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8-Nights Splendours of Japan - Celebrate Takayama Festival from $4,975
Trafalgar
OFFER ID 1494567
Splendors Of Japan - Celebrate Takayama Festival
Celebrate the changing seasons as the jangle of bells and boom-boom-bang of drums accompany a captivating parade of festival floats on the streets of hillside Takayama. The Activity Level of this tour is Dynamic, meaning this journey features 4+ miles of walking on some days and may involve steep hills.
Dining Summary
- 8 Breakfast (B)
- 3 Lunch (L)
- 3 Dinner (D)
- Kyoto: Meet Nakamura Family for a kaiseki lunch at a traditional Japanese ryokan near Kyoto and learn about local customs.
- Ginza: With the guidance of your professional sushi chef, make your own selection of sushi specialties. Afterwards enjoy the fruits of your labor with a delicious lunch.
- Takayama: Join the locals at the Takayama Festival.
- Tokyo: Visit Tokyo's renowned landmarks and gain insight into how this modern city preserves its ancient roots.
- Tokyo: Visit the Tokyo National Museum to browse collections of Japanese art and archaeological objects.
- Mt Fuji: Start your day by visiting the small rural village of Oshino Hakkai which is home to eight natural spring water ponds. Next on your travels is a 2,300-meter winding road to Mt. Fuji 5th Station. To end your day, you will ride up to Mt. Tenjo by ropeway and bask in the breath-taking views.
- Kanazawa: Learn about the delicacy of the 16th-century craft gold leaf painting with your Local Specialist.
- Gokayama: Take some time to admire the peaceful mountain village of Gokayama. Discover their unique homes that have been built without the use of nails and their sloped thatched roofs.
- Kanazawa: Enjoy a stroll through Omicho market before making your way to the beautiful Gardens of Kenrokuen which have been shaped over the past one hundred years.
- Kyoto: Admire the beautiful golden pavilion of Kinkakuji Temple.
- Kyoto: Your city tour takes you to the orange gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Admire this sacred site before visiting Sanjeusangen-do-Hall, where you can view the 1,001 "thousand-handed" goddesses of mercy statues. Continue your exploration of Kyoto with a walking tour through the Gion district.
- Gokayama: Help support a local business with a visit to a washi paper workshop. You'll watch the family at work and test your paper-making skills for yourself. Your experience supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
- Explore Tokyo and Kyoto
- Visit the Sensoji Temple, the Skytree Observation Tower, the Edo Tokyo Museum in Tokyo, Mt. Fuji 5th Station, the Kinkakuji Temple and Fushimi Inari Shrine and Sanjusangen-do Hall in Kyoto
- See the traditional Gassho-zukuri houses in Gokayama and the beautiful gardens of Kenrokuen in Kanazawa
Whats Included
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized.
8 nights from $4,975 per person
Trafalgar Tours: Splendors of Japan - Celebrate Takayama Festival
Day 1 - Konnichiwa Tokyo
Your in-depth exploration of Japan begins in Tokyo. On arrival at Narita or Haneda Airport, take a shuttle bus transfer to your centrally located hotel, where you’ll join your Travel Director and fellow guests for a welcome drink and local appetizers.
Accommodations: New Otani Garden Tower
Day 2 - Explore Vibrant Tokyo
We launch our city tour in the old-time entertainment center of Asakusa, where we’ll encounter the Sensoji Buddhist Temple. One of Tokyo's most colorful and popular temples, Sensoji has been rebuilt countless times since it was founded in 628, making it Tokyo's oldest temple site. Strolling down Nakamise next, immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of shitamachi (downtown Tokyo), admiring the wooden dolls, colorful chiyogami (origami paper) and traditional Japanese sweets. Ascend Tokyo Skytree, the world's highest free-standing broadcasting tower for panoramic views of the city.
Accommodations: New Otani Garden Tower
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 - Off to the Five Lakes District
Our first stop today is the Imperial Palace Plaza from where the two bridges that form the entrance to the inner grounds of the Imperial Palace can be viewed. We'll have the opportunity to explore the leafy Imperial Palace East Gardens before continuing our city tour. At the Tokyo National Museum browse collections of Japanese art, then continue to the Ginza district where you’ll learn how to make sushi with a professional sushi chef. Venture to the Five Lakes District next, keeping a keen eye out for the UNESCO-listed Mt. Fuji which dominates the landscape.
Accommodations: Fuji Marriott Yamanakako
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 - Majestic Mt. Fuji and Timeless Takayama
Admire the reflections of the sky and landscapes in the clear waters, then ascend Mt. Fuji by road to 2,300 meters at the 5th station. Ride up Mt. Tenjo on the Kachikachiyama Ropeway next, for jaw-dropping views (weather permitting) of Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko. Then, journey through the Japanese Alps to the beautiful hillside town of Takayama, before enjoying dinner at the hotel. Visit the Takayama Evening festival where you will see the spectacular sight of the floats decorated with lanterns.
Accommodations: Associa Takayama Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 - Join the Locals at the Takayama Festival
Immerse yourself in tradition as you walk through the Edo-style streets of Takayama's Old Town. Indulge in a lunch of Japanese Hida-gyu – beef from a black-haired Japanese cattle breed, renowned as one of the finest quality varieties of beef. After lunch, immerse yourself in the town’s festive atmosphere. Admire the intricately carved yatai (floats) that date back to the 17th century and feature karakuri ningyo (marionettes) which move and dance as their strings are managed by the tsunakata (puppeteers). Later, return to the hotel by coach.
Accommodations: Associa Takayama Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6 - Experience Gokayama and on to Kanazawa
Journey back in time this morning during a visit to the peaceful UNESCO-listed Gokayama, a mountain village set amidst five valleys. Admire the unique construction of the local Gassho-zukuri wooden houses that have been built without the use of nails with steeply sloped thatched roofs to prevent snow from building up on them. Later observe local artisans making washi paper and trying your hand at making your own. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience contributes to the sustainability of this small business. Then, continue to Kanazawa and take a short walk through the Omicho market and enjoy an insider’s view of everyday life in a busy coastal town. Next, visit the gardens of Kenroku-en, shaped over a hundred years before continuing with a visit to a Local Specialist to learn the secrets of painting gold leaf. Stay overnight in Kanazawa.
Accommodations: Kanazawa Tokyu
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 - Onwards to Kyoto Connect with Locals
Board an Express train this morning to Kyoto. Connect With Locals at a traditional ryokan and enjoy a Be My Guest lunch, learning about local Japanese customs from your hosts. After lunch, visit the UNESCO-listed Kinkakuji Temple with its famous Kinkaku (Golden Pavilion), the proud symbol of Kyoto and a Zen temple, which has its origins as a 14th-century villa.
Accommodations: The Hotel Higashiyama
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 8 - Discover Enchanting Kyoto
The blazing orange torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine guide your path through the forest, up into the mountains and to a sacred site that has heard prayers for prosperity and happiness since the 8th century. Continue to Sanjusangen-do Hall and admire the minute detail of each of its 1,001 “thousand-handed” goddesses of mercy statues, then enjoy a walking tour of the Gion area. This evening, indulge in dinner with your Travel Director and fellow guests.
Accommodations: The Hotel Higashiyama
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9 - Sayonara Japan
Our encounter with Japan’s age-old traditions and modern cityscapes at its end, we take a transfer by airport shuttle service to Kansai International Airport or Osaka Itami Airport for our onward flight. Alternatively, continue to Hiroshima by choosing the 13-day Splendors of Japan with Hiroshima itinerary.
Meals: Breakfast
Vacation Details
* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
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EJS Travel LLC
(616) 214-8995