10-Nights Majestic Japan

Luxury Gold

Majestic Japan
Be captivated by the beauty and traditions of Japan during this 11-day guided tour. Travel to Kyoto, a cultural hub for the country, where you can bask in the serenity surrounding the iconic Golden Pavilion. See the Giouji Temple - a Buddhist place of worship set amidst a moss-covered forest - and feast on a traditional Kyo-Kaiseki lunch as you watch an apprentice geisha perform beside you. In Tokyo, choose to make decadent sushi rolls using the finest quality fish during a private cooking class or join a Local Expert and explore the fashionable Omotesando and Harajuku neighborhoods before sampling a local lunch. Then discover the river valley of the Oirase Gorge, walking along its crystal-clear waters while marveling at the amber leaves that surround you. Later, journey to a local brewery for a private sake tasting and behind-the-scenes tour, led by a sake brew master.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

• 5 Dinner (D)
• 10 Breakfast (B)
• 7 Lunch (L)

Choice Highlights

• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Mt Fuji: Visit the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, where you’ll enjoy its unique architecture, wander the serene gardens and marvel at its collection of beautiful kimonos.
• Mt Fuji: Ride the Kachi-Kachi Ropeway cable car to fully embrace the breathtaking views of the lake and the mountain.
• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Tokyo: Participate in a private sushi-making class in Tokyo and discover why it takes ten years to perfect this 2000-year-old Japanese art from a master sushi chef. Afterwards, enjoy a freshly prepared Highlight Lunch where you can marvel at his culinary brilliance.
• Tokyo: Join a Local Expert and head to the Omotesando and Harajuku neighborhoods known for their fashion, art and design before indulging in lunch.

Additional Included Highlights

• Enjoy seamless personal assistance throughout your journey. From securing exclusive reservations, to organising transportation, your Travel Concierge ensures every aspect of your travel is tailored to your tastes and preferences.
• In select destinations, our network of Local Expert Guides will illuminate your journey on a deeper level.
• Included at all hotels.
• Hotel taxes, porterage and tips, as well as tips for included dining experiences, are included.
• Enjoy breakfast every morning, and an array of incredible dining options throughout your journey, infused with discovery and adventure.
• On days where a Relaxed Start (RS) is indicated, you can select to indulge in breakfast in bed.
• Enjoy complimentary hotel Wi-Fi. And, on select coaches, onboard Wi-Fi may also be available.
• Transfers are included on your journey start and end dates, and where additional accommodation has been booked in advance through Luxury Gold. Transfers to train stations or alternate hotels, in the same start or end city as the itinerary, may be requested.

Curated Experiences

• Hiroshima: Experience a truly poignant travel moment, as you meet a survivor of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bomb, which destroyed most of the city during World War II and changed world history forever.
• Oirase Gorge: Take a gentle walk along the Oirase Gorge in the Hachimantai National Park. Each season brings its own color palette while unique rock formations and the burbling river is a pleasure to follow.

Exceptional Dining

• Osaka: Discover why Osaka is known as the kitchen of Japan on a stroll through Donburi street with a Local Expert. Taste local specialties such as rounds of ground octopus wrapped in batter, called Takoyaki.
• Hiroshima: Indulge in the local favorite of okonomiyaki, a savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients cooked on a teppan.
• Kyoto: Enjoy a performance by a Maiko, an apprentice Geisha, skilled in the art of classical dance and entertainment, as you savor a lunch of traditional Kyo-Kaiseki cuisine. Admire the balance of taste, texture and color in this Kyoto specialty.
• Tokyo: During a Your Choice Evening, choose from two hand-picked restaurants, each specialising in local delicacies. Try Shabu-shabu, sizzling hotpots of meat and vegetables, or Teppan-yaki, where rice, meats and vegetables are freshly cooked on the grill in front of you.
• Sendai: Experience a truly Japanese tradition when you enjoy a tea ceremony at a traditional tea house. Learn the art of making the perfect matcha green tea as you follow the custom.
• Oirase: Enjoy a rare opportunity to meet a brewmaster, Takumi Sato, and learn about the essence of sake in a special guided visit of his brewery. Share some of the sacred drink of Japan in the stunning surroundings of Oirase.
• Tokyo: Tradition meets innovation as you enjoy a fine dining experience with new friends at Hoshinonaruki. Using age-old Japanese culinary techniques and seasonal ingredients, this is a dining experience that truly brings the flavor of the country to life.

