SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive in Osaka

Arrive at Kansai airport, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Osaka, a lively city that is Japan’s third largest city and its commercial capital.

Day 2: Osaka Tour

Osaka is renowned as an international business centre. It is home to the oldest state temple in Japan and is also famous for its local cuisine, magnificent castle, bustling port, aquarium, underground shopping arcades and Universal Studios theme park.

Your guide will meet you at your hotel this morning for a half day tour of Osaka, using public transport. We start with a visit to Osaka Castle, which played a major role in the unification of Japan during the 16th century. Following its destruction during World War II, it has been completely reconstructed and is today a museum of Osaka history. We also visit the tallest building in Japan, Abeno Harukas, for 360 degree views across the city.

Your afternoon is free to explore Osaka independently.

Day 3: Osaka to Mount Koya

This morning, leave your main baggage at the front desk and pack a small bag for your overnight trip to Mt. Koya. Remember to arrange a ‘bento’ (lunch box) for your train journey up the mountain.

Home to over 100 temples, Mount Koya has been the centre of Shingon Buddhism for over 1,200 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 2.5 hour journey involves several local trains, with the last train being one of the most scenic in Japan - winding its way up through the mountains. The train journey is unguided.

After disembarking, take a short cable car ride to the top of the 900m Mt. Koya, where your expert guide will be waiting for you at the station. He will show you all the sights and give you an understanding of Japanese Buddhism. You will visit Kongobuji Temple, the head monastery which is also home to Japan’s largest rock garden, as well as the Danjo Garan temple complex. Then cross the bridge to Okunoin Cemetery, the largest in Japan which houses the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism. The 1.2 mile walk to the mausoleum will take you past 200,000 tombstones of feudal lords, prominent monks and others. 

Tonight you will be staying at a ‘shukubo’, a Buddhist temple lodging with simple but comfortable rooms, with shared bathroom and toilet facilities. They are not luxurious, but this is the best way to immerse yourself in the spiritual atmosphere of Mount Koya. Dinner tonight is ‘shojin ryori’, a traditional Buddhist vegetarian meal.

Day 4: Mount Koya to Osaka

Rise early today to watch the monks chant their morning prayers, followed by a shojin ryori breakfast.

The rest of the day is free to further explore Mount Koya, before returning to Osaka.

Ride the cable car to Gokurakubashi station, where you will catch the Nankai train using your railway pass, and alight at Namba station. From here make your own way to your hotel in Osaka for overnight (cable car ride is included, but the rapid supplement for the return train ride is not included).

Day 5: Osaka to Kyoto

This morning take the train to the former imperial capital of Kyoto, accompanied by a local guide who will collect you from your hotel in Osaka.

Kyoto was the residence of the Emperor of Japan from 794 until 1868. It is a historic city of culture and one of the best-preserved cities in Japan, with an Imperial Palace and over 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines, as well as palaces, gardens and other priceless structures. With 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, this city’s history comes alive in its narrow alleyways, where teahouses abound and elegant kimono-clad geisha hurry from function to function.

Places of interest that you can visit today include the spectacular Kinkaku-ji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion, which was built in the 14th century as a retirement villa for the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, but became a Buddhist temple after his death. This glittering temple is covered entirely in gold leaf and is set on a small lake amongst well-tended gardens.

Magnificent Nijo Castle was built in 1603 by the first shogun of a united Japan. It was designed to impress rather than defend, with wonderfully decorated sliding doors and chirping nightingale floors. It is surrounded by stunning gardens.

Lively Nishiki Market (known as ‘Kyoto's Kitchen’) is a narrow shopping street lined with more than one hundred shops and restaurants, specialising in food-related products ranging from fresh produce and seafood to knives and cookware. It is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialties, such as Japanese sweets, pickles, dried seafood and sushi.

Sanjusangendo Temple is the longest wooden structure in Japan (120m) which is so large that archery competitions are held here. This Buddhist temple is famous for its 1,001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. In the centre of the main hall is a giant gold leaf statue of a seated Kannon with 1,000 arms, flanked on each side by 500 smaller statues, standing in ten rows. Together they make for an awesome sight.

At the end of the day you will be dropped off at your hotel in Kyoto.

Day 6: Explore Kyoto

Today is free to explore more of the city independently, or take optional tours.

Kiyomizudera Temple is perched on a hillside with views towards Kyoto. Dating from 1633, the main hall sits on hundreds of interconnecting wooden pillars above a sacred spring that is believed to have therapeutic qualities. Ryoanji Temple belongs to the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and was founded in 1450. The adjoining garden is an austere collection of 15 rocks adrift in a sea of sand.

You can take a half day guided tour to Nara, with your guide accompanying you on the 1 hour train ride. On arrival visit Todaiji Temple, the world’s largest wooden building and home to Japan’s largest Buddha. Also visit Kasuga Taisha, Nara’s most celebrated shrine. There is also time to wander through Nara Park, which has a large population of tame deer.

Alternatively take a half day tour to Arashiyama on the western outskirts of Kyoto. Here you can enjoy tranquil countryside and walk through its famous Bamboo Grove. You can also visit Tenryuji Temple, founded in 1339 and one of Kyoto's World Heritage Sites. Okochi Mountain Villa has a beautiful garden, teahouse and zen meditation hall, whilst Nonomiya is a Shinto shrine where unmarried imperial princesses used to stay for a year to purify themselves.

Day 7: Kyoto to Kanazawa

This morning make your own way to Kyoto station for your scheduled express train to Kanazawa. On arrival make your own way to your hotel, with the rest of the day free to explore this city independently.

During the Edo Period, Kanazawa served as the seat of the feudal Maeda clan, the second most powerful after the Tokugawa in terms of rice production and fief size. Accordingly, Kanazawa grew to become a town of great cultural achievements, rivalling Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo). During World War Two it escaped destruction by air raids, so parts of the old castle town, such as the Nagamachi Samurai District and Higashi Chaya Entertainment District, have survived.

Kanazawa remains an important city and serves as the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. The city boasts many historical attractions such as restored residences and modern museums. But Kanazawa's unchallenged main attraction is Kenrokuen, considered by many to be Japan’s best landscaped gardens.

Day 8: Kanazawa Crafts Tour

Kanazawa is not only home to beautiful art, architecture and exquisite cuisines, but it is also the birthplace of refined traditional crafts, considered to be some of the finest in the country. You will be picked up from your hotel this morning by a local guide, who will take you on a half day tour to experience some of these crafts.

Kanazawa is synonymous with gold leaf, so try your hand at decorating a small lacquer plate or a pair of chopsticks with this thin, sparkling precious product.  Next try ‘Kagauzen’, a form of kimono cloth dyeing that is a local specialty. Decorate a handkerchief using this traditional technique. Depending on which shop you visit, your product may be finished by artisans and sent to your address one month later.

Your afternoon is free to explore more of this charming city.

Day 9: Kanazawa to Osaka

Make your own way to Kanazawa station to board the express train to Osaka.

You will have the rest of the day to spend at leisure in Osaka.

Day 10: Fly Home

Transfer to Kansai airport for your flight home.

PRICING

Price is based on two adults sharing en-suite accommodation on a bed & breakfast basis, staying in a mix of hotels and traditional Japanese Inns. Dinner is included at Mount Koya, as well as all specified trains, transfers and guided tours. International flights are not included and will be quoted separately.

We offer a choice of hotels at different prices, so please discuss your requirements with us. All hotels are subject to availability.

It is essential that you have personal holiday insurance. The FCO should also be consulted.