Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Sapporo
Arrive in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, Japan’s most northerly island and transfer to your hotel. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers and Great Rail Journeys Tour Escort.
Day 2: Sapporo
Discover the delights of Otaru, a charming port city in Hokkaido. Captivating visitors with its historic canal, romantic atmosphere, fresh seafood, and snow-covered streets in the winter. Visit the fascinating Music Box Museum with its collection of thousands of music boxes before heading to your Insider Experience. Later, head back to Sapporo and enjoy an evening at leisure.
Day 3: Sapporo, Hakodate
Enjoy your Insider Experience journey to one of Hokkaido Island’s main cities. This afternoon, take a sightseeing tour of the local sights by coach, including Goryokaku, a star-shaped fortress that dates back 150 years. Later, ascend Mount Hakodate via ropeway for fabulous views of the city.
Day 4: Hakodate, Tokyo
Explore the vivid array of stalls at Hakodate’s fish market, which boasts fresh seafood, local vegetables, fruit and sweets, and look out for tanks of live shellfish and clusters of crab. After your visit, travel to Tokyo by bullet train, speeding through the countryside to Japan’s modern capital.
Day 5: Tokyo
A full-day sightseeing tour of Tokyo showcases the old and the new combining ancient sites with the modern high tech world. Visit the Imperial Palace Plaza, explore Asakusa Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo and take in the energy of the famous Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection on the planet.
Day 6: Tokyo, Hakone
In Hakone, enjoy a scenic ride on the Hakone Ropeway over the Owakudani Valley and Lake Ashi, as well as a boat cruise across the serene Lake Ashi, a former crater. Continue to your hotel, where you will spend one night.
Day 7: Hakone, Matsumoto
An exciting Insider Experience awaits you today. After viewing the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, stop en route to Matsumoto for a visit to the Chihiro Art Museum Azumino to learn more about her life and art works.
Day 8: Matsumoto, Takayama
This morning, visit the miso factory for an insight into the production of this traditional ingredient followed by a tasting. Continue to Matsumoto Castle, an impressive fortress completed in 1593 and celebrated as a National Treasure of Japan. After an Insider Experience, continue to Takayama, where you’ll enjoy an overnight stay in this atmospheric town.
Day 9: Takayama, Kyoto
Nestled among mountainous surrounds, Takayama’s narrow streets and wooden houses appear almost untouched by time. Explore Takayama and admire the ancient architecture on a guided tour featuring Miyagawa Market, Sannomachi Street and Takayama Jinya, the old government house, before bidding farewell and travelling to Japan’s former capital.
Day 10: Kyoto
See the highlights of Kyoto today on a tour beginning at the Kyoto Railway Museum, which houses a variety of trains from the earliest steam locomotives to the ultra-modern bullet trains. Continue to the iconic Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) before a stroll through the tranquil Arashiyama Sagano Bamboo Forest. After taking part in a special Insider Experience, finish the day with a stroll around the Gion area, Kyoto’s famous geisha district.
Day 11: Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima
Today you’ll explore Nara, a former capital of Japan, and home to eight World Heritage-listed sites. Take in the Todai-ji Temple where you’ll find the Great Buddha, a 13th-century bronze statue. Continue to beautiful Nara Park, a delightful deer sanctuary spread over almost 530 hectares, before transferring to Osaka, where you’ll catch a bullet train to Hiroshima.
Day 12: Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Hiroshima
A guided tour today takes you around Hiroshima. From the Peace Memorial Park to the A-Bomb Dome, your tour explores the city’s tragic devastation during World War II. Later travel to Miyajima Island for your Insider Experience.
Day 13: Hiroshima, Fukuoka
After breakfast, journey to Hakata and take in the Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine. This evening, enjoy a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 14: Depart Fukuoka
Transfer to Fukuoka Airport this morning after breakfast.
