Group tour. Local Italian-speaking guides for the visits. Breakfast and some of the meals included. Departures are guaranteed (min 2 participants). Subject to availability. Max. 28 participants. Starting from 22 days before departure, availability is on request. Transfers and visits by private and public means (train, bus, shuttle, or on foot). Transfers might be shared with tourists from several countries,
Itinerary
Day 1 — Tokyo
Welcome in Italian upon arrival and transfer to the hotel using public transportation accompanied by the assistant who will be available for information and hotel check-in., Rooms will be available from 15, free evening and night, Tokyo is a unique, unpredictable, puzzling city. Those who have never seen it, and might be expecting an exotic Eastern capital, are in for disappointment: Tokyo is an enormous, chaotic, hypermodern megalopolis, unbelievably thick with building. Every centimetre square matters. It’s a wild urban jungle, void of the rationale, the monuments, the boulevards, the palaces that are typical to most great cities. Yet with Tokyo appearances are deceiving. Its history and truest essence emerge in the details; its secret beauty hides in the interior. Sheer vivacity permeates its thriving cultural landscape and unanimously celebrated museums, filling the everyday life of a people that never stops., accommodation,
Day 2 — Tokyo
Breakfast, free evening and night, accommodation,
Day 3 — Tokyo
Breakfast, free day, accommodation ***OPTIONAL ACTIVITY*** (see extras) - CANNOT BE PURCHASED ON SITE. Visit to Kamakura & Hakone: full-day guided tour in Italian. Departure for Kamakura and visit to the famous Great Buddha, the monumental statue originally housed in the Kotokuin temple that stands alone under the Kamakura sky since 1495, the year the temple was destroyed by a tsunami; and then to the Hasedera temple, with its beautiful garden full of hydrangeas and colorful flowers. In the afternoon, excursion to the natural beauty of Hakone, a place from which you can admire the majestic Mount Fuji in the distance (weather conditions permitting). Meals not included., accommodation at the scheduled hotel (or similar),
Car
Day 4 — Tokyo → Kaga onsen
Breakfast, leave your main baggage at the hotel in Tokyo; bring along a carry-on baggage with any personal belonging you might need (including toiletries for the night) in Kagaonsen, Your main luggage will be shipped separately from Tokyo to Osaka, Full day guided tour in Italian. Transfer to Tokyo station and departure by shinkansen bullet train (2nd class - reserved seats) to Kanazawa station. Departure by private bus to Shirakawa-go, the village with characteristic thatched-roof houses, twinned with Alberobello and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Transfer to the renowned hot spring resort of Kaga Onsen by private bus and check-in at a ryokan, where you can immediately relax with a nice hot bath. Dinner and overnight stay in traditional Japanese style., accommodation citizenM Seattle Pioneer Square
Car
Day 5 — Kaga onsen → Osaka
Breakfast, Departure by private bus to Shirakawa-go, the village famous for its steep thatched-roof houses, twinned with Alberobello and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the visit, depart for Osaka by express train. Upon arrival and hotel check-in, you will have free time to explore the city center independently and discover Osaka’s vibrant nightlife, accommodation New Zealand Group Tour + Cook Islands,
Car
Day 6 — Osaka → Hiroshima
Breakfast, leave your main baggage at the hotel in Osaka; bring along a carry-on baggage with any personal belonging you might need (including toiletries for the night) in Hiroshima, Your main luggage will be shipped separately from Osaka to Kyoto, Full day guided tour in Italian. Transfer to Himeji by private bus and visit to Koko-en Park and the magnificent castle of the city, belonging to the Sengoku period and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993. The castle is nicknamed "White Heron" because of its bright white color. We will then continue to Hiroshima, also by private bus. Arrival and check-in at the hotel in Hiroshima. Dinner included., accommodation
Ship
Day 7 — Hiroshima → Kyoto
Breakfast, Full day guided tour in Italian. Transfer to Miyajima Island by private bus and ferry. Visit Miyajima, "the island where men and gods coexist", and discover the beautiful Itsukushima Shrine, consisting of a series of stilt structures dating back to the 6th century, mainly known for its majestic torii gate that stands in the sea. For lunch, you will taste okonomiyaki (a typical regional dish cooked on a griddle) in a local restaurant. Visit the Peace Memorial Museum and Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome, the famous building that survived the bombing in 1945 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Departure from Hiroshima to Kyoto by shinkansen train (2nd class, reserved seats). Arrival in Kyoto and transfer to the hotel on foot., free evening and night, accommodation All sights of Mexico,
Car
Day 8 — Kyoto
