Discover the modern high-tech capital, Tokyo, with all of its fascinating wonders and iconic cultural highlights. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mt Fuji, cruise the waters of beautiful Lake Ashi, a lake formed by a volcanic eruption 3000 years ago, stay in a Ryokan (traditional Japanese accommodation) and visit the former capital Kamakura, a sleepy seaside town.

Day 1: Tokyo

Arrive in Tokyo and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight at Park Hotel Tokyo or similar.

Day 2: Tokyo

Japanese cuisine has such high reputation that it was declared a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage. Try your hand at making one of these internationally famous dishes. In the morning, make your own way to Asakusa for a cooking class with a group of other like-minded individuals in Tokyo. You will join a class to learn how to make mosaic sushi rolls today. All ingredients are provided, and your English-speaking instructor will introduce the basics of Japanese sushi to you as well as give you a full walkthrough on how to craft today’s creation. Unlike regular sushi, made from raw fish, today’s class uses a variety of pickles, vegetables and other ingredients to create beautiful patterns in the cross-section of the sushi when sliced. This means the class is suitable for a wide range of dietary requirements. You will of course be able to taste your creation when prepared. Cooking lesson takes 3 hours.

Overnight at Park Hotel Tokyo or similar. Breakfast included.

Day 3: Tokyo – Kamakura - Tokyo

Meet your guide at the lobby and join a day trip to Kamakura (driving time about one hour), the former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate during the Kamakura Period (1185 – 1333). At that time Kamakura was the largest city in the world, however the Kamakura of today is a cosy seaside town with beautiful temples, shrines and other attractions. With your local guide, visit Kotokuin Temple, home to the Daibutsu, a giant bronze Buddha that sits 13.35 metres high, Hasedera Temple and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, ending your day shopping for local souvenirs and delicacies in Komachi Street before returning to Tokyo.

Overnight at Park Hotel Tokyo or similar. Breakfast included.

Day 4: Tokyo- Hakone (98 kilometres)

Meet your guide at the lobby and leave Tokyo behind as you make the 90-minute journey to Hakone, the gateway to Mount Fuji and the surrounding national park. Your guide will meet you at the lobby and accompany you on the ‘Romancecar’ express train from Tokyo’s Shinjuku station. To explore the National Park you can take advantage of the numerous forms of transport on offer. Ride the world’s second longest cable car up Mount Owakudani, passing over sulphurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers in this volcanic area. A majestic replica pirate ship will sweep you across the Lake Ashinoko, followed by a ride on the Hakone Tozan ‘switchback train’ as it zig-zags through the mountains. Your guide will drop you off at your ryokan in the early evening. Enjoy a traditional Kaiseki dinner made with local ingredients and sleep on a futon mattress laid out on woven tatami straw mat flooring.

Overnight at Susukinohara Ichinoyu or similar. Breakfast and dinner included.

Note: we suggest leaving your large luggage at the front desk of your hotel in Tokyo and bring a small bag with you for your overnight stay at Hakone.

 

Day 5: Hakone – Tokyo

Make your way to Odawara station for your bullet train ride back to Tokyo. Rest of the day enjoy your time at leisure. In the evening meet your guide at the lobby and join a foodie tour that will introduce you to some of the local speciality dishes. Japanese cuisine is not only the refined sushi and tempura, but it has a wide range of equally delicious, more casual dishes that the locals love. Today's tour will take you to a famous foodie spot not too far from your hotel. Try delicious yakitori, chicken grilled on skewers and served either with salt or "tare", a kind of sweet soy-based sauce. There are more Japanese delights that you might try tonight such as, Sashimi, Monjayaki or Okonomiyaki, crispy Japanese fried chicken and braised vegetables and seafood. Your guide will take you back to your hotel.

Overnight at Park Hotel Tokyo or similar. Breakfast and dinner included.

Day 6: Tokyo – Nikko National Park – Tokyo

Your guide will meet you at the hotel this morning and you will depart to Nikko National Park in the neighbouring Tochigi prefecture to visit the Toshogu Shrine complex. Built as a mausoleum for Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate which ruled Japan for over 250 years, this lavishly decorated shrine complex consists of more than a dozen Shinto and Buddhist buildings in a beautiful forest setting and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will also visit Tamozawa Imperial Villa, a National Cultural Treasure, featuring architecture that spans three different periods – Edo, Meiji, and Taisho. Walk to the picturesque Shinkyo Bridge for a quick photo stop before enjoying a local speciality for lunch (own cost). "Yuba" is a vegetarian dish unique to Nikko and is essentially a thin tofu skin. Today's lunch will feature this local dish in many forms.  In the afternoon, travel to the nearby town of Imaichi, once a stopover rest town for those travelling from Tokyo (then known as Edo) to Nikko. In Imaichi you will visit the Watanabe Sake Brewery which has been brewing delicious sake for over 150 years. You will enjoy a tour of the brewery before enjoying a sampling session of some of their most loved products. Brewery shop is a great place to purchase some souvenirs. Once you are done with brewery visit head back to Tokyo with your guide.

Overnight at Park Hotel Tokyo or similar. Breakfast and lunch included.

Day 7: Tokyo departure

Enjoy the day at leisure before getting transferred to the airport for your onward flight.

Breakfast included.

Inclusions:

• Return flights on Emirates
• Meet and greet service
• Return airport transfers on private basis
• 6 nights’ accommodation across Tokyo (3 nights) - Hakone (1 nights) - Tokyo (2 nights)
• All meals as mentioned in the itinerary
• Tours and transfers as specified including entry fees
• Tokyo – Hakone express train tickets as specified in ordinary class with reserved seating
• Hakone - Tokyo bullet train tickets
• Service of English-speaking guides as specified
• All applicable taxes

Exclusions:

• Drinks not included
• Visa & processing fees
• Additional travel insurances
• Porterage
• Tips for guides, drivers and waiters.
• Peak period supplements
• Surcharges for guiding in other languages
• Meals and drinks other than mentioned above
• Personal expenditure