Fly to Osaka from USA/Canada. 【1 or 2 stopovers depends on departure city】.

Upon arrival at Osaka Airport, you will be greeted and transferred to the hotel. Osaka is the second-largest city in Japan, Osaka has the nickname "Tenka no Daidokoro" (the Nation's Kitchen) thanks to its reputation as a culinary paradise, so be sure to sample some local cuisine.

*Please note that while we are doing our best to accommodate early arrivals, hotel check-in time is generally not before 3:00 pm. Baggage storage can be arranged at the hotel. Take the rest of the day to rest up.

Visit the famous landmark Osaka Castle Garden. Surrounded by greenery, the garden commands a beautiful view of the castle tower and the stone wall of a moat. Enjoy free time in Shinsaibashi, the premier shopping area in Osaka. Around 600 meters long, it’s filled with trendy boutiques, retail chains, and luxury department stores like Daimaru, UniQlo, H&M, Bulgari, and Zara. Crossing the street and out of the covered arcade, you’ll walk into this open area and see that large Glico man sign. That’s when you know you’re in Dotnobori. Originally installed in 1935, the giant Glico Man is Dotonbori’s most iconic landmark. It’s a symbol for the Glico candy company, makers of caramel candy, and Pocky.

Make your way to Nara, a city shrouded in legend and thronged with significant sites. Make a special visit to Nara Deer Park, home to the freely roaming deer. Considered in Shinto to be messengers of the gods, Nara's nearly 1200 deer have become a symbol of the city and have even been designated as a natural treasure. Nara's deer are surprisingly tame, although they can be aggressive if they think you will feed them. Deer crackers are for sale around the park, and some deer have learned to bow to visitors to ask to be fed.

In the afternoon drive to Kyoto and visit Yasaka Shrine and Gion. Yasaka is a Shinto Shrine (jinja) located in the heart of the famous district of Gion in Kyoto. In fact, it so much is that you can also refer to it as the "Gion Shrine", its former name. Built during the seventh century, it was modified in the seventeenth to reach its present form. Yasaka-Jinja is dedicated to Susano, the god of the oceans, one of the Japanese mythology protagonists.

The shrine is located east of the district, at the end of Shijo-Dori shopping avenue. Yasaka-Jinja is particularly famous for hosting the path of the famous Gion Matsuri every summer in July, as well as celebrations of new year's eve. The Japanese also go through Yasaka during April to get to Maruyama Park, in order to attend Ohanami (sakura cherry blossoms).

Today you will be free at your own leisure to explore this historical city. Alternatively, you can join an optional in-depth tour of Kyoto. 

Recommended Options:

Kyoto City In-Depth Tours【USD 159 Per Person】:

Highlights:

Nijo Castle: (http://nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp/)

Kiyomizu Shrine: (http://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/)

Kinkakuji Temple: (http://www.shokoku-ji.jp/k_access.html)

Fushimi Inari: (http://inari.jp/en/)

The optional tour will first make a stop at Nijo-jo Castle is one of Kyoto’s most popular and impressive sights. It shows the power that the Shoguns wielded over the emperors throughout the Edo Period. Nijo Castle is Kyoto's largest and best-preserved castle. It consists of two fortifications (kuruwa) in Japanese. The Ninomaru Palace, the main fortification of the castle, and the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, the second fortification, as well as support buildings and gardens. The castle is surrounded by stone walls and moats. It is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will, it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu's grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, on the other side of the city a few decades later. Kinkakuji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu's former retirement complex. It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955.

Then visit the Kiyomizu Shrine, one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto and derives its name from the fall's pure waters. The temple was originally associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest schools within Japanese Buddhism, but formed its own Kita Hosso sect in 1965. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital's move to Kyoto in 794.

Arashiyama is in the far west of Kyoto, tucked along the base of the Arashiyama Mountains (meaning “Storm Mountains”).

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is one of Kyoto’s top sights and for good reason: standing amid these soaring stalks of bamboo is like being in another world.

Later, transfer to Shizuoka, overnight at the Shizuoka area.

This morning, first visit Yokohama Harborland before traveling to Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, where over 11 million people live, making the population one of the largest in the world. Tokyo is not only the political and economical centre of Japan but also a centre of the world economy and culture. Tradition and modernity co-exist in today’s Tokyo. 

Enjoy an orientation tour of Tokyo. First visit Meiji Shrine, a key Shinto religious site that was dedicated to the Imperial Family in 1926. Walk around the serene gardens that surround the shrine as you listen to more details about its importance from your guide. Then visit Nakamise Shopping Street, a brightly-colored thoroughfare of food vendors and souvenir stores that leads to Asakusa Kannon Temple (Senso-Ji), one of Japan’s most important Buddhist sites. Stay with your guide as you check out the elaborate gardens, architecture, and shrines that surround the site.

Make a stop at DUTY-FREE Shop and Ameyoko, a busy street market. On the way back to the hotel drive-by Shibuya and enjoy the colorful night view of Tokyo Tower, the landmark of Tokyo. 

Enjoy a free day in Tokyo to explore this dynamic capital city, where over 11 million people live, making the population one of the largest in the world. Alternatively, you may want to join an optional tour:

Recommended Options:

Tokyo City Highlight Tours【USD 159 Per Person】:

Highlights:

• Imperial Palace

• Tsukiji Fish Market

• Akihabara

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Imperial Palace (Main residence of the Imperial Family), the current Imperial Palace is located on the former site of Edo Castle, a large park area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls in the center of Tokyo. Edo Castle used to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogun who ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown, and the country's capital and Imperial Residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo.

Tsukiji Outer Market (Market for fresh seafood and produce), is a district adjacent to the site of the former Tsukiji Wholesale Market. It consists of a few blocks of wholesale and retail shops, as well as restaurants crowded along narrow lanes. Here you can find fresh and processed seafood and produce alongside food-related goods such as knives.

Akihabara (District for electronic and otaku goods), also called Akiba after a former local shrine, is a district in central Tokyo that is famous for its many electronics shops. In more recent years, Akihabara has gained recognition as the center of Japan's otaku (diehard fan) culture, and many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga are now dispersed among the electronic stores in the district.

Metropolitan Government Building (Twin tower with two free observation decks), in Shinjuku, is often visited by tourists for its free observation decks which provide good panoramic views of Tokyo and beyond. The 243-meter tall building has two towers, and each houses an observatory at a height of 202 meters. It had been the tallest building in Tokyo until it was overtaken by the Midtown Tower in 2007.

Today, passengers will take their own transportation to the Airport concluding your unforgettable journey of Japan【1 Or 2 Stopovers Depend On Departure City】.