Modernity and Tradition (Partially Guided Individual Travel) — NAAR
Available departures
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Guaranteed
Abstract
Let yourself be enchanted by your first encounter with Japan! In this trip, we have combined the most classic stops for an unforgettable journey. Modern and ancient cities, mountain resorts, museums, parks, and historical buildings that will amaze you with their unparalleled beauty in the world. In addition to hotels, the 7-day Japan Rail Pass, the itinerary includes guided tours in Italian of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara, unique and charming cities.,
Characteristics
The tour features individual train transfer by Japan Rail Pass (2nd class), as well as a some guided group visits with local guides
in Italian
departures are guaranteed (min 2 participants). Subject to availability
max. 10 participants
meals included (see “Price includes”)
Itinerary
Day 1 — Tokyo
Welcome upon arrival (in Italian) and transfer to the hotel by public transport. Your travel assistant will give you all the information you need about how to stamp your Japan Rail Pass, and will help you with the rest of your reservations, rooms will be assigned starting from 15, the rest of the day is free, 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, all-day visit of the city, by public transport. With Italian-speaking guide, the tour starts at 9 and ends at 17, appointment with the guide at the hotel, Let’s begin with a splendid view of the megalopolis from the Bunkyo Civic Center observatory (closed since March 1, 2025, replaced by the Caretta Shiodome “Sky View”). Next, we’ll visit the Edo Fukagawa Museum, which features a life-size reconstruction of daily life in that area during the Edo period. Then we’ll take you to the charming Asakusa district, home to the 7th-century Senso-ji Temple — the oldest in the city — and the long Nakamise-dori street lined with traditional shops. Finally, we’ll enjoy a walk through the Ginza district, where our tour concludes, free evening and night, accommodation,
Ship
Day 3 — Tokyo → Osaka
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 Osaka e Takamatsu, Your main luggage will be shipped separately from Osaka to Dogo Onsen, accommodation New Zealand Group Tour + Cook Islands,
Ship
Day 4 — Osaka → Takamatsu
Breakfast, accommodation HeliNY helicopter,
Ship
Day 5 — Takamatsu → Dogo Onsen
Breakfast, accommodation zzz Pacchetto voli Alitalia + Travelodge Farringdon,
Ship
Day 6 — Dogo Onsen → Fukuoka (Hakata)
Breakfast, leave your main luggage at the hotel in Fukuoka (Hakata) and take with you just a duffel bag for the 2 nights at Fukuoka, Your main luggage will be shipped separately from Fukuoka (Hakata) to Kyoto, accommodation Varis House,
Day 7 — Fukuoka (Hakata)
Breakfast, accommodation,
Ship
Day 8 — Fukuoka (Hakata) → Kyoto
Breakfast, As soon as you catch sight of Kyoto’s skyscrapers, you will be tempted to think it a hypermodern city. You will soon find out, however, that the heart of Kyoto is as traditional as it can be. With its beautiful Zen gardens and cherry trees, it’s almost a window on the ancient, mysterious Land of the Rising Sun. Aside from being a historic landmark, this old capital is also the only Japanese big city that was spared by the devastation of the Second World War. Today, the city takes pride in its temples and shrines, imperial palaces, gardens, and traditional wooden townhouses. Many of these sites are UNESCO-listed. Kyoto is also the city that has the greatest concentration of artisans in Japan. It is not just temple and shrines, then, that make it unique: its humming daily routine is just as special., accommodation Hotel Keihan Universal Tower,
Day 9 — Kyoto
Breakfast, all-day visit of the city, by public transport. With Italian-speaking guide, the tour starts at 9 and ends at 17, appointment with the guide at the hotel, the highlights of the visit are the Kiyomizu temple, extremely popular in Japan for the grandstand view from the main hall (note that the main hall might be covered up from March 2017 for the renovation of its roof); the stunning golden pavilion of Kinkaku-ji; the Zen garden of Ryoanji (UNESCO World Heritage Site); and the Sanjusangendo temple, famous for its one thousand gold-clad wooden statues depicting Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of compassion, late afternoon return to the hotel, free evening and night, accommodation,
Day 10 — Kyoto
Breakfast, day at leisure (no guide), accommodation Hotel Keihan Universal Tower ***OPTIONAL ACTIVITY*** (see extras) - CANNOT BE PURCHASED ON SITE
full day tour of Nara e Fushimi, Nara, about 50 km from Kyoto, is Japan’s oldest capital – the actual cradle of the Japanese civilisation, rich with beautiful temples and timeproof works of art. The highlight of the visit is undoubtedly the massive bronze statue of Buddha in Todai-ji. You will have the chance to go for a pleasant walk through the deer park. Back in Tokyo, stop off at the enchanting Fushimi Inari shrine, dedicated to the god of rice. Thousands of red torii (sacred gates) lead to the entrance of the shrine, return to the hotel,
Day 11 — Kyoto
Breakfast, The room is available until 11.00., free transfer to the airport, end of the tour,
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, you are suggested to bring along a carry-on baggage with any personal belonging you might need during the trip (including toiletries for the nights)., ROOMS: a double room is a room with two beds. Double beds are very rare in Japan and several hotels do not provide them. We are thus unable to grant you a double bed at the time of reservation. 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. Please note that single rooms can be extremely small. 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, CHECK-IN: rooms are usually assigned starting from 3pm. Earlier check-in is at the hotel’s discretion. If you request earlier assignation, you must book an extra night at the beginning of your stay.
