Day 1 Welcome to Honshu Island
Tauck's Japan travel days begin at The St. Regis Osaka at 6:30 PM. 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.(D)

Day 2 Poignant visit to 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.(B, L, D)

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, 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 Tauck's Japan travel continues in enchanting Kyoto for four nights.(B, L, D)

Day 4 Centuries unfold in Kyoto
Enjoy a full day of Japan travel delights. 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.(B, L)

Day 5 Origami, tea and 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.(B, D)

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.(B, L)

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.(B, L, D)

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.(B, L, D)

Day 9 A little history and sake in 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.(B)

Day 10 From the Alps of Japan travel to Hakone
Following a remarkable drive through the Alps of Japan travel to Fuji-Hakone National Park. Rice farms dominate the valleys, while lush forests blanket the mountains. Stop for lunch (and a photo opportunity) at the foot of the 5-story Matsumoto Castle, dating to the 16th century. Learn about local farming techniques at the Daio Wasabi Farm and visit the Itchiku Kubota Museum, showcasing Japanese textiles and kimonos. Continue on to an overnight in the hilly hot springs town of Hakone; enjoy dinner at your resort.(B, L, D)

Day 11 Fuji-Hakone National Park and 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. Continue your Japan travel adventure by journeying to Tokyo for a three-night stay.(B, L, D)

Day 12 Discover Tokyo sights, past and present
Begin the day in Tokyo with a stirring Taiko drumming performance, then embark on guided city sightseeing that includes the Edo Tokyo Museum, Asakusa Kannon Temple and the Nakamise Shopping Arcade. Enjoy dinner on your own tonight.(B, L)

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.(B, L, D)

Day 14 Sayonara... as your Japan travel ends
Tauck's Japan Travel days end at Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Fly home anytime. An airport transfer is included from the Hotel Seiyo Ginza to Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Allow a minimum of 3 hours for flight check-in.(B)

• Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted
• 32 meals (13 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 9 dinners); gratuities to local guides, service charges, admission fees, taxes and porterage

• Discover traditional Japanese hospitality on an overnight stay at a ryokan (inn) in a hot springs resort, featuring a multi-course, artfully arranged and served dinner
• Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum & Miyajima Island, famous for its Shinto shrine built over water
• 2 nights at The St. Regis in Osaka; 3 nights at an exclusive Tokyo hotel set in the heart of the city center, and 4 nights at a premier hotel in Kyoto, renowned for a 100+ year legacy of hospitality
• Private visit to a 400-year-old family farmhouse in Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Sushi-making demonstration in Tokyo and a sake brewery visit in the beautifully preserved Old Town of Takayama
• An insider’s look at a local home in Kyoto, enriched by an Origami demonstration and a tea ceremony
• Visit Kyoto’s 13th-century Buddhist Sanjusangendo Temple, home to 1,001 gold-leaf statues representing the virtues of beauty, wisdom and prosperity and the deities of wind and thunder

Osaka: The St. Regis Osaka
Kyoto: Kyoto Hotel Okura
Wakura Onsen: Kagaya Hotel
Takayama: Hotel Associa Takayama Resort
Hakone: Hyatt Regency Hakone Resort & Spa
Tokyo: Hotel Seiyo Ginza

• Please ask your Vacations To Go travel counselor for more information.

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* The prices shown are U.S. dollars per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability. Prices quoted for land/cruise arrangements are subject to increase without notice. Once we have received your deposit, land/cruise prices are guaranteed. Air prices quoted via phone or email are subject to increase and are guaranteed only from the time that full payment is received. Also, air prices or air promotions mentioned on this site or on the phone do not include baggage fees imposed by airlines.