NEW SPIRITUAL JAPAN

Arrival at Narita or Haneda International Airport.

If the arrival airport is Haneda (HND), we will use a taxi instead of the Airport Limousine Bus.

NARITA (NRT): Narita (NRT):

After immigration and customs clearance, you will be met by an English-speaking attendant who will assist you in taking the Airport Limousine Bus (a regular shared service) to the hotel.

*The attendant will not board the bus with you and will not escort you to the hotel.

*Depending on your flight arrival time, there will be no direct Airport Limousine Bus to the hotel. In this case, you will take a bus to Tokyo Station, from where you will take a taxi. (The attendant will give you enough cash for the taxi.)

*If the Airport Limousine Bus is not operating, we will provide an alternative transfer (train + taxi, etc.).

Haneda (HND):

After immigration and customs clearance, you will be met by a English-speaking attendant. Transfer to the hotel by taxi.

*The attendant will not board the taxi with the passengers and will not escort them to the hotel.

*You will not be allowed in your room until check-in time (3:00 PM).

*On the first day of the tour (Tuesday or Friday) at the New Otani Hotel, an English-speaking guide will be present at the hotel from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM to provide information to passengers. In the event of a significant flight delay in Japan, we may not be able to re-arrange the arrival transfer. In this case, we will ask that passengers make their own way to the hotel.

Room check-in is not until check-in time (3:00 PM).

*On Tuesdays, an information desk staffed by a English-speaking guide will be available at the hotel from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The information desk is located in the Sofa Lounge (the area with sofas and chairs near the reception of The Main Tower). Overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel.

At 8:20 a.m. Meeting in the lobby on the Ground Floor / 1st Floor of The Main Tower. Half-day group tour of Tokyo with an English-speaking guide: we will visit the Meiji Shrine, dedicated to the former Emperor Mutsuhito, the Imperial Palace Plaza (you will not enter the palace grounds), Senso-ji Temple, and Nakamise Street, lined with souvenir shops. At 1:00 p.m. The tour ends in Ginza. Free afternoon. (The guide will explain how to return to the hotel.)

OPTIONAL TEA CEREMONY ACTIVITY IN ASAKUSA

Notes:

1. Participants in this optional activity will not travel to Ginza with the group by bus.

2. Participants are required to wear socks to participate in the tea ceremony. 12:45 PM After visiting Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Street in Asakusa, meet with a Spanish-speaking assistant. (The guide will indicate the meeting point during the Senso-ji Temple tour.) Transfer to the tea ceremony venue on foot with the assistant. 1:00 PM Tea ceremony begins

• Tea ceremony explanation
• Tea ceremony demonstration by a master or teacher
• Dessert and matcha tea
• Souvenir photo taking. 2:00 PM The activity ends at Asakusa Subway Station.

(The assistant will explain how to return to the hotel or take the subway to Ginza, but will not escort them.)

*Lunch is NOT included. If you are hungry, you should eat a light meal during your free time on Nakamise Street in Asakusa.

This optional activity is not currently available at your destination. Passengers must reserve it at least three weeks before their trip to Japan. Depending on availability, we may not be able to confirm.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 7:50 a.m., meeting in the lobby and departure for a full-day group excursion to Hakone with an English-speaking guide. We will visit Lake Ashi (boat ride) and Owakudani Valley (on clear days, we can admire Mt. Fuji from both Lake Ashi and Owakudani Valley). Hakone Open-Air Museum.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In the event that the boat is unable to operate due to heavy rain and wind, we will visit Hakone Sekishoato (a reconstruction of a medieval road checkpoint) as an alternative. *Depending on the density of volcanic gas, we may not be able to visit Owakudani Valley, or we may not be able to visit the valley due to severe traffic jams. In such cases, we will visit Hakone-Jinja Shrine. After the tour, we will return to the hotel around 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. Lunch at a restaurant is included that day. Accommodation is included.

Breakfast at the hotel. *One suitcase per person will be transported separately by bus from the hotel in Tokyo to the hotel in Kyoto.

At 8:15 a.m., meet in the lobby and transfer to Tokyo Station with an English-speaking assistant. Departure from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen train #215 at around 9:21 a.m., arriving at Kyoto Station at around 11:32 a.m., where a English-speaking guide will greet you. (Train schedule is subject to change.) Start of the group tour to Nara, where we will visit Todai-Ji Temple (a colossal Buddha statue) and Nara Park (with its many deer). In Kyoto, we will visit Gion (the geisha district). Arrival at the hotel in Kyoto around 6:30-7:00 p.m. and check-in. Lunch is NOT included (free time will be available).

