BANZAI JAPAN

Arrival at Narita or Haneda International Airport

ARRIVAL IN JAPAN (NARITA or HANEDA) – TOKYO

Narita Airport (NRT):

After immigration and customs clearance, you will be greeted in the arrivals hall by an English-speaking attendant who will assist you in taking the Airport Limousine Bus (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 provide passengers with sufficient cash for taxi fares.)
• In the event that the Airport Limousine Bus is not operating, we will provide an alternative transfer (train + taxi, etc.).

Haneda Airport (HND):

After immigration and customs clearance, you will be greeted in the arrivals hall 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.
• They will not be allowed to enter their rooms until check-in time (3:00 PM).
• On the first day of the program (Tuesday or Friday), an English-speaking guide will be present at the hotel from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM to provide information to passengers.

Note: 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.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:20 a.m. Meeting in the hotel lobby. Half-day group tour of Tokyo with an English-speaking guide.

WE WILL SEE:

• Meiji Shrine, dedicated to the former Emperor Mutsuhito
• Imperial Palace Plaza (You will not enter the palace grounds)
• Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise Street with its rows of souvenir shops. 1:00 p.m. The tour ends in Ginza. Free afternoon.

(The guide will explain how to return to the hotel.)

OPTIONAL TEA CEREMONY IN ASAKUSA

At 12:45 p.m. After visiting Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise Street in Asakusa, meet with an English-speaking guide.

(The guide will indicate the meeting point during the Senso-ji Temple tour.) Transfer to the tea ceremony venue on foot with the guide.

At 1:00 PM, the tea ceremony begins.

• Explanation of the tea ceremony.
• Tea ceremony demonstration by a master teacher.
• Eat a sweet and drink matcha tea.
• Take souvenir photos.

Price per person: 75 USD.

At 2:00 PM, the activity ends at Asakusa Subway Station.

(The attendant 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.

NOTES:

• Participants in this optional activity will not travel to Ginza with the group by bus.
• They must bring socks to participate in the tea ceremony.
• In principle, we will not be selling this optional activity at the destination. Passengers must reserve it three weeks prior to their trip to Japan. Depending on availability, we may not be able to confirm.

Breakfast at the hotel. 7:50 AM Meeting in the lobby.

Full-day group tour of Hakone with an English-speaking guide.

WE WILL SEE:

• Lake Ashi (boat ride). On clear days, we can admire Mt. Fuji from Lake Ashi.
• Hakone-jinja Shrine (a beautiful Shinto shrine famous for its torii gate built on the shores of Lake Ashi).
• Hakone Open-Air Museum.

At 5:00 PM, return to the hotel. Lunch at a restaurant is included that day.

NOTE: In case the boat is not operating due to heavy rain and wind, we will visit Hakone Sekishoato (a reconstruction of a medieval road checkpoint) as an alternative.

Breakfast at the hotel.

One suitcase per person will be transported separately by truck from the hotel in Tokyo to the hotel in Kyoto.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When there are more than 40 passengers on a departure, we charter a private truck to transport the suitcases from the hotel in Tokyo to the hotel in Kyoto, and in this case, the suitcases arrive 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 suitcases arrive 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.

• At 8:00 a.m.: Meeting in the lobby and transfer to Tokyo Station with an English-speaking assistant.
• At 9:21 a.m.: Departure from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen #227.
• At 11:32 a.m.: Arrival at Kyoto Station, where a English-speaking guide will greet you.

Please note: The train schedule is subject to change.

Departure of your group tour to Nara. Nara is located about an hour from Kyoto.

IN NARA WE WILL SEE:

• Todai-ji Temple (colossal Buddha statue)
• Nara Park (with many deer)
• 6:00-6:30 PM Arrival at your hotel in Kyoto and check-in.

*Lunch is NOT included. We will have free time for lunch.

Breakfast at the hotel. At 8:20 a.m., meeting in the lobby. Full-day group tour of Kyoto with an English-speaking guide.

WE WILL SEE:

• Sanjusangendo Temple (with a thousand statues of Kannon, the god of mercy)
• Fushimi Inari Shrine (with thousands of torii gates)
• Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple
• Tenryu-ji Temple, with a beautiful Japanese garden
• Sagano Bamboo Grove in Arashiyama

Lunch at a restaurant is included this day.

At 5:30 p.m., return to the hotel.

For those who wish to visit Gion (the geisha district), we will continue immediately to this district by bus. The tour of the Gion district and the return trip to the hotel from there will be at the passengers' own expense.

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

• Optional Tour to HIROSHIMA & MIYAJIMA
• Meeting with an English-speaking guide in the hotel lobby at 7:30 a.m.
• Transfer to Kyoto Station.
• Departure from Kyoto at 8:26 a.m. on the Nozomi Shinkansen train #3.
• Arrival in Hiroshima at 10:01 a.m. and start of the tour. If there are fewer than 10 passengers, we operate the tour using public transportation. If there are 10 or more passengers, we operate the optional tour by private bus.

RATE PER PERSON: USD 500.00

CHILDREN 4 TO 11 YEARS OLD: USD 250.00

WE WILL SEE:

• Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island
• Hiroshima Peace Park and Museum
• Atomic Bomb Dome. Transfer to Hiroshima Station.

At 5:57 PM, depart Hiroshima for Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen train #52.

At 7:37 PM, the tour ends upon arrival at Kyoto Station.

From the station, transfer to the hotel is at the passengers' own expense via the hotel shuttle bus or taxi.

*Lunch is NOT included.

Please note: Train times are subject to change.

*In principle, 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 (depending on the number of passengers, it may be a van).
• At 12:00 p.m., arrive in Kanazawa. Full-day group tour of Kanazawa.

INTERVAL:

• Omicho Market (a lively market selling fish, seafood, vegetables, etc.)
• Higashichaya District
• Kenrokuen Garden (one of Japan's most famous gardens)

At 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.

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 EXPLORE:

• Gasshozukuri-style houses

Afterward, transfer to Takayama where we will explore:

• Kamisannomachi historic district with souvenir shops and sake breweries
• Yatai Kaikan (exhibition of Takayama Festival floats)

At 6:00 p.m., transfer to the ryokan in Gero and check-in.

ENJOY AN ONSEN (HOT SPRING) BATH! The ryokan in Gero 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).

Passengers cannot select a ryokan (between Suimeikan and Ogawaya) when booking their tour. The final ryokan will be decided and notified by JTB one month before the tour begins.

LUNCH AND DINNER INCLUDED ON THIS DAY.

Breakfast at the ryokan.

• At 8:15 a.m., meet in the lobby with an English-speaking guide. Transfer to Gero Station on foot or by ryokan shuttle bus.
• At 8:46 a.m., depart from Gero for Nagoya on the Wideview Hida Express #4.
• At 10:34 a.m., arrive at Nagoya Station.
• At 10:58 a.m., depart from Nagoya for Shin-Osaka on the Nozomi Shin-Osaka ...

YOU WILL SEE:

• Dotonbori (a lively neighborhood with many restaurants with extravagant facades, such as a giant crab figure)
• Osaka Castle (We did not enter the "Tenshukaku" keep.

(We only visited the castle park.)

At 5:00 PM, transfer to your hotel in Osaka and check-in.

*Lunch is NOT included. You will have free time for lunch in Dotonbori.

Please note: Train schedules are subject to change.

Breakfast at the hotel.

• If the hotel check-out time is early and passengers cannot have breakfast at the hotel, the hotel will provide a simple packed breakfast.

Transfer to Kansai Airport (KIX) or Itami Airport (ITM) by Airport Limousine Bus without assistance.

• If the departure airport is Kansai (KIX), the guide will give passengers their bus tickets the day before.
• If the departure airport is Itami (ITM), passengers will receive their bus tickets upon checkout.
• The Airport Limousine Bus departs from the bus terminal located next to the Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka for Kansai Airport (KIX) and Itami Airport (ITM).
• Kansai Airport (KIX) is a 50-minute bus ride from the bus terminal, while Itami Airport (ITM) is a 40-minute bus ride away.

*You must vacate your room before the hotel checkout time (12:00).

IMPORTANT:

The first Airport Limousine Bus arrives at Kansai Airport (KIX) or Itami Airport (ITM) at 6:30 a.m. If your flight departure time is at or before 8:30 a.m., transfer will be provided by a reserved taxi without assistance, and a surcharge of 15,000 JPY per passenger will apply.

(For a single passenger, the surcharge will be 30,000 JPY.)