Sightseeing

• Visit Imperial Palace East Garden
• Enjoy a sumo wrestling demonstration and a traditional Chanko Nabe lunch
• Stroll through the Ginza District
• Experience Shibuya Crossing
• Admire the city lights of Tokyo Bay while on a dinner cruise
• Tokyo sightseeing including Asakusa Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Arcade
• Sushi Making experience and lunch
• Visit a former farming village, reopened as a museum
• See Mt Fuji while riding the Hakone Ropeway (weather permitting)
• Spend a night in a traditional ryokan guesthouse
• Visit Matsumoto Castle built in the 16th century
• Enjoy a soba noodle making class
• Take in the sights of historic Takayama by foot
• Free time to explore Miyagawa Open Air Market
• Wander through Shirakawa-go, with its famous gasshō-zukuri thatched roofs
• Learn about the Japanese tradition of washi papermaking in Gokayama
• Sample the famous sake beverage
• Tour the Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Stroll the Philosopher's Walk
• Take part in a black ink calligraphy class
• Experience a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto
• Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion)
• Enjoy a Buddhist lunch at Shigetsu (Tenryuiji Temple)
• Stroll through the Arashiyama Bamboo forest and see the Togetsukyo Bridge
• Visit the island Miyajima and see the giant Itsukushima Torii Gate (currently under maintenance)
• Tour the Hiroshima Peace Park, and visit the Atomic Bomb Dome and the very moving Peace Memorial
• Visit Himeji Castle
• Learn the way of the Samurai in Osaka, Japan's pre-modern warriors

Travel

• Return economy-class flights from Australia to Japan. Taxes included
• Airport transfers on the first and last day of tour 
• All touring in air-conditioned vehicles
• 3 bullet train journeys in Japan
• Limited Express Train from Takayama to Nagoya
• Tipping is not part of the Japanese culture, so tips are not expected

Accommodation

• 12 nights in 3-4 star hotels
• 1 night in a traditional ryokan guesthouse, Hakone

Properties include:

• Shinagawa Prince Hotel, Tokyo
• Yunohana Prince Hotel, Hakone - Japanese Style Ryokan accommodation
• Hotel Metropolitan, Nagano
• Hida Hotel Plaza, Takayama
• Miyako Hotel Kyoto Hachi Jo, Kyoto
• Sheraton Grand Hotel Hiroshima, Hiroshima
• Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Osaka

Hotels listed are an indication, and are subject to change without notice.

Meals

• 13 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 dinners, including group welcome and farewell dinners

One of the best ways to experience a destination is through its cuisine, and in Japan, food holds deep cultural significance, reflecting centuries of tradition.

With this in mind, it should be noted that dietary requirements – including but not limited to vegetarianism, veganism, gluten-free/coeliac diets and some allergens – are less common and may not always be accommodated.

The restaurants and experiences visited on our Japan tours will not always be able to alter their menus to fully exclude specific allergens or to cater for strict dietary requirements, and it should also be noted that meals for those with specific dietary requirements may be simpler and less varied. Cross contamination cannot be catered for in all of our restaurants and experiences we visit, therefore it is up to the individual traveller to manage their own allergens.

While your Bunnik Tour guide will make every effort to inform you of the main ingredients in the dishes, the ultimate responsibility rests with you to ensure that you avoid any problematic ingredients.

Tour Guides

• English-speaking locally based national guide

Some things to note

• Should you not be travelling on the group tour flights shared bus transfers will be used between the hotel and the airport for the departure transfer.
• If you are travelling on or around the holidays of Golden Week (29 April to 5 May) heavier traffic conditions and longer waiting times can be expected.
• On day 9 we will be travelling by train and our luggage will be transferred via coach. You may wish to pack a day bag as you will not have access to your main bag until later that evening.
• On day 12 we will be travelling by bullet train and our luggage will be transferred via coach, we will need to pack an overnight bag with two night’s worth of luggage. Unfortunately, bullet trains have very limited space for luggage.
• During the sightseeing in Tokyo our time at the Imperial Palace will be spent exploring the East Garden, if closed due to a local event we will instead stop to view the Nijubashi Double Bridge from the Kokyogaien National Garden Square. The double bridge was the gateway to the formal entrance through the Main Gate into the palace grounds and offers a beautiful setting.
• Should the Takayama Jinya be closed we will visit the Takayama Festival Float Hall, housing all the exhibits from the annual autumn festival as the alternative.
• From June 2019, Miyajima's famous floating Torii Gate is undergoing renovations. During the renovation works, the Torii Gate will be covered under partially transparent scaffolding. A bridge is being built on the left side of the gate to aid the renovation works.
• Women may need a head scarf to enter some mosques and temples, and wear modest clothing that covers knees and shoulders. Also, a good tip is to pack a spare pair of socks in your daypack, as sometimes shoes need to be removed when entering and the ground can be hot.