| Discovery Index | Search
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Day
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Date
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Destination(s)/Notes
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Depart+
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Return+
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Lunch+
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1
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June 13th
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Overnight trip: We start the discovery tour
with a visit to Takisanji temple with its perfect
Kamakura period
architecture and magnificent
gate built in 1267 by Mitsunobu Fujiwara,
a master architect, and also taking time to get a close look at the beautiful
Toshogu built by the 3rd and most
powerful shogun of the Edo period,
Tokugawa Iemitsu. We then visit historic
Okutono Jinya, a 300 year old barracks built by
Matsudaira Norikata, the founder of the Red Cross in Japan and the architect of the only star shaped fortress on the island of Honshu. We will
see fireworks exhibits and learn about the history of gunpowder manufacture, walk through a beautiful moss garden, and enjoy green tea
inside the old building while enjoying the view of the carp pond and garden. In the late afternoon/evening we drive to
Osaka, and enjoy the nightlife in the
Dotonburi Arcade,
Amerika Mura areas.
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0815
Please bring passport with you for accommodation check-in
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N/A
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No
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2
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June 14th
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We next head to the port city of
Kobe, where we will explore the old
foreign settlement of Kitano with
it's winding streets & historic buildings such as the old
Chinese consulate and the US Consul's
Moeginoyakata. These buildings date from
the 18th century treaties that re-opened Japan to the world after the long period of seclusion under the rule of the
Tokugawa Shogunate. We will visit a sake brewery and Kobe's historic chinatown -
Nankin-machi, before heading to our final
destination, Himeji. At this time of year the
magnificent Himeji castle is floodlit. We will have a look around, and then those who are still genki will find a
nice cosy bar.
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N/A
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N/A
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No
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3
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June 15th
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In the morning we will visit the massive and world heritage listed
Himeji Castle. This is the
most extensively preserved castle in Japan, never damaged by war (including WWII) and one of only four castles in Japan
that are designated as national treasures. Rebuilt from 1600 by Ikeda
Terumasa, many famous figures including Senhime and
Miyamoto Musashi, the master of two-sword fencing are closely associated with Himeji Castle. From here we will head to the
vast hilltop monastery complex of Shoshazan. This is
one of the most important pilgramage sites in western Japan, almost completely intact, and yet due to its relative isolation it is
rarely crowded. You may have
seen some parts of it before since it was where many of the scenes of the movie "The Last Samurai" were filmed as there are
scores of original buildings in the monastery complex and very little evidence of modern life. Our
final destination today is the city of Nara, the first
permanent capital of Japan (710-794). In Nara we will (assuming traffic is kind) visit
Todaiji, home of Nara's famous great Buddha, the
Nara Park area with
the sacred deer and Kofukuji.
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N/A
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2030
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Yes
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4
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June 16th
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Today we drive deep into the forested valleys of the Oku-Mikawa area.
Our first destination is very remote, a
Senmaida, consisting of more than
1000 small rice fields in an painstakingly constructed terrace. We will then hike through verdant forests to Horaiji, a 1300 year old temple that also
has a brilliantly preserved Toshogu shrine in a grove of 350 year old cedar trees towering above us.
From Horai we will visit the Nagashino battlefield & its museum, learning about the famous battle that occurred here in 1575, before heading down the valley to the
the mysterious Toyokawa Inari shrine, dedicated to a fox-riding god called Toyokawa Dakinishinten. The legend of
Dakinishinten dates from the 15th century, and was believed by samurai warriors such as Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa
Ieyasu. Millions of people visiting this shrine every year as it is one of the three major Japanese Inari gods.
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0900
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1730
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Yes
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5
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June 17th
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Today we head deep into
Gifu, but not before making a quick visit to the famous/infamous
Tagata Jinja and Oagata Jinja near
Komaki in Aichi. From to here we head to
Gujo Hachiman, an old castletown with historic
streetscapes. Gujo is a town famous for its folk dancing, but also for an unusual craft. Many restaurants in Japan have
(inedible) food displays in their front windows to attract customers, and Gujo is one of the main producers of these "food" samples.