NOTE: The order in which we visit the sites in Kyoto may change. It's possible that we'll visit one of the sites mentioned in the next day's itinerary that day. In that case, we'll visit Gion the following day.

NOTE: When there are more than 40 passengers on a departure, we charter a private truck to transport luggage from the New Otani Hotel to the Kyoto Tokyu Hotel, and in this case, the luggage arrives at the hotel in Kyoto in the afternoon of the same day.

During the off-season, when there are not enough passengers, we do not charter a truck and use a regular delivery service. In this case, the luggage arrives at the hotel in Kyoto the following day. Therefore, passengers need to bring a backpack or small suitcase with clothing and other essentials for an overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:20 a.m., we will meet in the lobby and depart for a full-day group tour of Kyoto with an English-speaking guide. We will visit: Sanjusangendo Temple (with a thousand statues of Kannon, the god of mercy), Fushimi Inari Shrine (with thousands of torii gates), Kinkaku-Ji Golden Temple, Tenry-Ji Temple (with a beautiful Japanese garden), and the Sagano Bamboo Grove in Arashiyama. We will return to the hotel around 5:30 p.m. Lunch at a restaurant is included that day. Overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. The entire day is free for personal activities.

OPTIONAL TOUR TO HIROSHIMA & MIYAJIMA (NET USD 500 PER PERSON): At 7:30 a.m., meet with your English-speaking guide in the hotel lobby and transfer to Kyoto Station. Departure from Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen train #3 at 8:26 a.m. and arrive in Hiroshima around 10:01 a.m., where the tour begins. (If there are fewer than 10 passengers, we will operate the tour using public transportation; if there are 10 or more passengers, we will operate the optional tour by private bus.) Here, we will learn about: Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum, and the Atomic Bomb Dome. The tour concludes with transfer to Hiroshima Station and departure around 5:57 PM for Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen #52. The tour concludes upon arrival at Kyoto Station around 7:37 PM. Transfers from the station to the hotel are at the passengers' own expense, via the hotel shuttle bus or taxi. Lunch is not included. (Train times are subject to change.) Accommodation.

“Initially, we will not be selling this optional tour at the destination. Passengers must book the tour three weeks prior to their trip to Japan. Depending on availability, we may not be able to confirm.”

Breakfast at the hotel. *One suitcase per person will be transported separately by bus from your hotel in Kyoto to your hotel in Osaka. Bring a backpack with clothing and other essentials for a night in Kanazawa and another in Gero.

At 8:00 a.m., meet in the lobby with an English-speaking guide and transfer to Kanazawa by private bus (a minivan may be available depending on the number of passengers).

At 12:00 p.m., arrive in Kanazawa. A full-day group tour of Kanazawa includes visits to Omichi Market (a lively market selling fish, seafood, vegetables, etc.), the Higashichaya District, and Kenrokuen Garden (one of Japan's most famous gardens). Around 5:00–5:30 p.m., transfer to your hotel in Kanazawa and check-in. Lunch is not included (you will have free time for lunch at Omicho Market). Overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:15 a.m., meet in the lobby and depart for Shirakawago with an English-speaking guide (in a group). We will visit Gasshozukuri-style houses. Then, transfer to Takayama, where we will visit the Kamisannomachi Historic District (with souvenir shops and sake breweries), and Yatai Kaikan (an exhibition of Takayama Festival floats). At 6:00 p.m., transfer to the Ryokan in Gero and check-in. Overnight stay.

NOTE: ENJOY THE ONSEN (HOT SPRING) BATH! The Gero Ryokan has hot spring baths. *There is one bath for women only and another for men only. *Traditionally, hotels and ryokans do not allow people with conspicuous tattoos to use hot spring baths, as tattoos are associated with the Yakuza (Japanese mafia).

Breakfast at the ryokan. At 8:15 a.m., meet with an English-speaking guide in the lobby. Transfer to Nagoya by private bus (a van may be available depending on the number of passengers). Arrival at Nagoya Station around 10:45 a.m., and group city tour with an English-speaking guide. You will visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology. Lunch at your own expense at one of the museum's restaurants. Visit Nagoya Castle (the keep is closed and cannot be entered). We will enter Honmaru Goten Palace, which has beautifully painted walls and sliding paper doors. Around 5:00 p.m., transfer to the hotel in Nagoya and check-in. Overnight stay.

