Tokyo, Mount Fuji and Kyoto – 9 Days – POA
9 days from £pp
A tour of highlights, this Itinerary is curated around those who want to experience the essence of Japan and the spectacular highlights it has to offer in a relatively short holiday. It is the ideal itinerary for travelers who are experiencing Japan for the first time, due to the breadth and depth of activities over the course of the 9 days. It is also perfectly suited to those who wish to explore Japan on there way to Australia.
Day 1
International flight from London Heathrow to Tokyo landing at either Haneda International Airport or Narita International Airport. Flight time is just shy of 12 hours with departure times scheduled for late morning or early afternoon, meaning arrival at Haneda or Narita the next morning, ready to explore Tokyo, or an evening flight to arrive in Tokyo in the afternoon and make the most of the day.
Overnight on board.
Day 2
An English-speaking assistant will be waiting at the arrival gate to ensure a seamless arrival in Japan and a smooth transition from the airport to Tokyo’s centre. With luggage safely in the hotel, the afternoon offers the opportunity to explore some of Tokyo’s progressive architecture in the form of Roppongi Hills, one of Japan’s largest innovative property developments designed to allow people to live and work in close proximity. With the day drawing to a close, you can return to the Imperial Hotel in the Ginza precinct, relax in the spa, enjoy an authentic tea ceremony and sample some of the enormous range of dining options available, including Japanese specialities, several sushi options and fine French dining.
Overnight at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Day 3
For many of Tokyo’s locals, mornings begin at Tsukiji, the busiest and largest fish market in the world. Your English-speaking guide will help you navigate the market, which offers more than 400 types of seafood, before briefly moving away from the Sumida River towards the centre of Tokyo to visit Kabuki-za, the principal theatre in Tokyo and the home of classical Japanese dance and drama. Returning to the waterfront allows you to experience Harmarikyu, former Imperial gardens surrounded by a seawater moat, which are now open to the public, before boarding a water bus to the Asakusa district. Famous for the Senso-ji, the oldest temple in Tokyo, the Asakusa district is the centre of Tokyo’s Shitamachi, literally meaning “Low City” and one of the oldest parts of Tokyo, and is home to many religious festivals and renowned for its authentic and traditional Japanese food, which can be sampled on Nakamise Street as you approach Senso-ji. After a packed day in Tokyo, you can retire once more to the Imperial Hotel, experiencing service and comfort that has welcomed royalty and heads of state for over 120 years with impeccable Japanese hospitality.
Overnight at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Day 4
Having taken in the sights, sounds and smells of Tokyo, the journey to Kyoto via Mt Fuji begins. Taking an overnight bag with you whilst we courier the remainder of your luggage to the hotel in Kyoto, you’ll board an Odakyu romance train to Hakone Yumoto from Tokyo Shinjuku. At Hakone-Yumoto you’ll liaise with your guide, who will lead you on a series of mountain trains, cable cars and ropeways to reach the viewing platform at the summit of the serene snow-topped Mt Fuji, Japan’s highest and most prominent mountain. Having admired the view from the summit of Mt Fuji, we recommend an alternative angle, taking in the view of Mt Fuji itself from the decks of a boat as you navigate the scenic Lake Ashinoko before returning to Hakone to overnight at the Gora Kadan. One of the best hotels in Hakone, the Gora Kadan is a five-minute walk from the cable cars at Gora station. This guesthouse replicates traditional Japanese hospitality, with airy rooms, traditional Japanese beds and open-air rock baths in the private gardens and terraces that adjoin each room.
Overnight at the Gora Kadan in Hakone.
Day 5
A private car negates the need to juggle the complicated public transport links from Hakone and will take you to Odawara to catch the bullet train to Kyoto, an experience in itself! An English-speaking assistant will meet you at the station in Kyoto to oversee the final leg of your journey to Kyoto and ensure you check in to Nazuna Nijo, a charming boutique hotel in the style of a traditional Japanese inn centrally located in the heart of the city. Enjoy an open air bath in your room where your luggage, safely transported from Tokyo, will be awaiting your arrival.
Overnight at the Nazuna Nijo in Kyoto.
Day 6
Where Tokyo is a bubble of modernity, Kyoto is the guardian of Japan’s traditional culture. Kyoto was the Imperial capital of Japan for the majority of the last millennium and is home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. An English-speaking guide will meet you at the Nazuna Nijo before taking you on a journey into the heart of the history of Kyoto, exploring the 400-year-old Nijo Castle and the landscaped gardens in its outer concentric ring, and the Buddhist temples: Kinkaku-ji, with its magnificent Golden Pavilion, and Kiyomizu-dera, which takes its name from the waterfall it is constructed around. The central location of the Nazuna Nijo allows you to readily explore Kyoto before retreating into the peaceful sanctuary of the traditional Japanese inn.
Overnight at the Nazuna Nijo in Kyoto.
Day 7
After catching the bullet train back to Tokyo, the penultimate day in Japan presents an opportunity to explore Tokyo once again, perhaps visiting the Tokyo National Museum, which specialises in traditional Japanese art, or climbing Tokyo Tower for a final view of the bustling capital before enjoying Tokyo’s internationally acclaimed cuisine one last time – the city has twice as many Michelin stars as Paris! A final night in the Imperial Hotel Tokyo provides the perfect location to explore Tokyo, a relaxed evening in one of the most luxurious hotels in Tokyo, ideally placed for a streamlined journey to the airport.
Overnight at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Day 8
After catching the bullet train back to Tokyo the penultimate day in Japan presents an opportunity to explore Tokyo once again, perhaps visiting the Tokyo National Museum, which specializes in traditional Japanese Art, or climbing Tokyo tower for a final view of the bustling capital before enjoying Tokyo’s internationally acclaimed cuisine one last time – the city has twice as many Michelin stars as Paris! A final night in the Imperial Hotel Tokyo provides the perfect location to explore Tokyo, a relaxed evening in one of the most luxurious hotels in Tokyo, ideally placed for a streamlined journey to the airport.
Overnight at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo
Day 9
On the final morning you return to the airport to catch your chosen flight departing from Haneda or Narita bound for London, arriving later the same day.