Grand Tour of Japan

Arrive in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, Japan's most northerly island and transfer to your hotel.

This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers and Great Rail Journeys Tour Escort. Stay Two Nights: Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo (D)

Sapporo is famed for its 19th-century architecture and pretty public spaces, some of which you will explore today on your guided tour. Discover the delights of Otaru including the fascinating Music Box Museum with its collection of thousands of music boxes before heading to a nearby distillery where award-winning Nikka whisky is produced. Founded in 1934, the distillery creates whisky using famous Scottish distilling methods, and has been producing acclaimed malts ever since. Later, head back to Sapporo for the evening. (B)

Insider Experience: Enjoy a whisky tasting at the Nikka Whisky Distillery.

Enjoy your Insider Experience journey to one of Hokkaido Island's main cities. This afternoon, take a sightseeing tour of the local sights by coach, including Goryokaku, a star-shaped fortress that dates back 150 years. Later, ascend Mount Hakodate via ropeway for fabulous views of the city. Stay: Hakodate, La Vista Hakodate Bay (B/D)

Insider Experience: This morning, travel to Hakodate on the Super Hokuto limited express train.

Explore the vivid array of stalls at Hakodate's fish market, which boasts fresh seafood, local vegetables, fruit and sweets, and look out for tanks of live shellfish and clusters of crab. After your visit, travel to Tokyo by bullet train, speeding through the countryside to Japan's modern capital. Stay Two Nights: Tokyo, Keio Plaza Hotel (B)

Insider Experience: Visit Hakodate's vibrant fish market, where fresh produce is bought and sold in a lively atmosphere. Travel by bullet train to Tokyo.

A full-day sightseeing tour of Tokyo showcases the old and the new combining ancient sites with the modern high tech world. Visit the Imperial Palace Plaza, explore Asakusa Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo and take in the energy of the famous Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection on the planet. (B)

In Hakone, enjoy a scenic ride on the Hakone Ropeway over the Owakudani Valley and Lake Ashi, as well as a boat cruise across the serene Lake Ashi, a former crater. Continue to your hotel, where you will spend one night. Stay: The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko (B/D)

Insider Experience: Travel by Limited Express Romancecar train to Hakone.

An exciting Insider Experience awaits you today. After viewing the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, stop en route to Matsumoto for a visit to the Chihiro Art Museum Azumino to learn more about her life and art works. Stay: Matsumoto, Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu (B)

Insider Experience: Visit the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, dedicated to its namesake, where you will learn more about this world-famous symbol.

This morning, visit the miso factory for an insight into the production of this traditional ingredient followed by a tasting. Continue to Matsumoto Castle, an impressive fortress completed in 1593 and celebrated as a National Treasure of Japan. After an Insider Experience, continue to Takayama, where you'll enjoy an overnight stay in this atmospheric town. Stay: Takayama, Hotel Associa Takayama Resort (B)

Insider Experience: Visit Matsumoto Castle, an imposing fortress completed in 1593. Visit Hida Folk Village, an open-air museum of rustic farm dwellings. Set on a hillside overlooking the Takayama Valley, some of the buildings in the village date back 500 years.

Nestled among mountainous surrounds, Takayama's narrow streets and wooden houses appear almost untouched by time. Explore Takayama and admire the ancient architecture on a guided tour featuring Miyagawa Market, Sannomachi Street and Takayama Jinya, the old government house, before bidding farewell and travelling to Japan's former capital. Stay Two Nights: Kyoto, Righa Royal Hotel Kyoto (B)

Insider Experience: Travel by bullet train to Kyoto.

See the highlights of Kyoto today on a tour beginning at the Kyoto Railway Museum, which houses a variety of trains from the earliest steam locomotives to the ultra-modern bullet trains. Continue to the iconic Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) before a stroll through the tranquil Arashiyama Sagano Bamboo Forest. After taking part in a special Insider Experience, finish the day with a stroll around the Gion area, Kyoto's famous geisha district. (B)

Insider Experience: Take part in a traditional tea ceremony.

Today you'll explore Nara, a former capital of Japan, and home to eight World Heritage-listed sites. Take in the Todai-ji Temple where you'll find the Great Buddha, a 13th-century bronze statue. Continue to beautiful Nara Park, a delightful deer sanctuary spread over almost 530 hectares, before transferring to Osaka, where you'll catch a bullet train to Hiroshima. Stay Two Nights: Hiroshima, Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel (B)

Insider Experience: Travel by bullet train to Hiroshima.

A guided tour today takes you around Hiroshima. From the Peace Memorial Park to the A-Bomb Dome, your tour explores the city's tragic devastation during World War II. Later travel to Miyajima Island for your Insider Experience. (B)

Insider Experience: Enjoy a scenic boat ride out to the famous Miyajima Island and uncover a tranquil island with is famed red Shinto shrine, a World Heritage site.

After breakfast, journey to Hakata. Take in the Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine and the Komyozenji Temple. This evening, enjoy a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant. Stay: Fukuoka, Hotel New Otani Hakata (B/D)

Insider Experience: Ride a bullet train to Hakata. Admire the impressive collection of displays displaying Japanese culture at the Kyushu National Museum, the first national museum that opened in Japan over 100 years ago.

Transfer to Fukuoka Airport this morning after breakfast. (B)