Japan. Two weeks during the wonderful sakura blossom season

Days

Tour description

All iconic sights of the most modern country in the world, during the most beautiful time of the year. This journey you will remember for a lifetime!

Take a stroll through the colorful areas of Tokyo and explore all the famous Kyoto temples
Enjoy the views of the sacred mountain of Fuji
Immerse yourself in history at a traditional ryokan hotel and sample gourmet kaiseki cuisine
Walk in the White Heron castle, where the fifth James Bond movie was shot
Watch a geisha performance and take part in a traditional tea ceremony
Feed wild deer in Nara parks and watch the stunning sunset on Miyajima island

Tour departures

The price of the tour includes

All transportation, including trains, boats, ferries, buses and trips from the airport and to the airport; Accommodation in double/twin rooms during the entire trip; Entrance fees to parks, museums and other attractions along the route; Professional guiding services.

What is NOT included

Flight to Tokyo and back home. (Let us know if you need help finding the best deals); Insurance (mandatory); Visa (if you need one); Food (approximately $30-50 per person per day).

Tour map

Tour itinerary

Day 1-2

Osaka samurai castle, Kyoto, Fushimi Inari shrine, Kinkakuji Golden Temple, Taizō-in traditional rock garden

We arrive in Osaka (or in Tokyo and take a train to Osaka). We begin our group trip to Japan - after checking into a capsule hotel, we head to the five-story castle, which has become a symbol of the city. Built in the 16th century, it survived many samurai wars. We learn more about its history from the museum, which is located inside. Here you can even feel like a samurai of the past and try on old armor! For dinner, go to the famous Dotonbori area, which is famous for restaurants and street food. We recommend paying special attention to seafood dishes.

The next morning we take a train to Kyoto (1 hour on the way) and check into the hotel. The former imperial capital, this city is famous for temples, of which there are more than one and a half thousand. We begin with the Fushimi Inari, the main Shinto temple dedicated to the goddess of rice and abundance. It was built in the 8th century, and is famous for the thousands of red sacred torii gates. Under them, as in ancient times, we will go to the top of the hill, examining all the shrines along the way.

Next we will explore the symbol of the country - the Kinkakuji Golden Temple. Completely covered with gold plates, it, unfortunately, cannot boast of ancient history - the building was completely rebuilt after the 1950 fire. This tragedy was described in his famous book The Golden Temple by Yukio Mishima. In the evening, we will enjoy the views and coolness in the Taizō-in traditional rock garden.

Day 3

Arashiyama bamboo grove, Otagi Nenbutsuji temple, Geisha performance

In the morning we drive to the suburb of Kyoto - Arashiyama. This area is known for the famous bamboo grove that resembles magical forests from Tolkien's books. Thousands of thin bamboo trunks dig into the sky, and the rays of the sun flood the grove with a gentle green light. Fabulous place! We feed monkeys froms hands, walk through the garden near the Tenryuji Temple, and then go to another unusual place that tourists do not know about. This is a small temple of Otagi Nenbutsuji, around which are thousands of stone figures of arhats - disciples of the Buddha.

Many years ago, the priest of the temple - a former sculpture teacher began to invite parishioners to sculpture classes. Under his leadership, everyone could carve out an arhat figure from a stone and leave it in the temple as an offering. That is how the forest around the temple got thousands of unique figures - each has its own story, facial expression and character.

But Kyoto is not famous for the temples alone. The city also boasts the most famous geisha schools in the country. In the evening we will attend a performance of geishas and see the dances these beauties have been studying for years. For example, in order to graduate from maiko status to geisha status, a young woman will need at least 3 years of study in art, calligraphy, dance and poetry!

Day 4-5

Kiyomizu-dera temple, Himeji castle, Deer of Nara, Uji, home of Japanese tea

Free day in Kyoto. Begin it at the Kiyomizu-dera temple, which was built in the 8th century and is famous for a small waterfall. The temple also offers a wonderful view of the whole city. Another option is to visit Himeji (40 minutes by train). The must-see here is the stunning White Heron Castle. Snow-white and light, it stands on a hill, as if ready to rise above the clouds and sail away. It is not surprising that not only tourists, but also movie directors love it. The famous Akira Kurosawa shot two films here, and the creators of the fifth movie in the James Bond series placed a ninja school here.

The next day we go to Nara (2 hours on the way) where we will continue our guided tour to Japan. Let`s enjoy the city parks and meet famous local wild deer! These graceful and always hungry animals walk here completely freely! They love to be touched and fed. But offending or harming a deer in any way is strictly not recommended - just recently it was a crime punished by death in Nara! We walk to the Shinto shrine Kasuga taisha, known since 768, and then we walk around the largest wooden structure in the world - the Buddhist temple Todai-ji.

After lunch, we head to the town of Uji - the home of traditional Japanese matcha tea. Here, we will learn more about tea production and tea culture of Japan.

Tour leaders

Yevgeniy Ikhelzon

co-founder, tour leader

Oleksandr Levytskyi

tour leader

Is this trip for you?

This trip is of easy physical grade. It includes long walks in cities and easy hikes in parks and short (up to 4.5 hours) trips by trains, buses and ferries. We will also be riding the cable car and take a boat trip around the lake. Accommodation in double/twin rooms in tourist class hotels. All will have wi fi internet.