Classic Japan with the Traditional Cities of Takayama and Kanazawa

At your arrival at Narita Airport in Tokyo, a welcoming service will greet you at the airport arrival gate and escort you to the shuttle bus to your hotel.

Itinerary will be adjusted according to your flight schedule.

Accommodation in Tokyo Option 1: Hilton Tokyo

Hotel Accommodation in Tokyo Option 2: Park Hotel Tokyo

Accommodation upgrade in Tokyo: Mandarin Oriental Tokyo

In the next few days, you will discover Tokyo - the center of modern Japan. You will spend each day exploring the main sights of the city, getting a thorough introduction to a typical Tokyoite life by public transportation, one of the best subway systems in the world. Tokyo is a huge metropolis, which has surprises in store for us at every street corner. This is an exciting, vibrant and bustling city, where everything and everyone moves on high speed. At night, Tokyo reveals yet another side to it with its neon signs brightening the sky, thousands of lively restaurants and bars, and colorful entertainment districts, which you can explore independently.

Today, explore Tokyo with your private guide.

On this day, you will take a train (in first class seats), leaving the metropolis behind and heading deep into the Japanese Alps- to Takayama. Takayama is a small town which has kept the charms of olden days with preserved areas from the feudal period, allowing you to soak in an atmosphere reminiscent of past centuries. The afternoon will be devoted to exploring the gems of the old town and its heritage, and soaking in the hotel’s hot springs – a highlight to any trip to Japan. In the evening, you can also indulge in one of Takayama’s delicacies – Hida beef, a high quality marbled beef equal to the famous Kobe beef.

Accommodation in Takayama: Hotel Associa Takayama Resort

Accommodation upgrade in Takayama: Wa no Sato Ryokan

Takayama is renowned for its morning market, where you can find old ladies selling fresh fruit and mountain vegetables, flowers and other knick-knacks. From Takayama you will continue by bus to Kanazawa, a charming countryside city. Kanazawa has a rich artisan and crafts heritage, ranging from gold leaf production to kimono dyeing, ceramics, laquer ware decoration and more. It also boasts one of Japan’s most renowned gardens, an old Samurai quarter, a preserved Geisha district and a modern art museum, which has won international awards for its innovative architecture.

Accommodation in Kanazawa: ANA Crowne Plaza Kanazawa Hotel

In the morning, you will take a train (in first class seats) towards Japan’s old capital: Kyoto. You will dedicate these days to Kyoto, the hub of traditional culture, a city that for hundreds of years has been and continues to be an island of tradition in the swirling whirlpool of progress. Kyoto has 17 World Heritage Sites – the most properties in one city – each a representative masterpiece of the era in which it was constructed. Over these days you will encounter the various tales that make up the Japanese puzzle, and discover the past rippling through the everyday life of locals.

Independently with our detailed instruction file and as time allows, you will visit the acclaimed Silver Pavilion and enjoy a leisurely walk along the celebrated Philosopher’s Path, then continue to one of Kyoto’s most photogenic slopes with winding streets filled with small specialized shops and cafés set against the backdrop of the Eastern Mountains.

Accommodation in Kyoto: Kyoto Hotel Okura

Continuing your journey in Kyoto with your private guide by public transportation, you will be exposed to the fundamentals of esthetics, Zen, architecture, horticulture through visits to famous places such as the distinguished stone garden at Ryoanji temple, the spectacular Golden Pavilion, and the Shogun’s castle, and a downtown market, as well as walking along picturesque streets trying to get a glimpse of a Geisha rushing on her way to work.

Sayonara, Mata Ne! See you again!

Itinerary will be adjusted according to your flight schedule.

Today, you will start your way back home. A private car will pick you up for a private transfer to Kansai AP. We wish you a pleasant and safe trip.