Artists and performers spend months preparing magnificent displays of movement and colour which capture their diligent spirit and fill the streets with fun. Audience participation is encouraged, and you can even hire festival costumes to become part of the action. This itinerary offers a special opportunity to discover that life is continuing in full flow north of Tokyo.
The experience begins with a transfer to your hotel, close to bustling Senso-ji temple and market in the Asakusa area of the capital. During your three night stay, explore the many distinctive areas of this futuristic city with shrines and temples tucked away between outstanding examples of modern architecture. Your PASMO card covers the whole metropolitan train and subway system, a wonder of efficiency in itself and completely air-conditioned so you can keep cool in the crowds and the summer heat.
Akita is over 600 km north of Tokyo but the sleek and comfortable bullet train takes just four hours. The Kanto festival kicks off with crowds thronging to hear booming taiko drum performances and watch performers balance bamboo kanto laden with lanterns. The atmosphere heightens as extra poles are added and lanterns are lit at nightfall, with the crowd chanting 'dokkoisho' to egg on the fun-filled competition. You may even get to try your hand at balancing one yourself!
The brand new bullet train line extension then speeds you on to Aomori at the northern tip of Tohoku, where the Nebuta festival is already in full swing. Fearsome but cartoonish characters, meticulously constructed from wire and Japanese washi paper, tower above the crowd as they are paraded through the streets on floats. You can rent a traditional costume, merge with the revellers and dance along to the distinctive sound of Japanese drums and flutes. The festival really takes off when the floats are lit from inside at nightfall.
Your back-to-back festival experience culminates with a Japanese-style two night stay in Sendai for the Tanabata matsuri. The whole city community chips in to make thousands of giant brightly-coloured streamers which are hung throughout the two longest shopping arcades, so you walk through a forest of colour while looking out for some of the origami creations unique to this festival.
Catch your breath and perhaps a few more sights back in Tokyo on the last night of the trip, and over dinner you can recollect your special experiences in the Tohoku region.
Note: This package is designed to start in Tokyo on 30th July, 31st July or 1st August in order to catch all three festivals
Prices:
2012
Standard:
Twin: £1254 Single: £1428
Upgrade:
Twin: £1597 Single: £2371
Click for full details of pricing including extra nights
- 10 nights’ accommodation
- Breakfast every day
- One Japanese-style evening meal
- Meet & Greet on arrival
- All transfers between destinations including door-to-door arrival airport transfer
- 4-day JR East flexi-pass for use in the Tohoku region
- Tokyo ‘PASMO’ transport pass with ¥2,500 credit
- InsideJapan Tours complimentary Info-Pack
- International flights
- Local transport unless otherwise specified
- Entrance fees for shrines, temples, museums and other attractions
- Baggage handling
- Festival costume hire
Please note that these festivals are extremely popular and accommodation is subject to availability. If the accommodation shown is unavailable at point of booking, we will arrange the most convenient possible alternative.
An evening meal is included at the accommodation in Sendai on Saturday 6th August.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1 Tokyo
Arrive Narita Airport and transfer to your hotel
Your adventure starts smoothly as you are met on arrival and handed your Tokyo transport passes which you can use for the transfer into the city. You will also be given a taxi voucher for the last few minutes from the train terminus in Tokyo to your hotel in the Asakusa area.
There are hundreds of atmospheric little restaurants and few corporate buildings in this old entertainment district or shitamachi. At its heart is Senso-ji temple – the oldest in Tokyo – with distinctive ceiling art and gardens to be discovered once you’ve browsed the traditional (and occasionally tacky!) wares of the bustling market in front.
These glimpses of pre-modern Japan contrast with the record-breaking Sky Tree tower just across Sumida river, completed in 2011. Asakusa is a great place to begin your adventure in this land of fascinating contrasts.
Day 2 Tokyo
Day exploring Tokyo
Use your transport passes to go deeper into the metropolis on the incredibly clean and efficient Tokyo transport system. Like all great cities, Tokyo has many distinctive areas to discover, from Akihabara – also known as ‘electric city’ - to sublime Shinjuku Gyoen with its English, French and Japanese style gardens nestled together beside the city’s skyscraper district. The Sky Tree viewing station isn’t open yet, but try the Shinjuku Metropolitan Government Buildings or Roppongi Hills Tower for incredible 360 degree views which are even more amazing at night.
Day 3 Tokyo
Excursion day or more Tokyo time
You can carry on exploring by train and subway today, or perhaps start with a cruise down Sumida river for a stroll in Hamarikyu gardens.
You can use your transport passes over a massive area, so top up if necessary (following instructions in your Info-Pack) and take a day trip. The temple-filled old capitals of Kamakura and Nikko are two favourites, easily accessible but a world away from the neon-drenched city.
