Tohoku: Traditional Japan

Arrival at Kansai International Airport (KIX).
Welcome to Japan! 日本へようこそ！

Pocket Wi-Fi collection at the airport.

Reception at the exit from Customs in English by our airport assistant, who will give you all your travel documents.
Unaccompanied transfer from the airport to your traditional Japan Experience house!

Check in before 8 p.m. in your accommodation. A Travel Angel will welcome you, show you some unique details and help you to have an unforgettable stay in Kyoto. You will be able to "live the Japanese way" for a few days, with a space much bigger than a hotel room and a kitchen to prepare good Japanese food!

We advise you to start your visit to Kyoto slowly by visiting the city centre and the Gion district :
- Kiyomizu-Dera, the impressive water temple ;
- The historic lanes of Sannen-zaka & Ninnen-zaka ;
- Kôdai-ji, Kyoto's temple of maple trees and bamboo.

Finish your day with a stroll through the Gion district and enjoy the sunset.
Meet your guide at 7 p.m. to start your evening walk around Gion, Kyoto's historic district.
More details on the exact day and meeting point can be found in your travel guide.

At the end of this 1h30 walk, your guide will be able to recommend the best places to eat dinner!
Please note that it is strictly forbidden to take pictures in the historic district of Gion.

For your second day in Kyoto, we recommend the following itinerary:
- The Zen garden of Ryôan-ji ;
- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) ;
- Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)
- The enchanting Philosopher's Path ;
- Nanzen-ji temple.

One of our many experienced English-speaking guides can accompany you on a tour of these iconic sites (available as an option, from 9am to 5pm).

From Kyoto Station, get to Tokyo in 2 hours and 40 minutes on the shinkansen high-speed train (included in your package).

We recommend that you start your visit to Tokyo slowly by visiting the following districts:
- Harajuku, the avant-garde district ; 
- Meiji Jingû, the imperial sanctuary ;
- Takeshita-Dôri, a must-see street in the capital ; 
- Omotesandô, Tokyo's Champs-Élysées ; 
- Shibuya and its impressive crossroads.

One of our many experienced English-speaking guides can also accompany you to visit the classic sights of Tokyo (optional, from 9am to 5pm).

Check-in at Hotel OMO3 Tokyo Akasaka by Hoshino Resorts or same category hotel 3*.

For this second day of sightseeing in Tokyo, we recommend the following "loop".

Start at Tokyo Central Station, with its original architecture, then head off to visit :
- Ginza, Tokyo's chic district;
- Tsukiji, the small outdoor food market;
- Hama-rikyû, the Japanese garden between Tokyo's buildings;
- Asakusa, a traditional district and place of pilgrimage, accessible by cruise on the Sumida river;
- Sensô-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in the Japanese capital;
- Tokyo Sky Tree, 643 metres high, with its panoramic view of Tokyo at sunset.

Between Hama-rikyû Garden and Asakusa, why not enjoy a cruise on the Sumida River ?

There are still plenty of places to discover, depending on what you want to do : Ueno Park, Yanaka, Odaiba, etc.
Don't hesitate to book an English-speaking guide for the day (optional) to visit Tokyo's less well-known areas!

We also offer a range of optional activities:
- Are you looking for fun? Ghibli Museum, Disneyland or Hello Kitty Park await you!
- If you're more into themed activities, book a tour of architecture, gardens, home cooking or Noh theatre.
- Chasing thrills? Try a helicopter ride or watch a sumo tournament (in season)!

If you wish to continue the visits at your own pace, Kamakura will seduce you. This small coastal town just 45 minutes by train (no reservations required) from Tokyo was once a shogun capital. The great Buddha of Kamakura is the symbol of the city. Our English-speaking guides can help you discover this city full of history.

In the morning, send your luggage sent to the hotel in Sendai (details in your travel diary, check with the hotel reception) and that you travel light for your night in Nikko.

In the morning, go to Tokyo station and board a shinkansen for Nikko (1h30 journey, details in your travel guide, included in your package). As the train pulls away from the towering skyscrapers of Tokyo, it begins a scenic climb, snaking through a verdant valley nestled amidst the majestic mountains of Japan. 

