Grand Tour of Japan

Arrive in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, Japan’s most northerly island and transfer to your hotel. Known for its exquisite street food, beer and beautiful mountain surrounds, Sapporo offers a blend of urban sophistication and natural beauty. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers and Great Rail Journeys Tour Escort.

Accommodation
Two Nights, Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo

• Dinners

Location
Sapporo , Japan

Discover the delights of Otaru, a charming port city in Hokkaido. Captivating visitors with its historic canal, romantic atmosphere, fresh seafood, and snow-covered streets in the winter. Visit the fascinating Music Box Museum with its collection of thousands of music boxes before heading to your Insider Experience. Later, head back to Sapporo and enjoy an evening at leisure.

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

Enjoy your Insider Experience journey to one of Hokkaido Island’s main cities and the first port open to foreign trade. This afternoon, take a sightseeing tour of the local sights by coach, which includes Goryokaku, a star-shaped fortress that dates back 150 years. Explore foreign influence in the Motomachi district, a former residential area for traders. Here, you can see a Russian Orthodox church, the old British Consulate, and a Chinese memorial hall. Later, ascend Mount Hakodate by ropeway, for breath-taking panoramic views of the city and surrounding areas. Tonight, enjoy your Insider Experience.

Accommodation
La Vista Hakodate Bay

• Breakfast
• Dinners

Location
Sapporo , Japan

Explore the vivid array of stalls at Hakodate’s fish market, which boasts fresh seafood, local vegetables, fruit, and sweets, and look out for tanks of live shellfish and clusters of crab. After your visit, embark on your Insider Experience, speeding through the countryside to Japan’s modern capital. Check into your accommodation in the lively Shinjuku area, where you have a free evening to explore at leisure.

Accommodation
Two Nights, Tokyo, Keio Plaza Hotel

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

A full-day sightseeing tour of Tokyo showcases the old and the new combining ancient sites with the modern high-tech world. Visit the Imperial Palace Plaza, stroll through the beautifully landscaped Hama Rikyu Gardens, explore Asakusa with its 7th century Sensoji Temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo and take in the energy of the famous Shibuya Crossing, the busiest intersection on the planet.

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

Embark on your Insider Experience. In Hakone, enjoy a scenic ride on the Hakone Ropeway, a cable car ride offering panoramic views of Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi and the surrounding volcanic landscapes providing a breathtaking experience. Board an enchanting boat for a charming cruise across the crater lake to your hotel where you will enjoy dinner.

Accommodation
The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko

• Breakfast
• Dinners

Location
Sapporo , Japan

An exciting Insider Experience awaits you today. After viewing the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre, stop en route to Matsumoto for a visit to the Chihiro Art Museum Azumino. This museum honours renowned artist Chihiro Iwasaki who was known for her delightful water-colours of flowers and children. This evening is yours to spend at leisure, exploring Matsumoto.

Accommodation
Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

After your Insider Experience, continue to Matsumoto Castle. This stunning and well-preserved castle dates to the 16th century and is famous for its black exterior and elegant architectural design. Continue to Takayama and soak in the spectacular mountain scenery on your way to visit Hida Folk Village, an open-air museum depicting more than 30 rustic farm dwellings from the Edo Period. Enjoy a night of leisure and time to explore the narrow streets of Takayama.

Accommodation
Hotel Associa Takayama Resort

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

Nestled among mountainous surrounds, Takayama’s narrow streets and wooden houses appear almost untouched by time. Explore Takayama and admire its ancient architecture on a guided tour featuring Miyagawa Market, Sannomachi Street and Takayama Jinya, the old government house. Leaving Takayama, travel by train along the Hida River valley to Nagoya before boarding the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto.

Accommodation
Two Nights, Righa Royal Hotel Kyoto

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

See the highlights of Kyoto today on a tour beginning at the Kyoto Railway Museum, which houses a variety of trains from the earliest steam locomotives to the ultra-modern bullet trains. Continue to the iconic Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) dating back to the late 14th century and covered in gold leaf before a stroll through the tranquil Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, one of Japan’s most iconic sites. After taking part in a special Insider Experience, finish the day with a stroll around the Gion area, Kyoto’s famous geisha district.

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

Today you’ll explore Nara, a former capital of Japan, and home to eight World Heritage-listed sites. Take in the Todai-ji Temple where you’ll find the Great Buddha, a 13th-century bronze statue. Continue to beautiful Nara Park, a delightful deer sanctuary spread over almost 530 hectares, before transferring to Osaka, where you’ll catch a bullet train to Hiroshima renowned for the unprecedented devastation it suffered during World War II.

Accommodation
Two Nights, Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

A guided tour today takes you around Hiroshima. From the Peace Memorial Park to the A-Bomb Dome, your tour explores the city’s tragic devastation during World War II. Later set off for Miyajima Island and your Insider Experience. Return to Hiroshima and enjoy an evening at leisure.

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan

After breakfast, journey to Hakata on the southern island of Kyushu. Enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of the Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine, dedicated to the Shinto god of learning. Said to have been built over the grave of a 9th-century poet, there has been a shrine here since 905AD, although the pavilion we see today dates from 1591. In the charming grounds of pretty bridges and serene pools stand 6,000 plum trees. Head to Kyushu National Museum for your Insider Experience. This evening, gather for a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant, and take time to reflect on the adventure you have had.

Accommodation
Fukuoka, Hotel New Otani Hakata

• Breakfast
• Dinners

Location
Sapporo , Japan

Transfer to Fukuoka Airport this morning after breakfast.

• Breakfast

Location
Sapporo , Japan