Arrival at Haneda or Narita airport.

Private transfer to the hotel in a comfortable car.

Check-in at the hotel depending on arrival time.

In the evening, a guided walk in the Ginza district and dinner at a restaurant await us.

The Ginza district is called the showcase not only of Tokyo but of all Japan: here you can find everything from high fashion and cuisine to high technology. This is where both Japanese locals and visitors come for shopping, to sit in cafés, or to dine at fine restaurants.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Tokyo city tour.
We will visit the historic Asakusa district — a preserved area of old Tokyo, home to the city’s oldest temple, Sensō-ji, and the shopping street Nakamise. Here you’ll find traditional craft shops run by families for generations and a variety of street foods sold at stalls. In the Middle Ages, Asakusa was the entertainment center for Tokyo’s residents (at that time the city was called Edo). It was also home to the famous Yoshiwara — the red-light district that operated until the mid-20th century.

Lunch in traditional style at a small restaurant near the former Tsukiji fish market.
The world-famous historic market, which gathered crowds for the early tuna auction that attracted chefs from Tokyo’s top restaurants, was recently moved to a new location in Toyosu (more convenient for professionals but less interesting for tourists). For a traditional atmosphere, we will visit the outer part of the old Tsukiji market, which still operates for private buyers. While there is not a large variety of raw fish, you can stroll through narrow streets, peek into numerous shops selling kitchenware, and try the freshest sushi, oysters, sea urchin roe, and more.

After lunch, we will visit the interactive teamLab Museum. This unique art project blurs the boundaries between your body and the artwork, allowing you to become one with it. The museum includes four huge exhibition spaces and two gardens.

Return to the hotel.

Dinner at the restaurant.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Hakone National Park by comfortable bus (1 hour 30 minutes). Hakone is a famous resort in Japan and beyond, known for its natural hot springs and stunning views of Mount Fuji. It is also one of the best places to admire the fiery autumn maples — momiji.

We will ride a cable car, called a “moving observation deck,” as it offers views of the valley through its windows. We will also visit the Open-Air Museum and the Japanese volcanic valley with hot spring geysers. Here awaits a completely surreal landscape created by the constant emissions of volcanic gases and steam. We will also try the “black longevity eggs,” which have been boiled directly in the hot springs for many centuries. It is believed that eating one egg extends life by several years.

Check-in at the ryokan hotel.

Spa treatments. Rest.

Dinner at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Shinkansen bullet train from Odawara to Kyoto, travel time 2 hours 20 minutes.

Transfer to the hotel and rest.

Evening walk around Kyoto with a guide and dinner at a restaurant.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Kyoto tour.
Kyoto is one of the top destinations for momiji (autumn leaves) viewing, and this ancient city has many spots for it. We will visit Tofukuji Temple, home to a garden covering more than 20,000 square meters with panoramic views of the Tsutenkyo Bridge. We will see the Golden Pavilion and the rock garden of Ryoanji Temple.

Lunch.

After lunch, we will visit the Arashiyama district, famous for its bamboo grove, and take a traditional boat ride on the Katsura River. The tour will end in the geisha district called Gion. This area has tea houses and restaurants where people have come for centuries to enjoy aesthetic pleasures.

Return to the hotel.

In the evening, we will have a special cultural experience — trying on traditional kimonos and going to dinner accompanied by a geisha. Geishas are one of the “faces” of Japan. They carefully preserve their traditions and have kept their art alive until today. It is fascinating to learn about their lives and training. That is why we will attend a dinner with a geisha or a maiko (young apprentice geisha). During the dinner, the geishas entertain guests with dancing, singing, and traditional table games — simple but fun. To get into a dinner with their performance, recommendations from “regulars” are required, and some restaurants and tea houses are completely closed to foreigners without a Japanese insider. Geishas and maikos generally do not speak English, so a guide-translator will be available to help you understand the magic of this art.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer from Kyoto to Nara by comfortable bus. Travel time: 1 hour.

Nara
Until the 8th century, Japan’s capital moved to different cities with each new emperor’s ascension. In 710, Nara became the first permanent political center. The city has exceptional cultural value, with 8 of its sites protected by UNESCO. Nara attracts visitors not only with its ancient temples and the Great Buddha but also with freely roaming deer that beg tourists for special crackers. Todai-ji Temple, home to the bronze Great Buddha statue, is one of Nara’s symbols. Its main hall, housing the statue, is the largest wooden building in the world. Kasuga Taisha Shrine, founded in the early 8th century, is dedicated to the guardian deity of Nara. Numerous buildings are nestled in the forest at the foot of a hill. Here and there, you’ll see stone and bronze lanterns donated by worshippers — thousands of them! Near these lanterns, you can often find resting deer. This shrine is the family temple of the Fujiwara clan, who “provided” brides for the imperial family for about a thousand years.

Lunch in Nara.

Return to Kyoto and rest.

Optional — visit Fushimi Inari, a shrine complex dedicated to the goddess Inari with many red torii gates. Inari is the goddess of harvest and business success; visiting her shrine is believed to bring good luck in business.

Dinner at the restaurant.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer from Kyoto to Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train, travel time 2 hours 20 minutes.
Lunch at a restaurant, check-in at the hotel.

Free time for shopping, museums, and personal plans. Upon request, we can organize for you:
A visit to the vintage shopping street
A fashion-hunting tour with a fashion historian guide
A visit to the fish market with a chef and a Japanese cooking lesson
A visit to the Ghibli Museum (tickets are personalized and must be purchased months in advance; this option needs to be confirmed beforehand).
A one-day guided excursion by train to the Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli Museum. Here you can see the works of the famous Japanese anime director, creator of such masterpieces as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Ponyo, and many others. Anime fans will be thrilled by the museum: you can learn more about the animation process, see Miyazaki’s workspace, sketches, drafts, take photos on the roof with the anime robot and “Laputa: Castle in the Sky,” and watch Studio Ghibli short films.

Dinner in Tokyo.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport by private comfortable car, departure home.