Our first full day in Tokyo! We start by meeting our first guide, Ai, who was my exchange student over 25 years ago!  You get a bit of free time to explore the shops at the train station while we sort out the rail passes (which can't be done without your passports), then we walk to a nearby department store where everyone chooses her own picnic.  The small-but-extensive food hall has plenty of options for all tastes from Japanese to Western-style food.  There is an emphasis on special spring-time treats which are only available at this time of year.  Then we're off to have our picnic amid the springtime flowers.  

A special afternoon treat will be visiting Chinzanso Cloud Garden to see the mist curling amongst the trees.  Dinner is family-style Chinese. 

Meals included: breakfast and dinner.

 We begin our second full day in Tokyo by meeting our official Tokyo guide, Naomi, and some of her English teacher friends. Our first stop is at one of the national gardens of Japan, Shinjuku Gyoen. The oldest part is a  a traditional Japanese landscape garden with ponds, islands, and bridges.  There is also a formal French garden, an English landscape garden, and a beautiful greenhouse filled with tropical flowers.  Lunch is at La Boheme, a nearby French restaurant.

In the afternoon we head to Wakayama indigo dying, where everyone makes a unique piece of art to take with her. We end our day enjoying the interactive (and delicious!) delights of shabu-shabu, each cooking her own dinner in bubbling broth.

Meals included: breakfast and lunch. 

 On our last day in Tokyo, we meet with Ai, Naomi, and the English teachers once again for a walking tour of the Yanasen district.  We start at a Buddhist cemetery, then visit the stunning azaleas of Nezu Shrine.  A delicious curry lunch (where the chef is as much a part of the experience as the food) is followed by beer at the Yanaka Brewery, which is owned by Naomi’s husband. Afterward, we see a delightful puppet show. The puppeteer also created the puppets. It's in Japanese (as this isn't a tourist place) but is so visual that no language skills are needed to enjoy it. Dinner that evening is street food from one of the many options on Ameyoko Street, near our hotel.  Be sure to leave room for some yummy dessert! 

Meals included: breakfast and lunch.  

We bid goodbye to Tokyo this morning to head to the mountain spa town of Hakone  famous for its hot springs and stunning views of Mt. Fuji. We cross Lake Ashi by ‘pirate’ ship then take a cable car high over a valley filled with volcanic vents - which sounds terrifying but isn't!  Heading back down the mountain, we reach the town of Gora via a charming funicular. 

Our beautiful hotel is located in a wooded glen and - after a chance to settle in - we ae free to relax or even have a spa treatment. (Spa treatments are booked and paid-for by you.) Dinner is at the hotel and the evening is free to enjoy the in-hotel onsen with natural water piped in from the nearby hot springs.  

Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

We begin our day at the Open Air Sculpture Museum, which is full of interesting and whimsical outdoor art.  There is also a Picasso Museum onsite and a tower made of stained glass.  That afternoon, we visit a different magical museum with rooms of delicate blown glass, a Dale Chihuly exhibit, and an enchanting garden filled with glittering crystal trees. Dinner is another feast at our hotel followed by more time relaxing in the onsen. 

Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

Today, we leave the natural splendor of Hakone for the ancient city of Kyoto. We will travel on the Shinkansen smoothly speeding along at 200 miles per hour.  If the weather cooperates, we can see Mt. Fuji as we whiz by!  Once we arrive at the impressive Kyoto train station, we head upstairs to Ramen Street, where our lunch options come from all over the country. This is where we meet Tatsuya (another former exchange student) who will be our Kyoto guide.  After lunch, we go to get dressed in kimonos!  Once we’re all decked out, we visit iconic Kiyumizu-dera Temple and spend the afternoon exploring the temple, shrine, and garden complex. There are also many fascinating shops and plenty of places to grab snacks if we get peckish.  Once we return our kimonos, it's dinner at Tats' favorite izakaya, a local bar filled with, well, locals.  (And great food too!)  

Meals included: breakfast and dinner.

We start our first full day in Kyoto with a walk through Arashiyama’s famed bamboo forest. We also see the Zen garden at Tenryuji Temple before we return to the city to experience an abbreviated (and non-kneeling!) tea ceremony.  

Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

This morning we visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, said to be one of the most beautiful spots in the country.  The trails up the mountain are covered by thousands of scarlet torii gates. This custom started in the early 1600s and has shown no sign of letting up. 

After lunch in nearby Inari, the afternoon is free to sample the Kyoto delights.  You can go to another shrine or temple (there are LOADS of them), do some shopping, or just find a cafe to sit and do some people-watching.

We meet up for dinner at a wonderful restaurant near the hotel. 

Meals included: breakfast and dinner.  

This morning we leave for Hiroshima, the first city on earth to experience an atomic explosion.  Once we drop off our bags at our hotel, we walk to the nearby Peace Park where we have lunch near the river.  Afterward, we wander around the park, visiting touching memorials to the victims and the Atomic Bomb Dome (ground zero for the blast). This is followed by a sobering visit to the museum which makes us ready for the tranquility of Shukkei-en Garden. Dinner is at Bistro de Paris where, if you order the white chocolate mousse, it's shaped like a puppy and comes with a lit sparkler! (Don't ask why...)

Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

This morning we take the ferry to nearby Miajima Island with its famous ‘Floating Torii Gate,’ free-roaming deer, and beautiful views from Mt. Misen.  Our time there is free to encourage roaming.  There are plenty of places to grab a snack or lunch (while dodging the cheeky deer) and lots of shopping opportunities are available.  If you want, you can take a cable car up the mountain for views of the harbor and Hiroshima in the distance. (You can either walk down through the trees or take the cable car back to the town.) Dinner is our chance to try a local specialty – okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki (a veggie/meat filled pancake) which comes in two varieties – Hiroshima style and Osaka style. In Hiroshima style, the ingredients are layered (often with fried noodles) whereas Osaka style has all the ingredients mixed together. Which is best? We’ll try both and you can decide for yourself!  

Meals included: breakfast and dinner.  

 We’re taking our last Shinkansen ride this morning.  The motto of Osaka is “kuidaore,” meaning “eat yourself broke,” which is an appropriate slogan for the ‘Kitchen of Japan.’  

 We are met at the train station by Yayoi who was my youngest son’s host mother when he visited Japan at age 15.  (He’s 41 now!)   Once we drop off our bags at our hotel (for the final time), we're off to see some gardens!  We start at Osaka Castle, within walking distance of our hotel.  Then we're off to the Nagai Botanic Gardens for a quick walk-through before dinner. We return after dark to experience the evening magic that turns those same gardens into a multi-media wonderland.

 Meals included: breakfast and dinner.  

This morning, we are met at our hotel by our guide, Zoher.  He takes us to the fish market where we can sample dishes and get some retail therapy in tiny family-owned shops.  After lunch, the rest of the day is free to wander the crazy delights of Dotonbori. You can stay to watch it come to life in the evening, if you like! 

Meals included: Breakfast and dinner.

We start our last full day of the tour having a fun calligraphy lesson.  We have a great teacher and plenty of time to practice before creating our final pieces of art to take home.  The afternoon is free to relax, pack, or get some final shopping in.  

Dinner is a family affair at Occhiali Oga. Chef Hiroyuki is the brother-in-law of our Tokyo guide, Ai. He creates a special meal for us, ending with some of Osaka's famous 'wobbly cheesecake' for dessert. 

Meals included:  Breakfast and Dinner.

This is the last day of the tour and we’ll sadly say goodbye to Japan and our new friends as we depart for the airport and home.  

Meal included: Breakfast.