s nice to have it confirmed in Japanese).
* The hotels are all 4 or 5 star with good breakfast arrangements and friendly staff. The ryokans are a unique experience and expect a 10 course dinner and breakfast (try the Japanese style breakfast), while wearing a yukata.
* The guides know their areas well and show you hidden gems such as restaurants and shops that are unique to the area you are in. I cannot praise the guides enough for their help and kindness. Especially Megumi who made a few phone calls or reservations for us.
It was an amazing holiday and experience and we are looking forward to our next trip with Unique Japan Tours! Thanks again!

Jul 12, 2017

by Roger and Swee Lewis on Unique Japan Tours

We had a great time and saw and did the things we wanted

I would just like to thank you for your efforts in organising our recent tour of Japan. We had a great time and saw and did the things we wanted. I would also like to pass on our satisfaction with all the local guides and especially Emiko. She did a little bit extra when she could and the entire trip was better because of her efforts. Our thanks to everyone involved.

Yours Sincerely

Roger and Swee Lewis

Whats Included

Date	Service
Accommodation	4* Western (10 nights) / Superior Ryokans (3 nights) with hot springs & kaiseki dinner (total 13 nights)
English Speaking tour leader	Fully Escorted (Groups of 6 – 16): You will be escorted by our friendly English- speaking tour leader who will travel with you from Day 1 to 12. From day 12, your tour leader will say good- bye. You will be met on the island by a local islander! Semi Escorted (Groups of 1 – 5): You will met in each area by our local assistants and guides on days you don’t have private guides. Whether you’re on a fully escorted or a semi escorted tour, you will be met on 6 days by our local guides in: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Gokayama, Takayama, Kyoto, & Hiroshima/Miyajima Island
Transfers	All transfers required for your tour as well as arrival & departure airport transfers to & from Tokyo hotel
Private Tour Guides	Local English speaking tour guides in Tokyo, Kyoto, Gokayama, Takayama, and Hiroshima & Miyajima Island
Entrance Fees	Included into all sights listed in itinerary
Cultural Experiences	Tokyo Sights by Day & Night including karaoke, izakaya nights out, Sumida River Cruise, urban Japanese garden, Sumo Tournament (May & September dates), etc. World famous Yudanaka Snow Monkey Park in Nagano Prefecture & Samurai castle of Matsumoto Overnight in rural ryokans experiencing unique Japanese hospitality and onsen (hot spring baths) & incredible R&R time! Kanazawa Tea houses, geisha district, visit to one of the top 3 gardens of Japan, local food market Unesco World Heritage Kyoto: glorious sites, traditional back-streets, stunning shrines, manicured gardens, gorgeous geisha, and authentic tea ceremony just some of the highlights! High speed bullet train journeys throughout Scenic mountain drives taking in the magical landscape that makes up c.75% of Japan’s terrain Cultural Activities in Gokayama including: Washi Paper Making, Soba noodle making, 400-year-old farmhouse visit, tea with locals, farmers dance Takayama morning market and old worldly village feel April/October: Takayama Festival (very popular) Historical ruins in Hiroshima with tales told by local Hiroshima guides Magical images of Miyajima Island Itsukushima Shrine (Floating shrine) and giant Torii Gate Fuji National Park catching a glimpse of the monster mountain for that must-have photo!
Meals	Breakfast daily, 1 lunch, 3 evening meals

Other Inclusions:	Comprehensive Travel Pack Luggage Forwarding on 2 occasions Local Emergency Contact All Taxes & Accommodation Surcharges Fixed Price Policy Minimum 6 / maximum 16 people No hidden Costs!!

This package does not include:

International Flights [Arrange own flights into and out of Tokyo’s Haneda or Narita Airports – Always check the arrival date on your flight e.g. if flying from Europe/US, you will arrive into Tokyo the following day (depending on airline you use)]
Meals other than those specified in the itinerary. Generally, you can expect to pay 1,000yen for lunches and anything from 2,500yen for your evening meals.
Beverages consumed at any meal (Water served freely)
Baggage Handling (You are requested to carry your own bags so be careful when packing!
Tour Leader, Guide or Driver Gratuity – can be arranged among your group (Optional)

Enquire about this tour

Have a few questions before booking your tour to Japan? Please fill out this form and one of our Japan travel consultants will get right back to you.

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Email*
Contact Telephone*
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Country of Residence*
Tour Name*
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Japan Discovered

Itinerary

Japan Discovered - Video Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Tokyo - 'Izakaya' Evening Welcome Dinner

Day 2: Tokyo City Sightseeing

Day 3: Jigokudani Snow Monkeys & Ryokan Retreat

Day 4: Matsumoto Castle & Traditional Takayama

Day 5 : Takayama

Day 6: Gokayama : Cultural Experience in Countryside

Day 7: Kanazawa Morning Tour / Kyoto evening free time

Day 8: Seasonal Sights of Kyoto

Kyoto Highlight: Afternoon Tea with Geisha (Maiko)

Day 9: Kyoto Free Day

Day 10: Hiroshima & Miyajima Island

Day 11: Fuji National Park at Hakone

Day 12: Lakeside Cruise, Hakone Open Air Museum, and back to Tokyo

Day 13: Tokyo Free Day

Day 14: Tour Ends

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Accommodation

Tokyo (Two Nights)

Yudanaka Onsen (1 night)

Takayama (2 nights)

Kanazawa (1 night)

Kyoto (3 nights)

Miyajima Island (1 Night)