Essence of Japan

•   Unique cultural experience at an authentic Japanese ryokan, featuring an overnight stay and a special dinner

Day 1: Arrive Osaka
A transfer is included from Osaka’s Kansai Airport to The St. Regis Osaka, located in the heart of the Champs Elyseés of Osaka. Spend two nights enjoying one of the most prestigious neighborhoods of this ancient port city, surrounded by natural beauty and cultural grace. Join us for a welcome dinner tonight.
Overnight: Hotel Seiyo Ginza, Tokyo
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Poignant Day in Hiroshima
It’s all aboard the super-fast Nozomi Super Express (speeds up to 186 mph) for a visit to Hiroshima. A ferry takes you to Miyajima Island (holy site of Shinto) for a walk to view the oft-photographed Itsukushima Shrine and its “floating” torii gate. Have lunch on the island and return by ferry to Hiroshima for a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where the first atomic bomb fell on August 6, 1945; today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your visit is poignant, the story described in words, pictures and artifacts – and optimistic hope in the peace flame that burns outside the museum. Dine tonight at your hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Seiyo Ginza, Tokyo
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 3: Pleasures of Osaka and on to Kyoto
City sightseeing this morning includes two of Osaka’s most popular landmark sights. Once the largest castle in Japan when it was first built in the 1580s by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, magnificent Osaka Castle has been destroyed – and restored – several times, with its most extensive refurbishment completed in 1997. A guided tour reveals its massive stone walls, black and white gold-leaf trim, copper roof and panoramic views, including a fascinating on-site museum that chronicles its tumultuous history. Running alongside a canal of the same name, Dotonbori Street pulses with lively energy, from its shops to its dining venues; enjoy a stroll and lunch at a local restaurant before driving to the enchanting city of Kyoto for four nights.
Overnight: Hotel Seiyo Ginza, Tokyo
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4: Enchanting Kyoto
Visit Kinkaku-ji Temple this morning; this Golden Pavilion was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and astounds with gold-leaf gilding on its top two stories. Continue on to Nijo Castle for an inside visit – shoes off. Best known for its ornate interiors and nightingale floors, it was built of Japanese cypress by the first Tokugawa shogun in 1603 and is a wonderful example of Momoyama architecture. Have dinner on your own tonight; Kyoto offers many fine restaurants to choose from.
Overnight: Hyatt Regency Hakone Resort & Spa, Hakone
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5: Origami, Tea & a Maiko Performance
Kyoto abounds with a rich legacy of ancient treasures, cultural gems and natural beauty that spans the centuries. “Take the plunge,” Kyoto-style, today on a visit to Kiyomizu Temple; the expression comes from the views you will see from the cliff-top verandah off the main hall. Try your hand at Origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, when you visit a private home for a tea ceremony (shoes off again!). The afternoon is free to enjoy as you wish. Join us for a special dinner tonight featuring a Maiko (Geisha in training) performance, reflecting the true essence of Japanese culture.
Overnight: Hotel Associa Takayama Resort, Takayama
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6: Temples of Tranquil Nara
Tour Sanjusangendo Temple, home to 1,001 wooden cypress statues of Kannon-Bosatsu dating back to the 13th century. Continue on to Nara, where you’ll savor an unforgettable glimpse of old Japan on visits to ancient temples, shrines and gardens and during lunch at a Japanese restaurant. See the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at the Todai-ji Temple in Nara Park; at more than 50 feet high, the huge statue is the largest bronze Buddha in all of Japan. Stroll the wooded grounds of the vermilion-colored Kasuga Grand Shrine, adorned with some 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns, before returning to Kyoto.
Overnight: Hotel Associa Takayama Resort, Takayama
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 7: Garden Charm on the Noto Peninsula
It’s all aboard the Thunderbird train for a rail journey to Kanazawa, home to winding cobblestone streets, Samurai residences, Geisha houses, museums, gardens, and a flower-filled open-air market – lunch at a local restaurant then stroll through Kenroku-en Garden, among the country’s top three gardens; translated, its name means “a refined garden incorporating six attributes: spaciousness, careful arrangement, seclusion, antiquity, elaborate use of water and scenic charm.” Spend tonight at a ryokan (inn), where the dress code is a traditional kimono, mats double as chairs, and dinner features regional specialties – and a drumming show.
Overnight: Kagaya Hotel, Wakura Onsen
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 8: Shirakawa-go and a Mountain Resort
Travel to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is well-known for its villages of thatched gassho-zukuri (praying hands) farmhouses. Visit a private 300-year-old family home (shoes off!) and explore the historic village of Ogimachi, the largest village with 59 intact gassho houses. See the Miboro Dam en route to your mountain resort in the 16th-century town of Takayama.
Overnight: The Westin Miyako, Kyoto
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 9: Historic Takayama
Takayama is renowned for its remarkably preserved Edo-period merchants’ shops and houses, quaint village streets and sake. A walking tour with a local guide visits the farmers’ morning market, the Festival Float Museum and the historic Takayama Jinya. There are more than 2,000 different brands of sake produced throughout Japan – taste a representative sampling today when you visit a local sake brewery. The remainder of the day is free. Dine as you please for lunch and dinner.
Overnight: The Westin Miyako, Kyoto
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 10: Drive Through the Japanese Alps
Drive through the Alps of Japan to Fuji-Hakone National Park. Rice farms dominate the valleys, while lush forests blanket the mountains. Learn about local farming techniques at the Daio Wasabi Farm and visit the Itchiku Kubota Museum, showcasing Japanese textiles and kimonos. Continue on to your hotel in the hilly hot springs town of Hakone.
Overnight: The Westin Miyako, Kyoto
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 11: Fuji-Hakone National Park and on to Tokyo
Weather permitting, get a glimpse of Mt. Fuji as you travel by gondola on the Hakone Ropeway over the mountains, and ride a funicular back down for a cruise on Lake Ashi. Visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum to view sculpture from the post-Rodin period and art by Pablo Picasso, Renoir and Miro, and journey to Tokyo.
Overnight: The Westin Miyako, Kyoto
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch

