Rising Sun Odyssey: Exploring Japan's Timeless Charms 🎋 Tokyo🗼Fuji 🗻 Kyoto 🎎 Nara 🦌 Osaka 🏯 Hiroshima

Day 1: Arrive in Japan, be aware you won't be able to check in until 14:00 at least. In the evening hours, we will go out for dinner together in the heart of Tokyo and get to know one another. Should you arrive a day earlier or earlier on the day itself, feel free to explore on your own or should a portion of our group already be in Japan, let's meet earlier and explore together. Suggestions to explore: Shinjuku; vibrant district within Tokyo known for having the largest and busiest train station, Meiji Shrine: tranquil shrine in the middle of Tokyo, explore the local surrounding area or take a visit to Takeshita Dori. You'll find quirky shops with all kinds of goodies to add to your souvenir list. Today's costs are at your own expense. Day 2: Day Trip to the most infamous mountains of them all: Mount Fuji! We'll wake up early to be able to take the Fuji Excursion train from Shinjuku Station to Kawaguchiko Station at 8.30 - the trip will take around 1h and 50 minutes and from there on out we'll explore the area and take the most insta-worthy pictures with Mount Fuji in the background. I know a few 'secret' photo locations that should give the best Fuji views. We'll have lunch there and depending on how much we can do there, when we're done exploring we'll take the Fuji train back to Tokyo. Depending on the time we'll get back (should not be any later than 8PM) We'll explore the nightlife of Tokyo! Day 3: As the third day of our trip arrives, we'll stay in Tokyo and explore the central area of Tokyo, with first on the list a visit to the Imperial Palace. Did you know that Tokyo wasn't always the capital of Japan? This only happened after the Emperor moved to Tokyo in 1868! Afterward while heading towards the infamous Tokyo Tower we'll stop at Zōjō-ji Temple, it's a beautiful temple where you can see the Tokyo Tower from and snap some pictures. Should we wish to, we can enter the Tokyo Tower and view the skyline - recommended doing this later at night when everything lights up - there are some amazing photo ops nearby the Tower which will result in great pictures! Afterward, we'll continue strolling towards the area of Roppongi, which is home to many art galleries and museums. The 'Roppongi Art Triangle' is famous for its three museums; Mori Art Museum, the National Art Gallery and the Suntory Museum of Art. As not everyone may be a fan of art (including myself), I have not included entrées to these museums. Towards the evening we'll stroll back to our hotel, take part in the many arcades everywhere and end the evening by visiting Omoide Yokocho, an alleyway featuring a selection of food stalls for simple fare & alcoholic drinks. Day 4: Today we will be embarking on another day trip to a place named Hakone, famous for its many natural occurring springs where we can take a soak in one of the many day trip Onsens (we'll decide this in Hakone itself as they're unfortunately strict on larger tattoos and only smaller tattoos are allowed in the public baths), glorious views of Mount Fuji in the background over Lake Ashinoko. We'll be leaving early in the morning again to Shinjuku station where I'll get us the Hakone Free Pass which allows us to travel at discounted and even free rate throughout the whole of Hakone. It's a true, tranquil hikers' paradise. We'll visit the famous Hakone Shrine which is a floating torii gate on Lake Ashi for the most stunning photo-op. Afterward, we'll sail Lake Ashi aboard one of its pirate ships - yes, a pirate ship! Isn't that cool?! The trip will take around 30ish minutes where we'll arrive at Togendai Port and go from the Ropeway Station until we reach Owakudani Station with hopefully glorious views of Lake Ashi and Mount Fuji. Once we arrive at Owakudani we'll immediatley see why this is called the Great Boiling Valley. When Mount Hakone erupted around 3000 years ago, this volcanic wasteland was left behind. The sulphurous fumes and steaming pools make for a pretty unique experience in all senses! And we can't leave Owakudani without trying the infamous Black Egg! The eggs are boiled in the natural hot springs here and the minerals in the water turn the shell black - but don't worry it's not actually black and will taste like a normal egg but according to local lore, eating one will add seven years to your lifespan! From here on out, we'll head to the Hakone Open Air museum via Tozan Cablecar. That's the end of our trip to Hakone, and we'll return to Tokyo - time and further activities/freetime unknown. Day 5: On our fifth day in Tokyo we'll be exploring the area of Asakusa, Ueno and Akihabara. Quite the contrast from going to the more traditional Tokyo (Asakusa) to what