HOTEL, CHECK-OUT: rooms must be left in the morning (the exact time will be provided by the hotel). Supplements for late check-outs amount to an extra night's charge
FINAL HOTEL LIST: as in the travel documents
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.
MEALS: not included when not specified
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
STOP IN KAMAKURA OR HAKONE: if you want to visit Kamakura while travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto, you must take the JR Yokosuka Tokaido train from Tokyo to Yokohama; then the JR Yokosuka train for Kamakura. You must go back to Yokohama to take the Hikari Shinkansen for Kyoto. To go to Hakone: get off the train in Odawara and purchase a 2-day Hakone Free Pass - including transfers from/to the Odawara station, a cruise on the lake and cable car rides. transfer by Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto., RYOKAN: A journey back in time. Nothing recreates the atmosphere, beauty, and simplicity of ancient Japan better than these wooden inns with sliding paper doors, perfect gardens, delicious meals, and a rejuvenating immersion in hot springs. Typically, ryokans are small, one or two-story buildings with about ten rooms. There is also a hybrid, Western version, where only the rooms are in Japanese style, not the building. The schedule is strict: you arrive between 3 and 5 pm, dinner is served between 5 and 7 pm, and the next day you check out by 8 am. In ryokans, only Japanese is spoken, you enter without shoes, and you sleep on the floor. The person who welcomes you, usually a woman in a kimono, offers you plastic slippers and accompanies you to your room, where the first thing you will notice is the absence of a bed: a futon, which serves as a blanket and mattress, is unrolled on a traditional straw mat (tatami) of standard size (90 cm x 180 cm). After a hot cup of tea, you can appreciate the peace and solitude, and maybe the view of a beautiful garden. Some ryokans have rooms with private bathrooms, otherwise, you can immerse yourself in the communal hot spring (onsen) outside and then wear the provided cotton kimono (yukata). But the highlight of the stay is the kaiseki dinner, an elaborate presentation with many tiny dishes of garden vegetables, raw fish (sashimi), cooked or grilled fish, tempura, and regional specialties. Each preparation is a small work of art. You can order beer or sake (never included). The next morning, when you wake up, breakfast will consist of fish, vegetable broth, dried seaweed, rice, and other dishes. Fresh and rejuvenated, you will be ready to continue your journey.,
Starts from
11 days / 7 nights – from Tokyo to Kyoto,
Meals
Key: B breakfast, D dinner,
Price includes
Accommodation at the scheduled hotel (or similar), meals: breakfasts, dinners, local guide/courier for the whole tour (aside for unscheduled days), local Italian-speaking guides in Tokyo and Kyoto, 7-day Japan Rail Pass; Second class ticket,
Price does not include
Administration fees and “no-risk” coverage, trip cancellation, medical expense & baggage coverage, transfer to the airport. Meals that have not been specified; beverage; any extra, tips, air travel and taxes, everything not expressly mentioned in "The fee includes",
Important notes
Before departure, you will receive the travel documents as well as the Japan Rail Pass and the definitive travel program and hotel list. Trains will be booked on site, If there are no other participants, the scheduled visits will be conducted on a private basis, flight to Osaka Kansai (not included): book a flight leaving after 08.30. The scheduled hotels are very close to the train stations,
