Taste of the Islands
Overview
SEMI-INDIVIDUAL TOURS MINIMUM: 2 PEOPLE MAXIMUM: 10 PEOPLE* *Only guided tours are collective. JAPAN RAIL NEW! PASS INCLUDED.Escorted Experience
- 24-Hour Local Assistance
- Guaranteed Departures
- Fixed Dates
- Professional Guide Throughout
- Modern Airconditioned Vehicle
- First Class Hotels
Itinerary
Arrival at the airport, after passport control and baggage reclaim, transfer to Tokyo, the current capital.
*Rooms are available from 15:00. An English-speaking assistant is available from the airport to the hotel to give information and help with check-in once at the hotel. Airport-hotel transfer by public transport. Telephone assistance in English for the duration of the stay. Assistance on arrival and transfer may be shared with other tour participants.
Overnight stay in Hotel Standard or Superior.
Meal Plan: No Meal
Breakfast at the hotel.
A full day dedicated to visiting Tokyo with an English-speaking guide. We will start with a visit to the Shinto shrine Meiji Jingu, to discover Japanese history and culture. We will continue with a walk in the Harajuku district, known for its fashion and unique stores. We will then visit the quaint neighbourhood of Asakusa, with its Senso-ji temple, the oldest in the city, and Nakamisedori Avenue, famous for its traditional stores. Finally, we will reach the Shinjuku district, where the tour ends, to admire a panoramic view from the 202-meter-high observatory of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, an elegant building designed by Kenzo Tange. At the end of the tour, return to the hotel on your own.
Overnight stay in HOTEL Standard or Superior.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
****Your luggage will be transported separately to Dogo Onsen by courier. Remember to prepare hand luggage for two nights in Osaka and Takamatsu. Breakfast at the hotel. Full day without assistance. Transfer from Tokyo to Osaka by Shinkansen train using Japan Rail Pass.
In Osaka, we recommend a visit to Osaka Castle, within its park set on a small plateau; the Umeda Sky Building, the original bridge structure consisting of twin forty-story towers; and the district of Dotonbori, an area most famous for its bright signs.
Overnight stay in HOTEL Standard or Superior.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel.
Full day without assistance. Transfer from Osaka to Okayama by Shinkansen train and from Okayama to Takamatsu by regional train using Japan Rail Pass. In Takamatsu, we suggest visiting Ritsurin Garden, one of the most beautiful in Japan, where you will be able to taste matcha green tea accompanied by traditional sweets in a tea house located there.
Overnight stay in HOTEL Standard or Superior.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel.
Full day without assistance. Transfer from Takamatsu to Matsuyama by express train using Japan Rail Pass and from Matsuyama to Dogo Onsen by public transportation (not included, to be paid locally). The spring that feeds Dogo's Onsen is said to have been discovered in the time of the Gods, and it is possible to visit its main building, dating back to 1894, which became popular after being featured in the famous novel "Botchan" by Natsume Soseki, published in 1906.
Traditional dinner at the ryokan is included.
Overnight stay in ryokan YAMATOYA HONTEN or similar.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Dinner
****Your luggage will be transported separately to Kyoto by courier. Please remember to pack hand luggage for two nights in Fukuoka**** Breakfast ryokan.
Full day without assistance. Transfer from Dogo Onsen to Hiroshima via Matsuyama by public transportation, including a steamer and a local train. At Hiroshima, we recommend visiting the Peace Memorial Museum and Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome. Transfer from Hiroshima to Fukuoka using the Japan Rail Pass.
Overnight stay in HOTEL Standard or Superior.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel.
Full day free at leisure. Fukuoka is the bustling capital of Kyushu and recommends a visit to the centrally located districts of Tenjin and Nakasu. This region is also known for its food culture: don't miss the opportunity to try the not- to-be-missed ramen from Hakata, a local speciality famous throughout the country.
Overnight stay in HOTEL Standard or Superior
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel.
Full day without assistance. Transfer from Fukuoka to Kyoto via Osaka by Shinkansen train using Japan Rail Pass.
Overnight stay in HOTEL Standard or Superior.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel.
A full day dedicated to visiting Kyoto with an English-speaking guide. The visit includes the Kiyomizu-dera temple, founded in 798 (the current buildings are reconstructions from 1633) and its surroundings (Sannenzaka), the Ryoan-ji temple with its Zen garden of rocks, the Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji, the symbol of the city, and the Sanjusangen-do temple, a building housing 1,001 wooden Kannon statues.