You will arrive in Nikko in the late morning. Reach your ryôkan, Kozuchi no Yado Tsurukame Daikichi or equivalent, located in the heart of the valley. 

In the afternoon, visit Nikko, with its many UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Tôshôgû and Futarasan-jinja shrines and the Buddhist temple Rinnô-ji located in the heart of an outstanding natural setting.

Return to your ryôkan in the early evening, where a traditional Japanese dinner awaits you around 6:30pm. Savor the exquisite meal and then unwind for a relaxing Japanese-style night.

Traditional Japanese breakfast at the ryokan.

In the morning, travel from Nikko to Sendai along the Pacific coast (2h by train and shinkansen, 1 change, included in your package). Arrival in this lively student city and check into your 3* hotel or equivalent. In the afternoon, enjoy the charms of a lush, green and vibrant city, as medieval as it is modern!

We recommend the following spots :
- Sendai Media Library ;
- Kamei Museum ;
- Aoba-jô, site of the ancient castle, from where you can see the whole town of Sendai ;
- Zuihôden, mausoleum of the Date clan, branch of the Fujiwara
- An outing in the Kokubunchô district.

For this day we recommend a 40min JR train ride from Sendai to see the pine-lined bay that makes this area so famous.

Cruise through Matsushima Bay, one of Japan's three most beautiful panoramas since the 18th century.

Visit of the Zuiganji Buddhist temple, rebuilt in the 17th century by craftsmen from Kyoto, and stroll through the center of Matsushima.

In the morning, we advise that you have your luggage sent to the hotel in Aomori (details in your travel diary, check with the hotel reception) and that you travel light for your night in Hiraizumi.

Travel to Hiraizumi (45 minutes by train, 1 change, all included), a village whose religious heritage is classified by UNESCO : Chûson-ji temple and its golden pavilion, the ancestor of the Kyoto temple, as well as the temples and magnificent Môtsû-ji gardens.

In the afternoon, we recommend an excursion to the Geibi Gorge or...the Genbi Gorge! Just one letter of difference and yet they differ on every count : the first, in the East, is peaceful and classified among the 100 most beautiful landscapes in Japan. The second, to the West, is winding but features an original cafe, which delivers your order to the other side of the river by zip line, to the sound of your national anthem!

Upon arrival in Hiraizumi, you can check into your same category 3* ryôkan. This is an opportunity to try out the hot springs (onsen), which are common in the region!

The ryôkan of Hiraizumi are scattered within a 15km radius of the village station. Some, such as the Shizukatei ryôkan, offer free shuttle buses, while others require a taxi, which you will have to pay for yourself (about €15).

In the evening, traditional Japanese dinner in your ryôkan.

Traditional Japanese breakfast at the ryôkan.

You will then need to head to the north of Honshû island and its capital Aomori. However, we recommend a "stopover" in the area of Hanamaki, a pleasant spa town located 40 minutes by train (direct, included) from Hiraizumi, where you will have spent the night.

In Hanamaki there is a museum celebrating the literary works of the writer Kenji Miyazawa known for "Night on the Galactic Railroad". This is also the departure point for the SL Ginga steam train, which has a planetarium and is a weekly trip popular with Japanese people from all over the country!

This is an opportunity to reach a superb nature destination : Tono, 1 hour by train from Hanamaki (direct, included in your tour). This region is the birthplace of many legends, including that of the kappa. 

Several points of interest are scattered along the stops of this small train line : a sanctuary in the middle of the fields, a cave with a waterfall of over 800m, an old renovated farm...You can also discover them by bike.

At the end of the afternoon, reach Aomori, in the northern part of Honshû Island, by train and shinkansen (1 or 2 changes, journey included in your offer).

Settle in your 3* hotel in the heart of the capital of the north of Honshû Island.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Discover this port city surrounded by snowy peaks, with a strong cultural and spiritual identity !
We recommend the following :
- The town centre and its port, where the memorial boat Hakkôda-maru is moored ;
- The fish markets ;
- The museum dedicated to the popular Nebuta Matsuri festival ;
- The museum of the printmaker Shiko Munakata ;
- The Aomori Art Museum, which preserves works by both artists from the prefecture and great international artists, such as Marc Chagall.

