Itinerary
- Day 1
Tokyo
You'll land in Tokyo and head to your hotel at your own pace. If you arrive before the standard 2-3 pm check-in, drop your luggage at reception and start exploring the neighborhood. Spend the day getting oriented and shaking off the travel fatigue.
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Shinjuku Washington Hotel ), Hostel (Shinjuku Washington Hotel - Tokyo)
Optional Activities
- Explore Tokyo neighborhoods and street food (yakitori, tempura, ramen)
- Day 2
Tokyo
Meet your group at 8:15 am for a full-day guided coach tour. First stop is the Meiji Shrine, which sits within a 170-acre forest and offers a peaceful start to the day. From there, head up the Tokyo Skytree to Floor 350 for views across the entire city. Later you'll see the Senso-ji Temple and wander through Nakamise, the traditional shopping street filled with vendors and local goods. The day wraps up at the Imperial Palace grounds where you can see the distinctive bridges, stone walls and moat system.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Shinjuku Washington Hotel - Tokyo)
Included Activities
- Visit Meiji Shrine
- Tokyo Skytree viewing platform (Floor 350) entrance included
- Visit Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street
- Explore Imperial Palace grounds
Landmarks Meiji Shrine Tokyo Skytree Senso-ji Temple Nakamise Shopping Street Imperial Palace - Day 3
Tokyo
You have the whole day to yourself with no scheduled activities. Wander through different neighborhoods, check out shops for souvenirs, try restaurants and food stalls, or revisit anywhere that caught your attention. Your guide is available if you want recommendations on what to see.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Shinjuku Washington Hotel - Tokyo)
- Day 4
Tokyo - Hakone - Lake Ashi - Kawaguchiko
After breakfast, travel by coach to Hakone national park and stop for lunch in Hakone-machi. Take a scenic boat cruise on Lake Ashi, which is known for its Mount Fuji views from the water. The boats are designed to look like old western warships, which adds a quirky touch to the experience. Then transfer to Lake Kawaguchiko, the second largest of the Fuji Five Lakes, for more Mount Fuji sightseeing. Arrive at your hotel in time for dinner with the group.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Route Inn Kawaguchiko (Onsen Hotel))
Included Activities
- Lake Ashi boat cruise
Landmarks Lake Ashi Mount Hakone Lake Kawaguchiko - Day 5
Kawaguchiko - Mount Fuji - Takayama
After breakfast, head by coach toward Mount Fuji's 5th Station, which sits halfway up Japan's tallest active volcano and one of its three holy mountains (weather permitting). If conditions cooperate, you'll see the summit rising above the clouds from this elevation. Grab lunch at a highway service stop known for good Japanese food, then continue on to Takayama, arriving around 3 pm.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (TOKYU STAY Hida -Takayama Musubi no Yu - Gifu)
Included Activities
- Visit Mount Fuji's 5th Station (weather permitting)
Landmarks Mount Fuji 
- Day 6
Takayama
Today is free to explore Takayama on your own terms. Walk around, check out local shops, grab meals at places that interest you, or just relax. Your guide can point you toward worthwhile spots if you want direction.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (TOKYU STAY Hida -Takayama Musubi no Yu - Gifu)
- Day 7
Takayama - Shirakawa-go - Kanazawa
Start the morning touring Kamisannomachi Street in Takayama's Old Town, where houses and shops from the Edo period (1600-1868) line the street alongside charming cafes and old sake breweries. Later, travel to Shirakawa-go Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 100 traditional Gassho-style houses featuring steeply-pitched thatched roofs set against mountain scenery. You'll have time for lunch there. Finish with a brief tour of Higashi Chaya District in Kanazawa, a historic area with traditional wooden houses, arriving around 5 pm.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Kanazawa Manten Hotel Ekimae)
Included Activities
- Tour Kamisannomachi Street in Takayama's Old Town
- Explore Shirakawa-go Village
Optional Activities
- Visit sake breweries in Takayama's Old Town
Landmarks Takayama Old Town Shirakawa-go Village Higashi Chaya District - Day 8
Kanazawa - Kyoto
After breakfast, visit Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan's most important gardens that was developed over 200 years starting in 1620 and now contains nearly 9,000 trees and 200 plant species. Then stop at the Nomura Samurai House, a historic residence showing what samurai life was like from the 16th-19th centuries, with beautiful gardens and intricately painted screen doors. After lunch, travel by coach to Kyoto (about 4 hours). You'll arrive with the rest of the day free to settle in.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Hotel Keihan Kyoto Grande)
Included Activities
- Visit Kenrokuen Garden
- Visit Nomura Samurai House
Landmarks Kenrokuen Garden Nomura Samurai House 
- Day 9
Kyoto
Kyoto is Japan's former capital, and today it's all yours to explore at your own pace. The city is full of classical Buddhist temples, gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses. The Gion district is known for its connection to Geisha culture. Walk around, discover what interests you most.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Hotel Keihan Kyoto Grande)
