11 Day Tour: March 25-April 4, 2025
Pricing
- Base Pricing is always calculated for double occupancy.
- $1200 supplemental for Solo Travelers.
Tour Highlights
- Tokyo
- UENO Park
- Nagano
- Snow Monkeys
- Nikko
- Himeji Castle
- Osaka
- Mount Koya
- Fukuyama
- Mutsuyama
- Bullet Train Ride
- Tokashina
- Kawaii Culture
- Wasabi Farm
- The Beauty of Cherry Blossoms
Tour Includes
- Round trip airfare from Chicago
- First Class Hotel Accommodations
- All Breakfasts
- 6 Dinners
- Deluxe Motorcoach Transportation
- Admissions to all listed Attractions
- Round trip airport transfers in the Chicagoland area
- Guided by Bill Ball
- Baggage Handling
- All Gratuities
Tour Itinerary
Day One We fly across the pond to begin the best Japan tour we or I would say anyone has ever offered. This is a sensory tour involving all your senses—sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste.
Day Two We arrive in Tokyo today and this world class city will amaze and amuse us. We have our welcome dinner feasting on the wonderful cuisine.
Day Three We explore Tokyo visiting the sights that make this a great city including the observation deck over the Shibuya Crossing—the busiest street crossing in the world. UENO Park with its incredible blooming cherry trees—a bucket list item if there was one, the Kawaii Culture Harajuku neighborhood where the unique dress and styles remind you of living dolls and the Palace where the royal family still resides. Tokyo is the epicenter for the cherry blossom season and you will be awestruck by their beauty and charm in the temples and parks we visit.
Day Four We head to Nikko where we see ancient Japanese architecture that will blow your mind—from the Shinkyo Bridge to the emperor’s retreat to the Shogun’s shrine to incredible waterfalls, this UNESCO town has it all especially during the cherry blossom season. We continue on to Nagano for the night.
Day Five We get to visit one of the highlights of this trip this morning—the famous Japanese Snow Monkeys that sit in the hot springs of Nagano. These wild monkeys are the most northern primates in the world (save for us humans) and they will delight and charm you with their antics. Have plenty of memory for the photos you will take. After the morning in the national park, we board the famous Japanese Bullet Train for Osaka. The ride is amazing and the scenery is unbeatable.
Day Six We take a day trip to the cultural capital of this cherry blossom filled country —Kyoto. The temples are stunningly beautiful covering the many religions and sects of Japan. The palaces are magnificent and the traditionally dressed pilgrims will give you an unparalleled view of this country’s diversity.
Day Seven We leave Osaka on another day trip and head to the countryside around Mount Koya. This area is full of wild cherry trees and cute little villages that feature local music and crafts. If you look up the word charming in the dictionary the Mount Koya area is pictured. We return back to Osaka and tour this powerhouse city especially where the cherry trees frame the ancient monuments.
Day Eight We visit another UNESCO site today—Himeji Castle. This unbelievable and immense fortress is nothing like the ones you have seen in the west. Its architecture, furnishings and artwork make it one of the prizes of Japanese culture. From there we head to Fukuyama— famous for its shoe museum (yes! A Shoe museum!), it recreated medieval town located near the actual ruins is astonishing and the Tomonoura ancient port reminds us of the movie Shogun.
Day Nine We are always trying to find the most unusual things to add to our trips—we think we have succeeded here—Bunny Island. Yes, an island teeming with hundreds of friendly rabbits to feed, play with and photograph. From there, we visit Matsuyama—known for some of the most magnificent temples in Japan and maybe Asia, but probably the neatest thing in Matsuyama is our tour of a working Wasabi farm (ask Bill about his wasabi experience).
Day Ten We head back to Osaka but not before touring the town of Tokushima. There are many interesting sights here but two stand out. The 88 Temple Pilgrimage that devout Japanese take starts here (don’t worry, we are not visiting all 88 temples). We will visit the first, and maybe the best of them. We will also visit the traditional Indigo Dyeing factory in town. Indigo dye is a central part of the areas economy. As we travel in this area, we will cross the network of bridges that link the islands together—these are one of the 100 Architectural Wonders of the World.
Day Eleven We fly home today with memories of magnificent castles, amazing temples and shrines, awe-inspiring train ride, beautiful native dress, unbelievable traditional crafts and music and of course, one of the top floral displays of the world—the Cherry Blossoms!