Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1 Tokyo

Meals: Dinner Your tour leader will greet you at the airport and together you will take the comfortable airport limousine bus to the sublime Mandarin Oriental hotel. Opened in December 2005 this is a supremely elegant hotel blessed with all encompassing views and sumptuous, large rooms. Each is awash with modern technology and touched with uniquely Japanese interior designs, ensuring a most relaxing, comfortable stay. The staff are highly attentive and the intimate and luxurious spa renowned.

Dinner tonight will be included at a Michelin starred restaurant near the hotel allowing you your first chance to experience the delight that is dining in Tokyo!

Day 2 Tokyo

Meals: Breakfast We have a sumptuous breakfast included at our hotel this morning and every morning of the tour; after eating your fill the tour leader along with an expert local guide will be leading a full day tour of Tokyo. You will discover today a breathtaking city that arrests and amazes you at every turn as we visit first the beautiful gardens at Hamarikyu, a place of quiet contemplation surrounded by the gleaming skyscrapers of Shiodome. A relaxing ride on the Sumida River brings us to Asakusa, home to Sensoji temple (Tokyo's oldest and most venerated). Tonight is left free for you to explore or join the tour leader for dinner if you wish.

Day 3 Tokyo

Meals: Breakfast This morning we first head out to Yoyogi Park, an oasis of green among the neon and concrete jungle. A gentle stroll through the wooded paths brings you to the lovely Meiji Shrine. If you are lucky you may get to see a traditional Japanese wedding taking place! From here we will travel a short distance to Harajuku, a haven for the crazy and kitsch fashions for which Japanese youth is famous. From here we will meander to Omotesando, and area of glitzy shops, chic cafes and wonderful modern architecture such at the mindboggling Prada building. We finish up today in Shinjuku, taking a bird's eye view of the metropolis from atop the government buildings.

Day 4 Tokyo

Meals: Breakfast Today you have the option to rise early and visit one of the most remarkable places in the city; Tsukiji market. Soak up the frenetic energy as giant tuna are auctioned off at unbelievable prices, to be dished up later throughout the land. Your reward for the 430am start will be a breakfast of the best, freshest sushi you will ever have! After returning for a further breakfast stop at the hotel We have then arranged today for a traditional Japanese cookery course with an expert local chef - a chance to see some top class cooking and learn a few tips of the trade. This afternoon is free time to further explore Tokyo.

Day 5 Kanazawa

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner We leave Tokyo on the iconic ‘Bullet Train’, effortlessly gliding at a remarkable speed through a changing landscape of suburbia, rice fields and mountains. Train travel in Japan is like no other, and you will be amazed and not a little jealous of the timeliness and cleanliness of the train, as well as the politeness of the staff! Amid the mountains of Echigo Yuzawa we change to a limited express train for another 2.5 hours, allowing us to take in more of the glorious scenery flashing by.

This brings us to Kanazawa, a city with a charming sense of past and culture, having escaped much of the mass industrialisation found elsewhere. This afternoon we enjoy a tour of a pottery workshop and join a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, both of which the city is famous for.

For the next two nights we will have the quintessential Japanese experience; a stay in a Japanese ryokan (inn). Kayotei is a luxury inn located in the small hot springs village of Yamanaka, about an hour from Kanazawa. The inn is surrounded by majestic trees and lovingly nurtured gardens encircled by thickly forested hills. A stroll through Kayotei is one of discovery, with original painted screens, fine works of pottery, and antique tansu that adorn the hallways and spaces of the inn. Kayotei's ten suite rooms are arranged in the traditional Sukiya style of a tea ceremony pavilion. Meals feature the finest local ingredients and exquisitely prepared by the ryokan's chef. A stay here will truly be one to remember.

Day 6 Kanazawa

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner A full day beckons with much to explore! With an expert local guide we will visit Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s 3 top gardens, a place of refinery and contemplation. We will also investigate the beguiling Ninja Temple, complete with hidden corridors and secret rooms, the beautifully preserved Nagamachi samurai district and historic Chaya geisha area. Another sumptuous dinner will be served at the ryokan.

Day 7 Kyoto

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner By private vehicle we will meander down to the plains, allowing for many opportunities to glimpse the colourful and varied faces of rural Japan. The destination today is Kyoto, the cultural living, beating heart of the nation, awash with World Heritage Sites and top class food, all accentuated by a glorious mountain backdrop.

En-route to Kyoto we will stop of at the small town of Takefu for a soba (noodle) making experience - and of course lunch! We will also visit a paper making workshop here as well as a Knife centre. Japan is of course famous for its skilled knife-smiths and here we will be able to see them at work as well as have a hands-on experience ourselves.

Arrival in Kyoto will see us check into our hotel for the next 4 nights which is the Kyoto Granvia, well located adjacent to the amazingly futuristic train station. This is a top class hotel, with an understated style that oozes class and sophistication.

Famous for its association with Geisha and Maiko we will take an informative tour of the Kyoto geisha districts this evening before enjoying the most exclusive of events: a private dinner with Maiko and Geisha entertainment. At an old restaurant in Gion we will be entertained for about 90 minutes as well as having plenty of time to ask questions and enjoy some classic Maiko games!

Day 8 Kyoto

Meals: Breakfast Kyoto has endless shrines, temples, gardens and museums to explore and today we spend a full day absorbing these cultural delights. Highlights will include the Golden Pavilion and Ryoanji temples as well as some less visited sights. A professional local guide will be accompanying us today and tomorrow.

Day 9 Kyoto

Meals: Breakfast A further full day in Kyoto to continue our exploration of the Japanese cultural capital. Your guide and tour leader will be leading a full day course to include the Path of Philosophy and Kiyomizu dera temple.

Day 10 Kyoto

Meals: Breakfast This morning and early afternoon we will visit a sake museum and brewery to learn a little of the art of Japan's famous rice wine. The rest of the day will be at leisure to enjoy the shops, streets and ambiance of one of Japan’s greatest cities.

Day 11 Tokyo

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner The Shinkansen (Bullet Train) beckons again and sinking into our first class ‘green car’ seats we will enjoy a variety of vistas switching from the land out to the sea. As we make our way back towards Tokyo be sure to look out of the left hand side windows when passing through Shizuoka prefecture as the elusive Mount Fuji may put in an appearance! In Tokyo we will have once last night at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental, a haven from which to gaze out over the city as the sun goes down and savour the ten days gone by.

Tonight’s farewell meal will be at an exclusive Tokyo eatery - Nihonbashi Yukari. Head Chef Kimio Nonaga was the winner of the prestigious 2002 Iron Chef competition and is one of the rising star of Tokyo's restaurant scene. This third generation kaiseki restaurant caters to the Imperial Palace and is a fabulous location for our final night of eating and drinking in Japan.

Day 12 Depart

Meals: Breakfast Today the adventure is over but the memories will live on! Those of our guests who will return home today will head to the airport by airport limousine bus whilst others of you may be continuing on with a private adventure. We will be delighted to organise extension stays anywhere in Japan so please ask if you wish to stay a little longer and get to know this fascinating destination a little more. Whatever you decide, we are sure this will have been a true holiday of a lifetime.