- Day 10
Kyoto - Nara - Kyoto
After breakfast, drive past the Heian Shinto Shrine on your way to Kinkaku-ji, known as the Golden Pavilion. This Zen temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site has two floors entirely covered in pure gold and sits in a classical Zen garden with three different architectural styles. Head to Nara for lunch at your leisure, then walk through Nara Park where over 1,200 tame sika deer roam around freely. Visit Todai-ji, also called the Great Eastern Temple, to see its famous Great Buddha Hall, one of the world's largest wooden buildings housing a 15-meter bronze Buddha statue. Return to Kyoto with the evening free.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Hotel Keihan Kyoto Grande)
Included Activities
- Drive-by Heian Shinto Shrine
- Visit Kinkaku-ji Temple
- Explore Nara Park
- Visit Todai-ji (Great Eastern Temple)
Landmarks Heian Shinto Shrine Kinkaku-ji Temple Nara Park Todai-ji 
- Day 11
Kyoto - Osaka
This full-day coach tour starts in Arashiyama with its thick bamboo forest, designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty by the Japanese government, and lunch is available in the area. Next stop is Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for thousands of vermilion torii (shrine gates) straddling forest trails. The trails lead up sacred Mount Inari (233m), which is part of the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari is the most important of thousands of Inari shrines dedicated to the Shinto god of rice. Later, travel to Osaka (about 2 hours), check into your hotel and spend the evening relaxing.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Osaka Garden Palace)
Included Activities
- Visit Arashiyama bamboo forest
- Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine
Landmarks Arashiyama Fushimi Inari Shrine 
- Day 12
Osaka - Himeji - Hiroshima
After breakfast, travel from Osaka to Himeji Castle, known as the White Heron Castle and Japan's largest surviving traditional castle. The UNESCO World Heritage complex includes 83 buildings with white roofs said to look like a heron in flight. It's Japan's most visited castle with great views of the surrounding city. You'll have time for lunch around the castle area, then transfer to Hiroshima (about 6 hours total travel time).
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Hiroshima Grand Intelligent Hotel)
Included Activities
- Visit Himeji Castle
Landmarks Himeji Castle - Day 13
Hiroshima - Miyajima - Hiroshima
Meet your guide at the hotel to visit the Atomic Bomb Dome, the shell of a building left standing after the 1945 bombing and now a UNESCO World Heritage peace memorial. Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum with its historical exhibits, including the cenotaph flame intended to burn until the last nuclear weapon is destroyed. After lunch, take a ferry to Miyajima island, known for its forests and ancient temples. See the famous floating torii at Itsukushima Shrine, built in the 12th century and partially submerged at high tide. Visit the Museum of History and Folklore in a 19th-century merchant's home, then walk Omotesando Shopping Street before returning to Hiroshima by ferry. The evening is free.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Hiroshima Grand Intelligent Hotel)
Included Activities
- Visit Atomic Bomb Dome
- Visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
- Visit Miyajima Island
- Visit Itsukushima Shrine
Optional Activities
- Visit Museum of History and Folklore on Miyajima
Landmarks Atomic Bomb Dome Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Miyajima Island Itsukushima Shrine Omotesando Shopping Street - Day 14
Hiroshima - Osaka
After breakfast, take the Japanese bullet train from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka Station (about 2 hours). Start a full-day coach tour passing Osaka Castle, which played a major role in Japan's unification during the 16th-century Azuchi-Momoyama period. Walk through Dotonbori, one of Osaka's most popular tourist areas with shops, street food, bars and entertainment along a street running parallel to the Dotonbori canal. At night, hundreds of colorful neon lights and mechanical signs light up the streets, including the famous running Glico Man and Kani Doraku crab sign.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Osaka Garden Palace)
Included Activities
- Visit Osaka Castle (drive-by)
- Walk through Dotonbori area
Landmarks Osaka Castle Dotonbori - Day 15
Osaka
You have the full day in Osaka to spend however you like. Check out neighborhoods, eat at restaurants that appeal to you, visit shops, or just relax. Your guide is available if you want suggestions on places to see and eat. Later this evening, join the group for dinner at a local restaurant.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Group dinner at a local restaurant)
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Osaka Garden Palace)
- Day 16
Osaka
This is your final day in Japan. At the appropriate time, make your own way to the airport for your flight home or head out to start your own independent travels.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Accommodation
- Hostel (Osaka Garden Palace)
