Japan

Category: Adventure Travel
Dates: 12 Oct 2010 – 27 Oct 2010
Grade: Moderate
Region: Asia

Price for Visually Impaired: £3899    
Visually impaired places fully booked - login or register to join the reserve list

Price for Sighted Guide: £2349    
Sighted guide places fully booked - login or register to join the reserve list

Meet at: London Heathrow Airport

This tour will give you the opportunity to delve into the culture, history and traditions of a unique and absorbing destination.

Japan is a land of incredible contrasts, from the bright lights and modernity of Tokyo to the natural beauty of Hakone National Park, where the iconic Mount Fuji rises majestically above the surrounding lakes.

Tokyo is a huge and fascinating metropolis which brings high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of old Japan. We’ll visit the Meiji Shrine honouring the Emperor and Empress and explore Asakusa Kannon, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple, which honours the goddess of mercy. We’ll also take a cruise down the Sumida River and stroll through the tranquil gardens of Hamarikyu.

We then have a taste of modern Japan aboard the Bullet Train, as it whisks us at 160 miles per hour to Takayama, where once again we’ll go back in time at the Hida-Takayama folk village, which gives us a fascinating insight into rural life in pre-industrial Japan.

We’ll discover Kyoto and the former Imperial city of Nara, filled with temples, shrines and exquisite Zen gardens, where geishas still frequent the traditional tea houses.

Along the way there will be plenty of opportunity to taste the local cuisine. The Japanese archipelago stretches from north to south, which means that each region has a different climate. Due to such environmental conditions, numerous delicacies have developed in each locality and these local cuisines, together with traditional Japanese dishes such as sushi and tempura, produce a dietary culture that’s truly unique.

Staying at traditional inns or ryokan in Kyoto, Takayama and Hakone, we’ll experience Japanese culture at first hand, as we learn about the importance of geishas in Japanese history and try the time-honoured tea ceremony at Kodaiji Temple.

Guide dogs

The airline is approved for travel with guide dogs however quarantine regulations apply for this destination.

Included

• Vitalise Holidays Representative
• Local tour manager
• Return flights from the UK
• Return airport transfers
• 14 nights B&B accommodation
• Seven evening meals
• Sumida River boat trip
• Tokyo walking tour
• Geisha district walking tour
• Tokyo and Hakone transport passes

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