Fly into Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT). Flights usually arrive in the late afternoon.

Each traveler or traveling family will have a reservation for a complimentary private car that will drive them from the airport to our 5-star hotel, The Prince Park Tower Tokyo, in downtown Tokyo (Note: Since Narita Airport is far outside of Tokyo, this drive will take about 70 minutes. It will take about 25 minutes from Haneda Airport.)

Check into our 5-star hotel, The Prince Park Tower Tokyo.

Settle into this beautiful luxury hotel located in the heart of Tokyo, just a stone's throw away from the iconic Tokyo Tower.

Meet in the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, in a private room, for our welcome dinner. We will be dining at Yomeiden.

Meet at the hotel lobby and depart via private vans for Meiji Jingu. Enjoy a morning guided walk through one of Tokyo's iconic shrine grounds.

After taking a walking tour of the grounds, we will head to the Mori Building in Azabudai Hills. We will enjoy lunch within the Mori Building. We will be dining at SAAWAAN BISTRO, a high-end Thai restaurant.

We will have tickets to the spectacular Morii Digital Art Museum, also known as teamLab Borderless. This amazing museum features stunning digital gardens.

Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.

Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant, Shimizu, for dinner. This restaurant is located within the Prince Park Hotel grounds and a few minutes away on foot.

Meet in the hotel lobby, with bags, and take taxis to Tokyo Station. While waiting for our train, we will buy our lunch bento boxes from one of the many stalls in the station.

Your tickets will be distributed by John. Please keep these with you throughout the entire train journey.

If we have a clear day, we’ll get a great view of Mt. Fuji.

Eat a simple box lunch on the Bullet Train.

Arrive in Kyoto, a city of more than 2,000 temples and shrines, as well as countless gardens.

After arriving in Kyoto, we will take taxis to our hotel, the four-star Cross Hotel Kyoto. It is located in the city center near many attractions, restaurants, and stores. The Cross Hotel Kyoto is perfectly situated for exploring the city on foot.

Check into rooms, if possible. If not, leave our bags at the front desk.

For those interested, meet in the lobby and walk about ten minutes to Nishiki Market. This market, founded in the year 1310, offers fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, and fruits to locals.

Return to our hotel, and enjoy free time.

Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby, Ganko Sushi, a high-end sushi restaurant.

Meet our guide in the hotel lobby and depart in private vans to see some of Kyoto’s most famous gardens.

Our first stop will be Shoren-In Temple. Enjoy a peaceful walk through the serene and historic temple grounds and bamboo grove.

Head to a nearby restaurant for lunch. We will dine at Okonomiyaki Kiraku, a traditional Japanese savory pancake cooked on a flat griddle.

Head to Nanzenji Temple, built in the early 13th Century, and is one of the most famous Zen temples in Japan. Nanzenji has numerous gardens, including some very special rock gardens.

We will tour the grounds of Nanzenji, exploring a variety of gardens.

While still on the temple grounds, we will visit the famous Tenjuan Garden. This ancient, lush garden features a variety of beautiful elements.

Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.

Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to the nearby Fortune Garden Kyoto, which is one of the city’s best restaurants and is located next to a Zen garden. This restaurant serves French cuisine along with Japanese dishes. Guests may enjoy time in the Zen garden prior to eating.

Meet in the lobby and depart via taxis for Arashiyama, a picturesque part of Kyoto.

Enjoy a 30-minute ride through a famous bamboo forest in a traditional Japanese rickshaw.

Afterward, spend time walking around the area or rowing on the nearby lake in small boats.

Enjoy lunch at Yudofu Sagano, known for its traditional Buddhist vegetarian cuisine.

After lunch, head to the wonderful garden at Tenryuji Temple, which features one of the city’s most famous rock gardens.

Guests may continue to explore the area (which has great shopping), return to the hotel via taxis for free time, or walk up nearby “Monkey Mountain”.

The hike takes about 20 minutes each way, and many wild monkeys can be found at the summit. The summit offers not only views of the monkeys, but a great view of the city.

Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.

Dinner tonight will be arranged differently, and will be an independent dinner. As there are hundreds of small restaurants within a few blocks from our hotel, guests will be responsible for, and can enjoy, a meal of their choice.

Meet our guide in the hotel lobby and, together with our guides, take private vans to Saiho-ji Temple, which features one of the most famous gardens in the world. Because of its moss-covered garden, this temple is often called the Moss Temple.

Afterwards, board the vans once again and head toward the city center. Enjoy lunch at FORNI, inside the Hotel The Mitsui near Nijo Castle.

Continue to Nijo Castle and enjoy a guided tour. The castle grounds has a wonderful traditional Japanese garden. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its stunning architecture and historical significance as the residence of Tokugawa shoguns.  

On the Nijo Castle grounds, see a famous Eucalyptus Melliodora tree, which was planted from one of the seeds from one of the few trees that survived the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.

Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.

Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant, Manzara Honten, an upscale izakaya-style restaurant.

Meet at the hotel's lobby and depart via vans to enjoy a guided tour of the legendary Fushimi Inari Shrine, one of Kyoto's most iconic sites.

Featuring thousands of torii gates, this shrine goes deep into a lush forest.

We will have lunch at a nearby restaurant, Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa Fushimi. Enjoy one of Japan's specialties, freshwater eel grilled over coals.

After lunch, return to our vans and continue to Sanjūsangendō Temple. This iconic Buddhist temple is known for its 1,001 life-sized wooden statues of the goddess Kannon.

Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.

Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to a nearby restaurant, 7 Embers, for dinner.

 Options include:

• Shopping at countless nearby stores

• Taking a walk along the nearby Kamogawa River

• Exploring nearby neighborhoods on foot

• Visiting a quiet temple

Leave bags in the lobby.

Enjoy lunch at leisure. There are many options around the area.

We will have a private van and driver take us from Kyoto to Osaka. This drive will take about one hour.

Check into our five-star hotel, the Swissôtel Nankai Osaka, which is a high-rise hotel that offers amazing views of the city:

Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.

Meet in the hotel lobby and walk to Dotonbori, one of Osaka’s most famous entertainment and dining districts, which is known for its countless street food stalls.

After exploring Dotonbori and its many food offerings, enjoy dinner at a seafood restaurant, Kani Doraku.

Meet in the hotel's sushi restaurant and enjoy a sushi-making workshop.

We will learn to make several different kinds of sushi rolls, which we will then eat for lunch.

Tour Osaka Castle, its lovely gardens, and the surrounding area.

Relax for the rest of the day, or continue exploring the area independently.

Meet at the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, the Empress Room, for our farewell dinner.

There is a high-speed train that departs below our hotel and heads directly to Osaka airport (Kansai International Airport – KIX). A ticket and instructions will be provided for each guest for this train, and groups of guests will be accompanied by John or another guide.