Overnight stay in HOTEL Standard or Superior.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel.
Full day free at leisure.
Optional guided tour *Not bookable on site --- *NARA & FUSHIMI*
Departure from Kyoto for Nara by fast regional train using the Japan Rail Pass. A full day dedicated to visiting Nara in English. Visit Todai-ji, a temple housing the Great Buddha, one of the world's largest bronze statues, and the large Shinto shrine Kasuga Taisha, surrounded by some 10,000 lanterns. Both buildings are located in Nara Park, where numerous deer live in semi-freedom. Return to Kyoto, stopping en route at the Fushimi Inari Taisha to admire its endless red portals. Return to the hotel. Meals not included.
Optional Tours & Activities
Alternatively, you may take part in several optional tours and activities on this day.
Overnight stay in HOTEL Standard or Superior.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
*Rooms are available until 11:00*.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Own transfer to the airport without assistance by public transportation (extra fee). Departure from Kansai Airport.
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Inclusions
HOTEL: Tokyo (2 nights), Osaka (1 night), Takamatsu (1 night), Dogo Onsen (ryokan /1 night), Fukuoka (2 nights), Kyoto(3 nights) in a chosen category hotel.
GUIDE/ASSISTANT: Assistant from the airport to the hotel in English language (day 1). Assistance service available for a maximum of 4 hours. After 2 hours from the original scheduled landing time, the assistant may no longer be available. During peak seasons, assistance may be available separately at the airport and at the hotel. In case of arrival during the closure of the JR offices at the airport and in Tokyo, customers will not be able to be accompanied to validate their Japan Rail Pass and will therefore have to make changes and reservations on their own on the following days. Guide in English (days 2 and 9). Telephone support (emergency number) for the duration of the stay.
OTHER: Steamboat between Port of Matsuyama Kankoko - Port of Hiroshima (Day 6)
TRANSFER: Transfer from Tokyo Airport to the hotel in Tokyo by public transport.
MEALS: 10 breakfasts, 1 dinner. Breakfast at the hotel on the last day will not be served or refunded in case the return flight from Japan is too early in the morning.
BAGGAGE: Tokyo - Dogo Onsen, Dogo Onsen - Kyoto (1 pc/pp). Any additional packages with a surcharge.
N.B. The contents of the program and the above-mentioned conditions may vary.
TRAIN: Japan Rail Pass 7 days (Ordinary class). Available with a higher class pass supplement and longer duration. Seats are not guaranteed during high season.
Exclusions
•Flight and airport taxes
•Insurance
•Tips, personal extras
-Drinks during meals
•Optional tours & activities of your choice
•Optional guided tours of your choice
•Supplement for overnight assistance for arrivals between 8 am and 8 pm (in case of arrival during times when public transport is not available, taxis will be used at an additional cost) •Transfer by local train Matsuyama -Dogo Onsen, public transportation Dogo Onsen Port of Matsuyama Kanko.
•Any public transportation, additional services, attractions and individual entrance fees outside of guided tours
•Transfer Kyoto-Kansai/Osaka (Itami) airport
Notes
Hotels Used or similar (*Basic twin room size)
Standard (western-style rooms starting from 18 sqm)
Tokyo: Sunshine City Prince Hotel or similar
Osaka: Miyako City, Osaka Honmachi or similar
Takamatsu: Takamatsu Tokyu REI Hotel or similar
Fukuoka: Hotel Clio Court Hakata or similar DOGO ONSEN
Kyoto: ALA Hotel Kyoto or similar
Dogo Onsen: Yamatoya Honten (ryokan) or similar
We have based our quote on the Standard category of hotels. Superior category rates available on request.
*Transfers from one hotel to another may be provided for guided tours.
Single room on request.
Child and Triple sharing rates available on request.
MAIN FEATURES OF THE TOUR
This tour pushes beyond the borders of Japan's main island, Honshu, to touch evocative locations in the island regions of Shikoku and Kyushu. A tour that, by including the must-visit destinations of Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara, also allows broadening horizons with a wide-ranging itinerary.
Note: A surcharge applies for out-of-hours flight arrivals. Rates are available on request.
JAPAN RAIL NEW! PASS INCLUDED.
