Day 1 (4/10): Tokyo
Welcome to Tokyo! Did you know that with over 9 million residents, Tokyo is classified as the largest city in the world? And that's not even counting the neighboring cities in the Greater Tokyo region, bringing the number to a whopping 36 million! A private car will collect you from the airport and take you to your accommodations. We will not schedule too much for your first day to allow you to rest after a long flight. We can, however, arrange dinner reservations for the evening depending on what time you arrive. Accommodation: Own arrangements
Day 2-4 (4/11-13): Tokyo
The next 3 days will be for you to explore and enjoy some of the stunning gardens in and around Tokyo and reunite with family. Look forward to a day at the Suigo Sawara Ayame Park, a day at the Ashikaga Flower Park, and a day visiting family in Yokosuka. If you’d like more time in Tokyo to explore and see family, please let us know and we’d be happy to add a few more days. On your final day in Tokyo, you’ll board one of Japan’s last overnight sleeper trains. From the comfort of your private compartment watch the neon city lights fade into countryside as you travel to one of Japan’s least visited, but in our opinion, most beautiful prefectures Shimane. Accommodation: Own arrangements/Overnight sleeper train on final night
Day 5 (4/14): Matsue
You’ll wake up almost 500 miles from where you began, in the quiet city of Izumo. After making your way to your accommodations in nearby Matsue to drop your bags, you’ll meet your guide for the day. You’ll start with a visit to some of the city’s top attractions starting with its castle. This dark structure is one of only a few castles that still exist in its original form with most having been destroyed multiple times by fires and earthquakes. You’ll also take a walk through the city’s former well preserved samurai district to get an insight into the life of these respected warriors. The rest of the day will be spent taking in the beauty of Daikonjima’s Yuushien Flower Park. With over 250 different varieties of peony blooming during spring, this garden is a fragrant paradise. In the evening settle into your ryokan which comes with both an indoor and outdoor onsen and offers kaiseki meals on site. Accommodation: Ryokan in Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Meals: Supper
Day 6 (4/15): Fukuoka
Today marks your first day in Kyushu as you journey by train to Fukuoka. This will take approximately 5.5hrs, and you’ll have plenty of time to watch the landscape change from a comfy seat in the bullet train. After dropping your bags at your hotel, it’s straight off to meet your tour guide for the evening as you embark on a food tour of some of Fukuoka’s restaurants and yatai street food stalls. Look forward to a variety of dishes to choose from including noodles, dumplings, yakiniku, gyoza and so much more! Then, it’s back to your hotel to relax for the rest of the evening and get ready for another memorable day tomorrow. Accommodation: 4-star hotel near Hakata Station Meals: Breakfast, Supper
Day 7 (4/16): Yanagawa day trip
You’ll meet your guide for the day before all of you journey south of Fukuoka to a beautiful town nestled next to the Ariake Sea. Yanagawa is surrounded by water and accompanied by stunning views of traditional houses and nature. One of its main draws is its canal system which you’ll experience with a relaxing boat ride. Your guide will also introduce you to some other sites important to Yanagawa’s history. One of these is the Shoto Garden, a favorite spot of the revered Tachibana family. Being so close to the sea, Yanagawa is also a fantastic place for seafood. Their signature eel dish is a must try while in the area and your guide will be the perfect person to show you where to get the city’s best. Accommodation: 4-star hotel near Hakata Station Meals: Breakfast
Day 8 (4/17): Beppu
Onward to Beppu today! The journey will take around 2.5hrs by train. Beppu is known for its amazing onsen hot springs, but it is also home to some great foods and museums. Consider this a bit of a relaxation day after week of travel. Why not head to the beach for a Beppu special sand bath? Buried up to your neck in sand, feel your aches and pains soothed away by the hotspring heated sand. This is the perfect time to get in a little souvenir shopping as you enjoy a leisurely stroll through some of the city’s shopping streets filled with locally made handicrafts and snacks. Alternatively, spend the rest of the day lounging and enjoying the onsen at your ryokan. Accommodation: Ryokan with onsen hotsprings Meals: Breakfast
Day 9 (4/18): Beppu