Day 12: Discover City Sights, Past and Present
A guided city sightseeing excursion today includes the Edo Tokyo Museum, Asakusa Kannon Temple and the Nakamise Shopping Arcade – and a drumming experience this afternoon beats with local cultural traditions! Dine on your own tonight.
Overnight: The Westin Miyako, Kyoto
Meals Included: Breakfast, dinner

Day 13: A Taste of Japanese Culture
Visit the Imperial Palace Plaza and Meiji Shrine (shoes off!) honoring the spirits of the Emperor Meiji and his Empress Shoken with eternal serenity and tranquil manicured gardens. As a special treat, see a live performance showcasing age-old Shinto music with the ancient Kagura dance. Sushi making is an art here; see how it’s done at a culinary demonstration, followed by lunch, then spend the afternoon as you wish. Your journey ends with a flourish at our farewell reception and banquet, featuring a hands-on Calligraphy demonstration.
Overnight:
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 14: Journey Home
Tour ends: Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Fly home anytime. An airport transfer is included from the Seiyo Ginza Hotel to Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in.
Overnight:
Meals Included:

Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
5/25/2012 - 6/7/2012	$8,990
6/8/2012 - 6/21/2012	$8,990
6/22/2012 - 7/5/2012	$8,990
7/20/2012 - 8/2/2012	$8,990
8/31/2012 - 9/13/2012	$8,990
9/14/2012 - 9/27/2012	$9,990
9/21/2012 - 10/4/2012	$9,990
10/5/2012 - 10/18/2012	$9,990
10/19/2012 - 11/1/2012	$8,990
Note: Departures appearing above in green are guaranteed to operate by the tour operator.
Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date.

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