| date | visits of interest | accommodation |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Osaka | Osaka / hotel |
| Day 2 | Koyasan (Okunoin Cemetery, Temple complx) | Temple lodge |
| Day 3 | Nara Park, Kofukuji Temple, Great Buddha, Gion Geisha quarters |
Kyoto / Hotel |
| Day 4 | Golden Pavillion, Kiyomizu Temple, Higashiyama District | Kyoto / hotel |
| Day 5 | Bamboo Grove & Rickshaw | Kyoto / hotel |
| Day 6 | Hikone Castle, Countryside | Kita-ohmi / ryokan |
| Day 7 | Kanazawa (Food Market, Samurai Houses) | Kanazawa / Hotel |
| Day 8 | Kanazawa (Kenrokuen Garden, Geisha Quarters) | Kanazawa / hotel |
| Day 9 | Snow Monkeys | Onsen / ryokan (deep in the mountains) |
| Day 10 | Tokyo | Tokyo / hotel |
| Day 11 | Tour ends | |
Note: The tour starts in Osaka (Kyoto) and ends in Tokyo and the proximate int'l airport to Osaka (Kyoto) is Kansai International Airport.
It is best if you can fly into Japan via Kansai airport and then depart via Narita (Tokyo) airport.
Using this route (or the reverse) will save you half a day of travel and potentially significant savings on train
or air fair.
Introduction
The tour starts in Namba (Osaka) and ends in Tokyo. The duration is 11 nights and 12 days.
This is not a walking tour, so the tour itself is not strenuous. If you have moderate fitness, you will be able to enjoy the tour to the fullest. The tour is not rushed. You stay in Kyoto for three days and in Kanazawa for two days.
The draw of this tour is that we visit places almost no visitors from outside Japan have ever ventured into. On Day 2 the tour goes to Koyasan monastery where everything is dictated by Buddhism. But rest assured that the temple lodging is just as comfortable as
that of a ryokan of good standings.
On Day 6 after Kyoto the tour explores a region called Kita-Ohmi in northern Shiga prefecture. This district, hugging along Biwa Lake, used be florishing on Buddhism, influenced largely by major sects of Buddhism in Kyoto. There used be a lot of cultural and commercial interactions between the two regions. So, there is a flavor of ancient Kyoto or Nara when the Buddhism was sponsored by the imperial court.
On Day 10 we explore the Hell Valley inhabited by the snow monkeys. The place is nestled deep in the mountains and we walk in the pristine forests. The ryokan is tucked into a small hamlet. You soak way the day's fatigue in the onsen baths.
Day by Day Tour Itinerary
Day 1
We meet at the hotel lobby to explore one of the downtown areas in Osaka called Dotonbori. It boasts the largest shopping mall in Japan and along the canal there are a plethora of restaurants of all kinds.
We enjoy a leisurely stroll while taking a bite of takoyaki, a pancake stuffed with minced octopus.
Day 2
We take a train for Koyasan in the morning, keeping ourselves entertained by changing sceneries out of the window. When we get close to Koyasan, deep forests of cedar trees come into view. We visit Okunoin cemetery with over 200,000 grave stones (stupas) are laid out, most of which belong to warlords, imperial family members of the bygone days. In the evening we savor monastery dishes (vegetarian of course).
Day 3
Today we take an express train for Nara. The city was the capital of Japan in the 700s when the Japanese Buddhism was in full swings. There are a countless number of temples of historical significance. We visit Kofukuji Temple and Todaiji Temple with the image of great Buddha housed inside. Nara Park connects the two temples and there are 1,200 deer roaming freely in it and it is truly an exhilarating experience to feed them with rice crackers sold at the roadside stalls. We continue on to Kyoto and in the evening we explore Gion Geisha quarters.
Day 4
In the morning we visit Golden Pavilion
In the evening we explore Kiyomizu district nestled at the foot of Higashiyama mountains. It is one of the oldest temples in Kyoto dating back to the 700s. The temple looks out over the city of Kyoto down below and the view is just awe-inspiring. we walk down the temple approach lined with both sides with various shops selling such wares as pottery local to the area, kimonos, etc.
Day 5
All day left free for your own activities.
- duration
10 nights/11 days - price
USD 4200 per person - group size
maximum 6 clients
mimimum 4 clients - what's included
-baggage forwarding
-all 10 breakfasts
-3 dinners
-all domestic transport
-guides
-accommodation
-entrance fees - What's not Included
-lunch
-international flights
-taxi for personal use
-drinks (during meals)
-airport transfer at the end of the tour
Day 6
Today we push on north to Hikone, a pleasant regional city that developed out of castle town. The edifice is designated as national treasure dating from early 1600s. We take a walk on the lovely garden laid out by the lord modeled on stroll type of gardening. We further head on north a little and come into a village nestleds in a bucolic environment. We explore this lovely community, the origin of which derived from a buddhist temple long ago.
