 Fan shop, Kyoto, September 2005. Kyoto is one of the handicraft centers in Japan and you will have plenty of time to browse through its many shops. |
The Historic Heart of Japan – Tokyo, Kyoto
and Nara
We have designed a weeklong extension into the historic heart of Japan
for those who have never been to Japan before, or those who have not
visited Japan recently.
What’s Included
– As with the Minamiboso section of the trip, all breakfasts,
hotel transfers, tips, trip cancellation insurance, etc. Lunch and dinner
is NOT included on those free days in Tokyo and Kyoto so that you can
wander to your heart’s content.
Dates: Sunday, May 20 to Sunday May 27
We will depart from the Tomiura Hotel, travel by bus to the ferry terminal
and then cross Tokyo Bay to begin our adventure in Kamakura with a visit
to the famous Kamakura Buddha before journeying by bus to our hotel
in Tokyo. We will be staying in the strategically located Tokyo Crowne
Plaza Metropolitan Hotel right above the Ikeburo Subway Station.
Tokyo –3 nights Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday May 20-22
Tokyo Crowne Plaza Metropolitan Hotel
Tokyo Itinerary:
May 21 – Full Day tour of Tokyo
May 22 - Entire Day free to explore
 Tokyo is composed of many districts, and though it is extremely heavily populated, it is a wonderful city of neighborhoods waiting to be explored. This is the view from the Tokyo Crowne Plaza Metropolitan Hotel where we will be staying. |
 We will make a pilgrimage to this famous statue of Buddha on our way into Tokyo. Annie and Sandy Lydon, September 2005. |
Tokyo Highlights:
• Visit Daibutsu in Kamakura on the
way from Tateyama to Tokyo
•
Tsukiji Fish Market
– see what Tokyoites are going to eat later that day
•
Ginza – the
heart of stylish Tokyo
•
Meiji Shrine –
one of the loveliest park/shrine complexes in Japan
•
Edo-Tokyo Museum –
a remarkable, modern museum with exhibits on the Kanto Earthquake (7.9
Richter magnitude), and the firebombing
•
Ride the bullet train
from Tokyo to Kyoto – see what public transportation can look
like
For more photographs of the Tokyo itinerary, click here.
Kyoto – 4 nights – Wednesday
May 22 – Saturday May 26
New Hankyu Hotel
Our Kyoto hotel is located directly across the street from the Kyoto
Railway Station, a huge, new shopping complex.
 The New Hankyu Hotel is centrally located in Kyoto, directly across the street from the new, Kyoto railway station and shopping complex. |
 The Ginkakuji or Golden Pavilion continues to be one of the most incredible buildings in the world. |
Kyoto Itinerary:
May 24 – Full day tour of Kyoto
May 25 - Full day tour to Nara
May 26 - Free day in Kyoto
 We will visit the famous Zen rock and gravel garden at the Ryoanji early in the morning when we can have it all to ourselves. Our 2005 group enjoying the peace and quiet of the garden before the bus loads of tourists arrive. |
Kyoto Highlights:
•
Kinkakuji –
Golden Pavilion – one of the most stunning buildings in the world
•
Ginkakuji –
Silver Pavilion – less-visited and more “Japanese”
than the Golden
•
Nijo Castle –
with its nightingale floor
•
Ryoanji – we
will visit this place first thing in the morning – the moss garden
is to die for – famous rock-on-raked-gravel Zen garden
•
Byodo-in in Uji, and
Todaiji, Nara with a special lunch on the way
 The Daibutsu at Nara is in one of the most impressive and lovely wooden buildings in the world. You will have several hours to wander through the temple complex. |
Price for Tokyo-Kyoto Extension:
$2,095 double occupancy ($649 single supplement)
Deposit: An additional
$500 (making a total deposit of $1,000)
JAPAN 2007