Essence of the Orient Family Holiday – 12 days from £3199

Essence of the Orient Family Holiday

Essence of the Orient Family Holiday – 12 days from £3199 in Japan with the Adventure Company

Highlights
 - Hiroshima’s Peace Park
 - Cultural Kyoto & temple stay
 - Tokyo & bullet train

For more information telephone 0845 609 0837

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart London
Depart on overnight flight to Tokyo.

Day 2: Tokyo
After your flight, you transfer to your first nights accommodation and check in.  This evening, if you feel like it, you could head down to Ginza by subway to see the extraordinary display of neon (particularly the Sony building, which houses all the latest products – many of which won’t reach the UK) at Tokyo’s equivalent of Piccadilly Circus. You could also go to Roppongi Hills to see the world class Mori Art Museum, or the Tokyo City View observation deck – the city can be seen in all its glory from the 52nd floor of the tower.

Day 3: Tokyo
On your first day you set out to explore the fascinating city of Tokyo. This starts with a visit to Tsukiji central market which necessitates getting up at an unearthly hour and initiating yourself firmly into Japanese culture! Only here does the Japanese fixation with fish become truly apparent – this is where the freshest sushi of all is to be had.

After returning to the hotel for breakfast, you set off by subway and local bus for a flying tour of Tokyo’s main sights. The first stop is the Senso-ji Temple, in Asakusa, with its tiered pagodas, crowds of pilgrims and numerous shopping opportunities. You’ll also take a walk down Ueno Ameyoko Street (one of Tokyo’s great street markets) where you’ll be able to barter for goods and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a traditional Japanese vending place! Afterwards, and in total contrast, you’ll walk to the commercial area of Ginza with its great department stores, before rounding off with a visit to the Imperial Palace. Here you’ll see the classic view of the Nijubashi (double bridge), the moat and part of the Palace buildings in the background.

This evening is free. If you wish you can take the subway to sample some night-life in Shinjuku district, with its constant crowds, extraordinary modern architecture and bright lights – the epitome of modern city living.

Day 4: Mt. Fuji circuit
Today we leave Tokyo for Hakone. Using your rail pass and travelling first by local train, you’ll then transfer to a JR (Japanese Railways) shinkansen – the so-called bullet train – taking you to Odawara. The total time of the journey will be 90 minutes. It’s astonishingly easy to travel by train in Japan. Trains operate with metronomic precision, and the sight of a white-gloved guard, bowing to a carriage full of travellers, is something you’ll never forget!

Upon arrival you will do the so-called Hakone Circuit; you’ll get a pass which allows you to travel by funicular railway, cable car, lake steamer and train to cover the area. There’s something for everyone here: Hakone has an excellent open-air museum of modern sculpture, but one of the main attractions is the volcanic area of Owakudani, with its sulphur pools which emit foul-smelling, but supposedly beneficial, gases. Try one of the hard boiled eggs, which are turned black by the water, they are alleged to prolong your life. If the weather is fine, you’ll get sublime views from Lake Ashino-ko of the icy cone of Fuji-san; Japan’s definitive mountain broods serenely on the skyline. Your day’s travel will end with an opportunity to bathe Japanese-style at your hotel’s delightful Onsen (hot springs).

Day 5: Tsumago
From Odarawa station you catch a train to Nagoya, from where you board a LEX (Limited Express) train to Nakatsugawa, and transfer to Magome by local bus. The whole journey will take about two and a half hours, to arrive in time for a late lunch. Alternatively you can eat en route, making use of the beautifully presented bento boxes which are available in almost any reasonably sized station. Upon arrival you’ll take a walk around the Magome area, soaking up the scenery in this beautiful area, and in preparation for your longer hike tomorrow, before taking the local bus (40 – 50 minutes) to Tsumago for two nights at a traditional Japanese ryokan.

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese hotel, where the owners take pride in preserving the atmosphere and history of the building, which is usually wood. A garden is also a common feature. You will stay in a Japanese-style room on a futon, which will be comfortable enough (but don’t expect modern conveniences!) and tonight you will enjoy a traditional style home-cooked meal.

Day 6: Tsumago
This morning you’ll catch a local bus to the small town of Magome in the Kiso Valley. This valley is renowned as the route of the ancient Nakasendo post road, an imperial highway from the Edo period that once ran from Kyoto to Tokyo. It makes a welcome change as you stretch your legs with an easy 9km walk up and over Magome-koge Pass to the next town of Tsumago (roughly three hours away). There’s time to enjoy the traditional atmosphere of these villages, stopping in places where original travellers would once have stopped to rest and take fresh horses. The villages are steeped in history, and are as authentic as anything you’re likely to see on the main island of Honshu.

Day 7: Hiroshima
A short walk and a local bus journey brings you to Nagiso station, where you’ll take a 20 minute local train journey to Nakatsuwaga to connect with the bullet trains to Himeji. There are three different trains today, with a total journey time of three hours and 40 minutes.