Magnificent Stays

• Oirase Gorge: Ideally situated moments away from the serene Oirase Keiryua stream, the Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keiryu Hotel is a luxurious resort hotel and offers spacious bedrooms, five-star facilities and easy access to natural hot springs situated in the nearby forest.

Passport Moments

• Osaka: Explore the fascinating Osaka Castle, a famous landmark that was pivotal in the reunification of Japan during the 16th century. Marvel at the variety of cultural artefacts showcasing the history of Osaka.
• Osaka: Visit the top of the Floating Garden Observatory in the Umeda Sky Building for incredible city views.
• Hiroshima: Experience traveling li

  Featured Destinations

  Oirase Gorge
  Sendai Sendai Sendai is known nationwide as a modern city that has developed a beautiful landscape in harmony with nature. The Hirose-gawa River runs through its center and lush zelkova trees line its streets. The center of the city, especially, is so full of greenery, with its trees and parks that it is called “City of Trees.” Sendai has many universities and is also well-known as an academic city with contributions to the development of the high-tech industry. Sendai also values history and culture. In Sendai, many traditional events, including the Tanabata Matsuri Festival, continue to this day. In addition, Sendai International Music Competition and Street Jazz Festival, are also popular artistic performances.
  Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo, Japan, presents a different view at every turn. It's one of the world's main economic centers and its most populous agglomeration. The business of Tokyo is business, but you can still find harmony and small-scale gardens on back streets. Around the corner from neon and concrete, you may find the bonsai-lined courtyard of a traditional inn. Tokyo was nearly destroyed by bombs and fires during World War II, and by earthquakes at other times, but it has always rebuilt itself. As a result, there is little left of Old Japan in the city, but there's plenty of New Japan to take its place. The streets are a confusing maze, so a map is essential. The transit system is excellent, however, and there are kobans (police boxes) throughout the metropolis, as well as a populace generally willing to answer questions. Visitors to Tokyo represent both business and leisure travelers. And despite its past reputation, Tokyo is no longer fearsomely expensive. It's relatively easy to visit Tokyo on a budget.	Destination Guide
  Kyoto Kyoto If you can visit only one city in Japan, Kyoto is the one. This ancient city, 30 mi/50 km northeast of Osaka, was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years and still is considered the country's spiritual capital. Thousands of shrines and temples dot the city, including more than a dozen on the UNESCO World Heritage list. That list is far from all-inclusive, and many excellent places that might be the star attractions of other cities crowd the streets of Kyoto. It is a center of Japanese Zen and has several huge monastery complexes where serious students still sit in meditation. Kyoto is also the nation's capital of traditional arts. Whether your interest be in pottery, textiles, dance, the tea ceremony or any of the other innumerable arts, Kyoto has excellent galleries, museums, shops and tea houses. Japanese people from the countryside and foreign students flock there to learn under the great masters. Much of what is considered Japanese haute cuisine was developed there too, as an offshoot of the tea ceremony. Kyoto is Japan's heartland of history. With 1,300 years of tumultuous existence, the city's past intrudes upon the present day as in few other Japanese cities. In Gion, you can spot a geisha (or geiko, as they are called in Kyoto), one of the last hundred or so in Japan, slipping down a side-street to entertain rich guests with witty conversation, dance or music. A shopping arcade may suddenly fill with discordant clanging music as a shrine festival passes among the shoppers, or you may hear the long chant as Zen monks pass through the neighborhood, calling for alms. Kyoto is an understated city that might disappoint visitors at first (at first glance, it is a large city with modern buildings that might not align with one's original perception); its charm lies in small details, pocket gardens, tiny traditional restaurants and refined artwork.	Destination Guide
  Osaka Osaka This large, bustling port is the starting point for tours to the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara, the cultural fountainheads of classical Japan. Kyoto's Old Imperial Palace and the shogunal Nijo Castle remain glorious symbols of the power the city held for over 1,000 years. Until 1868, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, filled with elegant timber buildings and, perhaps more than any other Japanese city, imbued with Kami, the divine spirit. You'll sense it everywhere, for there are hundreds of Shinto shrines and over a thousand Buddhist temples, as well as sacred treasure-houses of religious sculpture, painting and exquisite gardens. Nara, City of the Seven Great Temples, lies in an idyllic setting.	Destination Guide

  View Full Itinerary

  Valid Date Ranges

  November 2024

  11/06/2024

  11/16/2024

  $10,225 per person

  Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

  All fares are quoted in US Dollars.