Note: Transfer from Gero to Nagoya may be by Hida Express train, depending on road conditions.

Breakfast at the hotel. *Suitcases may be transported separately by truck from the hotel in Nagoya to the hotel in Osaka. (If all suitcases fit in the trunk of the vehicle, there is no need to send any suitcases.) In this case, passengers must prepare and carry a backpack with clothing and other essentials for spending one night in Toba and another in Nachi-Katsuura.

At 8:00 a.m., we will meet in the lobby and transfer to Ise (located 1 hour and 45 minutes away) by private vehicle. In Ise, we will visit the Ise Shrine (the most important Shinto shrine in Japan, dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu-omikami). Oharaimachi Street and Okage-Yokocho Alleys (a neighborhood with several rows of souvenir shops that preserves the atmosphere of the samurai era). In Ise, we will visit the Ama (female divers') Hut, where we will eat seafood and fish caught and cooked by the female divers.

Note: There is no alternative food available here. If you cannot or do not want to eat seafood, you must eat on Oharaimachi Street on your own. Lunch is included. Mikimoto Pearl Island (diving demonstration and pearl farming museum/pearl shop) NOTE: In case of bad weather, the diving demonstration may be canceled. 4:30 PM Arrival at the hotel in Toba and check-in. Dinner at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:30 a.m., we will meet in the lobby and depart from the hotel with an English-speaking guide in a private vehicle. In Ise, we will visit Meotoiwa (two rocks in the sea tied together with a thick straw rope, marking a sacred place where the gods descend. They also symbolize a successful marriage). In Kumano City, we will visit Onigajo (a group of spectacular rock formations and grottoes sculpted by the sea and the wind). In the afternoon, we will do some light trekking along the Kumano Trail from Daimonzaka to Nachi Waterfall (duration: 2 hours). Daimonzaja (a cobblestone slope flanked by cedar trees, part of the Kumano Trail). Kumano Nachi Shrine (one of the three great shrines of Kumano, the destination of the Shinto pilgrimage route). Seigantoji Temple (with a three-story pagoda). Nachi Waterfall (133 meters high). Around 5:00 p.m., arrival at the ryokan in Nachi Katsuura and check-in. Dinner at the ryokan. Overnight stay.

NOTE: ENJOY ONSEN (HOT SPRING) BATHS! The ryokan in Nachi Katsuura has hot spring baths. *There is one bath for women only and another for men only. *Traditionally, hotels and ryokans do not allow people with conspicuous tattoos to use hot spring baths, as tattoos are associated with the Yakuza (Japanese mafia).

Breakfast at the ryokan. At 8:15 a.m., we will meet in the lobby and depart from the hotel with an English-speaking guide in a private vehicle to Koyasan (located approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes from Nachi Katsuura, with a restroom stop). In Koyasan, we will have a vegetarian "Shojin-ryori" lunch and a meditation experience at one of the Buddhist "Shukubo" monasteries. In the afternoon, we will visit Kongobuji Temple (headquarters of the Shingon School of Buddhism). Okunoin Cemetery (with more than 200,000 tombstones and cenotaphs in the middle of a forest of ancient cedars). Departure for Osaka (located approximately 2 hours from Koyasan). At 6:15 p.m., we will arrive at the hotel in Osaka and check-in. Overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Kansai Airport (KIX) or Itamia Airport (ITM) by Airport Limousine Bus (without assistance). *Passengers will receive their bus tickets upon check-out. *The Airport Limousine Bus departs from the bus terminal located next to the Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka for Kansai Airport (KIX) and Itamia Airport (ITM). Kansai Airport (KIX) is a 50-minute bus ride from the bus terminal, while Itamia Airport (ITM) is a 40-minute bus ride away.

IMPORTANT

The first Airport Limousine Bus of the day arrives at Kansai Airport (KIX) or Itami Airport (ITM) at 6:30 a.m. If your flight departure time is 8:30 a.m. or before 8:30 a.m., transfers will be provided by reserved taxi without assistance, and a surcharge of 25,000 JPY per passenger will apply. (If traveling alone, the surcharge will be 45,000 JPY.)