Asia · Japan
Eight days between Japan's two souls: three nights in Tokyo, with the option of an excursion to Mount Fuji, and three in Kyoto, with Nara and its deer.
Quick facts
Indicative price from
€1,799
per person
This itinerary is a starting point: we'll adapt it with you in your tailor-made proposal.
Request informationThe ideal first trip to Japan. Three nights in Tokyo: the Imperial Palace with the Nijubashi bridge, Senso-ji temple and its shopping street, elegant Ginza and, if you wish, a day at Mount Fuji, one of the country's three sacred mountains.
By bullet train you reach Kyoto, the old capital, with its temples and gardens. From here, a trip to Nara, with Todai-ji, home to one of the largest bronze Buddhas in the world, and the deer park.
Guided visits in Italian in Tokyo and Kyoto, a prepaid transport card and your suitcase forwarded between hotels.
8 days in the programme
Departure from Italy on the flight to Tokyo, not included in the price. Night on board.
Arrival in Tokyo and meeting with the Italian-speaking assistant, who takes you to the hotel by public transport: the easiest way to understand straight away how trains and the underground work. With the prepaid card included in the trip, worth 5,000 yen, you ride the metro, city trains and buses without buying tickets, and you can also pay at vending machines. After reaching the hotel, free time. Japan is 8 hours ahead of Italy (7 during Italian summer time): an early night is a good idea.
A first day with a local Italian-speaking guide, entry fees included. It starts at the Imperial Palace, the emperor's residence on the site of the old Edo Castle: from the large plaza in front you can see the Nijubashi bridge over the moat. In Asakusa, Senso-ji temple is dedicated to Kannon, the goddess of mercy, and you reach it along Nakamise, about 250 metres of shops selling sweets and souvenirs. To finish, Ginza, the elegant district of department stores, with the Wako clock tower at its main crossing.
A free day. One idea: the optional excursion to Mount Fuji, one of Japan's three sacred mountains together with Tateyama and Hakusan. By coach from Shinjuku it takes about two hours to Lake Kawaguchi, one of the five lakes at the foot of the volcano: on clear days the mountain is mirrored in the water. Nearby, the red Chureito pagoda, above the town of Fujiyoshida, frames the summit. Excursion booked separately. Those who prefer to stay in the city can spend the day in Shibuya and Shinjuku.
By Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto: just under 500 kilometres in about two and a quarter hours. If the sky is clear, Fuji appears on the right-hand side of the train. The main suitcase, up to 20 kg per person, travels separately and goes straight to the hotel. During the day, a visit to the city's temples with a local Italian-speaking guide; entry fees included. Seat of the imperial court for more than a thousand years, Kyoto was largely spared by the bombing of the Second World War: its historic monuments have been a UNESCO site since 1994.
A day trip to Nara, less than an hour from Kyoto by train; the prepaid card is valid on this line too. The day is spent independently. At Todai-ji, the Great Buddha sits in the main hall; behind the statue, a pillar has a hole the size of one of its nostrils and, according to tradition, those who squeeze through will have good luck. In the park, the deer bow to be given the crackers sold at the kiosks. Nearby, Kasuga Taisha shrine, with thousands of stone and bronze lanterns.
A free day. One idea: early in the morning, Fushimi Inari shrine, open day and night, to climb among the torii before the crowds. Then Arashiyama, west of the city, with the bamboo grove, the garden of Tenryu-ji temple and the Togetsukyo bridge over the river. In the evening, Gion, the geisha district: along Hanamikoji and the lanes around it you may pass a maiko, an apprentice geisha, on her way to an engagement. Photography is banned in Gion's private lanes. Entry fees not included.
Departure for Osaka's Kansai airport, about an hour and a quarter from Kyoto on the Haruka express train, and flight back to Italy.
