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HISTORICAL ROADS OF JAPAN Tour

From $3,874

TOKYO - KAWAGUCHIKO - MATSUMOTO - TAKAYAMA - TSUMAGO - HIKONE - KYOTO - NARA - KOYA-SAN - KANSAI INTL AIRPORT

A la sortie de la gare de Shibuya à Tokyo

Le château de Hikone

Shirakawa-go près de Takayama

A la sortie de la gare de Shibuya à Tokyo

Le célèbre Kyomizudera à Kyoto

Asakusa, Tokyo

Le Mont Koya

Senso-ji à Tokyo

Arashiyama à Kyoto

Champs de fleurs rose à Kawaguchiko

Strengths

+ Essential Japan: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Mount Fuji
+ Discover the Japanese Alps, their wild beauty and timeless villages
+ A great variety of traditional accomodation: ryokan (traditional inns), onsen ryokan (inns with spa), minshuku (B&B) and shukubo (temple lodgings)

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The tour
Activities
Hotels
Detailed Itinerary
Good to Know
Opinions

The tour

Duration : 15 days

Travel through time as you drive through the most famous areas in Japan.

Number of stops : 15

Included : - Car rental
- Drivin' Assistance service
- The accommodation and any meals indicated.

This price is based on a group of two people traveling together (not per person).

Not included : - Flights
- Any meals not mentioned
- Visit and entry fees
- Personal expenses
- Insurance

Departure month :

Price : $3,874

Activities

- Explore the futuristic, bustling capital city of Tokyo. It offers a huge choice of shopping, entertainment, culture and dining to its visitors. The city's history can be appreciated in districts such as Asakusa, and in many excellent museums, historic temples and gardens.

- Head out to Mount Fuji and the surrounding area of Kawaguchiko for a breath of fresh air. Among the wide range of tourist attractions available around Lake Kawaguchiko are hot spring baths, various museums, the Fuji Q amusement park, boat tours and a ropeway leading onto a small mountain next to the lake.

- Matsumoto is the second largest city in Nagano Prefecture. It is most famous for Matsumoto-jo, one of Japan's most beautiful original castles. The city is also a good base for trips into the Japanese Alps, e.g. to Kamikochi, Norikura, or the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route.

- Takayama retains a traditional touch like few other Japanese cities, especially in its beautifully preserved old town. It is becoming increasingly popular among travelers wanting to add a rural element into their itineraries. Nearby Shirakawa-go was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, and is famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.

- Tsumago was a post town on the Nakasendo road between Kyoto and Edo. Today it's known as one of the best preserved post towns in Japan. The residents go to great lengths to recreate the atmosphere of the Edo Period. Cars are not allowed on the main street during the day, and phone lines and power cables are kept concealed, allowing visitors to imagine they have stepped back in time...

- Hikone is a small city at the shores of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. The city is most famous for its castle, one of only four castles in Japan designated as national treasures.

- Of course, Kyoto is a must-see, with its countless temples, shrines and other historically priceless structures. Nearby, Nara is famous for its park, and contains some of Japan's oldest and largest temples due to its past as the first permanent capital.

- Mount Koya (Koyasan) is the center of Shingon Buddhism, making it one of the best places to experience an overnight stay at a temple lodging (shukubo) where you can try out a monk's lifestyle, eating special vegetarian cuisine (shojin ryori) and attending the morning prayers.

Hotels

The accomodation listed here is indicative. In case of unavailability, hotels of equivalent standing will be offered by our team.

Tokyo, days 1 to 3 :

Niwa Hotel

Kawaguchiko, day 4 :

Guest House Sakuya

Matsumoto, day 5 :

Fukahisou

Takayama, days 6 and 7 :

Shitanda

Tsumago, day 8 :

Koshinzuka Minshuku

Hikone, day 9 :

Hotel Route inn Hikone

Kyoto, days 10 and 11 :

Yoshimizu Ryokan

Nara, day 12 :

Sakuraya Guest house

Mount Koya, day 13 :

Shojoshi-in

Kansai International Airport, day 14 :

