Best of Japan: Bed & Breakfast

16 Days/14 Nights

Best of Japan: Bed & Breakfast Tour Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: To Tokyo

Depart Home for Tokyo's Narita Airport

(Travel: 12 hours)

Day 2: Arrive Tokyo

You lose a day flying to Japan due to crossing the International Dateline, and gain the day back when you fly home. You will be met at Tokyo's Narita airport by a Samurai Tours guide, who will escort you and the group to the ryokan in Tokyo. After checking in, we have a relaxing dinner of Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes) at a restaurant near the ryokan. Dinner at a local restaurant is included.

(Travel: 1 1/2 Hours)

Day 3: Tokyo

The day is free. Breakfast at the ryokan is included.

Day 4: Tokyo

The day is free. Breakfast at the ryokan is included.

Day 5: Tokyo, Hakone Yumoto Onsen

The day is free. Before leaving for the day, you will need to prepare your luggage for delivery to Takayama. Late in the afternoon we will travel to Hakone Yumoto Onsen. Breakfast at the ryokan is included.

(Travel: 1 1/2 Hours)

Day 6: Hakone, Travel to Takayama

After checking out of the ryokan, you can tour Hakone. Hakone is famous for its natural beauty and the view of nearby Mt. Fuji (weather permitting).Takayama, in the middle of the Japan Alps, with traditional inns, shops, and sake breweries, has managed to retain its traditional charm. After checking into the ryokan, the evening is free to enjoy one of the many nearby Hida Beef restaurants. (Hida Beef is the same thing as the more famous Kobe Beef.) Breakfast at the ryokan is included.

(Travel: 5 Hours)

Day 7: Takayama

Start the morning at the farmer's market strolling past the vegetable stands and stalls selling herbs, pickles, and souvenirs, sampling the numerous options as you go. Or visit the Takayama Jinya, the governing office of this area since the 17th century. In the afternoon, the choices for what to do are abundant. You can roam and explore Takayama, visit the many temples, shrines and museums, rummage through antique shops, or relax at one of sake breweries. A Kaiseki-style dinner will be served at the ryokan in the evening. Breakfast and Kaiseki-stlye dinner at the ryokan are included.

Day 8: Koya-san

We will travel to Koya-san with overnight bags only. The luggage is delivered to our ryokan in Osaka where we will be staying tomorrow night. We board an express train and Shinkansen bound for Osaka, and continue on to Koya-san by train and funicular. Koya-san is the world headquarters of the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism. Kobo Daishi, considered by many to be the most influential religious person in Japanese history, established a religious community here in the year 816. After checking into our shukubo (Buddhist temple lodging), you are free to roam and visit one of the 110 temples in the area, wander through the nearby ghostly cemetery at the famous Okuno-in temple, or just rest in the garden at the shukubo. Your dinner of shojin-ryori (traditional Buddhist vegetarian cuisine - no meat, fish, onions or garlic) will be served. Breakfast at the ryokan and shojin-ryori dinner at the temple are included.

(Travel: 8 Hours)

Day 9: Koya-san/Osaka

Very early in the morning, we attend o-inori (Buddhist prayer services). After the prayer service, a shojin-ryori breakfast is served. Following breakfast you can tour the Garan and Kongobu-ji Temples. Or wander through the huge cemetery leading up to the Okuno-in temple. Kobo Daishi is buried at this temple, and many Japanese still believe that Kobo Daishi is not dead, but merely in a very advanced state of meditation, waiting to awaken at the appropriate time. We agree on a time to meet at the Koya-san train station, and then travel back to Osaka by funicular and train. After picking up our luggage and checking into our ryokan, the evening is free to visit the Dotombori-dori, the nearby nightlife and restaurant district. While there, you can visit the Ebisu-bashi bridge which will make you feel like you stepped into the movie "Blade Runner." Shojin-ryori breakfast at the temple is included.

(Travel: 3 Hours)

Day 10: Osaka/Miyajima Island

We continue on to Miyajima Island with an overnight bag only. The rest of the luggage will be delivered to our ryokan in Kyoto. Before continuing to Miyajima Island, we will be spending the morning in Osaka. In the early afternoon, we will Continue on to Hiroshima by Shinkansen, board a ferry for Miyajima Island, and check into our ryokan. Miyajima Island is said by the Japanese to be one of the top three scenic sights in Japan. The evening is free to enjoy the solitude and ambiance of the island after all of the day-trippers head back to the mainland. Breakfast on the Shinkansen and a kaiseki dinner at the ryokan are included.

(Travel: 3 Hours)

Day 11: Miyajima Island

The entire day is free to enjoy the plentiful beauty and ambiance of Miyajima Island. You can ride the cable car to the top of the mountain on Miyajima Island, or visit the Itsukushima-jinja shrine, which was built in its present form in 1168, or just take in the beauty and ambiance of Miyajima Island while enjoying grilled oysters, the island's specialty. Breakfast and kaiseki dinner at the ryokan are included.

Day 12: Hiroshima/Kyoto

We will take the ferry back to Hiroshima, where you can tour the Peace Memorial Museum and the Peace Memorial Park, both sobering testaments to the dropping of the A-bomb on August 6, 1945. Afterwards, we go on to Kyoto via the Shinkansen. Once we are in Kyoto, we pick up our luggage and check into our ryokan, where we stay for the remainder of the tour. Breakfast at the ryokan is included.

(Travel: 3 Hours)

Day 13: Kyoto

The day is free. Breakfast at the ryokan is included.

Day 14: Kyoto

The day is free. Breakfast at the ryokan is included.

Day 15: Kyoto

The day is free. The Sayonara dinner is in the evening. Breakfast at the ryokan and dinner at a local Japanese restaurant is included.

Day 16: Home

It's time to say "sayonara" (goodbye). You will be escorted from the ryokan to the Kyoto train station,. From there, you will take the express train on your own to the Kansai International Airport, just outside Osaka, or return to Narita Airport by Shinkansen and Narita express train on your own for your flight back home. (If you are flying out of Narita Airport, be sure to schedule a flight in the late-afternoon or evening.) Breakfast at the ryokan is included.

(Travel: 2-4 Hours)