Day 1  –  Japan begins

All Day: Depart Australia for Tokyo
Evening: Arrive Tokyo PM hours

On arrival at the hotel, we will check in and meet for welcome to Japan drinks.  We will discuss what you can expect from the tour and chat about the plan for the coming days.

Day 2 – Kyoto

Morning: Bullet train to Kyoto
Afternoon: Nijo castle
Evening: Gion Matsuri

First up we take the bullet train 506km (in 2hours 20min) to Kyoto. From here we will leave our bags at the hotel and head over to explore Nijo castle, built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Eco period(1603-1867) before we take in the atmosphere of one of Japan’s older, and largest, Matsuri festivals – the colourful Gion Matsuri.

Day 3 – Nara

All day: Nara

Today we head out of town to Japan’s original capitol – Nara. Here we will be joined by a Japanese host who will show us around his town. We will visit the remarkable Todai-ji temple (the largest wooden structure in the world) with its 5-storey high bronze Buddha inside, before we take a gentle stroll through Nara park where you can hand-feed the wild deer. Then, we make our way into the city centre where you can watch a Motchi pounding demonstration before we head to an Izakaya restaurant for dinner with our host.

Day 4  – Kyoto

Morning: Gion Matsuri float parade
Afternoon: Yamazaki
Evening:  Gion district

This morning we venture out to witness the spectacular parade of floats (some upto 12 tons) as they are carried, through the streets of Gion, in the most fetstive party atmosphere. After a bite to eat, its off to Yamazaki and one of the finest Japanese Whiskey Distilleries in Japan. Here you will have a guided tour of the facility before going into the tasting room for an education (and tasting) in whiskey appreciation. We then return to our hotel for a brief rest before we explore Kyoto’s famous Geisha district (to have dinner) during this wonderful Gion Matsuri street party atmosphere.

Day 5 –  Himeji

Morning: Himeji castle
Afternoon: Koko-en garden
Evening: Dotonbori

Today we take the high-speed bullet train travelling 250km (in less than an hour) to visit the world heritage listed Himeji Castle, one of only twelve castles in Japan that has never been destroyed by war, fire or earthquake.  This stunning white castle complete with a moat is over 400 years old and looks amazing set against the red and gold autumn colours of the pristine castle grounds.  The castle is made up of over 80 buildings connected by passageways and gates and surrounded by beautiful gardens.  Once inside the castle walls we’ll wander through the passageways and up the steep steps to the roof of the 6-storey fortress to view the elaborate rooftop ornaments, believed to protect the building from fire.  After this full day out, we head back to the hotel to enjoy some free time for rest and relaxation.

Day 6  – Kyoto

Morning: Fushimi-Inari Shrine
Afternoon: Kyomizudera
Evening:  Gion district

First up we head to the world heritage listed Fushimi-inari shrine, the temple who’s paths are l;ine with thousands of bright orange torii gates, which straddle a network of trails that lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari. Fushimi Inari, the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto God of rice, predates the capital’s move to Kyoto in 794.

Then its a short transit to Kiyomizudera (the water temple) built on the side of a hill without a single nail or bolt being used. Stroll around this beautiful area  that includes temople buildings and local traders of Higashiyama,a traditional looking shopping street, where you can buy souvenirs and sample different local delights. 

Day 7 –  Osaka

Morning: Kaiyukan Aquarium
Afternoon: Tenjinbashi
Evening: Bullet train to Tokyo

This morning we travel, by train, to the waterfront area of Osaka and the magnificent Kaiyukan aquarium. This 10-storey high aquarium hosts a myriad of tanks (of varying size and theme) that surround the rand central exhibition – a giant 5-story high central tank complete with Whale-sharks, Manta rays and schools of various types of fish. This aquarium will take your breath away. Later in the afternoon we will head to the Tenjinbashi shopping street (a 1.7km long undercover shopping mall) where we will visit a special Edo-period housing village museum before traversing the shopping street where you can take in the diversity of the shops and restaurants before we catch the bullet train back to Tokyo. 

Day 8 – Tokyo

Morning: Tokyo SkyTree
Afternoon: Asakusa/Airport transfer
Evening: Fly to Australia

Today is our last day in Japan. This morning we will head over to the Tokyo Sky Tree, the talllest structure in Japan. From here you can experience the most wonderful 360 degree views of Tokyo and, on a clear day, you may even see the majestic Mount Fuji. From here we head to Asakusa for some last minute souvenir shopping before we head to the airport for our trip home.