they literally call 'Electric Town'. But nonetheless extremely fun. We're starting the day by exploring the Senso-ji temple, which is the oldest temple in Tokyo, dating back to the year 645. Don't forget to get one of the many temple stamps done here! You can also decide to try o-mikuji, this is a Japanese form of fortune-telling and only costs 100 yen where you shake the wooden box until a stick falls out which correspondents to a fortune from 'very fortunate' to 'a great curse' - fun right?! Just outside the temple you'll find Nakamise Street, a 200m long street filled with souvenirs and snacks. After this we're going to hunt for the famous Japanese cherry blossoms in Ueno Park followed by a delicious lunch in Ueno Ameyoko, this lively open-air market is perfect for some shopping and a quick lunch. After lunch, we're then finally going to visit the famous Akihabara area of Tokyo, known for its anime and video games. Its streets are filled with stores selling retro and vintage items, from video games to anime figures. Exploring here is a must! This is also the day when we'll be dressing up in crazy onesies as Nintendo characters and racing through Tokyo in the famous Karts! Day 6: You can't leave Japan without going more northern, on day six we'll be traveling to Nikko. We'll be getting up early again to take the train to Nikko as the place is quite far away, and we want to make the most of the day by getting there early enough. The trip is between 2–3 hours. For this trip we'll also be getting a special pass called the Nikko World Heritage Area Pass which offers a return ticket, public transport and discounts within Nikko. We'll be doing loads of walking again today, visiting the Shinkyo bridge, this nearly 400-year-old bridge is the gateway to the majority of the shrines and temples that Nikko is famous for. From here on out we'll explore the multiple temples, get our temple stamps in temples such as Rinnoji and Toshogu temple. And something quirky that will make you feel crazy is visiting and then counting the 74 statues wearing red crocheted hats and bibs in Kanmangafuchi Abyss, local legend says that anytime you count these, the numbers keep changing(!!). Depending on time, we'll return to Tokyo and continue with some free time again before ending our last evening in Tokyo. DISCLAIMER: We'll probably be switching a bunch of days around as the day trips are all weather-bound, we of course wants a cloudless sky when visiting Mount Fuji and same goes for other weather-bound activities. This will be talked through with the whole group at destination.

After spending six wonderful days in and around Tokyo, it is time to head to the historical hub of Kyoto. Kyoto is known to be the cultural capital of Japan, filled with shrines, temples and old Geisha districts. Day 7: Today as usual we'll be leaving early towards our next destination, Kyoto. The train ride will be around 2h so we'll be able to catch some shut-eye in between while enjoying the amazing views from the windows and hopefully views of Fuji! We'll be staying in our own private Ryokan in Kyoto in the city centre, everything nearby will be completely walkable. On our first day in Kyoto, we'll be first fitting into our kimono's! This is a must do for Kyoto. After we will be taking a small hike while visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha to the top of the mountain to get the best possible views and of course pictures. The Fushimi Inari Taisha is a world-famous shrine known for its thousands of torii gates. After the hike we'll make our way over to Arashiyama and visit the monkeys of Iwatayama where we can even feed the monkeys, followed by a stroll through the kimono gardens and continuing onto the famous Bamboo Forest before ending up at the Okochi Sanso Garden where we can enjoy the serene gardens with some sweets and the famous matcha's. If we're up for it, we can continue onto a secret spot, a temple hidden away in the forests with its own cherry blossoms and not to mention its very own bamboo forest which will be much quieter than the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. After visiting this part of Kyoto we'll head back to the center of Kyoto and take a walk over the Nishiki Market most known for its hundreds of tiny stalls featuring all sorts of street foods, perfect for a late lunch! After we can stroll through Kyoto and visit the diverse spread out temples and parks. Depending on the time we can partake in a tea ceremony with a Maiko. Day 8: On day 8 we will be visiting Himeji, its pride and joy is Himeji Castle: The history of Himeji Castle dates back to the year 1333 when Akamatsu Norimura, a samurai of the Akamatsu clan, built a fortress on top of a hill. In 1346, his son Akamatsu Sadanori demolished the fort and erected Himeyama Castle in its place. Himeji Castle was completed in the early Edo Period (1603–1868) and is known for its outstanding sturdiness. The area of Himeji Castle is big so we'll spend an average of 2h here before moving onto the Himeyama Park. On the way, there are a few little shrines such as Himeji-jinja, a little pond and the castle moat with plenty of koi carp to see. After exploring Himeyama Park and enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms, we'll make our way to Kōko-en Garden. Kōko-en opened in 1992 and features nine different Japanese-style gardens that are connected through gates, water streams and small ponds. Inside the garden, there’s also a tea house called Soju-an. Here, you can enjoy the garden scenery while savoring a cup of green tea and traditional Japanese sweets. After visiting Himeji we'll return to Kyoto and then there's some free time. Day 9: On day 9 we'll leave our luggage either at our accommodation to pick-up later or put it in a locker at Kyoto station because we'll be exploring more of Kyoto this day before going to Osaka. These two places are only 30 mins by train, so no need to rush that way. There is no real planning today, as it all depends on how much we got done the previous two days in Kyoto.

Day 9: We'll arrive in Osaka at around 3PM, we'll drop off our luggage and explore downtown Osaka. In the Minami District, you can find Dotonbori. This is the heart of Osaka’s nightlife. Neon signs, music and the smell of freshly cooked street food – Dotonbori is where it’s at. Near Dotonbori, you can also find the Glico Man sign. Here you'll find all kinds of amazing restaurants where we'll have a bite to eat before heading to the Osaka Shochikuza Theatre to watch a traditional Japanese theater play, this will take around 1h30min. After the play we'll make our way to Shinsekai where we'll grab dinner and where you can see the Tsutenkaku Tower which was modeled after the Eiffel Tower. This concludes our first day in Osaka. Day 10: Today we'll be making our way to Nara but in style! We'll be taking the Limited Express Train from Osaka to Nara for the most optimal viewing experience. Nara is the most famous known for the 'bowing deer', they live completely free there, and the tourists can buy some food and give it to the deer, and then you'll receive a bow as a “Thank You”. Isn't that cute?! Once we arrive in Nara we'll first explore Kofuku-ji Temple, it's one of the eight UNESCO world heritage sites that can be found in Nara. Visiting the temple grounds of Kofuku-ji is free. You do have to pay a few hundred yen for entering some of the buildings, including the Central Golden Hall, the Eastern Golden Hall and the National Treasure Museum. The original Central Golden Hall at Kofuku-ji Temple was destroyed in a fire almost 300 years ago. It has been reconstructed to its original size and opened to the public in October 2018. Inside, you can find the Yakushi Buddha. Next on our Nara day trip itinerary is Isuien Garden. It’s not far from the Kofuku-ji temple grounds. Translated into English, the garden’s name means “garden founded on water”. This garden is a perfect example of what I imagined Japanese Zen Gardens to look like. Next on our list of Nara is Todai-ji Temple is one of Nara’s most famous buildings. Also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Todai-ji is the world’s largest wooden structure. It houses the world’s largest Daibutsu-san, or Bronze Buddha Statue, in the Great Buddha Hall. The temple was established in 752. By the time we’ll get to Nara Deer Park, we’ve probably already have encountered some deer! Over 1,200 sika deer roam around the park freely. They are wild animals but have grown accustomed to the visitors. After wandering around, feeding the deers and petting them we'll move onto the next temple: Kasuga-Taisha. Kasuga-Taisha, it's famous for its 3,000 stone lanterns lining up the path towards the entrance. They are also known as “toro”. This shrine is another one of eight Nara UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It was built in 768 and has been rebuilt every 20 years until 1863. This was done because of the Shinto concept of purity. Towards the end of our day trip we'll do a little shopping along Higashimuki Shopping Street and Mochiidone Shopping Arcade. Products you can expect to find include kimonos, ceramics, traditional Japanese sweets and handkerchiefs made from traditional Nara fabric. Most attractions close early in Nara so we'll be going there early but also leaving early which leaves a bunch of free time in the evening for us in Osaka! We'll conclude the day with a dinner before heading to bed as the next day we'll be traveling to our next destination: Hiroshima.

