Tokyo & Kyoto by Private Car with Guide

Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo
Welcome to Tokyo, one of the world’s most vibrant cities. Our representative will meet you and assist you in boarding an airport limousine bus transfer to your hotel.

Note: Please inquire about a private car transfer.

Day 2: Tokyo
Early morning start your half-day tour of Tokyo by private car. Visit the beautiful wooded grounds of the Meiji Jingu Shrine. Located in an evergreen forest, it is Tokyo’s largest and most famous Shinto shrine. Next on to the Imperial Palace Plaza, the large plaza where you can view the Imperial Palace located in the former site of Edo Castle surrounded by moats and massive stone walls. Continue to the Asakusa Kannon Temple, Tokyo’s largest and most popular Buddhist temple and explore the Nakamise Shopping Arcade. The afternoon is free at leisure. (B)

Day 3: Tokyo | Mt. Fuji | Tokyo
Excursion to the iconic Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of Japan. Visit the Fuji Visitor Center and have a breathtaking view of the surrounding lake-dotted environs.  Depart to Lake Ashi for a relaxing cruise ride.  Also enjoy a cable car ride up Mt. Komagatake on the Komagatake Ropeway, for a sweeping view of Lake Ashi and Owakudari Valley. (B)

Day 4: Tokyo | Nikko | Tokyo
Morning excursion to Nikko, a city laced with UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Toshogu Shrine. This mausoleum of the first Tokugawa Shogun is a lavishly decorated complex consisting of more than a dozen Shinto and Buddhist buildings set in a beautiful forest. Continue to the scenic Lake Chuzenji, located at the foot of Mount Nantai, Nikko’s sacred volcano. Afterwards, visit Kegon Waterfall, at over 300 feet high, it is one of the finest waterfalls of Japan. (B)

Day 5: Tokyo | Nara | Kyoto
Transfer to Tokyo Station and board the famous Bullet Train to Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital. Upon arrival, you will be met at the Kyoto Station and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon excursion to Nara, Japan’s first permanent capital. Start your walking tour in Nara Park where tame deer, considered to be messengers of the Shinto gods, roam freely. Visit the Todaiji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, located in the northern part of Nara Park. It houses Japan’s largest bronze Buddha statue in the world’s largest wooden building. Continue to the celebrated Kasuga Taisha Shrine, famous for its hundreds of bronze lanterns hanging from the buildings. (B)

Day 6: Kyoto
Begin the day by visiting the 17th-century Nijo Castle, which was built as the residence of the Tokugawa Shogunate, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Continue to Kinkakuji Temple, with its magnificent Golden Pavilion whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Also visit the Ryoanji Temple famous for its rock garden, which consists of a rectangular plot of pebbles surrounded by low earthen walls, with 15 rocks laid out in small groups on patches of moss. An interesting feature of the rock garden’s design is that from any vantage point at least one of the rocks is always hidden from the viewer. The afternoon is yours at leisure. (B)

Day 7: Kyoto
Continue your private tour in Kyoto, visiting the Heian Shrine with its architecture design from a partial reproduction of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Next visit the Sanjusangendo which is famous for its 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Continue the journey to the magnificent Kiyomizudera Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site which is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. The main hall has a large veranda, supported by tall pillars, that juts out over the hillside and offers impressive views of the city of Kyoto. (B)

Day 8: Depart Kyoto
Transfer to the airport by airport shuttle van for your return flight. (B)

Note: Please inquire about a private car transfer.