Meet & Greet: Upon arrival in Tokyo you will be met by an assistant and welcomed to Japan. Your assistant will escort you to the shared shuttle bus into Tokyo. This journey is shared with other people and will take approximately 1 hour, depending on other stops (there will be a maximum of 3). Look out for some great views as you ride the elevated highways into town, before being dropped at your hotel door.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Shiba Park Hotel (Standard Room)

Full day private tour of Tokyo: Today you will take a full day private tour of the city with a private English-speaking guide, travelling by public transport. Places of interest that can be visited include Tokyo's National Museum which houses displays of historic costumes including samurai armour and swords and fine kimonos, antique folding screens, tea ceremony utensils and Japanese paintings. The Sumida River cruise travels through the busy heart of the city and to the edge of Tokyo Bay where you will be able to see the reclaimed land islands and the large Rainbow Bridge that dominates the bay. Hamarikyu Garden is a tranquil oasis on the edge of the bay and flanked by the modern skyscrapers of the Shiodome district. The gardens reflect Japan's changing seasons. Enjoy Japanese tea with Japanese sweets in the wooden pavilion by the edge of the park's lake.

Tokyo Sky Tree Tickets: Today we will be providing you with tickets for Tokyo's newest iconic landmark: Tokyo Skytree. The 634m high tower is the hottest destination in town and the observation decks located at 350m and 450m offer unparalleled views over Tokyo.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Shiba Park Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Day at leisure: Today is free to explore more of Tokyo, or the nearby towns of Nikko & Kamakura. Nikko is famous for its ornate religious architecture, some of the most important in all of Japan, in a beautiful woodland setting. Kamakura is a sleepy coastal town that served briefly as capital of Japan in the 1100s, leaving a rich cultural legacy.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Shiba Park Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Train journey from Tokyo to Kanazawa: Travel by train from Tokyo to Kanazawa on the famous bullet train, a journey of 2 hours 28 minutes.

Self guided tour of Kanazawa: This afternoon is at leisure to explore Kanazawa independently. The city is easy to get around either by public transport or by using taxis. Places of interest that we recommend visiting include the beautiful Kenrokuen garden rated as one of the three best gardens in the whole of Japan. There are also several small geisha districts, old tea houses, samurai houses and a ninja temple.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Trusty Kanazawa Korinbo (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast 

Bus journey from Kanazawa to Shirakawago: Make your way to Kanazawa Bus Station for the express bus to Shirakawago departing at 08.45, a journey of 1 hour 15 minutes.

Afternoon at leisure: This afternoon is at leisure to explore Shirakawago independently. Surrounded by pine tree covered mountains in the heart of the Hakusan National Park, Shirakawago is one of the most scenic parts of Japan. Besides the beautiful scenery, the unique Japanese thatched-roof farmhouses are one of the main attractions. You have the whole day and evening to explore the village, visit the exhibition hall, take a walk in the surrounding countryside or sip some steaming sake at a local inn.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Minshuku Koemon (Japanese room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Bus journey from Shirakawago to Takayama: This morning travel by public bus from Shirakawago to Takayama, a journey of around 1 hour.

Afternoon at leisure: This afternoon is at leisure to explore Takayama independently. Visit Takayama's old town area to explore its narrow streets full of carefully preserved inns, tea houses, shops and merchants houses of the Edo period.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Yamakyu ryokan (Japanese style room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Shared cycling tour: This morning, you will have the opportunity to head deeper into rural Japan and take a cycling tour through the rice fields and rural farming villages of Hida. Your English speaking guide will take you on a 3.5 hour ride with the beautiful Hida Mountain Range as a back drop. As well as the rural scenery, the tour also visits a natural spring, a local temple, Minka (traditional wood farmhouses) and an orchard. In total you will be cycling a distance of 22km and you will get a real insight into country way of life, hopefully meeting a few residents of Hida along the way.

This is a group service so there may be other people on your tour but the maximum group size per guide is just 8 people. Bike hire and services of your guide are included in the price. There are a few steady inclines on this tour but there are short-cuts available! Please note this tour is only available March 20th to December 20th.