You will be joined by one of our favorite local guides today who will show you some of the spots that make Beppu famous. Your day will consist of the following: Visit to Beppu’s famous Jigoku hot springs. Bathing in an open air hotspring (optional activity depending on how much you really like onsen!). Tasting Beppu’s famous ‘hell steamed’ food by actually using using the steam from onsen water to cook your own meal . This has been a cooking method in Japan for centuries. Enjoy a stunning view of the city from Mt Tsurumi (accessed via a scenic ropeway). Accommodation: Ryokan with onsen hotsprings Meals: Breakfast, Supper
Day 10 (4/19): Takachiho
Today you’ll travel to one of Kyushu’s gems in Miyazaki. Getting there may take some time (5hrs by train and long distance bus), but it’s well worth the effort! We won’t plan much for today, leaving your time free to rest after several hours of travel or explore the area around your accommodations. We do, however, recommend heading to the Yokagura Night show at Takachiho Shrine. Here you’ll watch actors play the roles of the gods themselves as they tell you their story. Accommodation: Family-run minshuku Meals: Breakfast, Supper
Day 11 (4/20): Takachiho
Meet your guide and embark on a tour that will take you to several locations of much beauty and spiritual significance. Your day will start, however, with a ride on the open air train named after the goddess who sent her grandson to this region, and thus started the Japanese Royal bloodline. Takachiho Gorge is one of the most picturesque places we’ve ever seen and one of Takachiho’s top sites . A beautiful way to take in its sheer walls and waterfalls is from a boat which you can paddle up and down its waterways. You’ll also visit the Amanoiwato shrine, a cave where the goddess Amaterasu is said to have hid a long time ago, taking her light from the world. An amusing dance led by one of her fellow deities finally drew her out and her light returned to the world. Accommodation: Family-run minshuku Meals: Breakfast, Supper
Day 12 (4/21): Kumamoto
Kumamoto will act as another pitstop as you travel further west in Kyushu. A bus from Takachiho will bring you to this city some 3hrs later and, after settling into your hotel, it’s time to discover what Kumamoto is all about. First stop is the Suizenji landscape garden. This piece of living art is special in that it has been built to replicate the Old Tokaido Road, the route ancient travellers used to traverse between Kyoto and Tokyo, in minature. It even comes with a mini Mt Fuji. Another fascinating location is the residence of well known Japanese writer Kozumi Yakumo, or Lafcadio Hearn. Almost 300 years old, a step through its doors is like a step back in time to the Edo Era. In the evening discover some of the city’s classic dishes. A few of our favorites include basashi, Kumamoto ramen and karashi renkon. Accommodation: 4-star hotel in central Kumamoto Meals: Breakfast
Day 13 (4/22): Goto
On this day you’ll exchange mainland Kyushu for one of its smaller islands. A 2.5hr train ride will take you to Nagasaki where you’ll board a jetfoil to Fukuejima. Just over an hour later you’ll meet your guide for the afternoon (a South African expat) at the island’s port. The Goto Islands used to be the area where dozens of Christians fled to take refuge in an attempt to worship freely and without persecution. You will learn a bit about this history during a visit to Dozaki Church before seeing a few other beauties that the island has to offer including Takahama beach and Mt Onidake, where you can enjoy a relaxing onsen experience should you desire it. This mountain is also an amazing place for star gazing. Accommodation: 3-star hotel near the port Meals: Breakfast
Day 14 (4/23): Goto
Today you will spend the day in the company of one of our favorite locals, a monk named Yamashita san who often takes our guests around some of the smaller islands. Your guide from yesterday will also accompany you as you take the short ferry to Oushima island. Bustling during the whaling boom, this island is now home to fewer than 40 people. The cat population actually outnumbers the human one! A walk around the island will reveal abandoned houses, schools and a special shrine housed in a cave. It’s a real insight into the reality of Japan’s ‘dying countryside’ as the young leave for jobs in the cities, leaving these villages bare. In the evening you can look forward to a delicious meal cooked at an amazing homestyle Japanese restaurant. The sashimi here is some of the best we’ve tasted in the entire country, with the menu dependent on what the chef has caught that day. Accommodation: 3-star hotel near the port Meals: Breakfast, Supper
Day 15-16 (4/24-25): Tokyo
Today your time in Japan comes to an end. Hop on the morning jetfoil to Nagasaki before heading to the city’s airport. A short flight will bring you back where you started, the bustling metropolis of Tokyo. It’s here you’ll spend the night before heading back home on your return flight tomorrow. We hope you’ve had an amazing time. Sayonara, and we hope to see you again soon! Accommodation: Own arrangements Meals: Breakfast
