This tour includes:
* Return flights & airport transfers
* 10 nights’ hotel accommodation, including 3 nights in ryokans (traditional Japanese Inns)
* 10 breakfasts, 3 lunches & 1 dinner
* All transportation between cities by rail or bus
* Welcome pack and information
* Full-day coach tour of Tokyo
* Mt. Fuji and Hakone self-guided tour including a 2-day Hakone free pass
* Full-day tour of Takayama with a private guide
* Takayama to Kanazawa via Shirakawago self-guided tour
* Full-day coach tour of Kyoto
 

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Tokyo

On arrival into Tokyo International Airport, you will be met and transferred to Keio Plaza Hotel, Tokyo where you will stay for 3 nights. Tokyo is Japan’s ultra-modern capital. Big, bold and beautiful, it may be large but Tokyo prides itself on its traditions and values, which is underlined by the quaint Shinto shrines dotted amidst glossy skyscrapers. You will have the afternoon at leisure to explore the local area.

Day 2: Tokyo

After breakfast you will head on your full day tour of Tokyo. You’ll discover Tokyo's top attractions by air-conditioned coach, including an exciting cruise. Get ready to see Meiji Jingu Shinto Shrine, the Imperial Palace, Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, and Tokyo Sky Tree, and you’ll love the Tokyo Bay Cruise with audio commentary. You’ll also enjoy lunch on the tour and be given insightful knowledge from your native English-speaking guide.

Day 3: Tokyo

Today you can explore Tokyo at your own leisure. After filling up on breakfast, partake in one of the following optional day tours. 
Kamakura full day tour gives you the opportunity to discover the charm of Kamakura, a coastal town south of Tokyo, home to beautiful Buddhist temples, waiting to be explored. 
This afternoon you can have the option to take part in an authentic sushi making class, making sure you head home armed with the skills to impress your friends with your sushi making ability and knowledge.

Day 4: Hakone

Get ready to bid farewell to Tokyo today. After breakfast, you’ll make your own way to Shinjuku Station and travel to Hakone, one of Japan’s most famous hot spring areas, thanks to your 2-day Hakone Freepass. Tonight you’ll stay at Kowakien Tenyu, a traditional Japanese ryokan, for one night. Make the most of your Hakone Freepass today as you head on a Mt Fuji and Hakone self-guided tour, with the ability to hop on and off freely and you’ll enjoy dinner tonight at the ryokan.

Day 5: Hakone - Takayama

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and make your own way to Odawara Station with your Freepass ticket, where you’ll catch the train to Takayama. On arrival in Takayama, meet your assistant who will escort you to your hotel, traditional Takayama Ouan, by foot, where you will stay for two nights. After checking in, you have the rest of your day at leisure. Perhaps take a stroll through this Edo period town, famous for its narrow streets filled with tea houses, shops and merchant’s houses.

Day 6: Takayama

Enjoy a lovely breakfast at your hotel this morning, then head out on a full day tour of Takayama with a private guide. You’ll take a stroll to Miyagawa morning market on foot, visit Takayama Museum of History and Art, and if you choose you can sample some sake at one of Takayama’s small breweries. Lunch is also included today.

Day 7: Takayama – Shirakawago - Kanazawa

Check out of your hotel this morning after breakfast and hop on board the bus journey to Ogimachi in Shirakawago, a neighbouring UNESCO Heritage Site of gassho-zukuri farmhouses. Marvel at the impressive variety of structures and learn about the rural mountain communities, before taking the bus to Kanazawa. When you arrive, check into your hotel, Kanazawa Tokyu Hotel, for one night.

Day 8: Kanazawa - Kyoto

This morning, make your own way to Kanazawa station and travel aboard the Limited Express Thunderbird for Kyoto. Upon arrival in Kyoto, make your way to your hote, Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachijo, on foot, where you will be staying for three nights. Once you have checked in, and you are free to explore Kyoto.

Day 9: Kyoto

Enjoy a lovely breakfast before heading out on your full-day sightseeing tour of Kyoto. Begin your tour, where you’ll see iconic cultural and historic attractions, including Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple, and the Fushimiinari Taisha Shrine. You can also admire the Thousand Armed Kannon and the legion of 1,000 life-size statues at the Buddhist temple of Sanju-Sangendo Hall. Lunch is included on your sightseeing tour and you will be dropped back at your hotel around 6pm.

Day 10: Kyoto

Today you have a free day in Kyoto. After breakfast, you can take part in one of the following optional tours. 
Head on a half day tour, where you’ll spend the morning discovering the charm and tranquillity of Arashiyama, located on the Western outskirts of Kyoto. Walk around the splendid gardens, which have impressive viewpoints of the city below.

You could also go on a Nara half day tour, where you’ll hop on a short train ride to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Nara, home to some of the most impressive and ancient historical landmarks in the country.  
Finally, you could take part in the Kyoto Tea Ceremony, a Japanese tradition which has more than 400 years of history, and recieve hands-on experience of making a matcha green tea by yourself.

Day 11: Kyoto

After breakfast, enjoy your final morning in Kyoto before being transferred to the airport for your flight back to the UK.