Shoguns and Samurai

Central Japan is a region of tall mountain ranges and fast-flowing rivers. It wasn't until recently that roads reached the remoter villages, and today many remain remarkably well-preserved and evocative of centuries past. Our journey takes us through Japanese history from modern Tokyo, known as Edo during Japan’s period of rule by the Shoguns, to end near Kyoto, Japan’s capital for 400 years and the repository of much of the country's cultural heritage.

Destinations:
Tokyo - Japan's ultra modern capital, shopping, bright lights and hidden temples,
Obuse Day Trip - A small attractive town in Nagano Prefecture is home of the artist Hokusai famous for his woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e,
Yudanaka Onsen (Hot Spring) - Famous for it's snow-monkeys who warm themselves in the natural hot springs,
Narai - One of the 69 stations along the Nakasendo trail that has been preserved,
Magome - Another well preserved station along the Nakasendo trail where travelers from Edo to Kyoto could sleep and have a meal during their trip,
Takayama - A former enclave for skilled carpenters and artisans known for it's lacquer ware, pottery and furniture,
Kyoto - An ancient capital established in 794 AD and home of Japan's high arts including tea ceremony, calligraphy, poetry, and many others
Nara Day Trip - established in 710 AD preceding Kyoto as Japan's capital, Nara is now a quiet town where you can stroll the park of historic treasures,
Mt Koya - a Buddhist temple complex located on a mountain surrounded by nature.

The price is US$ 4,025 per person, including all transportation between destinations, accommodation, entrance fees, full-time services of tour leader, all breakfasts and 10 evening meals.

I hope the above has peaked your interest in this tour. If you have any questions or wish to sign up for a tour please Contact Us.

Day 1 – Tokyo - Western Style Hotel
Meet at Narita International Airport and transfer by train to Tokyo. You will have a leisurely walk around central Tokyo. In the evening there will be a welcome dinner at a city restaurant. Overnight stay at a city center hotel.

Day 2 – Tokyo - Western Style Hotel
Our first full day in Japan will be spent on a walking tour of Tokyo, visiting Asakusa, the old residential shitamachi neighborhood around Yanaka, and taking a cruise on a boat along the Sumida River to the Hamarikyu gardens. We will also visit the Meiji shrine and its nearby gardens before finishing in Shinjuku – the ultra-modern neon-soaked symbol of modern Japan.

Day 3 – Obuse & Yudanaka Hot Spring - Ryokan Lodging (Japanese Style Room)
We will board a Shinkansen (bullet train) this morning for the journey to Obuse in Nagano Prefecture north-west of Tokyo. The small, attractive town of Obuse was where the artist Hokusai, famous for his ukiyoe woodblock prints lived towards the end of his life. We will visit the Hokusai-kan, a museum where many of his works are on display. We will also visit Masuichi-Ichimura Saké Brewery. Please note that there is a 25-minute walk along a level path to the 'snow monkey' hot spring.

Day 4 – Narai - Minshuku (Japanese Style Room)
Travel to the Kiso Valley and the small town of Narai, an atmospheric example of a post-town on the ancient Nakasendo Trail between Kyoto and Tokyo. Our accommodation will be an Edo Period house converted into a minshuku.

Day 5 – Magome - Minshuku (Japanese Style Room)
Continue to Tsumago, another of the post-towns on the former Nakasendo trail. Visit the folk museum, with exhibits on the old Nakasendo trail and the village. Travel by local bus to Magome, in time to check in to our minshuku, a lovely family-run inn with an antique irori (sunken Japanese hearth) and a bath made of hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood.

Day 6 & 7 - Takayama - Ryokan Lodging (Japanese Style Room)
Transfer to Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. Explore the San-machi area with its rows of old merchant’s houses, some open as museums. Visit Hida-no-sato to see traditionally thatched gassho-zukuri houses. In the evening we will try the local Hida beef, and perhaps some locally-brewed saké.

Day 8, 9 & 10 – Kyoto - Western Style Hotel
We will leave the mountains today, travelling by bus to Takayama, and then by train to Kyoto. We will spend three days exploring Kyoto and its many temples, including a walk through Gion, the traditional geisha quarters. There will be one free day, so you can catch up on sending postcards, shop for souvenirs, take some time to do some more exploring.

Day 11 - Nara - Day Trip from Kyoto
The ancient city of Nara, which preceded Kyoto as Japan’s capital from 710 to 784, is one hour south of Kyoto by train. We will visit the old merchant district ofNara-machi with its narrow streets, shops, cafes and restaurants. Next we will visit Todai-ji temple, with its bronze statue of Buddha, said to be the largest wooden structure in the world. Return to Kyoto city center hotel.

Day 12 - Mount Koya - Shukubo (Japanese Style Room)
From the Kyoto we will travel by train along the scenic Nankai railway line to Mount Koya, a bowl-shaped valley filled with stands of cedar trees 800 meters up in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula. Since the 9th century, when the monk Kukai (also known as Kobo Daishi) founded the first temple and the shingon sect of Buddhism, Mount Koya has been a place of religious devotion and ceremony. Today there are more than 100 monasteries, many of which have shukubo (temple lodgings). We will stay in one of the elegant temples, run by the monks, and dine on shojin-ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine). There will be a guided walk through the vast Okunoin cemetery, with thousands of graves and memorials to feudal lords and other past luminaries.

Day 13 & 14 - Tokyo and Tour Ends
We will transfer to Tokyo and then on the last day of the tour your tour leader will help you transfer to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport.

Tour schedules are subject to change.
If any changes should be made it will be done in the best interest of the travelers.
Japan Roads will at all times aim to offer you the most interesting tour possible.

Tour Accommodation:
Accommodation in family-run minshuku, traditional ryokan and hotels.

TOKYO, KYOTO, NARA : Comfortable, modern, downtown Western hotels.
OBUSE, NARAI, MAGOME, TAKAYAMA: Traditional Japanese inns (ryokan and minshuku)
MOUNT KOYA: Buddhist temple.
Please note that single rooms are normally only available in hotels – where a single room supplement may apply. Single travelers may be asked to share a room (same sex) in OBUSE, NARAI, MAGOME, TAKAYAMA, and MOUNT KOYA.

Cuisine:
To make sure you get the most of your Japan experience, Japan Road tours offer a wide variety of Japanese cuisine to enjoy. You will have the chance to eat local specialties in small Japanese diners and sample some of the more 'refined' Japanese cuisine.

All breakfasts and 10 evening meals are included in the tour price. Lunches and 3 evening meals in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara are not included for reasons of choice and convenience, but your tour leader will be available to help with recommendations and ordering.

Tour Guidance:
Full time services of a Japanese-speaking tour leader.

This 14 day tour begins and ends in Japan.

If you have any questions about the tour, please feel free to Contact Us.

Tour schedules are subject to change. If any changes should be made it will be done in the best interest of the travelers.
Japan Roads will at all times aim to offer you the most interesting tour possible.