Arrive Tokyo

Your private driver and guide will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. Settle in and recover from your flight.

City tour & cat cafe

Your guide will meet you at your hotel and accompany the family to Meiji Jingu, Tokyo’s most famous shrine. When you walk in the tranquil woodland that surrounds the shrine, it's easy to forget that you’re in one of the world’s largest cities! Take a stroll through Yoyogi Park, site of the Tokyo Olympic Village in 1964, pausing to admire Yoyogi National Gymnasium, a world-renowned architectural masterpiece. Nearby, visit Harajuku, the famous meeting place for teenagers in cosplay and eccentric outfits. Its cluster of lively boutiques and cafes are a shopping haven, and if you’re after easily carried souvenirs, it’s a great place to buy interesting socks that you definitely won’t find at home! Later, relax with some furry company at one of the famous cat cafés.

Explore independently, Robot Restaurant

Your day will be at leisure to explore Tokyo, until the evening, when it's time to venture into Kabukicho, Shinjuku’s red-light district, in time to catch the famous Robot Restaurant - a rather bizarre performance which mixes neon, techno, robots and dancers in a flashy floorshow the likes of which you’ve probably never seen... at least outside Tokyo.

Spend the day at Tokyo Disney Resort

Immaculate showmanship at its best, Tokyo Disney Resort is popular with local kids, so you’ll get to join Japanese families and school kids taking some time to have fun together. The resort runs like clockwork, with rides and shows to suit all ages, and the impressive electrical parade at dusk provides a mesmerising finale to your day - even Disney cynics will be dazzled!

Bullet train to Takayama

Take a high-speed trip on the bullet train to Takayama, travelling at speeds of up to 260 kpm until you change onto the regional ‘Wide View’ express - one of the most scenic train journeys in Japan - for the final leg of your journey. When you reach Takayama, the rest of your day will be at leisure to explore the town. Tonight you'll be staying in a traditional Japanese-style ryokan, with its own hot spring bathhouse.

Food & culture walk, cycling tour

Meet your guide for a walking tour of Takayama's old town. The Sanmachi Suji district is particularly well preserved, and its streets are lined with traditional houses, shops and restaurants. Some of the old merchant’s homes are open to the public and will give you an insight into Takayama’s rich history and culture. After your walk, you'll be driven out of Takayama for an afternoon of cycling through the region’s stunning landscape, along trails past waterfalls and the typical thatch-roofed houses that make this area so famous. There will be plenty of opportunities to get off the bikes, hike the trails, and photograph the impressive scenery.

Train to Kyoto, Taiko drumming class

Catch the train to Kyoto and get stuck in to a noisy drumming class! Taiko drumming started in ancient Japan as a form of long-distance communication, and has become a musical artform with choreography evolved from martial arts. Kumi-Daiko (taiko drumming groups) can be found throughout Japan, and your morning will be spent learning how to play, under the guidance of a Japanese taiko drummer. Start by witnessing a short performance to inspire you and see how it should be done! Then get hands-on with a step-by-step lesson, including plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Finally, you'll show off your new-found talent and play in your own kumi-daiko, before returning to your hotel.

Nijo Castle & city tour

Meet your knowledgeable local guide for a tour of some Kyoto’s World Heritage Sites. Start with Nijo Castle, an ornamental structure surrounded by stunning gardens, built by the founder of the Edo Shogunate. The main building was completed in 1603 and is known for its distinctive architecture and chirping ‘nightingale’ floors. Continue to Ryoan-ji, the site of Japan's most famous Zen garden, and home to the Myoshinji School of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Visit the picturesque district of Arashiyama, a popular destination since the 8th century (!) thanks to its striking bamboo forest and elegant shrines, taking in Togetsukyo (‘Moon Crossing’) Bridge over Katsura River, and making your way to the bamboo forest path on the west side of the river, where you may well hear the bamboo creaking as it sways in the breeze.

Bento Box class, kimono wearing

Bento boxes have been a tradition for centuries, but ‘kyaraben’, which roughly translates as ‘character bento’, is a more recent development. Featuring food decorated to look like cartoon characters, animals and sometimes even famous people, it started out to encourage children to eat their lunch, but has now become a popular art form. Today, guided by a kyaraben expert, you will learn how to prepare your own. The class will take place in a traditional Japanese wooden townhouse, where you'll be provided with special bento making tools - cookie cutters, rice shapers, and a seaweed hole-punch, to name a few! Learn the tricks of the bento trade, from the cooking to the final presentation, before sitting down with your teacher to sample your bento for lunch. In the afternoon, try on an authentic kimono, which consists of several parts - there’s quite an art to putting them on, as well as specific rules on when and how to wear them.

Train to Hiroshima

Take the train through some of Japan’s most spectacular countryside to Hiroshima, where the rest of your day will be at leisure to explore the city.

Miyajima kayaking

Head out to Miyajima Island today to enjoy views of the island and its famous shrine from a kayak. It’s up to you whether to do this in the morning or afternoon, and you’ll be accompanied at all times by an expert instructor, who’ll give you time to get comfortable in the kayaks on the beach before taking to the water. It will be possible to kayak all the way out to the ‘floating’ torii gate for a fantastic photo opportunity.

Train to Osaka, Dotonburi streetfood tour

Your afternoon will be at leisure to explore Osaka until it’s time to meet your guide in Dotonbori for a delicious streetfood tour. Advised by your expert local guide, explore the backstreets and buzzing markets, sampling popular Japanese snacks and local delicacies. Osakans are especially proud of takoyaki (fried octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (pancake with cabbage, pork, ginger, nori, and sauce). You'll also visit a sushi bar to sample fresh sushi and chat with the chef, with your guide as interpreter. Your gourmet journey will conclude with a cold drink at one of the neighbourhood’s small stylish bars. Your guide can recommend a restaurant for dinner, if you'd rather not head straight back to your hotel, and Osaka is an excellent place to indulge in the most quintessential of Japanese experiences - a karaoke session!

Depart Osaka

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.