Transport & Accommodation

·      Price includes Etihad Airlines flights from Dublin to Tokyo via Abu Dhabi and return

·      13 nights superior hotel accommodation in Japan

·      Local English speaking guide throughout the tour

·      Entrances to all the attractions in the itinerary unless otherwise stated

·      Daily breakfast and 9 evening meals

·      Coach transfers and train journeys

·      Assistance of Joe Walsh Tours coordinator throughout the tour

Travel Period

·      1^st August 2011 to 16^th August 2011

Optional

·      Travel insurance

Notes

·      Price are per person sharing twin/double rooms with facilities

·      Price are exclusive of approximate taxes of €192 per person

·      Single rooms are on request and supplements apply

·      A non-refundable deposit of €200 is required for booking

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1/2: Tokyo

On arrival in Tokyo the group will be warmly welcomed by the Joe Walsh Tours local representative and transferred by private coach to Park Hotel Tokyo.

After check-in procedures are completed, there will be the chance to settle into the hotel and relax.Overnight Tokyo – Park Hotel Tokyo or similar

Day 3: Tokyo

After breakfast the group will have a full day sightseeing tour of Tokyo.The day will include a visit to the Edo Tokyo Museum. You will visit the Externals of the “Sky Tree” television tower as it’s under construction. After that you will browse the colourful stalls adorning the Nakamise shopping street which will lead up to Asakusa Kannon Temple. Then a visit to Ueno which is Tokyo’s first public park. The tour will end with a visit to the Meiji-jingu Shrine. This Shrine is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and he’s consort is located near Harajuku station.

Day 4: Nikko

After breakfast you will leave Tokyo for Nikko by private coach. This was once a summer retreat for Japan’s Imperial Leaders. Nikko offers breathtaking mountain landscapes, dotted with waterfalls, hot springs and lakes. Our exploration will begin at the lavishly decorated Toshogu Shrine. Pass into the heart of the mountains and stop by the 320 feet Kegon waterfall and wander the forested shores of Lake Chuzen-ji before returning to your hotel. Overnight Tokyo – Park Hotel Tokyo or similar

Day 5: Hakone

After an early breakfast, you will enjoy a tour of Hakone. Hakone is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. It is famous for hot springs, outdoor activities and natural beauty. The group will visit Hakone’s Open Air Art Museum and take a cruise on Lake Ashi followed by a trip on the Hakone Ropeway. Also included is a visit to the Owakudani Valley which is an area around a crater created during the last eruption of Mount Hakone.

Dinner at the hotel

Overnight Hakone – Hakone-en Lakeside Annex of similar

Day 6: Oku-Hida

Breakfast at the hotel.

Today you will complete a sightseeing transfer to Matsumoto via Mt. Fuji and Lake Suwa.

The group will visit the 5th station of Mount Fuji, the Suwa Taisha Shrine and Matsumoto Castle. Matsumoto castle is also known as the “Crow Castle” because of the black exterior. It’s one of Japan’s premier historic castles.

Dinner at the hotel.Overnight – Yamano Hotel or similar.

Day 7: Takayama

Breakfast at the hotel.

This is followed by a sightseeing transfer to Takayama via Shirakawa-go. It will include a visit to the Wada Family House which is the largest “Gassho-zukuri” style house in Shirakawa-go. You will also visit the Takayama Yatai-kaikan.

Evening dinner included.

Overnight Takayama – Best Western Takayama or similar.

Day 8: Nagoya

Breakfast will be served at your hotel.

Baggage will be transported separately by truck from Takayama to Osaka, skipping Nagoya. Please arrange an overnight bag.

This morning take a stroll along Kamisannomachi Street, Takayama’s most scenic town walkway.

This will be followed by a sightseeing transfer to Nagoya. Here you will visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in the afternoon.

Evening dinner included.

Overnight Nagoya – Nagoya Tokyu Hotel or similar.

Day 9: Osaka

Breakfast will be served at your hotel.

Today you will take a sightseeing transfer to Osaka via Shigaraki by private coach. Visit the MIHO Museum and the Floating Garden Observatory. The group will then explore Dotonbori which is one of Osaka’s must popular shopping and entertainment areas.

Evening dinner included.

Overnight Osaka – Hotel Nikko Osaka or similar.

Day 10: Hiroshima      

Breakfast will be served at your hotel.

Baggage will be transported separately by truck from Osaka to Kyoto, skipping Hiroshima & Mt Koya. Please arrange an overnight bag for a stay in Hiroshima & Mt Koya – 2 nights.

Transfer to Shin Osaka station for Hiroshima by JR bullet train. 

upon arrival, change JR local train to Miyajima-guchi.

When you arrive at Miyajima-guchi station you will take a ferry to Miyajima Island.

Upon arrival you will begin a walking tour of Miyajima Island including a visit to Itsukushima shrine.

Return journey to Hiroshima is by ferry and local train.

Evening dinner included.

Overnight Hiroshima – Hotel ANA Crowne Plaza or similar.

Day 11: Mt. Koya

Breakfast at the hotel.

Today you will complete a half day tour of Hiroshima, where you can wander around the evocative Peace Memorial Park and Museum. You will see The Atomic Bomb Dome which is a skeletal domed building in Hiroshima city and stands to commemorate the dropping of the Atomic Bomb.

Transfer to Hiroshima station for Shin-Osaka by JR bullet train.

Upon arrival we will have a sightseeing transfer to Mt. Koya by private coach. Here you will visit Okuno-in and Kongo-buji temple.Transfer to Mt. Koya temple for evening vegetarian cuisine.

Overnight Mt. Koya – Temple

Day 12: Kyoto

Today you will attend an early morning Buddhist Ceremony. The group will then transfer to Kyoto where you will visit the Ginkaku-ji Temple and Ryoan-ji Temple

Evening dinner included.

Overnight Kyoto – Rihga Royal Hotel or similar.

Day 13: Kyoto

Breakfast in the Hotel.

Today you will complete a 1 day tour of Kyoto. It will begin by visiting the majestic Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji), built in 1397 on the shores of a serene small lake and the UNESCO listed Nijo castle. Completed in 1603, the castle survives in its original form and is famous for its Momoyama architecture and decorated sliding doors. That afternoon you will stroll along the Nishiki market and Teramachi Street.

Evening dinner included.

Overnight Kyoto – Rihga Royal Hotel or similar

Day 14: Tokyo

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Today you will complete a 1 day tour of Nara and Uji. It is full of historic treasures with some of the country’s oldest Buddhist temples including the immense Todaiji, the world’s largest wooden building and the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, adorned with hundreds of stone and bronze lanterns. Later you will visit the Nara Deer Park, where more than 1,200 tame deer roam the groves of cedar, oak and wisteria. En route you will stop at Uji and discover the Byodo-in Temple.Transfer back to Kyoto station and leave for Tokyo by JR bullet train.

Overnight in Tokyo – Park Hotel Tokyo or similar

Day 15: Tokyo

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Narita by private coach. The coach will be arranged 4 hours prior to the flight.