Breakfast, Full day dedicated to visiting Kyoto and Nara in Italian language and with a private bus. Visit to the Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji, the city's symbol temple made famous by the novel of writer Yukio Mishima, and the Ryoan-ji temple with its Zen rock garden. In the afternoon, transfer by private bus to Nara and visit the Todai-ji temple, where the Great Buddha is housed, one of the largest bronze statues in the world, and the large Kasuga Shinto shrine, surrounded by about 10,000 lanterns. Both buildings are located in Nara Park, where many deer live in semi-freedom. Return to Kyoto, stopping along the way at Fushimi Inari Taisha to admire its endless red gates. Lunch included., free evening and night, accommodation All sights of Mexico,
Day 9 — Kyoto
Breakfast, free day, accommodation ***OPTIONAL ACTIVITY*** (see extras) - CANNOT BE PURCHASED ON SITE
Visit of Kyoto & Arashiyama: morning dedicated to a guided tour in Italian of one of the most fascinating locations in the city: Arashiyama, where you can find the Togetsu Bridge, which has stood over the Oi River for hundreds of years inspiring artists of every era, the Tenryu-ji Zen temple with its refined garden that looks out onto the mountains, and the famous Bamboo Forest, immersed in a unique and suggestive atmosphere. In the afternoon, visit to the Kiyomizu-dera temple*, founded in 798 (the current buildings are reconstructions from 1633), and its surroundings (Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka), ending with a walk in the heart of the Gion district. Return to the hotel. *The building may be partially covered for ongoing restoration work.,
Day 10 — Kyoto
Breakfast, in the event of an early departure outside breakfast hours, no refund will be issued, Rooms have to be vacated in the morning, shuttle transfer to the airport,
Notes
BAGGAGE: One medium-size baggage (max. 20 kg) per person is allowed. Storage room is extremely limited on Japanese trains. In the event of your luggage being shipped separately to your final destination, we suggest you bring along a carry-on baggage with any personal belonging you might need during the trip (including toiletries for the night). Upon payment of a supplement, you can ship an extra luggage (service is provided upon request).
ROOMS: Triple rooms are double rooms plus an extra bed, typically smaller than the other two. Triple rooms are subject to availability at the time of reservation. Special requests for smoking, communicating, adjoining, high floor, low floor rooms etc. are always upon request and the service is never to be intended as guaranteed.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: before the start of the tour, all the participants must make sure they possess the required documents to enter the destination countries, and that such documents are comprehensive and valid.
HOTEL / ITINERARY, CHANGES: The Organizing Body reserves the right to substitute the itinerary and/or the hotels to alternative of a similar or superior category in the event of unplanned circumstances, and if the safe and normal proceeding of the tour is threatened. Furthermore, when in the impossibility for all of the travellers to stay at the same hotel, the group will be split amidst several hotels of the same category.
TIPS: not included; at your discretion
MEALS: not included when not specified
PUNCTUALITY: you are advised to be punctual. No refund is issued to passengers failing to meet at designated time.
REFUNDS: If the tour or any part thereof cannot be conducted due to Force Majeure or Vis Majeure, the Company shall not be responsible to give any refund; also, no refund will be given for any portions of the tour unused by the traveler
TATTOOS: Very few people in Japan have tattoos, which are almost always considered as the distinguishing mark of the Yakuza (the Japanese mafia). It is forbidden to bathe in the onsen if you have tattoos – even small ones.
TRANSFERS: not included when not specified. When included, transfers operate only from/to the hotels included in the tour. A supplement is charged for transfers from/to different hotels, and in the event of arrival/departure occurring from 00.00 to 7.30am (transfers are on request). A supplement is always charged to individual passengers. Requests for unscheduled transfers from/to different hotels, or in the event of flights outside timetable must be issued at least 3 weeks before departure; otherwise, an additional urgency surcharge will be imposed.
Starts from
9 days / 6 nights – from Tokyo to Kyoto,
Meals
Key: B breakfast, L lunch, D dinner,
Price includes
Upon arrival, assistance (in Italian) at the airport, local Italian-speaking guides for all destinations, admissions, visits and excursions: as scheduled, accommodation at the scheduled hotel (or similar), meals: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, reserved seats in Economy class on trains, airport/hotel shuttle transfer with Italian-speaking assistant, hotel/airport shuttle transfer upon departure (no assistance is provided), separate baggage delivery service (1 piece per person, max. 20 kg) from Tokyo to Osaka and from Osaka to Kyoto,
Price does not include
Administration fees and “no-risk” coverage, trip cancellation, medical expense & baggage coverage, meals that have not been specified; beverage; any extra, tips, air travel and taxes, everything not expressly mentioned in "The fee includes",
Important notes
Double rooms in Japan are extremely uncommon; are always subject to request and never guaranteed, in the event of an early departure outside breakfast hours, no refund will be issued, flight to Osaka Kansai (not included): book a flight leaving after 08.30. We recommend you wear comfortable footwear, you can purchase optional excursions at the time of booking,
