Discovery of Japan: Tokyo, Kyoto & Nara

Welcome to Tokyo, the hustling and bustling capital city of Japan!

When you land in this amazing city, our airport meeting assistant will hold a board with your name to welcome you. Then, the assistant will assist you to take the shuttle bus to your hotel on your own.

Meet your tour guide at the hotel lobby and set off to Meiji Jingu Shrine, a shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Afterward, stroll around the Tsukiji Outer Market, browsing a variety of shops trading all kinds of cooking ingredients, kitchen wares, and freshly-cooked snacks. Sample some of the local flavors if you wish.

Continue to the Imperial Palace, where the current Imperial family lives now. Take a relaxing walk through its East Garden, spotting the quaint Double Bridge and going behind the royal family. Next, in the ancient Asakusa district, walking along the 250-meter Nakamise Shopping Street lined with shops selling colorful traditional souvenirs and snacks, you will get into the Senso-Ji Temple. Dedicated to the goddess of Mercy in Buddhism, it has attracted endless streams of worshippers and pilgrims for centuries.

Today, your driver will take you to Owakudani, where you will start the exploration of the Hakone Area.

You will visit Owakudani Valley to see the geysers and try the famous black eggs, admire a panoramic view of the valley by taking Hakone Ropeway, and explore Hakone Open Air Museum. Then, enjoy a leisurely cruise on Lake Ashi to appreciate the beauty of Mt. Fuji; have a stop at Gotemba Outlets if you wish.

After the tour, your driver will transfer you back to your hotel in Hakone for a rest.

Have a free morning to explore the natural beauty and art museums in Hakone National Park at your pace. In the afternoon, get to the railway station by local transportation and board a Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto, the spiritual heart of Japan. On arrival, find your way to your well-selected hotel with a convenient location.

Kick off the city exploration from Kinkaku-Ji, the famed Golden Pavilion backdropped by a forested hill and shining above a peaceful pool. Following it is the Nijo Castle, built in the Edo Period as the Kyoto residence of the first shogun and well preserved today as one of the best castle palace architecture in the feudal era of Japan.

Continuing to the Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, at its main hall perched on a cliff edge, you will be rewarded with stunning panoramic views of Kyoto. Next, we will go to today's last destination, the Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine, to marvel at its massive red torii gates winding up the mountain and take a light hike to discover some less visited spots.

About 50km south of Kyoto lies Nara, a time-honored city drawing visitors mainly with the hundreds of sacred semi-wild deer roaming in Nara Park.

In fact, as the first permanent capital of Japan, besides cute deer, Nara also has many historical treasures and charming townscapes present to you.

Today, you will take a bullet train to Nara with your tour guide and spot the highlights in the city, like Nara Park, Todai-Ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and Mount Wakakusa.

Finish the discovery from Tokyo to Kyoto today, and get to the railway station on your own for a train to Tokyo or Osaka, for your onward journey to your next destination.