Afternoon self guided tour of Takayama: The rest of the day is at leisure to explore more of Takayama independently. The town has many shrines and temples to explore, and the fascinating Hida folk village where old farm houses from across the Hida region have been rebuilt beam by beam. There are also some great sake micro breweries which offer the chance to sample Takayama's most famous product.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Yamakyu ryokan (Japanese style room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Bus journey from Takayama to Matsumoto: This morning take the bus to Takayama to Matsumoto, a spectacular journey through the Japanese Alps lasting around 2 hours 20 minutes.

Afternoon at leisure: This afternoon is at leisure to explore Matsumoto independently. The city is most famous for one of the only original castles in Japan, a great place to get a feel for ancient Japan and how the samurai used to live and fight. The city also has a number of sake breweries tucked away in the backstreets, and an interesting museum of Ukiyoe woodblock prints.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Richmond Hotel Matsumoto (Standard room)

Meals: Breakfast

Train from Matsumoto to Nakatsugawa: Today take an express train from Matsumoto to Nakatsugawa, the gateway station for the villages of Magome and nearby Tsumago in the Kiso Valley. This is a beautiful journey through the mountains and on arrival at Nakatsugawa you will need to pay on the day for the bus to picturesque Magome. The bus costs 540 yen per person and takes 30 minutes.

Bus and Hike from Nakatsugawa via Magome to Tsumago: On arrival at Nakatsugawa Station you will take a bus to Magome before walking on to Tsumago. There are regular buses from the station which are all signed in English and take around 30 minutes to reach the small post town of Magome. (Please pay on the day for the bus - 540 yen per person). After looking around the mountain town of Magome you can walk along the Old Post Road to Tsumago - a gentle hike of 5 miles which will take around 2 hours and on the way passes some stunning scenery of this remote area of Japan.  The path is well signed in English and Japanese and there are plenty of rest stops along the way with refreshments available. Alternatively (if the weather is not so good for example!) you can take buses the whole way to Tsumago. 

Please note: If you do decide to undertake the hike to Tsumago you can take advantage of Japan's famous luggage forwarding service and send your main bags from Matsumoto to Kyoto.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Minshuku Daikichi (Japanese style room - shared bathroom)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Taxi from Tsumago to Nagiso: This morning you will need to take a taxi back to Nagiso station. The journey takes about 7-8 minutes and will cost around £15.

Train journey from Nagiso to Kyoto: This morning travel by train from Nagiso to Kyoto, changing trains in Nagoya.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Sanjo (Standard room)

Meals: Breakfast

Full day private tour of Kyoto: Today you will take a full day private tour of the city with a private English speaking guide, travelling by public transport. Places of interest that can be visited include Kiyomizu Temple, perched on a hillside with good views towards central Kyoto. Dating from 1633, the main hall sits on hundreds of interconnecting wooden pillars above a sacred spring that is believed to have therapeutic qualities. Kinkakuji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion, is one of Japan's most famous sights. This glittering temple is covered entirely in gold leaf and set on a small lake amongst well-tended gardens. Ryoanji Temple belongs to the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and was founded in 1450. The adjoining garden is an austere collection of 15 rocks adrift in a sea of sand. Nijo Castle was built in 1603 to demonstrate the power of the first Tokugawa Shogun Ieyusa. The design of this castle, built by the first Shogun of a united Japan, reflects an ambition to impress rather than anticipation of combat.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Sanjo (Standard room)

Meals: Breakfast

Kyoto cultural experience: Today you will take a tour of the beautifully preserved 'machiya', a Meiji period town house full of antiques. Located in Kyoto's textile district, this town house was built as a textiles shop with living quarters stretching far behind and has been in the same family for 13 generations. During your tour you will be shown how to dress in kimono, and taught the ancient techniques of the tea ceremony. A traditional lunch will then be served on authentic Meiji period dining ware.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Sanjo (Standard room)

Meals: Breakfast

Day at leisure: Today is free to explore more of Kyoto, or alternatively take a day trip to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Nara located just 40 minutes from the city.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Sanjo (Standard room)

Meals: Breakfast

Train journey from Kyoto to Tokyo: Today travel by bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo, a journey of approximately 2.5 hours.

Afternoon at leisure: On arrival, check-in to your hotel in the lively Shinjuku district and enjoy your final afternoon back in capital.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Citadines Central Shinjuku (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast