Japan: The Rail of Japan’s Life
per person
In this itinerary, you will be visiting the carefully selected cities; Tokyo, Nikko, Hakone, Ise shima, and Kyoto.
Japan may look small on the world map but it takes a couple of hours to travel between these cities and it’s a waste to make this traveling time just a time to kill before you arrive at the next destination. The multiple attractive trains will surely give you a time of luxury, entertainment, and hospitality.
Japanese Railway is not just world-class in its technology but also in its accuracy of the time, rail track stability, sanitary quality, and the service of the staff.
Sit back and enjoy every minute of your travel. From the train window, witness the Japanese life and the transitioning of the landscapes from city to city.
Highlights
- Train ride on Nikko, SL Taiju, Romance Car, bullet train, Shimakaze, Randen Street Car and more
- Tokyo modern + traditional tour
- Meet the Ninja and Samurai at Edo Nikko Village
- Visit the heart of Shinto-ism, Ise Shrine
- Ride and walk the town of Kyoto full of World Heritage sites
7 Nights, 8 Days
- Destination
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Included
AccommodationsActivities as SpecifiedDomestic AirfareEnglish Speaking GuideGovernment taxesMeals as SpecifiedTransportation
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Not Included
International AirfareTips For Tour GuidesTravel InsuranceVisa Processing
From our gallery
1
ARRIVAL IN OSAKA
- After your long flight, your private tour guide will meet you with warm smiles to bring you to your accommodations. It will take about an hour from the airport to travel to your centrally-located downtown hotel.
- Welcome kit including Goshuin notebook and pilgrim's uniform when you check in at the hotel. Goshuin is proof of pilgrimage and Goshuin collected at all temples and shrines we visited will be remembered as a wonderful memory to look back on this trip.
2
KYOTO / TEMPLES & SHRINES VISIT
- Kyoto is the most famous destination for foreign tourists. We can feel a long history and a deep culture in Kyoto.
- After breakfast, we will drive about an hour to old-capital over 1000 years.
- In Kyoto, we will visit Golden Pavilion and Arashiyama in the western outskirts of Kyoto. It is especially popular during the cherry blossom and autumn seasons.
- In the afternoon, we will take a walk through the Higashiyama District, one of the best preserved historic districts. We can experience traditional old cities. In the Higashiyama District, you can see and buy local specialties such as Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, sweets, pickles, crafts and other souvenirs.
3
KURASHIKI / TAKAMATSU
- A morning transfer will bring you to the railway station for one and a half hour high speed trains to Okayama. You can enjoy riding the world-famous bullet train, ‘Shinkansen’.
- An afternoon visit to Kurashiki known for the characteristically Japanese white walls of its residences and the willow trees lining the banks of the Kurashiki River.
- After Kurashiki sightseeing, we will visit Konpirasan accessible by a long climb of 785 steps. Over many centuries, Kompirasan had been revered as a mixture between Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple. The former symbiosis is still visible in Kompirasan's architecture which displays both Shinto and Buddhist elements.
4
SHIKOKU PILGRIMAGE
- After breakfast, dress up in a pilgrim's uniform, byakue(white coat/vest) and sugegasa(straw hat) prepared for you to start the walking journey on the shikoku pilgrimage road. Shikoku pilgrimage consists of eighty-eight temples located forming a circular shape which is rare to find in the world. It is said that this pilgrimage was used as a training by the founder of the Shingon Buddhism, Kukai.
5
TAKAMATSU / WAKAYAMA
- A morning transfer will bring you to Tokushima port. And you will be transferred to Wakayama port by ferry, which takes two hours.
- After you arrive at Wakayama port, private transfer for Mt. Koya visiting will be waiting for you.
- An afternoon visit to Mt. Koya the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important Buddhist sect which was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), one of Japan's most significant religious figures. Shingon Buddhism believes that visiting Koya Mountain is the completion of the shikoku pilgrimage.
- Temple lodging with vegetarian monk's cuisine in Mt. Koya will be waiting for you tired after walking the pilgrimage route.
6
KUMANO / KODO PILGRIMAGE
- After we have a vegetarian monk’s breakfast at the temple, we will transfer to Kumano Hongu Heritage Center and Kumano Hongu Grand Shrine, it will be the starting point of the pilgrimage.
- We will start pilgrimage through Kogumotori-goe section of the Nakahechi route.
- The Nakahechi route is the main route that links the three Grand Shrines of Kumano-Kodo, it has a rich historical, cultural, and spiritual atmosphere. The trail has some gentle ups and downs in addition to some nice ridge-walking sections. The Hyakken-gura lookout offers scenic vistas of the sacred Kumano Mountains and is one of the highlights of Kogumotori-goe. This will take about 6 hours by walk.
- After we pass Kogumotori-goe section, we will visit Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine, our finishing point.
- In the evening let’s take a rest at the Japanese traditional accommodation with great scenery and hot springs in Nachi-Katsuura Town.
7
KISHU / KATSUURA / OSAKA
- After breakfast, you will be transferred to the train station to Osaka. You will take the Limited Express Kuroshio for about 3 and half hours. While taking the train, you can enjoy a nice escape of the ocean through the window.
- If you’re not tired after checking in, you can look around attractive locations nearby hotels such as Shinsekai and HARUKAS300 observatory on your own.
8
DEPARTURE
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Check-out and transfer to the airport for your departure flight.