Tokyo, Hakone & Nikko Adventure

Itinerary

• Day01

  Arrive in Tokyo

  Welcome to Japan! After arrival at the airport, take a limousine bus to your hotel, where you meet your guide and the rest of the group for orientation and a welcome dinner at a nearby restaurant.

  • Accommodation: Shiba Park Hotel
  • Meals: Dinner
• Day02

  Experience Traditional & Modern Tokyo

  Take a full-day tour of Tokyo, beginning with Nezu and Yanaka, an old quarter that still retains the Edo-period charm, with traditional wooden houses, narrow streets, and small temples. Continue on to Asakusa and Senso-ji, a large Buddhist temple with a five-story 7th-century pagoda. After lunch, proceed to Tokyo's modern side, starting in Harajuku, known for globally trend-setting boutiques and fashion houses. Walk along fashionable Omotesando - the Champs-Elysees of Tokyo - to Shibuya, home to the world's busiest crossing. Return to the hotel and enjoy dinner on your own.

  • Accommodation: Shiba Park Hotel
  • Activity: 6 hours/6 miles walking
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Day03

  Walk the Old Tokaido Highway & Behold Mount Fuji

  Journey to Hakone, a delightful mountain town famed for its onsen (hot spring resorts), traditional inns, and majestic views of Mount Fuji. Walk along a portion of the Old Tokaido Highway, aka the East Sea Road. There is an ascent with some steep sections from Hatajuku to Motohakone. On the way, pass a centuries-old traditional teahouse that still serves guests today. Once in Motohakone, walk among towering cedars on the scenic sugi-namiki (Japanese Cedar Avenue) to Lake Ashi. If Mount Fuji is visible, catch her beautiful reflection in the lake.

  • Accommodation: Traditional Japanese Ryokan
  • Activity: 3 hours/2.5-3 miles hiking with 1,380' elevation gain
  • Transportation: 2-hour train ride
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day04

  Journey to Historic Nikko

  Travel to historic Nikko, a town set against a stunning backdrop of sacred wooded hills and national parklands. The extravagantly ornate buildings of Nikko's Toshogu Shrine, built in 1617, are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tour this complex of spectacular shrines, which was created in commemoration of Tokugawa Ieyasu, a shogun venerated for uniting feuding lords to create the nation of Japan in 1600. See the intricate temple carvings full of whimsy - including a lifelike cat and "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkeys.

  • Accommodation: Traditional Japanese Ryokan
  • Transportation: 3.5-hour train ride
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day05

  Explore Kirikomi & Karikomi Lakes

  Embark on a circular, scenic hike that skirts Mount Mitsudake, taking in the lovely Nikko marshlands and Karikomi and Kirikomi lakes. Pass grazing animals, and monkeys and deer that frequent this route. The walk meanders through fragrant forests along dirt trails and wooden boardwalks; explore marshlands and their array of birds. The Karikomi Lake area is famous for its natural sulfur hot springs. Monks have harnessed these waters for their healing properties since 788 - and at your ryokan in the Nikko Yumoto Onsen area, you can experience these waters for yourself!

  • Accommodation: Traditional Japanese Ryokan
  • Activity: 6-7 hours/9-9.5 miles hiking with 1,840'elevation gain & 1,870' elevation loss
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day06

  Discover the Natural Beauty of Oku Nikko

  This morning set out by bus to explore Oku Nikko, "the hinterland of Nikko," a wooded mountainous area of outstanding natural beauty and now a protected national park. Take a gentle walk through sacred forests, passing two gorgeous waterfalls and following the Yukawa River back toward the rural hot spring village of Nikko Yumoto. Your exploration of Nikko will end here, as you then return to Tokyo, arriving in the city in the early evening. Dinner is on your own tonight; your guide will provide recommendations.

  • Accommodation: Shiba Park Hotel
  • Activity: 3-4 hours/5-5.5 miles hiking with 970' elevation gain & 295' elevation loss
  • Transportation: 3.5-hour transfer by bus and train
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Day07

  See Tokyo's Hama-Rikyu Gardens & Ginza

  This morning, visit Hama-Rikyu Gardens. Once a duck hunting ground, the area was transformed into beautiful parklands that include a teahouse on a tranquil pond and vistas over the Sumida River. The peaceful garden stands in juxtaposition to the modern skyscrapers that lie just beyond it. Continue on to Ginza, Tokyo's most famous upmarket shopping and dining district, filled with elegant boutiques, department stores, art galleries, restaurants, theaters, and cinemas. This afternoon is at your leisure, and there's plenty of time to make your own discoveries or shop for souvenirs.

  • Accommodation: Shiba Park Hotel
  • Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Day08

  Depart from Tokyo

  After breakfast, bid farewell to Japan and the group as you transfer to Narita airport for your flight home.

  • Meals: Breakfast