Japan Highlights

Konnichiwa! Welcome to Japan. Bursting with contemporary urban culture, Tokyo has fascinating museums and world-class shopping plus backstreets stuffed with restaurants and karaoke bars. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. You can arrive at any time during the day as there are no activities planned, but make sure you get here in time for this meeting. Afterwards, you’ll have some free time to explore Tokyo’s exhilarating nightlife. Perhaps take a walk down Shinjuku’s Omoide Tokocho or Memory Lane – a crowded alley of busy restaurants and bar stalls started in the 1940s and quickly gained infamy as a black-market quarter. Today, it is one of the best spots to try some of Tokyo’s local fast food.

Dive right into Tokyo today by exploring historic Asakusa – one of the older and more traditional parts of the city. Visit the city’s oldest temple – Senso-ji – founded almost 1400 years ago when Tokyo was nothing more than a fishing village. Browse the many interesting stalls filled with tasty treats, crafts and souvenirs that line the shopping street of Nakamise Dori. Then we hop on the metro and head to the buzzing Shibuya area. Check out one of the busiest intersections in the world before heading into a depachika (underground food hall) for a mouth-watering array of tempting Japanese treats. Then get a birds-eye view of Tokyo from Shibuya Sky, a three-floor, 360-degree, open-air observation deck 46 storeys above the city. Next up, allow the city sounds to fade away as you visit Meiji Shrine, surrounded by a tranquil forest. Then back into the city streets to explore the Harajuku district, the home of Japan’s quirky youth pop culture. The rest of the afternoon is free for you to spend at your leisure.

Today, we hop on the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) and local train to Kanaya station where we’ll transfer to the scenic train that travels through mountains and gorges in Kawane. The ride is especially beautiful during Cherry blossom season in the spring and the color turning autumn. After disembarking at Senzu station, your host will welcome you at the station and and take you to their home. This afternoon, visit a local tea farm and try your hand at tea picking, learn about how tea is properly brewed and try some tea tempura, too. Your farm host will also show you the local seasonal vegetables that they’ve got in their garden. Don’t be afraid if you need to get your hands dirty and help out with some farm work! Dinner will be a home-cooked feast using seasonal vegetables from the farm and your host will be able to teach you a trick or two about Japanese home cooking. (D)

Rise and shine to a hearty home-cooked traditional Japanese breakfast at the farm. Say goodbye to your host and take the local train to Kusanagi station where you’ll set off on an easy hike along country trails that pass through tea farms and tangerine fields. You’ll reach Kusanagi shrine, built 1900 years ago, and continue to Nihondaira. Don’t miss the incredible views of Mt Fuji along the way and from the Nihondaira Yume Terrace at the end of the hike. Continue on to Shimizu by local bus and train where you can enjoy a free afternoon of relaxation or more exploring. Shimizu is one of the oldest ports in Japan and was one of the stops on the ancient Tokaido Trail. The seaside town's iconic view of the sea and Mt Fuji was often depicted in the Hokusai’s Ukioe art. If you’d like to catch a glimpse of that view, head to Miho no Matsubara on the coast. (B)

This morning, visit the seaside Shimizu fish market and enjoy a seafood brunch here fresh out of the sea. After brunch, hop back on the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. One of the Kyoto’s original names was Heian-kyo, which literally translates to ‘tranquillity and peace capital’, and the thousands of temples, shrines and gardens make it a great place to unwind. In the afternoon, head to the Noshiki Market and stroll through ‘Kyoto’s Kitchen’. It’s the perfect introduction to Kyoto's regional specialties – from pickled vegetables hidden beneath layers of fermented rice to delicious and ornate Kyo-wagashi (Kyoto sweets) and other local produce. As the sun goes down, continue to Gion, the city’s cultural centre and most famous geisha district. You may catch a glimpse of an elegantly attired geisha or maiko moving between teahouses here, though much of this high-class world of entertainment is still off-limits to outsiders.

Today, you’ll head to one of the most photogenic spots in Kyoto – Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. Famous for the thousands of scarlet torii (square archways) along the path, this shrine is dedicated to Inari – the god of rice. Because foxes do his bidding, there are also plenty of fox statues along the way, ranging from the cute to the creepy. Then visit a nearly 300-year-old sake brewery – the city’s oldest continuously run brewery. Learn about their special sake-brewing techniques and the importance of rice and water to sake before sampling the wares.

The rest of the day is free for you to explore at your own pace. If you’re in a contemplative mood, the Path of Philosophy might have what you’re after. Stroll beside a stream, beneath the dappled shade of blossoming trees, past the Zen temple Ginkaku-ji, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion and Nanzen-ji Temple. You can keep walking south to the Old Town and explore the wooden houses, or perhaps visit Kinkakuhi Temple, immortalised in Yukio Mishima’s novel ‘The Golden Pavilion’. Or maybe check out the onsens in the city – it won’t be a full experience in Japan without a soak in a public onsen.

Back on the train this morning and head onto Osaka – arguably Japan’s food capital. To get situated, follow your leader on an orientation walk, and then explore this eclectic city in your free time. Meet in the evening again and take a street food walking tour with your leader through Dotombori district and Kuromon market and celebrate the end of this fast and furious journey in Japan with your fellow travellers. (D)

Your trip comes to an end this morning in Osaka.