Made primarily from wax, plastic etc, we will have the opportunity to make food samples - it makes for a very unusual souvenir.
This town also has many traditional shops, so its a good chance to explore for Japanese crafts.
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0900
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1800
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Yes
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6
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June 18th
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Today we head to
Kyoto, visiting world heritage sites in the
former capital. We begin the day with a visit to
Kinkaku-ji (the golden pavilion) and
beautiful Ryoanji with its cultural superstar rock garden. After lunch we will visit
Nijo Castle, the fortified camp built in the
heart of Kyoto city to protect the Shogun's
interests. This castle contains the Ninomaru palace, an original structure famous for its artworks and security devices such as the
"nightingale floors". We finish the day with a visit to
Yasaka Jinja and the
Gion district, the entertainment heart of Kyoto
and where most of the tea houses (such as Ichiriki Ochaya) that are famous for geiko (geisha) are located. There will also be some free time for shopping.
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0700
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2130
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Yes
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7
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June 19th
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Day trip:
Our first stop today is the old ceramics town and port of
Tokoname, where we will have the opportunity to make pottery on
the wheel with a master potter - a good chance to practise your Japanese too. We then visit a 300 year old sake brewery at
Kunizakari Sake and after learning about the sake brewing process take a bit of time to sample their products, before
dropping by Yoshihama Ningyou to see exactly what the master craftsmen who make Japanese Ningyou dolls can really do
when they set their minds and considerable skills to it - and then go completely over the top! We end our tour with an unusual destination. During the tour
we have a chance to see Japan and the Japanese, but what do Japanese think and make of us and our countries? - Denpark
is a fascinating and enjoyable way of trying to figure that question out.
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0830
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1830
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Yes
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8
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June 20th
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2 night trip: At Toyota Motor Corporation we walk through their superb
Kaikan, learning about the processes involved
before heading to a Toyota Motor Factory for
a birdseye view. On our return journey we visit historic Daijuji -
the ancestral temple of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Matsudaira
clan, with its unique pagoda and artworks. Our next destination is another
center of excellence, however instead of the 21st century technologies of
Toyota, the methods used by
Hatcho Miso are ancient and the product
unchanging throughout the centuries. We then fast forward as we head past Mount Fuji on our way to
Tokyo.
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0900
Please bring passport with you for accommodation check-in
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N/A
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Yes
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9
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June 21st
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We start with a visit to
the observation towers of Tokyo's ultra-modern Metropolitan Government Building to get a bird's eye view of the city - on
clear days we can see Mount Fuji. We then head across town to visit the sometimes controversial
Yasukuni Jinja,
before making our way to the Imperial Palace
where we can visit several famous historic sites, the walls of the once impregnable Edo Castle, and the east gardens.
From here we move to the Ginza area, with some free time to explore the shopping district, Sony Building, New Design
Paradise, the Apple Store etc. From Ginza our next
stop is the historic Hamarikyuu Gardens, before
taking a cruise up the Sumida river to Asakusa, exploring Sensoji temple
and the lively shopping precinct. A pretty full day basically.
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N/A
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N/A
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No
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10
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June 22nd
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After breakfast we are off to
Ueno-koen, an oasis of greenery in
the concrete jungle, that also has several interesting sites to visit such as the Toshogu, Benten shrine and the
Shitamachi Museum.
We then have some free time for shopping and people watching in Ameyoko Arcade, before heading over to the electronics
district of Akihabara (also includes free time for
shopping) to see the amazing array of gadgets and bargains on offer.
Our afternoon will involve a visit to the Meiji
Jingu and the popular youth and shopping areas of Omotesando and
Harajuku.
We return to Okazaki in the evening.
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N/A
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2100
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No
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C O M M U N I T Y M E M B E R S