Kanku Joytel Hotel

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1	Arrive in Tokyo. Check in to your hotel and explore Tokyo at your leisure. Night at your hotel.	TOKYO
Day 2	Breakfast at your hotel. Day in Tokyo.	TOKYO
Day 3	Breakfast at your hotel. Day in Tokyo.	TOKYO
Day 4	Pick up your car from the Nissan Odawara agency. Depart for Kawaguchiko. Explore the Mount Fuji and Five Lakes area. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your ryokan in Kawaguchiko.	KAWAGUCHIKO
Day 5	Breakfast at your ryokan in Kawaguchiko. Depart for Matsumoto in the morning. Explore the city. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your ryokan in Matsumoto.	MATSUMOTO
Day 6	Breakfast at your ryokan in Matsumoto. Depart for Takayama in the morning. Explore the city. In the evening, enjoy dinner and the night at your minshuku in Takayama.	TAKAYAMA
Day 7	Breakfast at your minshuku in Takayama. Depart for Shirakawago in the morning. Explore Shirakawago. In the evening, dinner at your minshuku in Takayama.	TAKAYAMA
Day 8	Breakfast in your minshuku in Takayama. Depart for Tsumago in the morning. Explore the town. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your minshuku in Tsumago.	TSUMAGO
Day 9	Breakfast at your minshuku in Tsumago. Depart for Hikone during the day. Explore the town. In the evening, check into your hotel in Hikone.	HIKONE
Day 10	Breakfast at your hotel in Hikone. Explore the city. In the evening, stay at your ryokan in Kyoto.	KYOTO
Day 11	Breakfast at your ryokan in Kyoto. Explore the city. Night at your ryokan in Kyoto.	KYOTO
Day 12	Breakfast at your ryokan in Kyoto. Depart for Uji and Iga Ueno in the morning. Explore at your leisure. In the evening, arrive at your guest house in Nara.	NARA
Day 13	Breakfast at your guest house in Nara. Visit Nara in the morning. Depart for Mount Koya later in the day. Explore Mount Koya and spend the night in a traditional temple lodging.	KOYA-SAN
Day 14	Breakfast in the temple at Mount Koya. Free morning to explore. Depart for Kansai International Airport. Return the car to the Nissan Kansai International Airport agency. Check into your hotel at Kansai International Airport.* * Optional hotel night depending on the time of your return flight.	KANSAI INTL AIRPORT
Day 15	Breakfast at your hotel at Kansai International Airport. * * Optional depending on your return flight.

Good to Know

[Information about Shukubo]

=What is a Shukubo?= 

A shukubo (temple/shrine lodging) is originally a type of accommodation reserved for worshipers to study, pray and retreat. Nowadays, more shukubo are welcoming tourists for stays, and they offer services including unique cultural experiences at some temples and shrines. Since it is still an important religious place, it's important to note the following special rules:

Rooms
 As the rooms are located inside the temples and shrines, they have a very simple layout. In most cases they have wooden frames, and paper sliding doors are used to separate the rooms - which cannot be locked by keys. Also, each room does not have its own bathroom and toilet, and many shukubo do not have air conditioners either. In some shukubo, futon (bedding) are laid on the floor before your check-in.

Shared bathrooms
 Although some shukubo have shared bathrooms, the size is relatively small and you often have specifically designated hours to take a bath. Very often it is not possible to bathe in the morning.

Meals
 Breakfast and dinner are usually provided (although some shukubo only serve breakfast). They mainly offer Shojin-ryori (an organic, vegetarian Japanese cuisine), which does not contain any meat or fish. Special dietary requirements - including allergy free and Halal food - cannot be arranged. Furthermore, many shukubo have scheduled meal times that cannot be changed.

Other 
Please note the following rules, which might differ slightly in each shukubo:
- Unlike hotels, shukubo do not always offer amenities (including towels and toothbrushes). 
- Please do not be loud and do not make loud noises. 
- Many facilities are not easily accessible with wheelchairs. 
- Some shukubo do not allow you to bring huge suitcases. 
- It is prohibited to bring food inside the lodging without permission. 
- You have to get back before curfew and follow time restrictions. 
- Do not enter the main areas of temples and shrines in a yukata. 
- Smoking is prohibited outside of the designated areas 
- If you repeatedly break the rules, you may not able to join in with any programs at the temples/shrines.

Since shukubo lodgings are meant to be training places, they cannot offer high-end services like many hotels and ryokan. Please make sure everyone you travel with is well informed about the things listed above in advance.

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