Day 11: Today we'll be making our way to Hiroshima, it is quite a trip of around 2h so we'll be leaving early again to make most of our day. Hiroshima, of course, is mostly known by people through the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. Luckily, it has rebuilt itself to be a bustling city – one that welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. After dropping of our luggage we'll be visiting the Peace Memorial first. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum rests in the heart of the city, inviting guests from all around the world to remember the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Everything is very near one another so we'll be moving from one to another, followed by visiting the "Genbaku Dome". Formerly known as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, the “Genbaku Dome” or the Atomic Bomb Dome has become a symbol of hope and a reminder of the destructive capabilities of nuclear weapons. Constructed in 1915 by Czech architect Jan Letzel, the Atomic Bomb Dome was a sight to behold decades before it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. We'll be continueing onto The Hiroshima Orizuru Tower, which is directly behind the Atomic Bomb Dome, stands near the bomb’s hypocenter. “Orizuru“, which stands for “folded crane“, is a famous symbol of peace. From several vantage points on the rooftop and twelfth floor, you can enjoy spectacular aerial views of the Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome, and Hiroshima City’s skyline. There is also a slide which guests can take all the way back down to the first floor, a rooftop cafe, and a place to fold your own peace crane. The gift shop on the first floor is an excellent place to grab some “omiyage” or souvenirs. A day trip to Hiroshima would not be complete without visiting Hiroshima Castle. This beautiful building plays another big part in Hiroshima’s long history. Also known as the Carp Castle, Hiroshima Castle was once home to a feudal lord. It was designated a National Treasure in 1931 and the main tower was rebuilt in 1958 after the original castle was toppled by the a-bomb and subsequently destroyed. Almost next to it we'll find the next temple: Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine, it's a Shinto shrine founded in the Meiji era. It was rebuilt after it was destroyed by the atomic bomb and relocated to its present location. From Hiroshima Castle, it takes less than five minutes to walk to Gokoku Shrine. It’s said that the number of casualties of Japan’s greatest wars stretches well into the thousands, many of whose souls are enshrined at Gokoku Shrine. Victims of the a-bombing are also enshrined here. We'll end our first day in Hiroshima by going to the Hondōri Shopping Street. It's the liveliest place in all of Hiroshima and definitely worth a visit. Easily recognizable by its covered archway, this busy shopping district is made up of a menagerie of Western-style eateries, vintage clothing shops, and luxury boutiques. The further down Hondōri Street you go, the more recognizable the name brands become. And we can't end our evening unless we visit Fumi-Chan’s Okonomiyaki Restaurant. When it comes to culinary delicacies, Hiroshima is famous for two things: oysters and okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a savoury dish that is reminiscent of a “veggie pancake“, consisting of batter, a variety of toppings, and different kinds of protein (there are also vegetarian options available). This concludes our first day in Hiroshima. Day 12: Today we'll be exploring our last day trip of our whole trip, visiting the wonderful island of Miyajima. We'll be taking the train to Miyajimaguchi Station and from there on out we'll take the ferry to the island. Miyajima is overall very mountainous. All the well-known sightseeing spots and shops are located in the upper half of the island, fairly close to the pier. But still, be prepared for a lot of walking throughout the day! Once we arrive in Miyajima, we'll walk along the shore to reach the area surrounding Itsukushima Shrine. This should take around 10–15 minutes. Soon, we'll be able to make out the shape of the shrine’s famous vermilion gate in front of us, and dozens of deer. Just like Nara, Miyajima is well-known for its gentle-eyed furry residents. It even goes by the nickname “deer island”. Don’t let them trick you with their charming attempts to steal food from your bags though. They can be pretty cunning if they want to! Before entering Itsukushima Shrine, we'll take a quick walk up the small hill that will lead us to the Five-Storied Pagoda of Miyajima, and Senjōkaku Pavilion. Senjō (千畳) translates as “one-thousand tatami mats”, which is a common unit for measuring the size of a room in Japan. Senjōkaku Pavilion was originally commissioned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1587 and has never been fully completed after his death. After visiting the shrine we'll finally visit what Miyajima is most famous for: Itsukushima Shrine (or Itsukushima-jinja), it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The shrine itself was reportedly built in 593 during the reign of Empress Suiko. Famous for its red torii gate, it steadily became one of the most beloved places in Japan over the last decades. After this we'll go and Admire The Grand Torii Gate! The current Grand Torii Gate was built in 1875. Between 2019 and 2022, it underwent extensive restoration and can now be unrestrictedly admired by us. This huge Torii Gate can be admired at two different times, during low and high tide. It will both offer spectacular views, so if we're lucky we'll be able to see both. After this we're going on a little hike to get stunning 360° views of the area. We'll be hiking Mt. Misen but don't fret, it's not a long or strenuous hike. From Itsukushima Shrine, walk to the Miyajima Ropeway Momijidani Station. This should take around 10–15 minutes. There is a picturesque trail leading through Momijidani Park across the Momiji Bridge and the Momijidani Bridge. Reaching 535m above sea level, Mt. Misen is the highest peak on Miyajima. By ropeway, you first need to go all the way up to Shishiiwa Station, including a transfer at Kayadani Station. From there, follow the path up to Mt. Misen Observatory on foot. There are some places to stop by on the way, like the Eternal Flame of Reikado Hall. Some people may prefer to return after going to Shishiiwa Observatory, but for a 360° panoramic view of the Seto Inland Sea, climbing up to Mt. Misen Observatory is necessary. Once we’ve returned to Momijidani Station, we'll follow the path back through Momijidani Park to the liveliest area of Miyajima. On Miyajima Omotesandō Shopping Street, we’ll find shops selling all kinds of handicrafts, souvenirs, and street food. A perfect place to have a lovely break, but to also taste some of Miyajima’s local specialities. Before dusk, we'll head back to the Grand Torii Gate of Itsukushima Shrine. If we haven’t been able to see the area during high tide or vice versa, this is our chance to make up for that. At the right moment, the sun will peak through the four-pillar construction, dyeing the frothy waves or wet sand beneath the gate in the deepest orange. After sunset, the sky above the surrounding mountains will still be glowing in warm colours for a while. It’s the perfect place to end our Miyajima day trip. We'll slowly make our way back to the pier and then return to our accommodation in Hiroshima. From here on out, there is some more free time to do whatever we may want to do. A quiet and early night may be the best as we'll be leaving Hiroshima early again next morning.

Day 13–14: Today we will be leaving from Hiroshima and taking the train back to Tokyo. This will be a very long train ride of around 4h and 30 mins even with the Shinkansen. We'll be leaving early in the morning again so that we can get some shut-eye in the train and still have a full day in Tokyo after dropping our luggage at our hotel for 1 night. We'll start our day by exploring Shibuya in detail by visiting the Shibuya crossing, its little side streets and of course taking a famous walk over the crossing where at the same time 3000+ people will cross! As there's no other plans that day we can decide together what we may wish to do, I have these two suggestions: 1st suggestion: Should there be interest, and I'm able to get the tickets, we can go to the Ghibli Museum. Costs will be decided later on. 2nd suggestion: Join a Sumo Wrestler activity, there's a famous one in Tokyo where you can watch a sumo wrestler show together with some drinks and food prepared by old sumo wrestlers and should you dare, go into the ring yourself and have your try at Sumo! Once the group is full and booked, we can talk details and decide. From 5PM onwards Shibuya Nonbei Yokocho will open its doors which is a narrow, lantern-lit alleyways & drinking district lined with small izakaya pubs & restaurants. This is where we'll end our evening enjoying its food, a drink and say our final goodbye's before returning to our accommodation for the night. Day 14: Check-out in the morning is at your own time as some may need to leave very early or some people's flights will go later in the evening, you can store your luggage at the hotel or leave it in a locker for the remainder of the day. And that's a wrap, unfortunately!