Second night in your hotel in Aomori.

We also offer you, as an option, a getaway by car to discover the region's nature (snow-covered peaks, dense forests, volcanic lake, bucolic gorges). You will spend the night and evening in a fabulous ryôkan in the middle of the countryside with all the necessary comforts but...by candlelight, because everything works without electricity!

Breakfast at the hotel.

In the morning, we advise that you have your luggage sent to the hotel in Kakunodate (details in your travel diary, check with the hotel reception) and that you travel light for your night in Akita.

Head to Akita, the other city in northern Tohoku.
2 options for the journey :
- Direct train, 2 hours 30 (included in your offer). A stop in Hirosaki, to visit its (small) castle amidst a pleasant park is an interesting stop.
- Gonô train line, the "Resort Shirakami" hybrid energy train, which runs along the coast for over 5 hours. Allow for a full day if you stop at one of the 43 stations along the coast, such as the one where you can bathe in an onsen facing the sea. The railway also passes close to the Shirakami-sanchi nature park, a UNESCO-listed primary beech forest.

One of the most beautiful railway lines in Japan, with unspoilt seascapes. Even the sunset here is considered by many to be the most beautiful in Japan!

Arrive in Akita in the afternoon and check into your 3* hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

A visit to Akita, a prefecture in one of the less visited regions by foreign tourists. Yet its central park, the imposing remains of its feudal castle and its new art museum built by Tadao Andô are well worth visiting. One of the most famous paintings by the French-Japanese painter Foujita is on display in this museum.

A 45-minute shinkansen train ride, included in your package, will take you to Kakunodate, one of Japan's best preserved samurai towns. Worth a visit:
- The samurai quarter : Aoyagi residence and cherry bark craft museum ;
- The shopping district : Nishinomiya residence.

You can also visit a soy sauce factory and/or a sake brewery outside the city (accessible by train). Stay overnight at a western-style ryôkan in the city's samurai district.

Traditional Japanese dinner at the ryôkan.

Traditional Japanese breakfast at the ryôkan.

In the morning, continue south to Yamagata, in the heart of Tohoku ! 3 hours by shinkansen and train (1 change, all included in your package). The prefectural capital of this rural area is a pleasant base for exploring the surrounding area, including the fabulous Yamadera hilltop temple and the Zao volcanic area.

At noon, after dropping off your belongings at your 3* hotel, we recommend that you explore the Risshaku-ji (also called Yamadera temple) : one of the most famous perched temples in Japan, which inspired several poems by Matsuo Bashô. A breathtaking view awaits you (20 minutes by direct train, included).

Overnight stay in Yamagata. 

Breakfast at the hotel.

From Yamagata Station, reach the village of Zao in 40min (not included in your offer, €8 to be paid on the spot). You are in the heart of nature in this spa village. Choose from a number of options to recharge your batteries :

- Cable car and a short hike to the crater of a volcano, where a lake with an amazing green colour is located ;
- Foot baths in the volcanic water ;
- Or an onsen accessible to all that can hold up to 200 people at a time.

After this day in the fresh air, return to Yamagata for the second night in your hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

You have arrived for your last day of your Japan tour.

After a visit to the pottery district of Yamagata, head back to Tokyo on the 2 hour 40 hour direct shinkansen train, included in your tour.

Settle into your 3* hotel before doing your last bit of souvenir shopping and packing your bags!

Take a direct transfer to Haneda or Narita airport (included but not accompanied).

This transfer is by shuttle or shared bus, with other customers departing from the same hotel or a hotel close to yours. These transfers arrive between 3 hours and 1.5 hours before the actual departure of your flight, and stops can be made before you arrive at the airport.

If you prefer a private transfer at a time of your choice, direct to the airport and with no intermediate stops, select the "Private Taxi to Airport" option.

Return flight to Europe, North America, Australia.

Don't hesitate to extend your trip by a few days, in Tokyo or elsewhere... Get in touch and we would be happy to advise you!