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), then we walk to Matsuzakaya (a large 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 the charming Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens to have our picnic and the springtime flowers.  Dinner will be near our hotel in Ueno.

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 with tropical flowers. 

In the afternoon we head to Wakayama indigo dying, where each of us makes a unique piece of art to take with us. We end our day wandering the Tokyo Sky Tree shopping center and where we each choose our own dinners at their food court.

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 Nezu Shrine which is filled with azaleas this time of year.  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, 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. From there, it's a short trip to the Open-Air Museum. In addition to the many whimsical outdoor sculptures, there is a multi-story stained-glass tower, a small Picasso Museum, and a soothing footbath, all nestled in a garden setting.  Our beautiful hotel is located in a wooded glen and - after a chance to settle in - we feast on a multicourse French meal. 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 only full day in Hakone with an amazing breakfast followed by a relaxing morning at the hotel.  Around lunchtime, we head to the nearby Rene Lalique Museum to have an elegant brunch in the original Lalique-designed authentic Orient Express train car on-site. We also get the chance to visit the museum and drool over the Art Nouveau jewelry. At dusk, 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 multi-course 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.  Once we arrive at the impressive Kyoto train station, we head upstairs to Ramen Street, where our options come from all over the country. This is where we will meet Tatsuya (another former exchange student) who will show us around for the day.  After lunch, we go to get dressed in kimonos!  Once we’re all decked out, we visit iconic Kiyumizu-dera and spend the rest of the day 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, a dip in our hotel's onsen, and then bed.  

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 visiting 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.  We return to the city to experience  an abbreviated (non-kneeling!) tea ceremony demonstration.  Dinner is a delicious multi-dish feast near our hotel.

Meals included: breakfast and dinner. 

Today we're off once again - this time to visit one of the "Three Great Gardens of Japan" - Okayama Korakuen.  Completed around 1700, it has been handed down to the present without any major changes and is now designated as a national special scenic spot.  The azaleas and wisteria should be in full bloom for our visit too!

Our hotel is located near the Nishigawa canal (with its narrow-but-charming garden paths on either side) so a peaceful walk before dinner is a splendid way to end the day!

Meals included: breakfast and lunch.  

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 lunch near the river.  Afterward, we wander around the park, visiting various 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’re off 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,” and that’s 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 40 now!)   Once we drop off our bags at our hotel (for the final time), we're off to see some gardens!  But first we visit a chocolate café for some Satan Cake (a rather unfortunate translation of "Devil's Food Cake").  It's delicious no matter what you call it. Then we'll be visiting the Former Fujita Residence for some garden therapy.  

 Meals included: breakfast and dinner.  

This morning we're off to Mount Yoshino. This has been one of Japan's most famous cherry blossom spots for many centuries. The first trees were planted along its slopes more than 3100 years ago and today the mountain is covered by approximately 30,000 trees of many different varieties so we're sure to see plenty of blossoms!  We will ride the cable car up the mountain and enjoy lunch as we stroll further into the area.  

Once we're back in Osaka, we'll sample their type of okonomiyaki for dinner.

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 art pieces to take home.  The afternoon starts with a visit to Osaka Castle Gardens but we'll still have some free time 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 delicious 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.