On emerging into the busy shopping streets of downtown Himeji, the city appears no different to many others; however its main attraction, the medieval castle of Himeji-jo (the White Egret’s castle) is just a short walk away on top of a low rise. Unparalleled in its beauty, the castle featured in the James Bond movie, ‘You Only Live Twice’, and is regularly used for film shoots. Like Matsumoto Castle, its well worth spending a couple of hours to explore the complex fortification that has survived almost unscathed since it was built in 1580. On return to Himeji station, you board a shinkansen and speed through the countryside to Hiroshima, which takes little over an hour. On arrival you walk to your hotel.

Day 8: Hiroshima / Kyoto
Today you take a tram to Miyajima-guchi (approx. 30 minutes) and board the ferry for the short 10 minute crossing to Itsuku-shima (also known as Miya-jima) island – officially designated (the Japanese just love lists…) as one of the ‘Three Most Scenic Places in Japan’. The renowned bright scarlet torii gate rises directly out of the ocean. Dating from 1168, this 16m high, 24m wide structure stands at the mouth of a small bay so that any boat entering the bay would have to pass through it. The island is dominated by Mt. Misen; depending on the time you could walk up (it takes a couple of hours). After your visit you return to Hiroshima.

On 06 August 1945 Hiroshima emerged from comparative anonymity to become a major icon of the 20th century, and a universal symbol for destruction when the first atom bomb devastated a huge area of this busy industrial city. The Atomic Dome (A-dome), at the epicentre of the blast is the vestige of one of the only buildings not to have been entirely flattened. The charred structure of twisted steel and crumbling concrete, once an exhibition centre, has been carefully preserved as a memorial to those who perished as a result of man’s inhumanity to man. Almost opposite lies the Peace Park, with the memorial to the victims of the bomb. It contains the names of all those who died in the explosion or subsequently from the long term effects of radiation. This place of pilgrimage attracts many thousands of visitors – Japanese and foreign alike. The flame will continue to burn here until the last nuclear weapon on earth has been destroyed. You’ll take a walking tour of these two sites (a 15 minute tram ride from your hotel) before taking the shinkansen once again eastward to Kyoto, via Okayama. The 150km journey takes about an hour and you’ll arrive shortly before 8pm, all being well. From the station it’s a three minute walk to your hotel in Kyoto upon arrival.

Day 9: Kyoto
The charms of the former imperial capital of Kyoto are discreetly hidden, and your stay will reveal some of the finest temples, shrines, palaces and gardens in the country. You have a full day to explore – though you could easily spend a week in Kyoto without getting bored! You’ll visit some of Kyoto’s famous temples and gardens. You’ll visit Heian Shrine and the Kiyomizu Temple – this temple being one of the most famous landmarks of the city thanks to its role within the realms of Buddhism, and reached by a narrow trail dotted with traditional Japanese shops. Its location is scenic – atop a hill, with a waterfall below and the area is dotted with numerous other temples and shrines! You’ll also visit Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Temple), which is almost entirely covered with gold foil, and is one of the most famous landmarks of Kyoto.

Day 10: Mt Koya
This morning is free to further explore Kyoto, before leaving around midday for the three train journeys to Mt Koya – a journey of about two hours and 15 minutes. It’s a short journey by bus on arrival at Mt Koya station to your temple lodging (shukubo).

NB: as before, you will leave Kyoto and travel to Mt Koya without your main piece of luggage. Pack into your overnight bag just enough for a night’s stay in Mt Koya and your main luggage will be transferred for you to Osaka, your night stop on day 11.

The Koya-san area (900m) is an area of both cultural interest and natural beauty. A raised tableland, it surrounds eight peaks with forested slopes and has temples dotted among it all. Because of this it offers an unparalleled look at Japan from both a scenic and cultural perspective – the best of both worlds! The monastery for which the area is famed, also known as Koya-san, is the headquarters of the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism and is the reason for many people’s visit. Founded in the year 816 by Japan’s most respected religious figure, Kobo Daishi, the area had more than 1500 monasteries in its heyday. Many have since disappeared and today there are 110 temples here. Many still come to deliver hair or ashes from deceased relatives to Kobo Daishi, said to be lying in wait for the Maitreya (Future Buddha) and not dead at all. This evening you will stay in a temple and enjoy a typical monks’ vegetarian meal (shojin ryori).  The experience of staying in a functioning temple provides a unique insight into the life of the monks that it would be difficult to get elsewhere.

Day 11: Osaka
This morning, you will wake extremely early to go to a monks’ early Morning Prayer ceremony … at 5am! We’re sure the experience here will more than make up for the tired eyes to be felt later in the day, and you can recuperate at the temple with a typical vegetarian breakfast! Before leaving you’ll take a walk around the Mt Koya area and visit the Kongobuji Temple.

Transferring by local bus to the station, you’ll get the Nankai express train to Namba, Osaka – a journey of 90 minutes. A stage to show off modern Japan, Osaka also has its fair share of parks and attractions and there’ll be time to look at them before your departure tomorrow.

Day 12: Fly To London
Walk to Osaka Station to take the airport bus to Kansai International airport for your flight home.

For more information telephone 0845 609 0837