Day 4 Akita
Head North on the 'Bullet' Train
Activate your JR East pass today, which gives you the flexibility to take any bullet train deep into the northern Tohoku region. Twelve hundred years ago, Akita was the stronghold of the Satake clan, and evidence of feudal Japan can be found around the clan’s castle, pagoda and temple sites. The castle itself was destroyed long ago and a reconstructed turret now marks its place. For something modern, go to the Hirano Masakichi museum of fine art with its Picassos and Van Goghs. Of course, if none of this grabs you, then you can spend more time in Tokyo today and catch a late afternoon bullet train.
Day 5 Akita
Festival Fun! - Kanto Matsuri (3-6 Aug)
The festival fun begins with dance performances, booming taiko drums and high-pitched Japanese flutes to stir up the crowd. By the afternoon the kanto demonstrations begin, with street performers balancing bamboo poles with Japanese lanterns hanging from crossbeams.
The festival atmosphere is really charged by nightfall, when the performers have added more bamboo canes and lanterns in a bid to outdo each other for sheer dexterity. Eat yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and other festival food while drinking in the spectacle of towering lanterns, and even take part as the performers get people in the crowd to try their luck at balancing kanto. Don’t expect to get an early night tonight!
Day 6 Aomori
Nebuta Matsuri (2-7 Aug)
Take the brand-new 'Bullet' train extension on to the next festival, where you’ll arrive into a party atmosphere with crowds gathering for the night-time parade. Giant fearsome faces, made from wire and Japanese paper, are drawn partly from a feudal legend of how the local clan scared off their warring neighbours. When lit from the inside after sundown you can believe it.
The two dozen massive creations take months to make and are pulled through the streets by hand, with the competition between the local teams serving to heighten atmosphere. Be sure to catch the floats which are set out on the water to symbolically dispel evil spirits.
Day 7 Aomori
Day 2 at Nebuta Matsuri
You have the chance to check out the floats up close today, as they are stabled at a spot along the waterfront. The revelling will be picking up pace by this evening with the crowd participating as dancers or haneto. They follow behind the night-time parade in traditional costumes, which you can hire locally if you like.
The combination of these spectacular creations with booming taiko drums is truly mesmerizing and you may need to put sleeping to one side for another night!
Day 8 Sendai
Festival No.3! - Tanabata Matsuri (6-8 Aug)
You might want to squeeze in a nap on the Shinkansen from Aomori back south to Sendai, which was directly hit by the tsunami of March 11th but has now recovered. The Tanabata festival is going ahead, and it will be a powerful testament to Japanese fortitude and optimism. Thousands of giant streamers are hung from bamboo canes in the shopping arcades, filling the city with colour and pointing to a brighter future for the city. Expect the atmosphere to be just as upbeat and vibrant as the other festivals, with the whole city community contributing banners as well as origami creations.
Be sure to be at your accommodation by early evening, as a sumptuous Japanese meal will be served.
Day 9 Sendai
Full day in Sendai
Immerse yourself in the festival atmosphere again today, take a day trip to the nearby temple complex of Yamadera or head to Matsushima bay for a scenic boat ride. You have one more night at your traditional Japanese accommodation, so you may like to spend it relaxing in the hot spring baths and taking it easy in your traditional evening gown.
Day 10 Tokyo
Return to Tokyo
The 'Bullet' train takes you back to the big city today for one last opportunity to catch any sights you missed at the start of your stay. As you will have discovered, the city is very safe and it’s great fun to go exploring and find tiny restaurants tucked away down narrow side streets. Even if you’re flagging a bit after the festivals, the vibrancy of this urban playground is infectious!
Day 11 Depart
Time to head home
Sadly it’s time to head home. Take the Skyliner train to transfer to the airport, taking in some last views of the futuristic city on the way.
Photos
No photos currently available.
Pricing Information
| 2012 | |||
| Standard Price: | £1254 (Single Price: £1428) | ||
| Upgrade Price: | £1597 (Single Price: £2371) | ||
Extra Nights: |
|||
Standard Grade |
|||
| Start: Twin Share pp £65
Single pp £65
End: Twin Share pp £65 Single pp £65 |
|||
Superior Grade |
|||
| Start: Twin Share pp £90
Single pp £110
End: Twin Share pp £90 Single pp £110 |
|||
Accommodation
Asakusa Blue Wave Inn
Tokyo
Moderate Hotel
Richmond Hotel Akita
Akita
Business Hotel
Aomori Washington Hotel
Aomori
Business Hotel
Ryokan Tenryu-Kaku
Sendai
Standard Ryokan (JP)
E-mail to a Friend
Order a
-2010.jpg "The Guardian, The Observer - Travel Awards 2010 Winner - Best tour operator (small)")
.jpg "Inside Japan Tours - Silver at the British Travel Awards 2009")
